E-Rate Category 1 Broadband (FY26-FY31) - UPDATED

Agency:	State Government of Tennessee
State:	Tennessee
Type of Government:	State & Local
Posted Date:	Nov 17, 2025
Due Date:	Dec 8, 2025
Solicitation No:	RFQ 33101-26005FAS5
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09-18-25v2 RFQ

STATE OF TENNESSEE

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

FOR

E-RATE CATEGORY 1 BROADBAND (FY26-FY31)

RFQ #33101-26005FAS5

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTIONS:

1. Introduction

2. RFQ Schedule of Events

3. Response Requirements

4. General Information & Requirements

5. Procurement Process & Contract Award

ATTACHMENTS:

A. Technical Response & Evaluation Guide – Mandatory Requirement Items

B. Technical Response & Evaluation Guide – General Qualifications &

Experience Items

C. Technical Response & Evaluation Guide – Technical Qualifications,

Experience & Approach Items

D. Catalog Pricing

E. Statement of Certifications & Assurances

F. Reference Questionnaire

G. Pro Forma Contract

09-18-25v2 RFQ

INTRODUCTION

The State of Tennessee, Department of Education, hereinafter referred to as “the State,” issues

this Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) to define mandatory goods or services requirements;

solicit responses; detail response requirements; and outline the State’s process for evaluating

responses.

Through this RFQ or any subsequent solicitation, the State seeks to buy the requested goods or

services and to give ALL qualified respondents, including those that are owned by minorities,

women, service-disabled veterans, persons with disabilities, and small business enterprises, the

opportunity to do business with the state as contractors or subcontractors.

1.1 Statement of Procurement Purpose

The Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) Universal Service Schools and Libraries

Support Mechanism, commonly known as the E-Rate program, helps ensure that schools and

libraries can obtain high-speed broadband products and services to and throughout eligible

schools and libraries. The goal of the E-Rate program, which is administered by the Universal

Service Administrative Company (“USAC”), is to provide its applicants with an opportunity to

obtain the products and services necessary to deliver high-speed broadband access to the

internet all the way to the student in a classroom or the patron in a library. The E-Rate program

continues to be a critical component of Local Education Agencies’ (“LEAs”), authorized

Tennessee Public Charter Schools’ ("Public Charters"), and State Special Schools’ (“SSS”)

technology budgets across the State of Tennessee as the only reliable technology funding

available.

As a result of this RFQ, multiple contracts may be awarded for E-Rate Category One - Broadband

Services to LEAs, Public Charters, and SSS operating in the State of Tennessee. Category One

services includes broadband-related items for the school building or school district. The State will

award contracts to all qualified respondents that provide broadband services in alignment with the

federal E-Rate program requirements for discounted internet services. The services addressed in

this RFQ are limited to data transmission and internet access. Respondents will be scored and

awarded contracts in accordance with Section 5 - PROCUREMENT PROCESS & CONTRACT

AWARD. Cost will not be evaluated under this RFQ; however, Respondents must submit a

Catalog Pricing outlining the goods/services for which the Contractor is authorized to provide in

order to participate in the USAC mini-bid process.

LEAs/Public Charters/SSS throughout Tennessee will then conduct a mini-bid process as

described by USAC amongst the awarded contractors. Any contracts awarded from this RFQ

shall be available for use by any LEA/Public Charter/SSS in Tennessee; however, only those

entities who have signed a Letter of Agency with the State will be authorized to use the contracts

in conjunction with their E-Rate application(s). Respondents that are awarded contracts are not

expected to participate in mini-bid events that are outside of their service regions or for products

areas that they do not supply.

USAC provided the following guidance on the mini-bid process:

If the state awards contracts to multiple service providers as a result of its posted

FCC Form 470 and competitive bidding process - what we refer to as a multiple

award schedule - the applicant must conduct a bid evaluation for all service

providers able to provide services to the applicant under these contracts (a mini-

bid process).

To conduct a mini-bid process, the applicant determines the factors to use for its

evaluation - with the price of the eligible products and services as the most heavily-

RFQ #33101-26005FAS5

09-18-25v2 RFQ

weighted factor - scores the service providers appropriately, and chooses the most

cost-effective solution.

• The applicant does not need to post an FCC Form 470 to conduct a

mini-bid.

• The applicant does not need to conduct a mini-bid if only one service

provider is able to provide service. For example, if three service

providers sign contracts with the state pursuant to the state-filed FCC

Form 470 but only one of the service providers can provide service in

the applicant's geographic location, a mini-bid is not required”

(Source: https://www.usac.org/e-rate/applicant-process/selecting-service-providers/state-

master-contracts/).

