St. Bernard Parish School Board
200 East St. Bernard Highway
Chalmette, LA 70043
Request for Proposals—Chalmette High School Wireless Network
St. Bernard Parish School Board (SBPSB) is soliciting proposals for the products/services per the
specifications stated in the attached document. Complete proposals, including the original and four (4)
copies, must be received by the St. Bernard Parish School Board at the address listed above by 10:00
a.m. on February 23, 2015. Proposals must be sent by U.S. mail, courier or hand delivered. Proposals
submitted via email or fax will not be considered.
The most current version of this document, as well as any addendums, can be found on our district
website: www.stbernard.k12.la.us or online at www.bidsync.com.
You may also request information and direct technical questions to:
Conrad Browne
St. Bernard Parish School Board
200 East St. Bernard Highway
Chalmette, Louisiana 70043
(504) 301-2000
Fax: (504)301-2010
[email protected]
All proposers can schedule individual meetings for the purpose of discussion and clarification related to
our request. Written questions concerning this request should be addressed to Conrad Browne at the
address listed above. Additionally, you may fax or email your questions to the addressee referenced
above. All questions should be clearly marked “RFP CHS WIRELESS SOLUTION”. All meetings, questions
and discussions must be completed by 4:00 p.m., February 13, 2015.
This announcement does not commit the St. Bernard Parish School Board to purchase or to pay any
costs incurred in the preparation of proposals. The St. Bernard Parish School Board reserves the right to
accept or reject, in whole or in part, all proposals submitted and/or to cancel this announcement.
All purchases awarded shall be based upon the proposal most advantageous to the St. Bernard Parish
School Board, price and other factors considered. Purchases are subject to the availability of funds, in
particular, the approval of the district’s 2015 Category-Two application submitted to the Universal
Service Administrative Company for e-rate funding.
Only proposals submitted by vendors with valid USAC SPIN numbers will be considered.
This package contains all the information and forms necessary to complete and submit a proposal.
Proposers are encouraged to review the RFP package in detail prior to commencing work.
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Section Listing:
1) General Information
2) Scope of Proposal
3) Mandatory Requirements
4) Schedule of Events
5) Site Listing
6) Proposal Evaluation Criteria
1. General Information
This request is issued to facilitate the installation and configuration of a secured, wireless network at
each of the Chalmette High School sites for the purpose of accessing the internet and the district’s
network without being limited to a hardwired connection.
The St. Bernard Parish School Board hereby solicits proposals from qualified proposers to provide for the
design, configuration, installation, and implementation of a preferred turnkey system to deliver:
1) A secure, wireless connection to the internet.
2) A sophisticated management interface to granularly control access and security.
3) Support services on all relevant systems.
FIBER OPTIC COMPONENT
The Fiber network consists of 5 single mode rings originating in and out one hub facility currently held
by COX Communications. Each fiber ring is diversely routed out of the hub and daisy chained into 3-4
school sites, then routed back into the originating hub site. This arrangement allows for basic SONET
transport ring diversity and ring protection both with physical path protection and optical component
protection.
DATA COMPONENT
The Data service is TCP/IP based at the edge and ATM based through the transport network currently
provided by Cox Communications. Internet connectivity is provided through both a Juniper SRX240
firewall appliance, and a Barracuda 910 series Content Filter/Caching appliance. Both of these devices
are owned and operated by SBPSB. Currently, the data transport backbone for each sub ring is 1GigE,
shared across the 14 sites, with a CIR of 50mbps at each facility. Data converges into an 80mbps
aggregation to the internet at the Central Office. The hand-off at facility site is native mode 1GigE
ethernet into an Atrica brand router owned and operated by Cox Communications. From there, traffic
flows to a Brocade NetIron CER2024F router owned and operated by SBPSB. Each facility has an MDF
location branched to several IDFs. Switches in these closets are a combination of Brocade and Dell. All
switches are stacked and linked back with redundant fiber cabling, and each closet has separate
subnetting and logical structure for both SBPSB wired and wireless networks. Campus-wide wireless
access is provided by Meru branded controllers and access points distributed throughout the facilities.
Network routing and intersite communications converge at Central Office and are managed by an SBPSB
owned and operated Brocade MLXe-8 series modular router. The Data Center at Central Office
operates over redundant 10gbps switched Brocade uplinks to all racks and server equipment.
