Bid Guidelines

December 2, 2014

Bid Name: IC E-Rate Year 18

The Jones County School System is requesting proposals for E-rate eligible products and services in the categories of Internal Connections. We are inviting providers to submit proposals for our district for the upcoming E-rate funding year. Proposals must address all requirements specified in theseguidelines.

There will be a mandatory meeting on Monday, December 15th, at 9 am. All vendors interested in submitting a proposal must be present.

BID DUE DATE/TIME:January5, 2015 / 4:00 pm

BID OPEN DATE:January 6, 2014

RETURN BID VIA:Mail or Deliver by hand to:

Jones County Board of Education

Attn: Adam Barnett—Bid: IC E-Rate Year 18

125 Stewart Ave

Gray, GA 31032

Direct all questions concerning this bid to:

Adam Barnett

Technology Director

478-986-3032 ext 253

  1. GENERAL INFORMATION FOR BIDDERS:
  1. From the issue date of the 470 until an award has been announced, vendors shall not communicate with any Jones County Board of Education (JCBOE) employee, with the exception of the name stated on the previous page concerning this bid or any information herein.
  2. All amendments and/or addendums will be posted on the JCBOE Technology website ( under the current Technology RFP section. It is the bidder’s responsibility to check this site on a regular basis. The Board will not be responsible for any information not viewed by bidders.
  1. QUOTATIONS
  1. The Board reserves the right to:
  1. Waive formalities and technicalities in any quotation.
  2. Reject any and/or all quotations when in its judgment, it will be in the best interest of the school system.
  3. Accept the quotation that in its judgment will be in its best interest.
  4. Purchase from any source, in part or in whole any supplies, equipment or services.
  5. At its option, award on individual items or on an entire package basis.
  6. Award this bid to the vendor who in the Board’s opinion is most responsive and responsible and will perform in the best interest of the school system.
  1. Price alone may not be the determining factor in award of this bid.
  2. Quotations must be made according to the proposal template.
  1. PRICE

Price quoted shall include all costs and charges to include, but not limited to purchasing, packing, transporting the equipment, supplies and/or services described herein. JCBOE is exempt from state sales tax. All fees shall be included in the bid price. Bidders must quote based on the bid unit listed.

  1. AWARD

The bid may be awarded to multiple vendors.

  1. TRADE NAME

Bidders are required to indicate the brands and models of merchandise and/or services quoted. Unless listed as “brand/model only”, brand names and models listed in specifications are used as a standard of quality and/or clarification of desired product.

  1. INSPECTION

All merchandise and services shall be subject to inspection after arrival at destination or completion of work. In case any items are found to be defective or otherwise not in conformity with specifications or statement of work, the Board has the right to reject such items and/or services and return them at bidder’s expense.

  1. PAYMENT

JCBOE shall make payment for goods and services within thirty (30) days upon receipt, inspection and acceptance by JCBOE personnel and receipt of invoice.

  1. FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

The bidder shall be responsible for the protection of JCBOE premises and property, and will be held liable for any damages caused by the bidder, bidder’s employee(s) or bidder’s agent during the execution of this bid, resultant purchase orders or contracts.

  1. INTERPRETATION

If a bidder contemplating submitting a price quotation is in doubt as to the true meaning of any part of these documents, submit a request for interpretation via email to Adam Barnett at . All such interpretations will be posted on the JCBOE Technology Services page.

  1. INDEMNIFICATION
  1. The bidder does hereby indemnify and shall hold harmless Jones County Board of Education, it’s Board members, employees, and agents (each of the forgoing being hereafter referred to individually as “Indemnified Party”) against all claims, demands, causes of actions, actions, judgments or other liability including attorney’s fees (other than liability solely the fault of the Indemnified Party) arising out of, resulting from or in connection with the Bidder’s performance or failure to perform this agreement, including but not limited to:
  1. All injuries and death to persons or damage to property, including theft.
  2. Bidder’s failure to perform all obligations owed to the bidder’s employees including any claim the bidder’s employees might have or make for privilege, compensation or benefits under any JCBOE benefit plan.
  3. Any and all sums that are due and owing to the Internal Revenue Service for withholding FICA, and unemployment or other State and Federal taxes.
  1. The bidder’s obligation to indemnify any Indemnified party will survive the expiration or termination of this agreement by either party for any reason.
  1. TERM OF CONTRACT

By submitting a bid in response to this RFP, the bidder is agreeing to guarantee bid prices beginning July 1, 2015 and ending September 30, 2016.

INTERNAL CONNECTIONS REQUIREMENTS TO BE ADDRESSED IN PROPOSALS

A wireless networking solution for the schools listed is the main focus of this bid. All AP’s should be able to be controlled and configured from a single interface. If an AP will be added in a location that will require additional Ethernet connections, that connection will have to be run by the vendor. If additional power outlets or circuits will be required for your solution, it must be specified in the bid. The wireless solution must support up to 30 devices per classroom. If a survey is required to determine the ideal locations for AP’s and number of AP’s at each site, the vendor will be responsible for performing that survey. Any and all costs associated with yearly maintenance, software renewals, etc. should be included in the proposal. Any network configuration changes required to make your solution work will be performed by the vendor. The current district standard for wireless access points/arraysisXirrus. The district requires a product equal to or better than this standard.

