Request for Proposals E-Rate Category 2 Project DeSoto County School District 2026 Hernando Middle School Partial Rewire RFP #383-HMS-DCS26

Agency:	State Government of Mississippi
State:	Mississippi
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	236220 - Commercial and Institutional Building Construction
Posted Date:	Nov 14, 2025
Due Date:	Dec 15, 2025
Solicitation No:	77-20251113085922 DCSD
Original Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

Procurement Details

Smart Number	77-20251113085922 DCSD	Advertised Date	11/14/2025 2:30 PM
RFx #	3170034369	Submission Date	12/15/2025 9:00 AM
RFx Status	Open	Major Procurement Category	INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)
RFx Opening Date	N/A	Sub Procurement Category	SUPPLIES - TECHNOLOGY
RFx Type	MDA - RFx
Agency	MPTAP
RFx Description	Pre-Bid Conference: Date & Time: 12/2/2025 9:00 AM Description: In order to be eligible to bid, all prospective bidders must attend the pre-bid conference. The pre-bid conference will be at Hernando Middle School, 805 Dillworth Ln, Hernando, MS 38632 at

RFx Items

PRODUCT CATEGORY	PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
91082	Serv BuildWiringElec

Awarded

VENDOR NAME

VENDOR NUMBER

AWARD DATE

AWARD AMOUNT

FUNDING SOURCE

Bid Attachments

Attachments
Bid Packet 383-HMS-DCS26 eRate.pdf

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Request for Proposals E-Rate Category 2 Project

DeSoto County School District

2026 Hernando Middle School Partial Rewire

RFP #383-HMS-DCS26

Notice to Bidders

Notice is hereby given to interested bidders that the DeSoto County School District will receive written,

sealed responses until the hour of 9:00 a.m., December 15th, 2025, at which time sealed responses will be

opened in the Board Room of the DeSoto County School District at 5 East South Street Hernando, MS.

Procurement Schedule

Public Notice to Newspaper and State Agency Bid

Bank

Release of RFP and Form 470 Posting

Newspaper Run Dates

Letter of Intent to Bid Due Date

Pre-Bid Conference (Mandatory for Cabling

Respondents)

Deadline for Written Questions/Clarifications

Sealed Response Submission Deadline

Response Opening

Contract Deadline

Anticipated Board Approval of Award

November 13, 2025

November 13 and November 20, 2025

December 2, 2025, at 9:00 am, CST

Hernando Middle School

805 Dillworth Ln

Hernando, MS 38632

December 5, 2025, at Noon, CST

December 15, 2025, at 9:00 am, CST

December 31, 2025

January 22, 2026

E-Rate Category 2 Project

Scope of Services and Contract Period

The DeSoto County School District wishes to upgrade its E-Rate eligible category 2 cabling at Hernando

Middle School. Pricing must remain in effect and must be honored until the service delivery deadline for

the 2026 funding year which is normally September 30th, 2027. If the service delivery deadline is extended

for any reason, prices must be honored until the final C2 service delivery deadline for Funding Year 2026.

Due to the extended timeline for E-Rate procurements and supply chain issues the District will seek a

three-year contract for Cabling.

Pre-bid Conference

In order to be eligible to bid, all prospective bidders must attend the pre-bid conference. The pre-bid

conference will be at Hernando Middle School, 805 Dillworth Ln, Hernando, MS 38632 at 9:00 am on

December 2, 2025. The purpose of this meeting is to allow potential bidders an opportunity to present

questions and obtain clarification of the requirements of the bid documents and to tour the school that

will require new structured cabling. Because the DeSoto County School District considers the meeting to

be critical to understanding the bid requirements for cabling, attendance is mandatory in order to qualify

as a bidder for the RFP. Proposals from cabling vendors who do not attend the pre-bid conference WILL

BE DISQUALIFIED.

Nothing discussed or information provided during the pre-bid conference shall be construed as changing

the scope of this procurement as set forth in this RFP. Anything discussed or any information provided

during the pre-bid conference shall be interpreted in light of this RFP; if there is any conflict or perceived

conflict between this RFP and information provided or statements made during the pre-bid conference,

this RFP shall govern.

At the time of the pre-bid conference, all bidders will be expected to complete and turn in the “Site Visit

Information Form” furnished in this document.

