All bid deadlines are 11:59pm Pacific Time the date of the bid deadline listed unless otherwise noted.
Q: What are you looking at in terms of numbers of wireless SSID’s.
A: Initially probably 3-4. Administrators (school admins not network admins), Teacher/Staff, Student and or Guest. Possibly a management or system admin level. We are open to suggestions based on your evaluation of the campus and what you think we might need.
Q: Are you open to looking at hardware other than HP.
A: Absolutely. We are open to looking at other manufacturers or open to looking at other models from the same manufacturer provided they meet the functionally equivalent standard. For the WIRED project, our IFCB lists HP or functionally equivalent equipment. For the WIRELESS project, our IFCB lists Aruba Instant AP’s or functionally equivalent.
Q: Are you wanting strictly AC access points?
A: AC access points are nice but are not strictly specified within the wireless IFCB. The ability to eventually put in AC access points as needed is one reason for running at least two network runs to each AP. We are certainly open to looking at AC access points for some, or even all, of the locations.
Q: Are the replacement switches POE everywhere.
A: All switches listed in the WIRED project are specified as POE. HOWEVER, the current plan is for a few of the existing switches to be reused in the band room, in the field house, and the bus barn. These will not be POE, so in terms of the WIRELESS project, injectors might be needed for AP’s in those areas.
Q: What types of wireless devices does your district currently use.
A: We have a variety of items from iPads to Kindles to cellphones to windows notebooks. In terms of school sponsored usage, our Elementary is focused more on iPads, our MS and HS use more netbooks and Windows based tablets.
Q: Are you wanting to add wall mount racks or other items in the switch closets.
A: Most of our distribution points / closets should have adequate room, if your evaluation reveals a need for additional space or capacity, please list it in your proposal.
Q: Does the wired project description account for extra capacity needed for the wireless project?
A: Yes, to the best of our ability, sufficient capacity was included in the wired project to allow for addition of the needed lines for the wireless AP’s.
Q: Is there fiber existing at each distribution point.
A: Yes. Each distribution point is equipped with fiber. The type of fiber and connection points are outlined in the wired project description documents.
Q: Where will the new core switching equipment be located? Will patch panels and other things need to be moved.
A: A new 42U Enclosure is on premise and will house all Core Networking Equipment. New equipment and any carryover equipment for the core network should be placed in that cabinet.
Q: Is there a bid evaluation criteria or rubric that is used to evaluate bids?
A: All bid evaluations will be done according to USAC guidelines using procedures approved by our eRate consultant, CRW Consulting. In the past, Dewey Public Schools’ use of a bid evaluation sheet for eRate items has been standard practice. Per USAC guidelines, price will be a primary consideration, but other factors will also be considered.
Q: If you are not funded, do you plan to go forward with the project anyway?
A: Obviously, funding of the project will have a major impact, but we will probably move forward with at least some parts of the projects. Staying where we are is simply not an option. Updates are needed.
Q: Does the wired project add to existing equipment, or replace existing equipment?
A: The equipment outlined in the wired project will primarily REPLACE existing equipment. Only one existing switch will stay in its current location. SOME existing switches will probably be moved and reused in other parts of campus.
Q: Are you looking to add drops in classrooms?
A: The installation of additional wired drops in the classroom is outside the scope of the wired project. The wireless project specifies at least 2 runs per AP.
Q: Are there measurements to show the scale on the drawings and maps?
A: Some of the documents previously listed the scale of the drawing, but the “sizability” of digital formats makes scale sizing like ¼” = 1’ inaccurate. I have added a scale on one of the Elementary drawings that should hold true for that image. Blueprints for many of the buildings are available for review at the end of the walkthroughs. Digital copies of the most recent construction area blueprints are also available through the IFCB system and should contain enough reference points to give accurate measurements. PLEASE NOTE- These plans, and the rights to them remain the property of DPS. They should be used for informational purposes relating to these projects only.
Q: What is the existing wireless footprint?
A: There is NO unified wireless system in place. Currently we have an “as needed” patchwork of single-point mostly consumer grade Belkin and Netgear Routers configured as Access Points. There are also a few older HP Procurve420 AP’s but everything must be managed separately and density becomes an issue.
Q: What is your current internet bandwidth?
A: We currently have a 100mb internet connection. We are exploring the possibility of moving to a 200 MB connection for next year.
Q: Will UPS be needed as part of the installation in the distribution points?
A: Some of the distribution points have them, others do not. Feel free to show itemized pricing for UPS.
Question: Approximately how many network drops exist in each classroom?
Answer: Most of the classrooms throughout the district only have one network drop per room though some classrooms have had additional network drops added over the last few years. Our Early Childhood Building rooms have at least two per room. Our new construction areas have multiple drops, but these new areas are mostly office areas.
Question: Do you have a brand preference in terms of brand for patch panels, jacks, etc. You currently seem to have a few different types (Panduit, Leviton).
Answer: We do not have a strong brand preference though the most recent construction was done with high density Panduit panels and jacks and we like them.
Question: Do you have a color preference for in terms of the jacks (like patch panel jacks) for AP’s?
Answer: Yes, yellow would be nice to make it easy to identify.
Question: There seems to be a variety of cabling at various places (cat 5, cat 5e, etc.) What are you looking at in terms of cabling?
Answer: All of our newest construction and data runs have been done with cat 6 and cat 6e cable. In the IFCB, minimum Cat 6 is specified for the project.
Question: Are you currently doing any network management?
| Year18RequiredICTemplate91.xlsx |
| DeweyWiredProjectA.xlsx |
| DeweyWirelessProjectB.docx |
| DeweyMaps.docx |
| CompleteElementarySecureEntrances.pdf |
| CompleteHSMSSecureEntrance.pdf |
Answer:
The answer to your question could vary greatly depending on the range, capacity and configuration of your access points; your overall solution; as well as your analysis of the district campus. The only definitive answer is enough to “support complete wireless saturation within buildings and common areas, with wide scale use.” and that your proposed system should “support simultaneous wireless use by entire classrooms, should support multiple classroom use in the same area, and should support simultaneous use by multiple areas and buildings.” I would recommend planning enough time to make a detailed analysis of the campus.
Answer:
Maps of the structures will be available to the extent that we have them. Some modifications or corrections might be needed due recently completed construction, but blueprints for the recently renovated areas are available for review during and / or after the walkthrough. Pictures are allowed. Our goal is to give you as much information as is needed for you to produce a complete and accurate proposal for the project(s).
Answer:
No
