25-018 ERATE WIRELESS ACCESS DUE 02/13/25 2PM EST

HOUSTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

For

Wireless Access Point

RFP NUMBER 25-018

For all questions about this RFP contact:

L. Renee Langston, CPPB, Issuing Officer

Renee.langston@hcbe.net

478-988-6211 ext. 3735

RELEASED ON:

January 13, 2025

DUE ON:

February 13, 2025, 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time

1.0
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purpose of Procurement

The Houston County School District is seeking proposals for approximately (3,500) wireless access points. Specifications, terms and conditions are contained herein. It shall be the intent and purpose of this (RFP) to cover the terms and conditions under which a successful Bidder shall be responsible to supply and deliver all products listed on the Bid Response Form to the Houston County School District.

1.2 Proposal Certification

The Houston County School District certifies that the use of competitive sealed bidding will not be practical or advantageous to the District in completing the acquisition described in this RFP.  Competitive sealed proposals will be submitted in response to this RFP. All proposals submitted pursuant to this request will be made in accordance with the provisions of this RFP in 3.0.

1.3 Schedule of Events

The following schedule will govern this Request for Proposals:

January 13, 2025 Release of RFP

February 13, 2025 Proposals Due – no later than 2:00 p.m. EST

1.4 Restrictions on Communications with Staff

Any questions about this RFP must be submitted in the following format:

Company Name

1. Question

Citation of the relevant section of the RFP

2. Question

Citation of the relevant section of the RFP

Questions must be directed to the Issuing Officer:

renee.langston@hcbe.net

Fax: 478-988-6212

Questions must include the company name and the referenced RFP section.

From the issue date of this RFP until a contractor is selected and the selection is announced, Offerors are not allowed to communicate for any reason with any District staff except through the Issuing Officer named herein, or during the Offeror's conference, or as provided by existing work agreement(s). The District reserves the right to reject the proposal of any Offeror violating this provision. All questions concerning this RFP must be submitted to the Issuing Officer in writing (fax or email may be used). Only written questions will be accepted. No response other than written will be binding upon the District. Questions and answers will be posted to the HCSD website and as an addendum in the USAC portal (EPC). The website address is http://www.hcbe.net, click on Departments, Purchasing, Bids/Proposals.

1.5 Definition of Terms

HCSD – Houston County School District

District – Houston County School District

OCGA - Official Code of Georgia Annotated (State Statute)

Offeror Vendor/Contractor – Respondent to this Request for Proposals

RFP - Request for Proposals

1.6 Background

For information on the Houston County School District, please go to www.hcbe.net.

2.0 MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

This section identifies all mandatory requirements, which must be addressed in the proposal before further consideration will be given. Each response must reference the item number it is in reference to (i.e., 2.1.a, 2.1.b, etc.).

2.1 System Requirements

HPE Aruba part numbers are used as a part of the RFP to be descriptive only and are not meant to be restrictive, however they are the preferred make and model. Vendors are asked to propose equipment equal to or greater than the equipment described herein. Vendors must include the brand/make/model of all equipment proposed.

a. The Aruba AP 735 is the preferred access point.

b. Access points must:

i. Support U-NII-4 channels in the 5 Ghz spectrum.

ii. Support Ultra Tri-band filtering.

iii. Support AI-powered energy-saving mode that automatically monitors connected devices, their locations, and connection times, and subsequently adjusts which APs are active and which are inactive.

iv. Support 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz,and 6Ghz bands concurrently

v. Support two integrated Bluetooth 6 and 802.15.4 radios 

vi. Support Target Wake Time (TWT) to schedule when clients need to communicate with an AP.

vii. Support HPE Aruba Networking Aruba Central IoT Operations Service.

viii. Support WPA2-MPSK

ix. Must include a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) for added security

x. Supports dual 5Gbps Ethernet ports

xi. Supports Intelligent Power Monitoring (IPM) to reflect energy consumption and adjust to available PoE power

xii. Support FTM 802.11az for sub 1 meter accuracy, with a GNSS receiver built-in for high accuracy indoor location measurements and be self-locating

xiii. Can be managed with Aruba Central and use existing district owned Aruba Central licenses.

2.2 Vendor Requirements

a. Vendor must supply CSV of all units that include MAC Addresses, serial numbers, and model numbers.

b. Must supply all new equipment. Used, reconditioned, or refurbished equipment and materials shall not be accepted

c. Equipment needed to complete this project shall be delivered onsite by the successful Vendor at no added expense to HCSD.

