Request for Proposals: Wide Area Network Connection in Downtown Statesville

Purpose

American Renaissance School is a K-8 public charter school with two locations in Historic Downtown Statesville. The computer networks in each location are connected to one another and operate as one large network. The two buildings are presently connected via a leased lit fiber connection. Pursuant to E-rate rules, ARS is issuing Form 470 #190009451 for fiscal year 2019 and beyond.

Technical Requirements

The main hub of our network and our Internet connection to the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) is located at 217 S. Center St., Statesville, NC 28677 (hereafter referred to as “middle campus”). Our other location at 132 E. Broad St., Statesville, NC 28677 (hereafter referred to as “elementary campus”) is presently connected to the middle campus via a leased lit fiber connection operating at 100Mbps. All network services and servers are physically located at the middle campus. The elementary campus does not have an independent Internet connection and relies on this connection for all network traffic. Proposals must provide a leased lit fiber connection operating at 1Gbps between the buildings. Both campuses have existing fiber connections from main distribution frame (MDF) closets to two third-party fiber networks. Existing customer premises equipment (CPE) from both fiber network operators is in place at each campus.

Vendor Requirements

Vendors must be capable of delivering leased lit fiber connectivity between our buildings in the Historic Downtown Statesville district. Due to this designation, running new fiber lines between the buildings may be difficult or impossible. Vendors must be capable of SPI billing through the E-rate program and should provide both their service provider identification number (SPIN) and a copy of their most recent service provider annual certification (SPAC) alongside the proposal. Vendors should provide proposals with pricing options for 3-year and 5-year commitments, preferably with optional contract extensions. Vendors must be able to start services on July 1st, 2019. Should the selected vendor fail to initiate the connection by this date, the vendor must cover the full cost of bills received from the current service provider for continuing services after July 1st, 2019.

Deadlines

An optional public vendor information meeting will be held at 10:00am on January 2nd, 2019, at the Elementary Campus Boardroom located at 132 E. Broad St., Statesville, NC 28677. Questions must be submitted via email to ​[email protected]​ or via mail by January 1st, 2019 at 5:00pm. These will be addressed at the vendor meeting and published on our website following the meeting. Bids are due no later than February 1st, 2019 at 5:00pm. Sealed bids must be submitted in person or via mail addressed to: E-rate Bid Office, American Renaissance School, 132 E. Broad St., Statesville, NC 28677. Bids will be opened in a public meeting at 10:00am on February 4th, 2019 in the Elementary Campus Boardroom (attendance is optional).

Evaluation Criteria & Award Date

Bids will be evaluated based on the following criteria. Monthly price is the most heavily weighted criterion.

• Monthly price
  • How does the monthly cost compare to other bids?
• Ease of installation
  • Can the vendor leverage existing infrastructure, or are new penetrations and/or fiber runs necessary? Does this represent an additional cost beyond the monthly service charge?
• Vendor’s ability to deliver leased lit fiber in Historic Downtown Statesville
  • Can the vendor satisfy all city requirements to deliver service in Historic Downtown Statesville?
• Previous experience with vendor
  • Have we had a good experience with the vendor in the past and/or are references available for vendors we have not worked with?
• Contract terms
  • Did the vendor provide pricing options for 3-year and 5-year commitments? Does the proposed contract allow optional extensions?

The winning proposal will be presented to our board at their February meeting on February 6th, 2019 at 5:30pm in the Elementary Campus Boardroom located at 132 E. Broad St., Statesville, NC 28677 (attendance is optional). The winning vendor will be notified following board approval of the contract. Pursuant to E-rate rules, the contract can not be initiated until July 1st, 2019.

PDF Version of this RFP

PDF Version of FCC Form 470 #190009451