REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
E-Rate Eligible Products and Services Funding Year 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2016
Lassen View Elementary School District
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RFP
1) E-Rate Background
The information in this Request for Proposals [RFP] is provided in conjunction with the Schools and Libraries Division
[SLD] Forms 470 and 471, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the FCC Universal Service Fund (a.k.a., "E-Rate")
discounts. These programs provide discounts for: certain telecommunications products and services, including (Priority
1) voice and data communications; Internet access; and (Priority 2) Internal Connections; and Basic Maintenance of
Internal Connections. For more information about these Federal programs, and before responding to this RFP, please
refer to the SLD web site at http://www.usac.org/sl/ - please do not contact school personnel either with general
questions about E-Rate, or to offer ineligible services or services not requested on this RFP. Vendors must have a valid
Service Provider Identification Number [SPIN] and meet other criteria, as further described herein. Service providers
must be prepared to discount invoices to the school and submit the balance to the E-Rate program via Service Provider
Invoice [SPI] forms, as specified by the SLD. Invoicing information is further described below.
Answers to questions of general interest from qualified vendors may be posted on this web site, and should be
considered to be formal addenda to this RFP. This may occur from time to time during the bidding period; please be
sure to check back periodically while preparing your proposal. Telephone, facsimile, or snail mail inquiries are strongly
discouraged, and are apt to be overlooked during proposal evaluation. The Applicant is a school district and does not
have the personnel resources to respond to generalized inquiries or blanket advertising (such as for desktop computers
or desktop filtering software) broadly targeting E-Rate applicants. Such materials shall be deemed "Unsolicited
Commercial Email" [UCE] (better known as "spam") and are apt to cause all of your information to be discarded, your
email address to become blacklisted by our email filtering system, and/or (at a minimum) to divert reviewer attention
from any materials intended as legitimate responses to this RFP. Therefore, please clearly indicate to which of the
following requirements your proposal is a valid response. Your proposal should refer to corresponding Form 470
Number and Billed Entity Number, and should clearly indicate your currently valid SPIN number and FCC Registration
Number [FCC RN]. Descriptions of products and services should provide sufficient line item detail, and be submitted in a
suitable format, for use as Form 471, Item 21 attachments, without the need for subsequent modification by the
applicant.
2) E-Rate information
Form 470#
Date 470 Filed:
Last Day for Questions
Last Proposal Accepted
260550001290662
January 28, 2015
February 18, 2015
February 25, 2015
3) Introduction and Scope
For funding year 2015-2016, Lassen View Elementary School District
(Hereinafter, “Applicant”) seeks proposals for eligible products and services in the following categories of service:
Internal Connections
A list of all schools participating in this RFP is included as Attachment A.
Vendor must accept the E-Rate Supplemental Terms and Conditions listed in Attachment B.
Applicant intends to obtain appropriate, eligible products and services to improve telecommunications and/or Internet
access services and/or technology infrastructure improvements so as to improve student achievement in its classrooms.
Qualified persons interested in bidding on these products and services (hereinafter, “Vendor”) should submit bids
including all costs associated with the delivery of the products and services (parts, labor, installation, testing,
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acceptance, configuration, turn-up, shipping, and so on). Any line items not eligible for E-Rate discounts according to
SLD program rules should be clearly identified, and should be minimized. Vendors of ineligible products and services,
however useful to school technology programs (such as, say end user computers) should not respond to this RFP.
Applicant will seek whatever other products and services are required separately. Attempts to include excessive
quantities of ineligible items or even the appearance of attempting to circumvent program rules will cause Vendor’s
submission to be deemed nonresponsive and result in disqualification of your bid.
Trade Names and Alternatives
For convenience in designation on the plans or in the specifications, certain articles or materials to be incorporated in
the work may be designated under a trade name or in the name of a manufacturer. Whenever in specifications any
materials, process, or article is indicated or specified by grade, patent, or proprietary name or by name of manufacturer,
such specification shall be deemed to be used for the purpose of facilitating description of material, process or article
desired and shall be deemed to be followed by the words "or equal," and service provider may, unless otherwise stated,
offer any material, process or article which shall be substantially equal or better in every respect to that so indicated or
specified.. Burden of proof as to equality of any material, process or article shall rest with service provider. Service
Provider shall submit request together with substantiating data for substitution of any "or equal" item within the sealed
bid packet at the closing of bids. Provision authorizing submission of "or equal" justification data shall not in any way
authorize an extension of time of bid response.
