·         All Questions and Bids must be submitted using the on-line IFCB system. If the IFCB system is down before the deadline, please email your bid to info@crwconsulting.com or fax it to 918.445.0049. Bids or questions submitted in this fashion will be disqualified if the on-line system is active at the time of submission.

·         Bidder must agree to participate in USF Program (AKA “E-rate”) for the corresponding funding year.

·         Please include the correct Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN) on your bid.

·         By submitting a bid, bidder certifies that the bidder does have a valid (non-red light status) SPIN for the E-rate program at the time of submission. Should the Applicant discover that the bidder is on red light status, or if the FCC classifies the bidder as on red-light status before work is performed and invoices are paid, the contract will be null and void and the applicant will have no payment obligations to the bidder.

·         Bidder is expected to provide the lowest corresponding price per E-rate rules.  See http://www.usac.org/sl/service-providers/step02/lowest-corresponding-price.aspx for details.

·         Contracts must not prohibit SPIN changes.

·         Bidder must agree to provide the Applicant the choice of discount methods (SPI or BEAR).

·         Bidder will be automatically disqualified if the District determines that the bidding company has offered any employee of the District any individual gift of more than $20 or gifts totaling more than $50 within a 12-month period.  This does not apply to the recent FCC exemptions of the Gift Rule for the COVID pandemic.

·         All contracts awarded will be contingent upon E-rate funding and final board approval.  The applicant may choose to do all or part of the project upon funding notification.

·         All contracts awarded under this IFCB bidding process may be voluntarily renewed by the applicant, upon written notice to the provider, for five consecutive one-year terms. Please include this language in your final contract.

·         All applicable fees, surcharges, and taxes must be identified on the bid or your bid will be disqualified. E-rate rules require the applicants to evaluate the price of eligible goods and services that will be listed on the 471 application during the competitive bidding process. If the applicant discovers that fees, taxes or surcharges apply but are not listed on the bid (after the time of bid awards) those charges will be the responsibility of the bidding company.

·         E-rate rules require applicants to evaluate the cost of eligible goods and services and to cost-allocate out the amount for ineligible services from their funding request. If your company will be bidding internet access service, please identify the amount to be cost-allocated out for the ineligible services – email service, web hosting, content filtering, or other bundled ineligible services.

·         INTERNET ACCESS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: Any and all installation charges must be identified on your bid. If you submit a bid indicating that installation charges may apply without listing those charges, we will consider your bid incomplete and disqualify your bid.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: It will be the bidder’s responsibility to provide documentation about the compatibility requirements listed in this IFCB. Vendors that submit bids without documentation demonstrating the required compatibility listed in this IFCB will have their bids disqualified, unless that vendor has bid the preferred make/model number listed.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Vendors must complete and include the C2 Cover Page with their bid. Bids received without the cover page will be disqualified.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Service providers are required to bid the entire hardware project.  Bids for individual components of a single project will be disqualified.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Applicant will not accept bids for refurbished equipment. Any bids containing refurbished equipment will be disqualified.

·         DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS:  Bids from companies that include equipment barred by the Federal Communications Commission due to national security risks (such as ZTE or Huawei) will be disqualified.

UPDATE 12/16/2020: The new bid opening date will be January 12, 2021.

UPDATE 12/1/20: We will accept voluntary walk-throughs December 8th and December 10th between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm. The question period has been re-opened and now expires on 12/10. The bid deadline has been extended to 1/10/2021.

UPDATE 12/1/20: Maps/Floor Plans for WAPs has been added

UPDATE 11/19/20 - Due to COVID restrictions, it may be a while before vendor questions can be answered. We will extend the bidding deadline (if need be) at a later date.

UPDATE 11/12/20:  Due to unforeseen circumstances the November 16^th through November 20^th voluntary site visits for the Category Two Internal Connections projects have been cancelled.  We will update this IFCB if we are able to accommodate walkthroughs at a later date. 

CATEGORY ONE

Internet Access – Applicant currently has 1GB bandwidth and is specifically requesting bids for 2GB, 3GB, 4GB, and 5GB bandwidths.  Please include pricing for a leased router.  The terminating address for this circuit is 211 West College Street, Fredericksburg, TX.  E-rate rules require applicants to evaluate the cost of eligible goods and services, and to cost-allocate out the amount for ineligible services from their funding request. If your company will be bidding internet access service, please identify the amount to be cost-allocated out for the ineligible services – email service, web hosting, content filtering, or other bundled ineligible services.

NOTE: Per USAC’s current guidance about applying for Internet access this applicant is checking the Leased Lit Fiber, Internet Access: ISP Service only and Internet Access and Transport Bundled.

INTERNET ACCESS DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR: Any and all installation charges must be identified on your bid. If you submit a bid indicating that installation charges may apply without listing those charges, we will consider your bid incomplete and disqualify your bid.

CATEGORY TWO

VOLUNTARY SITE VISITS

Vendors wishing to bid on the Category Two Internal Connections Project may attend a site visit between November 16th,  and November 20^th.  Vendors should RSVP to Michelle Williams at michellew@fisd.org to set up a time for a site visit.  THIS EMAIL IS TO SET APPOINTMENTS ONLY.  ALL QUESTIONS AND BIDS MUST STILL BE SUBMITTED VIA THE IFCB.  BIDS NOT SUBMITTED VIA THE IFCB WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

INTERNAL CONNECTIONS

The district is replacing existing wireless environment.  Please include pricing for installation and configuration of access points.

NOTE:  We are requesting wireless access point and controller licenses on this IFCB which sometimes may be categorized as BMIC or MIBS by USAC (the BMIC and MIBS box on the Form 470 has been checked to cover this scenario).

COMPATIBILITY REQUIREMENT – All equipment should be compatible with an existing Dell infrastructure.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: It will be the bidder’s responsibility to provide documentation about the compatibility requirements listed in this IFCB. Vendors that submit bids without documentation demonstrating the required compatibility listed in this IFCB will have their bids disqualified, unless that vendor has bid the preferred make/model number listed.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Vendors must complete and include the C2 Cover Page with their bid. Bids received without the cover page will be disqualified.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Service providers are required to bid the entire hardware project.  Bids for individual components of a single project will be disqualified.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Applicant will not accept bids for refurbished equipment. Any bids containing refurbished equipment will be disqualified.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS:  Bids from companies that include equipment barred by the Federal Communications Commission due to national security risks (such as ZTE or Huawei) will be disqualified.