e-rate Category 2 RFP ? Network Switch and Related Components

Agency:	Barrow County School District
State:	Georgia
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541512 - Computer Systems Design Services 541519 - Other Computer Related Services
Posted Date:	Nov 20, 2025
Due Date:	Jan 12, 2026
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BARROW COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

CATEGORY 2 – Network Switch and Related Components

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

November 20, 2025

______________________________________________________________________________

SECTION I – SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

EVENT

FCC Form 470 Posted/RFP Released

Questions from Bidders Due (in writing)

Q&A/Addendum(s) Posted in EPC no later than

Bid Due Date

District Board Meeting Approval

All times are EST.

DATE

November 21, 2025

December 5, 2025 12:00 PM

December 10, 2025 EOD

January 12, 2026 12:00 PM

Estimated February 3, 2026

SECTION 2 – REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION

From the time of receipt of this Request for Proposal (RFP) until the awarding of the contracts, bidders

are hereby cautioned to limit any communications with the district. Please do not contact any personnel

in the district and request a meeting or phone call. No phone calls will be accepted or returned. All

questions must be provided in writing to the names and email addresses named below to ensure the

integrity of the RFP process. Any attempt to circumvent the RFP process by contacting personnel at this

institution by any other means could result in the disqualification of the bidder.

All questions regarding this RFP should be submitted in writing to John St.Clair at

itsbids@barrow.k12.ga.us no later than December 5th, 2025 at 12:00PM. No phone calls will

be accepted or returned. Any questions received after this date and time will not be answered.

Any addendum(s) including Q&A documents will be uploaded to the E-Rate Productivity Center

(EPC) portal no later than the end of day on Wednesday, December 10th, 2025. We suggest that

bidders “Follow” the Form 470 so that you are notified of any additional documentation that is

associated with this Form 470.

SECTION 3 – SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Bids should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise

description of the service provider’s capabilities to satisfy the requirement of the RFP. Emphasis

should be on completeness and clarity of content.

Bidders should submit their proposals via email to John St.Clair at itsbids@barrow.k12.ga.us.

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Proposals

Proposals must include:

1. Completion of the included itemized spreadsheet (Appendix F Barrow County_FY2026 C2_

Equipment List_FINAL) with pricing of your proposed solution.

a) The bidder is requested to add any related and separately-priced components to

Appendix F that might be missing from the list but are required for the solution to be

fully functional. This includes but is not limited to licenses, software, power supplies,

power cords, etc. The district will not be liable for any costs beyond those proposed

herein.

b) It is anticipated that the proposed solutions might require additional charges, including

but not limited to, Georgia USF, Federal Universal Service Charges, and other eligible

taxes. The bidder is required to indicate whether their proposed pricing includes all

estimated taxes and fees. If the cost provided by the bidder does not include the

estimated taxes and fees, the bidder must provide the expected percentage for these

additional charges.

c) Proposals are to include the furnishing of all materials, equipment, shipping costs,

delivery, taxes, fees, etc. The district will not be liable for any costs beyond those

proposed herein.

d) Bidders are required to provide the E-Rate product eligibility (Not district’s E-Rate

percentage) of each piece of equipment on Appendix F. Additionally, bidders must

identify any equipment costs that are not 100% E-Rate eligible. If unsure, please verify

with the manufacturer before submitting the bid.

2. Company Description

Describe your company including the following information:

a) E-Rate SPIN number.

b) Provide a brief company history.

c) Describe your financial strength.

d) Describe what you consider to be your core competency.

3. Certificates of Insurance

4. The manufacturer’s standard warranty will be required in writing with delivery of goods and

services.

5. Vendor response must include letter from manufacturer indicating that proposed products are

from an authorized manufacturer supply chain and that vendor is an authorized reseller of

products.

The following Appendices must be included in the proposal.

A. Completed Statement of Eligibility and Compliance

B. Completed Contractor Affidavit

C. Certificate of Eligibility

D. References

E. E-Rate Supplemental Terms and Conditions

F. Barrow County_FY2026 C2 Equipment List_FINAL

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Bids are due no later than 12:00 PM on January 12th, 2026. Any bids received after this date

and time will be rejected and not considered in the evaluation process.

Discussions may be conducted with responsive bidders who submit bid for the purpose of

clarification to assure full understanding of the requirements of the RFP. All bidders, whose bids

in the district’s sole judgement require clarification, shall be accorded such an opportunity.

SECTION 4 – RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL QUOTES

The district reserves the right to reject any or all bids submitted if requirements of this RFP are

not met. The Service Provider’s submission is recognition of this right.