Background

The DeSoto County School District is a public school district located in DeSoto County, Mississippi. The

District serves approximately 34,573 students. The District has approximately 4,534 employees, 2,461 in

which are Certified Teaching Positions. The District is the state’s largest school district and has forty-two

(43) schools, including one (1) Alternative School, two (2) Career Tech Schools, two (2) Primary Schools,

seventeen (17) Elementary Schools, four (5) Intermediate Schools, eight (8) Middle Schools, eight (8) High

Schools and one (1) Transportation Department.

Intent to Bid

DeSoto County School Districts requests that all vendors interested in submitting a proposal complete the

Letter of Intent to Bid that is provided at the end of this document. The Letter of Intent to Bid should be

emailed to DeSoto County Schools Purchasing Department at DCS.Purchasing@dcsms.org or hand

delivered prior to December 2nd, 2025, 9:00 am, CST. If an email reply is not received within 24 hours, it

is the responsibility of the respondent to call Jenifer Hale at 662-449-7168 to confirm receipt of your Letter

of Intent to Bid. An email will then be sent confirming receipt.

Submitting a Letter of Intent to Bid does not commit you to bidding. The Letter of Intent to Bid is not a

requirement to submit a proposal, however the pre-bid conference is a requirement to bid on the RFP.

Submitting the Letter of Intent to Bid will ensure that you receive all vendor clarification questions and

answers if applicable after the vendor meeting.

In the case of inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances, all vendors who have submitted the

Letter of Intent to Bid will be notified of a change to the pre-bid conference date or time.

General Terms and Conditions

The specifications herein are provided to convey the intent of the District and do not indicate every cable

or component necessary for the complete system that the proposing vendor shall provide. Technical

specifications of all equipment and necessary components proposed should be provided with the bid.

Proposals that deviate from these specifications will be considered, provided the vendor indicates why its

proposed alternative specifications will meet the needs and intent of the District.

Prices quoted shall be an all-inclusive solution including all applicable taxes, shipping costs, installation of

cabling, any necessary cabling, training, technical support and trash removal, and represent complete

installation and integration with the existing network where necessary. All equipment included in

vendor’s proposal must be new equipment purchased from an authorized reseller. No grey market, third

party, or used equipment will be considered with limited exceptions for switch optics and stacking cables.

Omissions in the proposal of any provision described herein shall not be construed as to relieve the vendor

of any responsibility or obligation to the complete and satisfactory delivery, operation, and support of any

services. Bidders shall make all investigations necessary to thoroughly inform themselves regarding the

delivery of services as required by the solicitation. No plea of ignorance by the Bidder of conditions that

exist or that may hereafter exist as a result of failure to fulfill the requirements of the contract documents

will be accepted as the basis for varying from the requirements of the District or the compensation to the

Bidder

The terms and conditions of the Request for Proposal, the resulting contract(s) or activities based upon

this Request for Proposal shall be construed in accordance with the laws of DeSoto County, Mississippi

Bidders are required to state exactly what they intend to furnish to the District via this solicitation and

must indicate any variances to the terms, conditions or required services, of this Bid, no matter how slight.

Bidders are advised that the District endorses the participation and utilization of local contractors in its

purchasing efforts. Accordingly, bid proposals of equal price and quality will be awarded to Bidders

residing within the geographic area when available. This policy does not prohibit Bidders who reside

outside the area from participating in the purchasing process as long as these Bidders can offer services

at competitive pricing.

Clarifications

Should the vendor have questions or find discrepancies in, or omissions from this RFP, or be in doubt to

its meaning, the vendor shall at once notify DeSoto County School District. All questions should be

addressed to DeSoto County Purchasing Department and sent via email to DCS.Purchasing@dcsms.org

on or before December 5, 2025, 12:00 pm CST. The District shall not be responsible for verbal

interpretations offered by employees of the District.

If a response is not received within 24 hours, it is the responsibility of the respondent to call Jenifer Hale

at 662-449-7168 to confirm receipt of the questions. All questions and answers will be emailed to all

vendors attending the vendor meeting and submitting a Letter of Intent to Bid.

Bid Preparation and Submission Instructions

This document is a Request for Proposal (RFP). It differs from a Request for Quote or Bid in that the

District is seeking a solution as described herein, not a bid meeting firm specifications for the lowest price.

Competitive Sealed Proposals will be evaluated based upon criteria formulated around the most

important features of the service, of which quality, references, and availability or capability, may be

overriding factors, and price may not be determinative in the issuance of a contract or award. The

Proposal evaluation criteria should be viewed as standards, which measure how well a Bidder’s approach

meets the desired requirements and needs of the District.

