Access Point UPGRADE PROJECT

Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 WAYNE COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL ERATE Funding Year 2024-2025 AP UPGRADE PROJECT Wayne County School District Technology Department 1409 Azalea Dr Waynesboro, MS 39367 Contact: Thomas Beard Telephone: (601) 735-1766 Fax: (601) 735-1697 E-mail: beardt@wcsdms.com RFP/E-Rate URL: https://www.wcsdms.com/district/request-for-proposals Page 1 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS And REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL RFP #10460 Subject RFP - The Wayne County School District will accept sealed statements of qualifications (SOQ) and proposals from qualified firms/vendors to provide the equipment and any services necessary for installation of network equipment during the FY 2024-2025, FY 2025-2026 and FY 2026-2027 (E-RATE) cycles and potential non-ERATE purchases. Bidders

must have a Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) and this SPIN must be included on the bid proposal. Those interested shall submit a signed, sealed SOQ and cost proposal to the district on or before 12:00 PM local time, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at the Wayne County School District Office 810 Chickasawhay St Waynesboro, MS 39367 or electronically to bids@wcsdms.com. Purpose Proposals are being sought by the Wayne County School District for the purpose of securing the most cost efficient way of upgrading the school district’s instructional areas (classrooms/labs/etc.) with wireless access points. General Requirements The District will be looking for Ruckus R650 or equivalent wireless access points and supporting components for this project. Vendors who are responding to this RFP with Ruckus or equivalent network equipment must state their certifications. Proposed solutions must integrate with the existing network environment, wired and wireless, to ensure a seamless management and design. It will be the responsibility of the bidder to check the RFP website daily https://www.wcsdms.com/district/request-for-proposals for any changes to the RFP or listing of bidder questions and answers that may arise. Terms used throughout this RFP WCSD – Wayne County School District USAC – Universal Service Administrative Company SPIN – Service Provider Identification Number FCDL – Funding Commitment Decision Letter FCC – Federal Communication Commission SLD – School and Library District USF – Universal Service Fund Page 2 of 16 https://www.wcsdms.com/district/request-for-proposals Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 All proposals and supporting documentation must be sent to: (Submittal should be clearly labeled on the outside of the submittal) Wayne County School District FY 2024-2025 AP Upgrade Project RFP # 10460 Submittal should be addressed to: Wayne County School District Thomas Beard, Network Coordinator 810 Chickasawhay St. Waynesboro, MS 39367 One original and two copies of proposals and statements of qualifications are to be prepared and delivered by mail, Federal Express or UPS service or in person to Wayne County School District 810 Chickasawhay St. Waynesboro, MS 39367 on or before 12:00 PM local time, March 26, 2024, where the proposals will be time and date stamped. Please do not fax proposals. Faxed proposals will not be considered. Proposals may be submitted electronically to bids@wcsdms.com. NO BIDS will be valid submitted to alternate email addresses. Selection Schedule Event Date(s) Time Release of RFP to vendors 02/27/2024 N/A Deadline for Question Submissions 03/8/2024 12:00 PM Deadline for Submission of Proposals 03/26/2024 12:00 PM Opening of Proposals WCSD Office 03/26/2024 12:15 PM Proposers are prohibited from contacting or lobbying members of the school board, school district administrators, school district employees, school district contractors, or school district consultants. Failure to conform to this condition will be grounds for disqualification of the proposer. Questions regarding the RFP may be emailed to beardt@wcsdms.com before Friday, March 8, 2024. A response within 3 business days will be posted on the District’s RFP web site, it will be the responsibility of the vendor/bidder to check the RFP website daily https://www.wcsdms.com/district/request-for-proposals for any changes to the RFP or listing of bidder questions and answers that may arise. Basis of Award 1. E-rate approval by USAC 2. Bidder must have SLD SPIN 3. References of at least two installations of similar application size and complexity. 4. Please see “Vendor Requirements” on the following pages for additional information. 5. Please also see “Criteria for Selection” for more details on page seven. Page 3 of 16 mailto:bids@wcsdms.com https://www.wcsdms.com/district/request-for-proposals Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 VENDOR REQUIREMENTS Vendors who respond to this Request for Proposal (RFP) must be willing to provide the AP UPGRADE PROJECT (RFP #10460) to Wayne County School District. The District will be looking for Ruckus or equivalent wireless access points and Ruckus or equivalent supporting components for this project. Vendors who are responding to this RFP with Ruckus or equivalent wireless access points and Ruckus or equivalent supporting components must state their certifications. It will be the responsibility of the bidder to check the RFP website daily https://www.wcsdms.com/district/request-for-proposals for any changes to the RFP or listing of bidder questions and answers that may arise. NON APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS In the event funds are not appropriated by the Wayne County School District governing body in any fiscal period for payments due under RFP # 10460 then