Please note: All “or equal” components must not void and must be supported by corresponding manufacturer
warranty.
The District retains the right to be sole judge as to whether equivalency has been proven and whether alternates
will be accepted.
4) Products and Services Sought
Internal Connections
Lassen View Elementary School
Quantity
3
Product ID
1
2
1
WS-C3850-24S-S
CAB-TA-NA
PWR-C1-350WAC/2
1
1
2
S3850UK9-33SE
PWR-C1-350WAC
WS-C2960X-48LPD-L
2
2
CAB-16AWG-AC
WS-C2960X-24PD-L
2
12
CAB-16AWG-AC
GLC-SX-MMD=
6
11
901-7372-US00
Description
Cisco Catalyst 3850 24 Port GE SFP IP Base
Cisco North America AC Type A Power Cable
Cisco 350W AC Config 1 SecondaryPower
Supply
Cisco CAT3850 Universal k9 image
Cisco 350W AC Config 1 Power Supply
Cisco Catalyst 2960-X 48 GigE PoE 370W 2 x
10G SFP+ LAN Base
Cisco AC Power cord 16AWG
Cisco Catalyst 2960-X 24 GigE PoE 370W 2 x
10G SFP+ LAN Base
Cisco AC Power cord 16AWG
Cisco 1000BASE-SX SFP transceiver module
MMF 850nm DOM
2 Meter SC-LC 62.5/125 Optical Patch Cable
Ruckus ZoneFlex 7372 Access Point
RFP
Price Per
Item
E-rate
Eligible
Price
E-rate
Ineligible
Price
Total Price
Tax
Freight/Shipping
Installation and Configuration
Grand Total
5) Evaluation Methodology
Each responsive proposal meeting the minimum qualifications will be evaluated using weighted criteria including cost of
the eligible products and services, and other factors as determined by the Applicant. For any given category of service,
the proposal that is deemed to be in the best interest of the Applicant, based on scoring these factors, shall be selected
for award. Decisions are not solely based on the lowest price. After elimination of nonresponsive bids or bids that are
disqualified for specific reasons described herein; proposals will be evaluated based upon the requirements described
below. The evaluation criteria to be used are:
No.
Factor
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Cost of eligible goods and services (Must have the most points)
Cost of ineligible goods and services
Vendor quote meets district's minimum specifications
Experience with district
Ability to deliver service at start of funding year
Ability to deliver service throughout district geographic region
Financial stability
Total
Points
Available
20
15
15
15
10
15
10
Total Points
100
6) Submission Deadline & Delivery Address
The deadline for submission of questions is listed under section 2 of this document as Last Day for Questions and should
be submitted by email.
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E-mail inquiries are to be sent to the following e-mail address: [email protected]
The deadline for submission of proposals is listed under section 2 of this document as Last Proposal Accepted.
Proposals should be submitted by either of the following methods:
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Via email (single file, consecutive page numbered, MS Office or PDF format) to: [email protected]
Paper copy, with original signatures and outside of envelope clearly identified as follows: E-RATE TECHNOLOGY
BID - 10818 Hwy. 99E, Los Molinos, CA 96055 ATTN: Heather Igarta
7) Costs Associated with Preparation of the Vendor’s Response
The Applicant will not be liable for any cost incurred by the respondents in preparing responses to this RFP or
negotiations associated with award of a contract.
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8) Subcontractors
All subcontractors working on Applicant’s projects must be insured and drug-free and must meet the same standards
and qualifications applicable to regular employees. Applicant has a preference for limiting the use of subcontractors.
9) Interpretation and Additional Information and Addenda
Any interpretation, correction, clarification or change of the RFP will be made by ADDENDUM. Interpretations,
corrections, or changes to the RFP made in any other manner will not be binding, and the Vendors shall not rely upon
such interpretations, corrections, or changes. The Questions or requests for clarification of this RFP should be sent to
the bid submission email address shown above. Vendors should not attempt to contact Applicant personnel by
telephone or in person during the bidding period, since such contacts can potentially taint the fair and level playing field.
Answers to questions submitted by email will be posted on the web site and should be considered amendments or
clarifications that are integral to this RFP.
