·        All Questions and Bids must be submitted using the on-line IFCB system. If for some reason the system is down before the respective 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 https://www.usac.org/e-rate/service-providers/step-2-responding-to-bids/lowest-corresponding-price/ 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. 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. Fees and surcharges that apply but are not listed on the bid will be the responsibility of the bidding company, should their bid be awarded.

·        If the applicant is requesting purchases of new equipment, or maintenance of that new equipment, bids for functionally equivalent equipment will be accepted.

·        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: Bids submitted for services to an incorrect address will be disqualified.

·        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.

·        The winning vendor will be required to complete the USAC approved Item 21 template for the project within 7 working days after notification that the vendor has won the bid.

·        DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: The applicant will not accept bids from manufacturers of equipment deemed a national security threat by the Federal Communications Commission. The list of prohibited equipment is available here: https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist . Vendors that submit bids that includes these manufacturers will have their bid disqualified.

·        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 – PROJECT B: 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: Applicant will not accept bids for refurbished equipment. Any bids containing refurbished equipment will be disqualified.

·        DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Service providers are required to bid an entire Project A or Project B.  Bids for individual components of a single project will be disqualified.

UPDATE 12.23.22 - THE BID DEADLINE HAS BEEN UPDATED TO 1.20.23.

UPDATE 12.19.22 - Vendor QA from the 12.19.22 walkthrough is now available for download along with this IFCB.

UPDATE: A second 470/IFCB # 230009421 has been posted for the racks (fiber enclosures) that were originally included in the statement of work available for download. Also, under IC Project B, 23 stacking cables were included. 

Category One:

Internet Access – the district currently has 2.4GB internet access and would like to increase their bandwidth. The terminating address for this circuit is located at 1301 Niebuhr, Brenham, TX 77833. Vendors should bid 2 GB through 4 GB.  Bids should be based on a 3-year term.

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: Bids submitted for services to an incorrect address will be disqualified.

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 VISIT – PROJECT A ONLY

Vendors wishing to bid on internal connections can attend a voluntary site visit on December 19^th, 2022, at 9am. Vendors will meet at 1200 Carlee Drive, Brenham, TX 77833.   After the Junior High vendors will proceed to the Pride Academy (1301 Market Street, Brenham, TX 77833) campus to view/walk it,  and on to Brenham Early Childhood Learning Center (304 Kerr Street  Brenham,TX 77833) to finish the walkthroughs. Vendors will check in with Rodney Leer.  This will be the districts only site visit. This site visit will be used to show all vendors the existing cabling and cabling closets. The time will be used to escort all attendees around the facilities and critical areas. This will also give vendors time to ask questions about the sites and determine what materials will be required for the project

INTERNAL CONNECTIONS

The district is looking to upgrade three school campuses with new multi-gig switches and multi-gig capable wireless access points.

New copper cabling will be necessary for all WAPs and current WAPs in school classrooms and hallways. The district will require approximately 173 CAT 6 drops in total. Each drop will have 20’ loop of slack with keystone biscuit termination to allow a patch cable to be connected. Data closet side will need keystone type patch panels installed to accommodate all new runs for termination.

Brenham Junior High will need to link MDF and IDF between buildings with about 1,200’ of 6 pair indoor/outdoor rater fiber cabling, installed to five separate buildings on campus.  

Project A – Cabling

Installation of 173 drops (runs) of Cat 6 copper cabling in ceiling of school halls and classrooms at three campus locations. Terminate with keystone (biscuit) and roll up 20’ loop in ceilings. Terminate to MDF and IDFs in buildings and mount 24 port keystone patch panels and terminate.

Run 1,200’ of 6 pair SM fiber between data closets for five Junior High campus buildings. Cabling will run through building ceilings, existing conduit and lay on building awnings. Terminate all fiber in cassettes and five fiber panels provided by the contractor. Maps and Statement of Work are available for download along with this IFCB.

Project B – Network Equipment

No installation or configuration needed for the switches, WAPs or UPS.  WAPs and switches should include 5 year licensing. A statement of work is available for download along with this IFCB.

NOTE: We are requesting WAP or switch licenses on this IFCB, which sometimes may be categorized as BMIC or MIBS by USAC (the BMIC and MIBS boxes on the 470 have been checked to cover this scenario).

COMPATIBILITY REQUIREMENT:

WAPs must be compatible with existing Cisco Meraki Cloud console and Cloud controller licensing. Switches must be compatible with existing Cisco Catalyst switches and compatible with Cisco Meraki Cloud controller.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: The applicant will not accept bids from manufacturers of equipment deemed a national security threat by the Federal Communications Commission. The list of prohibited equipment is available here: https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist . Vendors that submit bids that includes these manufacturers will have their bid disqualified.

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 – PROJECT B: 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: Applicant will not accept bids for refurbished equipment. Any bids containing refurbished equipment will be disqualified.

DISQUALIFICATION FACTOR INTERNAL CONNECTIONS: Service providers are required to bid an entire Project A or Project B.  Bids for individual components of a single project will be disqualified.