Proposals will be received by the DeSoto County School Board of Education, 5 East South Street,

Hernando, MS 38632 or electronically at www.centralbidding.com, at the date and time specified in the

Procurement Schedule. All times specified in this RFP are Central Standard Time (CST). All proposals must

be received at the Board of Education or electronically at www.centralbidding.com on or before the date

and time specified in the Procurement Schedule. Neither dating of the proposal, nor placing it in the mail

by this date and time will meet legal requirements. The DeSoto County School Board of Education

reserves the right to reject any and/or all proposals received and to waive any and all informalities.

If Bidder is hand delivering or mailing Proposals, it must be submitted in a sealed 8”x10” or larger

envelope. Please label the outside envelope or shipping box as follows or the bid may be rejected:

Attn: Jenifer Hale

“2026 E-Rate HMS Rewire”

RFP #383-HMS-DCS26

Response Opening: December 15, 2025, 9:00 a.m.

Name of Company submitting proposal

If Bidder will be submitting proposal electronically, please submit to www.centralbidding.com. For any

questions relating to the electronic proposal submission process, please contact Central Bidding at 225-

810-4814.

Any proposal received after the opening date or time shall be refused and marked “Late Proposal” and

returned to the bidder unopened. For this purpose, the official time for the proposal opening shall be

based upon the time as indicated by the Purchasing Department. It is solely the responsibility of the

Bidder to ensure Proposals are received prior to the opening date and time.

It is the sole responsibility of the respondents to ensure their responses arrive in a timely manner. Late

arrivals will be rejected. The DeSoto County School District is not responsible for delays of any commercial

carrier or delays incurred by the respondents. Oral, telephone, or emailed bids will not be considered.

Signatures on the proposals must be in longhand and executed by a principal duly authorized by the

vendor to make a contract.

PLEASE NOTE: Common Carriers, UPS, and FedEx, in the Hernando, Mississippi area generally do not

deliver overnight packages on time. The DeSoto County School District will not be responsible for, nor

will it accept bid responses delivered after the deadline.

The Proposal must be typed or legibly printed in ink, on the Proposal Form supplied; use of pencil or

erasable ink is not permitted.

If the District’s Superintendents Office is closed for any reason, including but not limited to inclement

weather, an emergency situation or any other act of nature, for which closure prevents the opening of

RFPs at the originally advertised date and time, all RFPs received shall be publicly opened and read aloud

on the next business day that the District’s Superintendents Office shall be open for business at the

previously advertised time. The new date and time of bid opening, as determined in accordance with

this paragraph, shall not be advertised.

Bid Proposals must contain the signature of an authorized agent of the Bidder. If the Bidder’s

authorized agent fails to sign the proposal, it shall be considered a non-responsive offer and shall not be

considered.

Proposals should be as thorough and detailed as possible so that the District may properly evaluate the

Bidder’s capabilities to provide the required products and services.

The Bidder must include all information and supplemental documentation required in conjunction with

this proposal. If the Bidder fails to supply any required information or documents, its proposal shall be

considered non-responsive and shall not be considered.

Information packages should not contain promotional or display materials unless specifically required in

the Scope of Services section. Informational packages must address the requirements as explained to

aid evaluation. All questions posed by the RFP must be answered clearly and concisely.

This solicitation does not commit the District to pay any cost incurred by the Bidder or any other party in

preparation and/or submission of proposals or in making necessary studies or designs for the

preparation thereof, nor is the District obligated to procure or contract for such product or services.

The District reserves the right to wave any and all informalities in information packages if such waiver

does not substantially change the offer or provide a competitive advantage to any Bidder.

All paper bids submitted for structured cabling where said bid is in excess of $75,000 shall contain on

the outside of the envelope the contractors current Certificate of Responsibility Number.

If structured cabling costs in excess of $75,000 are submitted electronically, an attachment must be

included with the electronic bid submittal indicating the Certificate of Responsibility.

Bidders must submit one (1) original and two (2) copies of their full response along with two (2) electronic

copies in the form of USB drive or flash drive if submitting a Written Sealed Proposal.

The first page in the bid submission packet must be the Bid Worksheet. The worksheet will show the

vendor’s total cost for eligible products and services. In additional to the Bid Worksheet, Vendors should

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

* Disclaimer: This website provides information about bids, requests for proposals (RFPs), or requests for qualifications (RFQs) for convenience only and does not serve as an official public notice. Individuals who wish to respond to or inquire about bids, RFPs, or RFQs should contact the relevant government department directly.

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Request for Proposals E-Rate Category 2 Project DeSoto County School District 2026 Hernando Middle School Partial Rewire RFP #383-HMS-DCS26

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