2.3 Qualifications, Service Provider

a. The Provider shall be experienced in all aspects of this work and shall be required to demonstrate direct experience on recent systems of similar type and size.

b. The E-Rate program requires that all records must be retained for at least ten (10) Years from the last date of service provided on a funding request. Respondent hereby agrees to retain all books, records, and other documents relative to any Agreement resulting from this RFP for ten (10) years after final payment. The District, its authorized agents, and/or auditors reserve the right to perform or have performed an audit of the records of the Respondent and, therefore, shall have full access to and the right to examine any of said materials within a reasonable period of time during the said period.

2.4 Company Background and Experience

Offeror will describe their background, relevant experience, and qualifications, including, but not limited to the following:

a. Company Structure

The Offeror will include in the proposal the legal form of their business organization, the state in which incorporated (if a corporation), the types of business ventures in which the organization is involved, the office location that will be the point of contact during the term of any resulting contract, and a chart of the organization structure, including the reporting relationships, as they relate to this RFP.

b. Experience

The Offeror must include the total number of full consecutive years of experience as a current business.

The Offeror will provide a list of all clients for whom similar services, as detailed in this RFP, have been provided during the past three years.  The list must include:

• dates of service

• name of contact person

• title of contact person

• phone number of the contact person

The Offeror will also disclose any services terminated by the client(s) and the reason(s) for termination.

2.5 Submission Requirements

a. Proposals shall be submitted in two separate parts, Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal.

b. The Offeror must submit the Certification Letter with original signature (Appendix A).

c. The Offeror must submit a completed and notarized Certificate Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility Form (Appendix B).

d. The Offeror must submit a completed E-Rate Certification Form (Appendix C).

e. The Offeror must submit a completed Vendor Affidavit Form (Appendix D).

f. Any exceptions to the District’s Sample Contract (Appendix E) must be clearly identified and submitted with the Offeror’s Technical Proposal. Proposed exceptions must not conflict with or attempt to preempt mandatory requirements specified in Section 2.0.

g. The Offeror must submit a Technical Proposal detailing the proposed approach to performing all of the services requested under Section 2.0 and providing company information as detailed. The Offeror will submit one hard copy of the Technical Proposal with original signatures and one copy of the Financial Proposal.

h. Each submission must include a thumb drive (flash drive, USB drive) of their entire proposal, Technical and Financial. Drive will not be returned to the vendor.

3.0 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION

3.1 Process for Submitting Proposals

3.1.1 Preparation of Proposal

Each proposal should be prepared simply and economically, avoiding the use of elaborate promotional materials beyond those sufficient to provide a complete presentation. If supplemental materials are a necessary part of the technical proposal, the Offeror should reference these materials in the technical proposal, identifying the document(s) and citing the appropriate section and page(s) to be reviewed.

3.1.2 Packaging of Proposal

The Offeror's proposal in response to this RFP must be divided into two appropriately labeled and sealed packages - a Technical Submission and a Financial Proposal.

The contents of each package will include:

1. Technical Submission

• Certification Letter (Appendix A)

• Certificate Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility (Appendix B)

• E-Rate Certification (Appendix C)

• Vendor Affidavit (Appendix D)

• Any Contract Exceptions (Appendix E)

• Technical Proposal, addressing all requirements in Section 2.0

• Do not include cost information in the Technical Proposal

2. Financial Proposal

• The Offeror must use the Financial Proposal form (Appendix F).

Mark the outside of the shipping package as follows:

Name of Company

Phone Number and Point of Contact for Company

RFP # 25-018

Due no later than February 13, 2025 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time

3.1.3 Submission of Proposals

Proposals must be submitted to:

HCSD – Purchasing Dept.

L. Renee Langston, CPPB

200 Jerry Barker Drive

Warner Robins, Georgia 31088

Any proposal received after the due date and time will not be evaluated.

3.2 Evaluation Process

The evaluation of proposals received on or before the due date and time will be conducted in the following phases.