10)
Omissions
Omissions in the proposal of any provision herein described 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 and all equipment or
services.
11)
Financing
After notification of award and prior to the start of work, the Vendor will receive purchase order(s) for the products and
services for which the Vendor will be responsible as a result of the RFP.
Purchase order(s) will show the total cost of services and the amount that is the responsibility of the local school system
as well as the E-Rate discount. The final payment of this project will be rendered only after an extensive final walkthrough or acceptance procedure at the completion of the installation. Applicant will strictly enforce the bid guidelines
and the quality of the installation. Final testing will take place in the presence of a designated technology staff member.
Applicant technology staff or designated consultants will have total discretion to require any needed changes to meet
current industry standards including those of the selected manufacturers in the case of eligible products and to fully
comply with the specifications contained in the RFP and proposal. This project is being requested for funding through ERate. If funded, all SLD payment schedules will take priority. If the project is not funded, then local funding policies will
take place, in the event Applicant decides to proceed without E-Rate funding. In either case, the above paragraph
regarding compliance with acceptance procedures prior to final payment will be strictly enforced. If this project or any
part thereof is not funded by E-Rate, Applicant reserves the right to change or cancel the entire project or any portion.
Applicant will notify the winning Vendor if scope will require changes or of project cancellation is necessary due to nonfunding by SLD.
12)
Warranty
The Vendor shall fully warrant with the manufacturer’s warranty all items provided under this RFP against defects in
material and workmanship. Warranty information should be on a per item basis on the RFP and detailed in the Bid
Proposal. The vendor may also be expected to provide on-site service in addition to the manufacturer’s warranty, so
please list this service in detail where applicable. Should any defects in workmanship or material, excepting ordinary
wear and tear, appear during the warranty period, the manufacturer and his representative shall repair or replace such
items immediately upon receipt of a written notice from the Applicant.
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13)
Price Quotations
Price quotations are to include the furnishing of all materials, equipment, maintenance, shipping cost, delivery,
installation, taxes, surcharges, and the provision of all labor and services necessary or proper for the completion of the
work, except as may be otherwise expressly provided in the Contract Documents. The Applicant will not be liable for
any costs beyond those proposed herein and awarded. Time and materials quotations will be unacceptable. Please
clearly identify costs associated with necessary but ineligible items and keep such items to a minimum; our intent is to
seek only eligible services with this RFP, to the extent technically feasible.
14)
Evaluation of Responses
The Applicant may at its discretion and at no fee to the Applicant, invite any Vendor to appear for questioning during
response evaluation for the purpose of clarifying statements in the response.
15)
Right to Reject
The Applicant reserves the right to accept or reject all proposals when the rejection is in the best interest of the
Applicant, such as when no bid is deemed to be cost-effective or when conditions change significantly such as due to
unexpectedly low enrollment. The Applicant also reserves the right to award without further discussion. Therefore,
responses should be submitted initially with the most favorable pricing and terms that the Vendor is able to propose.
Certain criteria such as lack of certifications have been indicated herein as potential causes for disqualification; awards
will be to the highest ranked Vendor, with price as the highest weighted factor, after elimination of disqualified or
nonresponsive bids. Applicant reserves the right to award for some, all, or none of the products and services sought
herein; if your bid does not allow for selection of a subset of line items or minor variations in the quantities required,
please clearly indicate these limitations.
16)
Form of Contract
As indicated on the corresponding Form 470, Applicant will consider all allowable forms of contract including multi-year
contracts and contracts with voluntary renewals. Winning vendor should not start work or incur expenses until explicitly
notified to do so in writing by School Purchase Order or equivalent written instrument; notification of award is not in
itself authorization to start work. Applicant has the right but not the obligation to begin work prior to Funding
Commitment Decision Letter and approval of funding; Applicant has a right but not the obligation to cancel or reduce
the scope of any project for which E-Rate funding is denied or reduced. For multi-year contracts or contracts with
voluntary renewals, these rights apply to each successive funding year independently. Vendor commits to honor pricing
and scope of work (some part substitutions might be required over time) for up to 18 months while awaiting FCDL.
Bidder warrants that all work shall be performed according to best practices in the field of endeavor and in a manner
that is fully compliant with all aspects of the E-Rate program, including invoicing for and requiring payment of the
Applicant share. In no event should work commence prior to the start of the E-Rate funding year as listed on the first
page of this document.