1.2. Pre-Response Conference

A Pre-Response Conference will be held at the time and date detailed in the RFQ Schedule of

Events, RFQ § 2. Pre-Response Conference attendance is not mandatory, and potential

Respondents may be limited to a maximum number of attendees depending upon overall

attendance and space limitations. Please contact the Solicitation Coordinator to RSVP for the

Pre-Response Conference. The Conference will be held at:

Microsoft Teams

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 263 720 147 958 4

Passcode: 5hv726L5

Dial in by phone

+1 629-209-4396,,839774092# United States, Triune

Find a local number

Phone conference ID: 839 774 092#

Join on a video conferencing device

Tenant key: stateoftn@m.webex.com

Video ID: 113 996 960 6

1.3. Notice of Intent to Respond

Before the Notice of Intent to Respond Deadline detailed in RFQ § 2, Schedule of Events,

potential Respondents should submit to the Solicitation Coordinator a Notice of Intent to Respond

in the form of a simple e-mail or other written communication. Such notice should include the

following information: the business or individual’s name (as appropriate), a contact person’s name

and title, the contact person’s mailing address, telephone number, facsimile number, and e-mail

address. Filing a Notice of Intent to Respond is not a prerequisite for submitting a response;

however, it is necessary to ensure receipt of notices and communications relating to this RFQ.

1.4. Definitions and Abbreviations

TERM

Basic Maintenance Internal Connections

(“BMIC”)

DEFINITION

BMIC covers the repair and upkeep of eligible

internal connections. Eligible repair and

upkeep services include hardware, wiring, and

cable maintenance, along with basic technical

support and configuration changes. The

RFQ #33101-26005FAS5

09-18-25v2 RFQ

Billed Entity

Category 1

Domain Name System (“DNS”)

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

(“DHCP”)

Eligible Services List (“ESL”)

E-Rate

Federal Communications Commission

(“FCC”)

FCC Commission Registration System

(“CORES”)

FCC Registration Number (“FRN”)

Form 470

products must be eligible for discounts in

order for their associated repair and upkeep

services to be eligible.

The entity responsible for paying the bills for

discounted services received by schools and

libraries.

Category 1 is one of two service categories

defined in the FCC’s Eligible Services List.

This category focuses on broadband

products/services within a school building or

school district.

The DNS is a network of directories on the

Internet used to resolve host names (e.g.,

www.tn.gov) into machine-readable IP

addresses (e.g., 192.264.1.1.81).

DHCP is a network protocol used on IP

networks where a DHCP service automatically

assigns an IP address and other information

to each host on the network so they can

communicate efficiently with other endpoints.

The ESL is a list released by the FCC prior to

the opening of the Form 471 application filing

window. This list contains a description of the

products and services that will be eligible for

discounts, along with additional helpful

information such as eligibility conditions for

each category of service for each specified

funding year.

E-Rate is the FCC’s Schools and Libraries

Program funded via the Universal Service

Fund and administrated by USAC. The E-Rate

program is responsible for the discounts

funding provided to schools and libraries

across the nation for procurement of

broadband services to the building and into

the school and/or classroom or public area of

a library.

The FCC is an independent agency of the

United States government created by statute

(47 U.S.C. §§ 151, 154) to regulate interstate

communications by radio, television, wire,

satellite, and cable.

An online system provided by the FCC that

will allow registration for organizations to

participate in an FCC program.

A 10-digit number that is assigned to a

business or individual registering with the

FCC.

Form 470 is the Description of Services

Requested and Certification Form, which

RFQ #33101-26005FAS5

Form 471

Form 472

Form 473

Form 474

Form 486

Form 498

RFQ #33101-26005FAS5

09-18-25v2 RFQ

opens a competitive bidding process for

services requested on the form; may have a

RFP associated with the filing.

Form 471 is the Services Ordered and

Certification Form and is the form by which E-

Rate applicants request discounts for eligible

products and/or services. This form is required

to be filed annually during the Form 471

application window.

Form 472 is the Billed Entity Applicant

Reimbursement (“BEAR”) Form, which is used

by the Billed Entity to request E-Rate discount

reimbursement for eligible products/services

received on or after the effective date of

discounts and already paid for by the

applicant.

E-Rate service providers file an FCC Form

473 (Service Provider Annual Certification

(“SPAC”)) to certify they are compliant with E-

Rate rules. Service providers must have a

SPAC Form on file for each funding year they

participate in the E-Rate Program and for

each Service Provider Identification Number

(SPIN and/or Form 498 ID). This form is

required by the program in order for invoices

to be paid to the service provider.

Form 474 is the Service Provider Invoice

(“SPI”) Form to be completed and submitted

by a service provider that has provided

discounted eligible services to eligible schools

and libraries, in order to seek universal service

support in the amount of the discounts. The

service provider must have provided the

service and given a discounted bill to the

applicant prior to submitting the FCC Form

474.

Form 486 is the Receipt of Service

Confirmation and Children’s Internet

Protection Act and Technology Plan

Certification Form that notifies USAC that the

billed entity and/or the eligible entities that it

represents is receiving, or has received,

service in the relevant funding year from the

named service provider(s).

Form 498 is the Service Provider Identification

Number and General Contract Information

Form and is used to collect contract,

remittance, and payment information for

service providers that receive support from the

federal universal service programs. If an

applicant opts to use Form 472 for

reimbursement of their approved discounts,

This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

Document ID & Hyperlink:	RFQ 33101-26005FAS5 Solicitation Notice Amendment 1 Attachment D
Event Start - Response Due:	10/14/2025 12/08/2025
Event Name:	E-Rate Category 1 Broadband (FY26-FY31) - UPDATED
Last Updated:	11/17/2025

E-Rate Category 1 Broadband (FY26-FY31) - UPDATED

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