3.2.1 Administrative Review

The Issuing Officer will review the proposals for the following administrative requirements:

1. Submitted by deadline

2. Separately sealed Technical Submission and Financial Proposal

3. All required documents have been completed and submitted

4. Technical Submission does not include any information from the Financial Proposal

5. All documents requiring an original signature have been signed and are included

3.2.2 Mandatory Requirements Review

Proposals which pass the administrative review will then be reviewed by the Technical Evaluation Team to ensure all requirements identified in Section 2.0 are addressed satisfactorily.

3.2.3 Proposal Evaluation

Proposals which pass the Mandatory Requirements Review will be reviewed by the Technical Evaluation Team for quality and completeness.

The following are the maximum possible points of each category:

Point Category Points Allotted

Eligible Cost 45

Proposed Solution 35

Business Qualifications 10

Demonstrated “E‐Rate” experience 10

Total Possible Points 100

3.2.4 Oral Presentations

The District reserves the right to choose and invite Offerors to present their technical solution to the Technical Evaluation Team. The Financial Proposal must not be discussed during the oral presentation. All Offerors submitting proposals may not be asked to make a presentation.

3.2.5 Financial Proposal Evaluation

Offerors will use only the Financial Proposal Forms provided with the RFP (Appendix F).

3.2.6 Identification of Apparent Successful Offeror

The resulting Financial Proposal scores will be combined with the Technical Proposal score. The Offeror with the highest combined technical and financial score will be identified as the apparent successful Offeror.

3.3 Rejection of Proposals/Cancellation of RFP

The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any irregularity or informality in a proposal, and to accept or reject any item or combination of items, when to do so would be to the advantage of the District. It is also within the right of the District to reject proposals that do not contain all elements and information requested in this document. The District reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time. The District will not be liable for any cost/losses incurred by the Offerors throughout this process.

4.0 TERMS AND CONDITIONS

4.1 RFP Amendments

The District reserves the right to amend this RFP prior to the proposal due date. All amendments and additional information will be posted to the HCSD Purchasing website, located at: https://www.hcbe.net/purchasing/openbids. Offerors are encouraged to check this website frequently.

4.2 Proposal Withdrawal

A submitted proposal may be withdrawn prior to the due date by a written request to the Issuing Officer. A request to withdraw a proposal must be signed by an authorized individual.

4.3 Cost for Preparing Proposals

The cost for developing the proposal is the sole responsibility of the Offeror. The District will not provide reimbursement for such costs.

4.4 Sample Contract

The Sample Contract, which the District intends to use with the successful Offeror, is attached to this RFP and identified as Appendix E. Exceptions to the Contract should be identified and submitted with the Offeror's proposal. Proposed exceptions must not conflict with or attempt to preempt mandatory requirements specified in Section 2.0.

Prior to award, the apparent winning Offeror will be required to enter discussions with the District to resolve any contractual differences before an award is made. These discussions are to be finalized and all exceptions resolved within one (1) week of notification. Failure to resolve contractual differences will lead to rejection of the Offeror's proposal.

The District reserves the right to modify the Contract to be consistent with the successful offer and to negotiate with the successful Offeror other modifications, provided that no such modifications affect the evaluation criteria set forth herein or give the successful Offeror a competitive advantage.

4.5 Conflict of Interest

If an Offeror has any existing client relationship that involves the Houston County School District, the Offeror must disclose each relationship.

4.6 Compliance with Laws

The Contractor will comply with all State and Federal laws, rules, and regulations.

Appendix A

Certification Letter

(Form must be completed and returned with bid.)

I certify that I have read and understand the terms and conditions herein. I further state that I am and/or my company is capable, able to, and will provide the requested product(s) and/or service(s) described herein. I am the owner or agent of the company stated below and am authorized and empowered to contract. By my signature on this ITB, I/we guarantee and certify that all items included in my bid meet or exceed specifications.

I certify that this bid is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm or person submitting a bid for the same materials, supplies, equipment, or services and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. I understand collusive bidding is a violation of State and Federal Law and can result in fines, prison sentences, and civil damage awards. I agree to abide by all conditions of this ITB and certify that I am authorized to sign this bid for the Vendor.

I certify and acknowledge that the laws of the State of Georgia, including the Georgia Open Records Act, require procurement records and other records to be made public unless otherwise provided by law.

By signing below I warrant that the bid price(s), terms and conditions stated in my response to this bid shall be firm through the bid process and until the time the award is made at which time prices shall remain firm and fixed for the entire contract period.

I certify and acknowledge that No substitutes will be accepted after the bid is awarded without prior written approval from the Director of Purchasing.