This RFP and any resulting contract(s) are intended to be fully compliant with all applicable state and local laws and
purchasing regulations, as well as with the rules of the E-Rate program.
Vendors are invited to bid on the entire project or on substantial, well-defined portions of the project. For example, one
vendor might bid only on cabling infrastructure, with a separate vendor bidding only on active elements. However,
Applicant has a preference for a single contract providing a turnkey solution, as implied by the bid evaluation criteria.
The ability to be able to bundle Telecommunication Services and Internet Access may be considered a plus. All bidders
must have valid SPIN numbers, FCC Registration Numbers, and up-to-date SPAC filings with the SLD; providers of
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services in the telecommunications category must also be Eligible Telecommunications Providers according to the SLD
database (common carriers paying into the USAC fund).
17)
Vendor Qualifications
Due to the complexity, potential liability, and to protect the Applicant’s and the SLD’s shared investment in
infrastructure and services, Applicant requires the following industry certifications and other evidence of qualifications
in order for submitted bids to be considered responsive.
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18)
Vendor must have a valid SLD Service Provider Identification Number [SPIN] and never have been suspended or
debarred from the E-Rate program.
Vendor must have a valid FCC Registration Number.
Vendors of telecommunications services must be eligible telecommunications providers (“common carriers”) as
defined by the SLD.
Vendor must have up-to-date Service Provider Annual Certification [SPAC] filings as required by the SLD.
Vendor must be a manufacturer authorized provider of the proposed equipment. For example, if Cisco
equipment is being recommended, provider might show evidence of being a Cisco network partner.
Vendor must provide evidence of successful performance in the installation of the recommended brands of
Switches, Routers, Internet servers, or similar equipment, within the K-12 marketplace during the last 3 years.
Vendor must have staff certified for RCDD / Low voltage for any cabling projects.
Vendor must have all engineers and installers bonded and liability insured.
Vendor must be able to furnish documentation of all certifications listed herein.
Vendor must be able to provide a reference list of ten (3) existing K-12 E-Rate customers and the nature of the
products and services delivered.
Vendor must be able to provide documentation of prior experience successfully implementing comparably sized,
SLD-funded E-Rate projects.
Service provider must demonstrate ability to provide clear and detailed per site per service line item charges
electronic billing statements as well as paper statements.
Inability to Perform
In the event that Bidder is prevented from making delivery or otherwise performing on time as specified in the contract
by fire, flood, earthquake, labor or transportation problems, war, acts of government, or any other similar cause
commonly known as an act of God, which is not the fault of the Bidder, the Bidder shall not be required to deliver or
perform, subject to the following requirements:
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The Bidder shall send written notice to the District of the Bidder's inability to perform in accordance with the
contract. The notice shall contain all facts, which show the condition, which prevents performance. The Bidder
shall send such notice as soon as possible but in no event later than the fifth (5th) day following the date of
issuance of a purchase order by the District or no later than the date specified in the contract for delivery or
other performance, whichever is applicable.
The District may cancel the contract or purchase order, entirely or in part.
The Bidder shall not make any delivery or otherwise attempt to perform under the contract except on the basis
of issuance by the District of a new purchase order or other written instruction.
RFP
Attachment A
Entity
Number
112368
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Name
Location
LASSEN VIEW ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
10818 STATE HIGHWAY 99E, LOS MOLINOS, CA 96055
RFP
Attachment B
E-RATE SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Signed copy to be returned with Letter of Acceptance.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 established a fund by which Schools and Libraries across the Country
could access discounts on eligible telecommunications products and services. The program is commonly
known as the E-rate Program. The eligibility for discounts on internet access, telecommunications products
and services, internal connection products, services and maintenance is determined by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC). Funding is made available upon application approval by the Schools and
Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), which was established by the
Act. The amount of discount is based on the numbers of students receiving free and reduced price meals.
1. The project herein is contingent upon the approval of funding from the Universal Service Fund’s
Schools and Libraries Program, otherwise known as E‐rate.
2. The District expects Service Providers to make themselves thoroughly familiar with any rules or
regulations regarding the E-rate program.
3. Service Providers are required to be in full compliance with all current requirements and future
requirements issued by the SLD throughout the contractual period of any contract entered into as a
result of this RFP.