In addition, the district may choose to do all, part, or none of the project, regardless of E-rate

funding approval.

SECTION 5 – TRADE NAMES AND ALTERNATIVES

Proposals are requested on products that are the functional equivalent, comparable to or

better than the brands or items listed in this document. References to brand names, trade

names, model numbers, or other descriptions are made to establish an approximate level of

quality and functional capabilities and are not intended to exclude other products of similar

capabilities. Specific names of products listed in this document are intended to convey the type

of equipment sought.

Comparable products of other manufacturers will be considered if proof of comparability and

compatibility is contained in their proposal. Bidders, if proposing other than specified, are to

clearly identify the manufacturer and the model number and must provide written, complete

justification as to how the product complies with all specifications outlined within this RFP and

how the product could integrate with existing devices as well as the complete list of

manufacturer-published specifications related to the requested products. It shall be the

responsibility of the bidders to furnish descriptive literature with their proposal such that

specifications, catalog pages, brochures or other data will provide an adequate basis for

verifying the quality and functional capabilities of the product offered.

The district reserves the right to be the sole determiner of functional equivalency and to select

the proposal it believes to be in its’ best interest.

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SECTION 6 – EVALUATION CRITERIA

It is the intent of the district to award a contract to the most cost-effective provider based on

the Evaluation Factors below. Per FCC guidelines, cost will carry the greatest weight but other

factors important to the district will be considered.

FACTOR

POINTS

Cost of E-rate Eligible Goods and Services

Scope of Work and Specification Compliance

- Proposal meets or exceeds all technical requirements

- Compatibility with existing systems

- Met bid requirements

- Proof of product equivalency

Prior Experience

- Similar K-12 implementations/references

- District’s experience with this vendor

- District’s experience with this manufacturer

Total Possible Points 100

SECTION 7 – TERM OF CONTRACT

The contract for equipment will start on April 1, 2026 and terminate on September 30, 2027. The district

reserves the right to order quantities in any size lot or lots of quantities. Pricing must remain firm for the

term of the contract from April 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

SECTION 8 – PROJECT SCOPE

The district is seeking bids for Network Switches and accessories, with no installation services, to

supplement the existing network described below.

• This is an equipment-only request for network switches and accessories with no installation

services. Installation will be performed by district personnel.

• The district is requesting five-year license for new switch. Licenses can fall under either the

Internal Connections (IC) or the Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections (BMIC) service type,

depending on their function.

o An Internal Connections license is software that allows the eligible internal connections

equipment to function and distribute high-speed broadband through school buildings.

For example, although you may pay once to purchase a wireless access point (WAP), you

may need to pay a fee to the manufacturer to allow you to use the WAP.

o A BMIC license includes Maintenance Support Services (software upgrades and patches,

including bug fixes and security patches, as well as technical support.

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Vendors are requested to indicate if the licenses they are quoting fall under IC or BMIC.

• Each type of equipment may be evaluated separately. The district reserves the right to select

the same or a different vendor for each type of equipment.

• For all requests, no refurbished or grey-market equipment will be accepted. All equipment must

be new and should be compatible with existing equipment/infrastructure. If the proposed

solution is not compatible, the vendor should explain how their solution will fit into the existing

network. All costs associated with this solution should be identified.

• Quantities stated in this document are approximate and final numbers may change with final

request.

• Appendix F lists the locations for the equipment, type of equipment, quantity and functional

equivalent sought by the Barrow County School District. Pricing for these components and all

others should be entered and submitted on this spreadsheet. Please return in Excel format.

• Warranties - E-Rate rules allow a manufacturer’s multi-year warranty for a period up to three

years that is provided as an integral part of an eligible component, without a separate

identifiable cost, to be included in the cost of the component. Vendors are required to provide

details on warranties.

• Contingencies - All contracts awarded will be contingent upon the receipt of a Federal E-Rate

Program Category Two Funding Commitment Decision Letter. All contracts awarded will be

contingent upon approval by the Barrow County School District Board of Education.

SWITCHES AND RELATED COMPONENTS

Current Environment

The existing environment consists of (JL728A) Aruba 6200F switches stacked and connected via 10gig

fiber to Aruba CX8325 Switches.

All switches are currently managed through Aruba Central.

Desired Solution

This request for switches and related components will supplement the existing network. Therefore,

compatibility and ease of integration of the proposed equipment is very important to the district. If a

different make and model is proposed, the vendor should explain how the product complies with

specifications outlined below and how the proposed product could integrate with existing

devices and management platform.

Network Switch:

Quantity (1)

• Support for 1Gbe, 10 Gbe, 25 Gbe, 40 Gbe, and 100 Gbe line cards

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

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