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NETWORK MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING
The network and all of its components, transport, edge routers and channel banks are actively
monitored 24-7 for alarms and general activity logging.
At the present time, wireless is available within each of our existing schools.
2. Scope of Proposal
The scope of this project shall include all hardware, POE switches, patch panels, software, licenses,
configuration, cabling, installation and training. A hardware listing must be provided on a per site basis
and must include all access points, controllers, and all other miscellaneous equipment. Floor plans with
the exact location of APs for each site must be presented to SBPSB prior to payment.
The contract will be awarded based on the evaluation criteria, including the total cost of the project.
However, proposals must include a breakdown of costs on a per site level. The cost breakdown must
include all hardware, software, licenses, and cabling as separate line items.
At its option, SBPSB may award a separate contract for the installation of cabling to all access points
at each site. Any vendor that fails to present cabling costs, by site, as a separate line item in its
response may be eliminated.
This proposal is for an initial contract period of two (2) years from the date of the award, but may be
extended for an additional 12 months at the option of the St. Bernard Parish School Board. Any cost
savings or decreases in product pricing during the extended contract term shall be passed on to the St.
Bernard Parish School Board.
A single contractor is preferred. Proposers intending to use subcontractors must be be aware that the
vendor submitting the proposal will be the single point of contact for the St. Bernard Parish School
Board and the St. Bernard Parish School Board will accept invoices only from the proposer.
Technical Specifications
The SBPSB requests that prospective proposals include a brief overview of the wireless system design
architecture and hardware elements. Multiple models will be allowed, but all access points must be
provided by the same manufacturer. A successful proposal will include hardware brands, models,
estimates of recommended device load, capabilities, expected end-user throughput, radio technologies.
SBPSB is seeking a fully integrated 802.11ac capable wireless infrastructure which allows for VLAN based
ACLs, traffic shaping, and centralized management. It is preferred that the access points work in
conjunction to provide a mesh topology including AP roaming. The proposed system will integrate into
our currently existing 1gbps network backbone and SBPSB Staff, the proposer, and Cox Communications
will work in conjunction to prepare the environment.
Devices must support a minimum of WEP encryption with WPA private key or better preferred, though
it has not yet been determined how authentication will be controlled on the wireless network, if at all.
Hardware must be Wi-Fi Certified for WPA and WPA2 and support mixed 802.11b/g/n/ac clients. All
network hardware implemented as part of this project must allow for remote configuration and
management capabilities, as well as SNMP logging traps. SBPSB will provide centralized SNMP logging
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via an existing Prism Microsystems EventTracker implementation. SNMP will be used to both identify
hardware errors and to mitigate choke points. Authentication for remote configuration must be
incorporated and limited via ACL. The mesh network should also support WIDS/WIPS, though
implementation of intrusion prevention will likely not be part of initial configuration. Devices must
incorporate one or more mechanisms to prevent client access.
It is critical that client roaming not complicate deployment or troubleshooting. The proposed hardware
must be fully mesh compliant without connection drops, IP address re-assignment, or the need to reauthenticate. Although not initially implemented, it is preferred that the proposed devices support QoS
and user prioritization. If a location appliance will be used, please provide specifics regarding its
configuration and integration.
All designs and subsequent installations will be tested for coverage, throughput, and signal strength. As
such, the software that accompanies the proposed devices should be capable of running detailed
statistics reporting, task scheduling, bandwidth utilization, and alert notification. This management
suite should work in conjunction with existing SNMP trap recorders to proactively designate trouble
areas. The proposer should indicate the maximum capacities of controllers and access points, as well as
the management suite or service used to control them.
Proposals must address the following (see floor plans for detail):





Install access points (186) as indicated on floor plans. Installation of access points is to include
CAT6 cabling and patch panels to appropriate data closet*
Install and configure POE switches
Install and configure controller (if applicable)
Configure a secure network to include a guest user account
Install, configure and train SBPSB IT staff on management interface
*Green on floor plans indicates the location(s) of data closets.
3. Requirements. Every proposal should include:
1) Original proposal and four (4) copies.
2) Certificate of Insurance indicating limits of liability for Worker’s Compensation, General
Liability including Bodily Injury and Property Damage, and Automobile Insurance.
3) A list of industry experience and organizational structure including a list of staff members
with qualifications and experience.