4. Service Providers are responsible for providing a valid SPIN (Service Provider Identification Number).
More information about obtaining a SPIN may be found at this website:
http://www.usac.org/sl/providers/step01/
5. Service Providers are responsible for providing a valid Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Registration Number (FRN) at the time the bid is submitted. More information about obtaining an FRN
may be found at this website: https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do
6. Service Providers are responsible for providing evidence of FCC Green Light Status at the time the bid is
submitted. Any potential bidder found to be in Red Light Status will be disqualified from participation
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in the bidding process and will be considered non-responsive. More information about FCC Red and
Green Light Status may be found at this website: http://www.fcc.gov/debt_collection/welcome.html
7. Products and services must be delivered before billing can commence. At no time may the Service
Provider invoice before July 1, 2015.
8. Prices must be held firm for the duration of the associated E-rate Funding Year(s) or until all work
associated with the project is complete (including any contract and USAC approved extensions).
9. The Service Provider agrees to bill and receive a portion of the payment for the provisions of goods and
services described herein directly from USAC via the Form 474 Service Provider Invoice (SPI). The
District will only be responsible for paying its non‐discounted share of costs and does not intend to use
the BEAR process (Form 472). The maximum percentage the District will be liable for is the prediscount amount minus the funded amount as shown on the FCC Form 471 Block 5 and any identified
ineligible costs. Alternatively, should the District decide that it is in the best interest of the District to
file a Form 472, the District will inform the Service Provider of its intent.
10. All Service Provider invoicing to USAC must be completed within 120 days from the last day of service.
Should the Service Provider fail to invoice USAC in a timely manner, the District will only be responsible
for paying its non-discounted share.
11. Service provider shall retain all documentation related to the purchase, payment, delivery and/or
installation, including Forms 474 and receipt of payment from USAC, for all products and services
provided to the applicant. Related documentation must be retained for a period of 10 years from the
last date of service.
12. Even after award of contract(s) and/or e-rate funding approval is obtained, the District may or may not
proceed with the project, in whole or in part. Execution of the project, in whole or in part, is solely at
the discretion of the District.
13. Within one (1) week of award, or three (3) days before the close of the E-rate 471 window whichever is first - the awarded Service Provider must provide the District a bill of materials using a
completed USAC “Item 21 Template”. Subsequent schedules of values and invoices for each site
must match Item 21 Attachment or subsequent service substitutions.
14. In the event of questions during an e-rate pre-commitment review, post-commitment review and/or
audit inquiry, the awarded Service Provider is expected to reply within 3 days to questions associated
with its proposal.
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15. No change in the products and/or services specified in this document orders will be allowed without
prior written approval from the district and a USAC service substitution approval with the exception of
a Global Service Substitutions.
16. The Service Provider acknowledges that all pricing and technology infrastructure information in its bid
shall be considered as public and non-confidential pursuant to §54.504 (2)(i)(ii).
17. The Service Provider acknowledges that its offer is considered to be the lowest corresponding price
pursuant to § 54.511(b). Should it not be the lowest corresponding price, the service provider must
disclose the conditions leading to the applicant being charged in excess of lowest corresponding price.
18. This offer is in full compliance with USAC’s Free Services Advisory
http://www.usac.org/sl/applicants/step02/free-services-advisory.aspx. There are no free services
offered that would predicate an artificial discount and preclude the applicant from paying its
proportionate non-discounted share of costs. The service provider agrees to provide substantiating
documentation to support this assertion should the applicant, USAC, or the FCC request it.
19. The awarded Service Provider is required to send copies of all forms and invoices to the District prior to
invoicing USAC for pre-approval. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in the District
placing the vendor on an “Invoice Check” with the USAC
http://www.usac.org/sl/applicants/step07/invoice-check.aspx
20. Services providers must comply with the FCC rules for Lowest Corresponding Price ("LCP"). Further
details on LCP may be obtained at USAC's website: http://www.usac.org/sl/serviceproviders/step02/lowest-corresponding-price.aspx
I, the undersigned, as an authorized agent of ______________________________ (Service Provider
Name), hereby certify that I have read the E-rate Supplemental Terms and Conditions, am fully compliant and
intend to cooperate with the E-rate process as outlined above.
Signature : _______________________________ Title: _______________________________
Phone Number : __________________________ Email: _____________________________
Service Provider Name: __________________________________________________________
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