If additional switches will be required for your wireless solution, those switches must be included in your bid. In each IDF or MDF that requires new switching equipment, a single managed Layer 3 switch or stackable solution that acts as a single switch will be required. Switches should be capable of supporting 10/100/1000 mbps Ethernet connections as well as POE. GBICs for fiber ports will be required for fiber connections. Switches should support private VLANs, should be able to communicate with VLANs from other switch manufacturers, and should support VLAN trunking protocol. Switches should be installed in the rack, all patch cables should be plugged into the switch, and switches should be configured as instructed. Connections between closets should be configured for maximum throughput. Switches should come with a minimum of 5 year warranty covering any hardware failures with repair or replacement within 2 business days at no additional charge. Any problems relating to or being a result of configuration of the switches that result within the first 90 days of service should be resolved by the configuration vendor at no cost and within 1 business day. The current district standards for switches are HP (5412zl, 5406zl, 3800yl). The district requires a product equal to or better than this standard.

If additional drops will be required for your wireless solution, those drops must be included in your bid. Ethernet drops should use Plenum rated Cat 6 cable. If it is not possible to use existing pathways to the nearest IDF, then new sleeves and J-hooks will be required. If drops penetrate a fire rated wall, then the wall must be restored to rating. Drops should be terminated in the wiring closets into patch panels. All new drops should be properly tested and labeled at both the patch panel and terminated ends. Ethernet drops terminated in classrooms and offices will use existing conduits when available. When conduit is not available in the location requested, the installation of wire molding will be required. All new drops installed will require new faceplates and jacks. If additional patch panels are required, those panels must be included in the bid.

Rack mounted UPS should be rated to keep all powered equipment in each closet running on battery power for a minimum of 20 minutes. If additional UPS’s will be required to support your solution, those should be included in this bid. The current district standard of UPS products is APC. The district requires a product equal to or better than this standard.

If there is not enough rack or cabinet space available to hold all existing components as well as any additional components required for your solution, then replacement racks or cabinets will be provided by the vendor. If the existing rack or cabinet would become unsafe once the new equipment is installed,

it should be replaced by the vendor. If a ladder rack would be safer in any IDF, it should be used to replace cabinets. If the IDF is in a classroom, a locking cabinet will be required.

Documentation of all work completed will be given to the customer within 2 weeks of the completion of the job. This documentation should include maps of the schools showing locations of all cabling and electronics installed as well as a technical drawing of all MDF and IDF installations. The technical drawings should include model numbers and serial numbers of all items installed as well as a graphical representation of the MDF or IDF.

Although we would prefer a turnkey solution, we reserve the right to choose different vendors for each portion of the project (cabling, switches, UPS, wireless, etc.). Cabling vendor should employ a BISCI certified RCDD and have a current low voltage certification. Proof of both will be required along with the bid. Configuration vendor should employ a certified network engineer. Proof of certifications and references for similar projects will be required along with the bids and will be part of the judging criteria.

PROPOSALS

All proposals will provide costs per item per closet as shown below. All proposals will include maps of proposed wireless access point placement and coverage areas. Proposals that do not meet this criteria will not be considered.

Proposal Template:

School / Location
CRMS / IDF1
QTY / Part Number / Description / Price / Renewal Period / Totals
2 / Switch ABC / abcabcabc / $xx.xx / $xx.xx
2 / UPS ABC / abcabcabc / $xx.xx / $xx.xx
55 / Data Drops / abcabcabc / $xx.xx / $xx.xx
4 / Wireless AP ABC / abcabcabc / $xx.xx / $xx.xx
4 / Software Support Renewal / abcabcabc / $xx.xx / X Years / $xx.xx
4 / Hardware Support Renewal / abcabcabc / $xx.xx / X Years / $xx.xx

INTERNAL CONNECTIONS ASSESSMENT

Selection Criteria / Weight*
Price / 40%
Quality of Solution / 30%
Certifications and Capabilities / 15%
Prior Experience / 15%
100%

INTERNAL CONNECTIONS MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS TO BE ADDRESSED IN PROPOSALS

Basic Maintenance of all E-rate eligible internal connections in the district will be included in this bid. Vendors will provide an hourly rate for a network engineer level employee, an hourly rate for an employee with MCSE or equivalent, and an hourly rate for a Network+ certified employee. Proof of certifications will be required for the employees who will be servicing the district.

The district will only be responsible to pay for the actual amount of hours used by the district. If the hourly rate for maintenance will vary dependent upon the total number of hours used by the district, then that must be stated in the proposal.

Proposal Template:

Maintenance
Description / Hourly Rate
Network Engineer / $xx.xx
MCSE or equivalent / $xx.xx
Network+ or equivalent / $xx.xx

INTERNAL CONNECTIONS MAINTENANCE ASSESSMENT

Selection Criteria / Weight*
Price / 50%
Certifications and Capabilities / 30%
Prior Experience / 20%
100%

I state that I am and/or my company is capable, able to, and will provide the requested products and/or service 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 RFP, I/we guarantee and certify that all items included in my bid meet or exceed specifications.

I certify that this quotation is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm or person submitting a quotation 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 the quotation and certify that I am authorized to sign this quotation for the Contractor.

I certify that I have read and understand the terms and conditions herein.

SUBMITTED BY: DATE:

TITLE: EMAIL:

COMPANY NAME:

ADDRESS: CITY: ST: ZIP:

TELEPHONE NUBMER: FAX NUMBER:

COMPANY WEBSITE:

SIGNATURE:

“Success for All”