the Technology Supervisor, or Superintendent’s designee(s), will immediately notify the successful vendor(s), or designee(s), of such occurrence and this contract will terminate on the last day of the fiscal period for which appropriations were received without penalty or expense to the School District of any kind whatsoever, except other payments herein agreed upon for which funds will have been appropriated and budgeted or are otherwise available. AWARD OF SOME OR THE ENTIRE PROJECT MAY BE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY OF DISTRICT FUNDING AND PROJECT NEEDS. The Proposer's response to the Request must include a statement that the proposed terms will remain in effect and available for the project term identified as March 26, 2024 through June 30, 2027. The work itself will consist of all aspects of technology implementation for which the District desires to contract with the selected Proposer(s). The school district’s vision for this technology project is to improve the district’s wireless infrastructure. Proposed solutions must integrate with the existing network environment to ensure a seamless management and design. Final completion for the project is scheduled for June 30, 2027. Wayne County School District reserves the right to waive any informality and to reject any or all proposals. Proposers are prohibited from contacting or lobbying members of the School Board, school district administrators, school district employees, school district contractors, or school district consultants. Failure to conform to this condition will be grounds for disqualification of the proposer. Questions regarding the RFP may be emailed to beardt@wcsdms.com , and will be responded to within 3 business days on the District’s RFP web site. It is the responsibility of the bidder to check the RFP web site daily. Page 4 of 16 https://www.wcsdms.com/district/request-for-proposals mailto:beardt@wcsdms.com Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 (https://www.wcsdms.com/district/request-for-proposals) for those answers. The final day for question submission will be March 8, 2024 at 12:00 PM. Proposals and statements of qualifications are to include the information requested in the following questionnaire precisely in the sequence and format prescribed. In addition to and separate from the requested information, organizations submitting may provide supplementary materials further describing their capabilities and experience. One original and two copies of proposals and statements of qualifications are to be prepared and delivered by mail, Federal Express, UPS service or in person to Wayne County School District 810 Chickasawhay St Waynesboro, MS 39367 on or before 12:00 PM local time, March 26, 2024, where they will be time and date stamped or submitted electronically to bids@wcsdms.com prior to the aforementioned deadline of March 26, 2024. This AP Upgrade Project will be awarded to a SINGLE vendor that can quote all network equipment requested/required. Requested paper copies and other required documentation (see page 2-3) must be sent in a sealed envelope clearly marked with the words “FY 2024-2025 AP Upgrade Project RFP #10460” or submitted electronically to bids@wcsdms.com. The AP Upgrade Project will include preferred equipment preference information and will be provided to each vendor who requests this information. WCSD includes the listing of equipment specifications and the ERate portion quantity of each piece of equipment. The equipment specification list provided is a minimum guideline list. If the bidder wishes to add to the District’s equipment list to improve the functionality of their proposed equipment, the bidder is encouraged to do so. STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS FORMAT Please provide the following information in the same format prescribed by this questionnaire. Supplemental materials providing additional information may be attached, but the information requested below is to be provided in this format and sequence. Please provide succinct responses to the following questions and limit those responses to the page allowances set out in each item. 1. FIRM INFORMATION: (LIMIT 1/2 PAGE) Name of Firm: Address of Home Office and Address of Branch Office if Applicable: Telephone Number(s): Fax Number(s): Form of Business Organization (Corporation, Partnership, Individual, Joint Venture, Other): Year Founded: Primary individual to contact: Page 5 of 16 https://www.wcsdms.com/district/request-for-proposals mailto:bids@wcsdms.com Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 2. ORGANIZATION: (LIMIT 1/2 PAGE) 2.1 How many years has your organization been in business in its current capacity? 2.2 How many years has your organization been in business under its present name? Under what other or former names has your organization operated? 2.3 If your organization is a corporation, answer the following: Date of incorporation, State of incorporation, President's name, Vice-President's name(s), Secretary's name, and Treasurer's name. 2.4 If your organization is a partnership, answer the following: Date of organization, type of partnership, if applicable, names of general partner(s). 2.5 If your organization is individually owned, answer the following: Date of organization, name of owner. 2.6 If the form of your organization is other than those listed above, describe it and name the principals. 3. LICENSING: (LIMIT 1/2 PAGE) 3.1 List jurisdiction(s) in which your organization is legally qualified to do business and indicate registration or license numbers, if applicable. 3.2 List jurisdiction(s) in which your organization's partnership or trade name is filed. 