SUBMITTED BY___________________________________ DATE _____________________

TITLE____________________________________EMAIL: ____________________________

COMPANY NAME_____________________________________________________________

ADDRESS_______________________________CITY______________ST_____ZIP________

TELEPHONE NUMBER____________________FAX NUMBER________________________

COMPANY WEBSITE _________________________________________________________

SIGNATURE _________________________________________________________________

DO YOU ACCEPT VISA? ______________

ADDITIONAL FEE IF PAYMENT MADE WITH VISA: _________________

Appendix B

Certificate Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility

The Houston County School District is a recipient of Federal monies. As such we require that participating vendors not be debarred, suspended, ineligible or excluded from doing business with the Federal government or any agency thereof.

The prospective participant certifies, by submission of the proposal, that neither it, nor its principals, is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or excluded from participation in this transaction by any Federal department or agency.

Organization Name

Name(s) and Title(s) of Authorized Representative(s)

Signature(s) Date

Notary Date

Appendix C

E-RATE CERTIFICATION

I, _______________________________________, certify that___________________________, is a

(Print or Type Name) (Company Name)

Service Provider as defined by the E‐Rate Program and has not been suspended or disbarred from participating by the Federal Communications Commission. Our SPIN # is __________________, and

(Type Service Provider ID)

we have operated under this SPIN for ______years.

(number)

I also certify to the acceptance of the following:

1. All information necessary to respond to any PIA (Program Integrity Assurance), Item 25 Selective Review, or Audit performed by the FCC, the SLD, or their designated authority, will be furnished completely and in a timely manner sufficient to meet any response deadlines;

2. In the event an appeal is necessary, all the information necessary to complete the appeal will be furnished completely and in a timely manner to the Houston County School District, it’s attorney(s) or authorized agent;

3. Any contract awarded based upon RFP #25-018 is contingent upon the receipt of a Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) from the SLD that awards the requested discounts in full. In the event that partial funding or no funding is granted, the Houston County School District reserves the right to cancel the contract in whole or in part;

4. The Houston County School District will be invoiced for only the matching funds portion, and it our responsibility, as the E‐Rate Service Provider, to invoice the SLD for the remaining “non‐discount” portion. This billing method is known as the SPI (Service Provider Invoice) method;

5. In the event the Houston County School District wishes to perform a SPIN change, as afforded by the COPAN decision, permission will be granted within the contracted terms, provided 14 days prior written notice is given.

___________________________________________________ _________________________

(Original Signature in Blue or Black Ink) (Today’s Date)

___________________________________________________

(Print or Type Name)

___________________________________________________

(Title)

Appendix D

Vendor Affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(b)(1)

By executing this affidavit, the undersigned Vendor verifies its compliance with O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91, stating affirmatively that the individual, firm or corporation which is engaged in the physical performance of services on behalf of Houston County School District has registered with, is authorized to use and uses the federal work authorization program commonly known as E-Verify, or any subsequent replacement program, in accordance with the applicable provisions and deadlines established in O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91. Furthermore, the undersigned Vendor will continue to use the federal work authorization program throughout the contract period and the undersigned Vendor will contract for services in satisfaction of such contract only with sub-Vendors who present an affidavit to the Vendor with the information required by O.C.G.A. § 13-10-91(b). Vendor hereby attests that its federal work authorization user identification number and date of authorization are as follows:

Federal Work Authorization User Identification Number Date of Authorization

( )
Name of Vendor Name of Project

Houston County School District

Name of Public Employer

I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on ______, ___, 2025 in ____________________(city), ______(state).

__________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Officer or Agent

__________________________________________

Printed Name and Title of Authorized Officer or Agent

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN BEFORE ME ON THIS THE ______ DAY OF ______________, 2025.

_________________________________

NOTARY PUBLIC

My Commission Expires:________________________________

Appendix E

DISTRICT STANDARD CONTRACT

SAMPLE CONTRACT

CONTRACT

This writing shall constitute the entire agreement between the Houston County School District, and _(VENDOR)_________________________________.

AGREEMENT: The Houston County School District agrees to the services provided by (VENDOR)_as listed herein and as modified from time to time. This agreement supersedes any purchase order issued in the course of executing this agreement. (VENDOR)_ agrees to provide the services and equipment listed herein in accordance with the terms and conditions herein and certifies that such services and equipment is as proposed in Houston County School District RFP # 25-018. This agreement may be modified only by written agreement and not by course of performance. This agreement becomes effective on July 1, 2025 or on the day it is signed by all parties, whichever is later and will continue as indicated below.