4) Product technical specs/white papers
5) Signed certification page with USAC SPIN number.
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4. Schedule of Events
1) January 16, 2015 – Request for Proposals advertised by SBPSB.
2) By Appointment to February 13, 2015 – Proposer meetings and conference calls.
3) February 13, 2015 – Deadline to receive questions and hold meetings or conference calls.
**SBPSB office and all school sites will be closed for the Holidays beginning on Monday,
February 16 and will reopen on Thursday, February 19.
4) February 23, 2015 – Last day for proposers to submit proposals. All proposals must be
received by 10:00 a.m. on this date at 200 East St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette, LA 70043.
Proposals received late will not be considered. Proposals received by fax or email will not
be considered.
5) February 24, 2015 – Proposal Review Committee meets.
6) March 10, 2015 – Successful proposal recommended to the St. Bernard Parish School Board.
7) March 24, 2015 – Successful proposal approved by the St. Bernard Parish School Board.
The St. Bernard Parish School Board reserves the right to deviate from this schedule.
5. Site Listing
Chalmette High School
1100 East Judge Perez Drive
Chalmette, LA 70043
Chalmette High School – Lacoste Campus
1101 East Judge Perez Drive
Chalmette, LA 70043
Chalmette High School Cultural Arts Center
2600 Palmisano Blvd
Chalmette, LA 70043
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6. Proposal Evaluation Criteria (Maximum Awarded Point Value = 100 points)
1) Cost – 50 points
a. All costs for each aspect of the projects including equipment, cable, labor, and any other
associated costs.
b. Any one-time costs not included in pricing above.
c. Any ongoing support or maintenance costs.
2) Qualifications and Experience – 25 points
a. Provide name, address and phone number of your firm.
b. Provide name, address, and contact information of the account manager or other
individual who will be the point of first contact and who will provide ongoing technical
support during the life of the project(s).
c. List industry experience and organizational structure including list of staff members with
qualifications and experience included.
d. List references of similar size and scope. Include contact information. It is important to
list the number of sites and the number of students or employees. This information
should be included for subcontractors as well.
e. Certificates of Insurance, for proposer and subcontractors, indicating limits of liability
for Worker’s Compensation, General Liability including Bodily Injury and Property
Damage, and Automobile Insurance.
f.
Proposal addresses all required components.
3) Evaluation of Proposed Equipment – 25 points
a. Product features
b. Product conforms to industry standards
c. Number of users supported by each AP
d. VLAN Support
4) Signature Page – 0 points
A signature page must be included with your proposal and include a signed statement
certifying your proposal.
Although valued at zero points, failure to include a signature page will result in the
proposal being considered invalid.
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St. Bernard Parish Public Schools Request for Proposals
CHS Wireless Network Solution
Evaluation Sheet
Proposer: _________________________________________________________________
Remarks: __________________________________________________________________
Criteria for Evaluation: Maximum 100 points
1. Cost – 50 points
Include all costs for each aspect of the project.
Include any one time costs not included above.
Include any ongoing support or maintenance costs.
Total Awarded for Section 1:
2. Qualifications and Experience – 25 points
Address and phone number of your firm.
Address of the office that will be supporting the site.
Name and contact info of account manage or point of first contact.
Industry experience and organizational structure.
Staff members with qualifications and experience.
References of similar size and scope (include subcontractors).
Certificate of Insurance indicating limits of liability for Worker’s
Compensation, General Liability including Bodily Injury and
Property Damage, and Automobile Insurance (include subcontractors).
SBPSB experience with vendor
Total Awarded for Section 2:
3. Evaluation of Proposed Equipment – 25 points
Product features
Product conforms to industry standards
Number of users supported by each AP
VLAN Support
Total Awarded for Section 3:
4. Signature Page (0 Points)
YES / No
Please note: If a signature page is not provided
The proposal will be considered ineligible for consideration.
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St. Bernard Parish Public Schools Request for Proposals
CHS Wireless Network Solution
Certification Page
PROPOSAL OPENING:
Monday, February 23, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
The individual signing must be authorized to bind organization to the terms of proposal.
PROPOSER:
NAME (PRINT):
SIGNATURE:
TITLE:
ADDRESS:
CITY & STATE:
ZIP CODE:
EMAIL:
PHONE:
EMAIL: ________________________________________
USAC SPIN Number:______________________________
DATE:
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