4. EXPERIENCE: (LIMIT 2 PAGES) 4.1 Describe your firm’s experience with completing this scope of work for public entities, if any. 4.2 Provide a list of the public entities previously assisted with contact names and phone numbers. 5. FEES/COSTS: 5.1 Based on the scope of work outlined herein please describe your firm’s full price associated with the completion of the ERate portion for the AP Upgrade Project (RFP #10460) Note that additional Non-Erate purchases of equipment will be based on the proposed itemized prices included in the proposed contract. 6. COORDINATION OF INSTALLATION 6.1 The Contractor shall be responsible for securing all permits and approvals necessary to complete the work (if required). Additional Warranty Instructions The successful proposer must warrant its material and workmanship for a period of one year (for items requiring purchase and installation). Their respective manufacturer warrants all other products and material under separate warranty. Warranty for “outright purchase” of equipment and software should include at least one year (with optional five year warranty to be listed separately from bid total, for purchase of equipment and software should be included for second through fifth years). No refurbished or “gray market” equipment will be accepted. All equipment must be new and “out-of-box” with full warranty and support. Page 6 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 CRITERIA FOR SELECTION The District will utilize the following criteria (as the basis for the proposal evaluations & selection). Factor Weight Price of the ELIGIBLE Equipment, Services & Warranties 50% Prior Experience with the District 10% Personnel Qualifications, Professionalism & Scope of Work 10% Management Integration with the Existing Network Environment 15% Company Provides all Services 5% Preference to Mississippi Based Companies 10% Total 100% The District reserves the right to select outright a single Proposer, and to waive the finalists’ state of the evaluation process in the event a Proposer has total points scored significantly higher than all the other Proposers responding to this RFP. The District in its sole discretion may accept or reject any or all responses to this RFP and may waive all formalities, technicalities and irregularities. All bidders are placed on notice that the award of the RFP will be based upon the products and services best suited to the District. The sole judgment of the District on such matters shall be final. The District has identified the factors itemized above under scoring criteria as critical to a company’s ability to effectively assist the District’s integration of technology. To be considered for evaluation, bidders must provide relevant responses to all sections of this RFP. (100 evaluation points are possible). A separate response is requested for each criteria section. Appropriate labeling required. (See details of each factor below and on the following pages). A. Pricing (All Eligible Equipment, Cabling, Installation and Warranty) ● Proposer must abide by the district’s bid policy. ● Proposer must abide by the state of Mississippi bid laws. ● Proposer must provide specific price quotes for eligible services. The District reserves the right to select a combination of pricing, services and/or Proposer(s) that appears best suited to meet the needs of the District. Proposer must allocate to the extent that a clear delineation can be made between eligible and ineligible components. Proposer(s) must provide line item bid totals, as well as a total cost for the entire project. Page 7 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 B. Prior Experience with the School District The District has also determined that a company’s background, experience, and financial stability are essential for the success of a long-term relationship with its selected Proposer(s). Proposers responding to this RFP should include information about their company’s experience, financial stability, and quality of services and products and satisfaction of their clients. A minimum of three (3) references (school districts preferred) should be included in the bid document. C. Personnel Qualifications, Professionalism & Scope of Work The District is seeking (an) E-rate Proposer(s) that has the depth, breadth, and quality of resources necessary to complete all phases of a broad technology and service project. In addition, the timely availability of these resources and related support elements will be critical to project success. Describe the various resources from your company that will be made available to assist the District in the execution of its mission in performance of each SOW. Provide resumes and related experience summaries to demonstrate the competencies and experience of typical personnel who would be assigned to the District program. Provide a list of industry standard certified employees and their certifications. Proposers must provide scope of work (SOW) and contract information for each school campus project being proposed D. Management Integration (with the Existing Network Environment) The District requires a network that will continue to provide the District with a modern, efficient and reliable network to support bandwidth and data and provide all needed capabilities within the district school buildings. Reliability and high performance are key requirements of this networking plan, as the District network continues to support the technology needs of the future. Vendor’s proposal provides interoperability with the current District environment. Seamless integration with the current network and wireless equipment is most important to the District. E. Company provides all services The District is interested in providers that provide all components for this RFP. F. Mississippi Based Companies (K-12 Experience) The