DEFINITIONS: The meanings of the words below as used herein are defined as follows.

A. "District” as used herein means the Houston County School District, a political sub-division

of the State of Georgia.

B. “Vendor or Contractor” as used herein means the company that will be awarded the contract.

LAW: The laws of the State of Georgia shall prevail in all matters concerning this contract.

TERM: Code section 20-2-506 of the laws of the State of Georgia as of this date and as may be amended apply to this agreement. In addition to other requirements, the following are specifically enumerated.

A. This contract will terminate absolutely and without further obligation on the part of the School District at the close of each calendar year. Unless the District votes to cancel or non-renew, the contract will automatically renew at the end of each calendar year for a successive calendar year. The initial contract term is one (1) year, or less, from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, with annual, automatic renewal for a maximum of (10) years or (120) months. Either party may opt out of renewal with sixty (60) days’ notice.

TERMINATION:

A. The Houston County School District may terminate this contract in accordance with O.C.G.A. 20-2-506.

B. The Houston County School District may terminate this contract for non-performance of Contractor in any material respect and at the close of each calendar year by giving not less than 60 days’ notice to contractor.

C. The Contractor may terminate this contract for non-performance of the District in any material respect or at the close of each calendar year by giving written notice to the District not less than 60 days prior to termination.

D. The Contractor and the Houston County School District may mutually agree to terminate this contract at any time.

E. Upon total termination of this contract due to any reason, the District shall only be liable for the cost of unpaid past service periods. This District will release all equipment provided by this contract.

F. This contract will terminate absolutely and immediately at such time as appropriated and otherwise unobligated funds are no longer available to satisfy the obligations of this contract.

G. In the event of termination at the end of any calendar year period, the District shall only be liable for the cost of unpaid past service periods.

TRANSACTION FEE:

A. The District shall incur no cost for the duration of this contract.

B. All transaction fees will be paid by the user.

C. All fees must remain fixed through each contract period. Transaction fees may not increase more than 5% per year and any increase shall only be implemented at the start of each concurrent contract period.

TAXES:

A. The Contractor shall be responsible for all taxes and fees and shall pay all taxes and fees brought about by this agreement.

B. The District shall provide the Contractor with a Sales & Use Tax Exemption Form.

INDEMNITY: To the extent permitted by law:

A. The parties to this Agreement will indemnify, defend, and hold each other harmless from all losses, damages, claims, suits and actions (including court costs and reasonable attorney's fees) ("claims") arising out of any breach of this Agreement except to the extent caused by the negligence or intentional acts or omissions of the other.

B. The District shall not be required to insure the equipment provided under this contract from loss.

C. The District shall not be responsible for loss or damage to equipment.

ASSIGNMENT:

A. The Contractor shall not sell, assign, or transfer this agreement without the written consent of the District.

Houston County School District Offeror_______________________

__________________________ ______________________________

Name Name

__________________________ ______________________________

Title Title

__________________________ ______________________________

Signature Signature

__________________________ ______________________________

Date Date

Appendix F

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

(per specifications noted sec 2.1)

RFP #25-018

Quantity	Description	Unit	Extend	Comment
3,200	HPE Aruba AP-735 Wi-Fi 7 S1G4A (or equivalent)	$ .	$ .
TOTAL COST:	$ .

OPTIONS
	Description	Unit	Extend	Comment
Optional Up to 50	HPE Aruba AP-755 S1G83A	$ .	$ .
Optional Up to 50	HPE Aruba AP-734 S1G33A
Optional Up to 50	S1F87A - AP-ANT-328
Optional Up to 50	S1F85A - AP-ANT-320
Optional Up to 50	S1F86A - AP-ANT-325
Optional Up to 50	HPE Q9G69A AP Mount
Optional Up to 50	S0P50A AP-675
Optional Up to 50	JW053A Mount for AP-675
Optional Up to 200	Aruba Central 5yr
TOTAL COST:	$ .

SUBMITTED BY_________________________________________ DATE ___________________

TITLE___________________________________________________________________________

COMPANY NAME________________________________________________________________

SIGNATURE _____________________________________________________________________