District is interested in providers that understand the technology, administrative, and instructional challenges facing today’s educators, children and administrators. The education environment is vastly changing with challenges that make technology decisions more important as they reach the District constituencies. The respondent must show that their solutions are sustainable within the framework of the District’s resources to implement and maintain ongoing operations and that future support is local and Mississippi based. Page 8 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS A. CONTRACT TERM The term of the contract term will begin when the WCSD school board approves and a written contract is signed by both the District and the vendor/bidder selected. The term of the contract award will end on June 30, 2027. Initiation of the contract is dependent on E-Rate funding, in the event E-Rate does not fund the project then the contract will be null and void. In addition, a Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) does not guarantee the District will proceed with this project and may only be able to proceed with portions of the project on a per school campus basis. B. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER TERMINATION The District shall reserve the right to terminate any contract/purchase order entered into as a result of the REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL at any time by giving thirty (30) days written notice of its intent to cancel. In the event the Proposer fails to carry out and comply with any of the conditions and agreements to be performed under the specifications, the District will notify the Proposer, in writing, of such failure or default. In the event the necessary corrective action has not been completed within a 10-day period, the Proposer must submit, in writing, why such corrective action has not been performed. The District reserves the right to determine whether or not such non-compliance may be construed as a failure of performance of the contract/purchase order. C. LICENSING REQUIREMENTS The successful Proposer must keep himself informed of, and adhere to, all laws and ordinances governing any matter related to work performed under the resulting contract/purchase order. The successful Proposer will obtain all necessary licenses and permits, and will be aware of all labor conditions and agreements relating to the work specified in this document and shall make all provisions necessary to avoid any disputes which might arise from those conditions and agreements and shall be responsible for any delays, damages or extra costs caused by disputes. D. SAFETY REQUIREMENTS It shall be the Proposer’s responsibility to provide for the safety of workers and the public in compliance with the requirements of insurance and public health and safety. The District requires all workers on-site to have a company badge. A list of workers with current photograph must be provided to the school district’s Technology Department throughout the life cycle of the project(s) that require installation or services E. INDEMNIFICATION The Proposer shall be responsible for all damage to persons or property that occurs as a result of his fault or negligence, or that of any of his employees, agents, or subcontractors. The Proposer shall save and hold harmless the District and its School Board against any and all loss, cost, damage, claims, expense or liability in connection with the performance of the contract/purchase order. Any equipment or facilities damaged by the Proposer’s operation shall be repaired and/or restored to their original condition, including cleaning Page 9 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 and painting, at the Proposer’s expense. The successful Proposer will assume the liability for all losses, damages (including loss of use), expenses, demands and claims in connection with or arising out of any injury or alleged injury to persons (including death), or damages or alleged damage to property, sustained or alleged to have been sustained in connection with or to have arisen out of the performance of the work by the Proposer, and his agents, and employees, including losses, expenses, or damages sustained by the District. The successful Proposer will undertake and agree to indemnify and hold harmless the District and its board, individually or collectively, and the officers, agents, and employees of the District and its Board, from any and all such losses, expenses, damages (including loss of use), and to pay all damages, judgments, costs and expenses, including attorney’s fees in connection with said demands and claims resulting thereof. Any claims against the District must be filed with the State of Mississippi in the county of the District. The Proposer shall abide by the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations that apply to work performed under this Request. The Proposer shall defend, indemnify, and hold the District free and harmless against any and all claims, loss, liability and expense resulting from any alleged violation(s) of said regulation (s) including but not limited to, fines or penalties, judgments, court costs, and attorney’s fees. F. ATTORNEYS STATEMENT In the event that the District employs attorneys or incurs other expenses that it may deem necessary to protect or endorse its rights under this contract/purchase order, the Proposer agrees to pay the attorney’s fees and expenses incurred by the District. If either party defaults in the performance of this agreement, the defaulting party shall pay the non-defaulting party responsible attorney’s fees and court costs. G. NEGOTIATIONS The District reserves the right to have any additional terms and conditions incorporated into the agreement provided an authorized modification to the contract/purchase order is mutually agreed upon and duly executed by both parties. H. ORDER OF PRECEDENCE In the event of an inconsistency between the terms and conditions of the resulting contract/purchase order, the inconsistency shall be resolved by giving precedence in the following order: (1) The REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, including the Scope of Work and Statement of Qualifications, and (2) Proposer Response. I. PROJECT START DATE The District reserves the right to start the project on or after July 1, 2024, even if the project has not yet received funding. All pricing proposed will be considered valid. Page 10 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 Wayne County School District Bid Tabulation Sheet E-Rate Funding Year 2024-2025 WCSD AP Upgrade Project RFP# 10460 Factor Weight Bidder #1 Bidder #2 Bidder #3 Bidder #4 Price of the ELIGIBLE Equipment, Services & Warranties 50% Prior Experience with the District 10% Personnel Qualifications, Professionalism & Scope of Work 10% Management Integration w/the Existing Network Environment 15% Company Provides all Services 5% Preference to Mississippi-Based Companies 10% Total 100% Bidder #1 Bidder #2 Bidder #3 Bidder #4 There were x bidders. Columns may be added to accommodate additional bidders and/or additional tabulation sheets with modified numbering. Page 11 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 V. PROPOSAL FORMS QUOTE SUBMISSION FORM Company Name of Vendor ______________________________________________ Corporate Headquarters Address _________________________________________ City ______________________ State ________ Zip ____________ Vendor Contact Name __________________________________________________ Vendor Contact Phone Number ___________________________________________ Vendor Contact Email Address ____________________________________________ E-Rate Service Provider Name ____________________________________________ E-Rate Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) _________________________ Address of Mississippi Office ____________________________________________ City ______________________ State ________ Zip ____________ 24 Hour Toll Free Help Desk Phone Number ________________________________ Page 12 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 EXHIBIT E-1 (PROPOSER’S CONTRACT DOCUMENTS) Proposer shall provide a contract for services to be offered. Proposer shall also provide a Service Level Agreement (SLA) to include resolution procedures, escalation process, and Proposer’s response structure (tiered or other). Page 13 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 EXHIBIT E-2 (REFERENCE) Reference List 1 Company Contact Name Phone Number Fax Number E-Mail Address Physical Address Scope of Work 2 Company Contact Name Phone Number Fax Number E-Mail Address Physical Address Scope of Work 3 Company Contact Name Phone Number Fax Number E-Mail Address Physical Address Scope of Work Page 14 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 SPECIFIC EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS & DETAILS The following section provides more specific technical requirements/specifications for RFP #10460. The Wayne County School District has standardized our network equipment for ease of management and future growth on our district network. This is the reason specific network equipment (or equivalent) is being requested on this RFP. The District will standardize on Ruckus or equivalent wireless access points and supporting components for this project. As mentioned already in the RFP, the proposed solutions must integrate with the existing network environment and existing wireless APs to ensure a seamless management and design. This is a hardware only project, WCSD will be installing and configuring all components. The awarded vendor will: (1) Submit a bid that includes total price of the entire project AND must include a breakdown list of all equipment and cost of each in line item (with total cost). (2) Provide a solution for the wireless access points to include AP management license, cloud controller and other components necessary. Furthermore, the district would like the Ruckus or equivalent wireless access points and supporting components of the Ruckus equipment listed in the table. District Initiatives: Network Coverage The District is deploying wireless access points and supporting equipment to better meet the needs of its students, faculty and staff. REMINDER: Warranty of the network solution For the solution that is bid, the District requires the bidder to provide one and five year warranty options on the bid/quote, to include all hardware and software upgrades and technical assistance to the District support staff as a part of the bid price. Vendor will provide an explanation of the manufacturer's warranty on the one year quote. Page 15 of 16 Wayne County School District RFP # 10460 Breakdown of quantities of equipment needed - Although Ruckus models are listed, Ruckus or equivalent may be quoted by the Proposer. The quantities listed are the necessary quantities for the ERate funded portion of the project. The district will utilize this contract for additional non-ERate future purchases over the life of the contract. In accordance with MS purchase laws, this contract will be utilized at least one additional time for non-ERate purchases. RUCKUS or Equivalent E-Rate Qty Description 901-R650-US00 150 Ruckus R650 - wireless access point - Wi-Fi 6 LE9-0001-SG05 150 AP management license for SZ-100/vSZ 3.X LE9-VSCG-WW05 1 Virtual SmartZone 3.0 or newer software virtual appliance, 1 Instance 902-1180-US00 10 Power over Ethernet (PoE) Injector (1.0/2.5/5.0/10.0 Gbps) Page 16 of 16