All bid deadlines are 11:59pm Pacific Time the date of the bid deadline listed unless otherwise noted.

school Lone Star School District 8
IFCB Posted : Nov 19, 2015
Bid Deadline : Wednesday, Nov 25, 2015

Questions Due By : Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015
Applicant Address : Sapulpa, OK 74067
IFCB ID : 160002597

IFCB Requirements :
 ·         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 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.
 
·         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.
 
·         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 bundled data and voice plans, please identify the amount to be cost-allocated out for the ineligible data, text messaging functions or other bundled ineligible services.
·         Bidders for all services and products (except for tariffed telecommunications services or month-to-month services which do not have a related contract) must also submit a contract for products or services.
 
·         If the Applicant is requesting bids for equipment with specific make and model numbers listed, the Applicant will also accept bids for functionally equivalent equipment.
 
·         SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE REQUIRED TO BID THE ENTIRE HARDWARE PROJECT/UPGRADE.  BIDS FOR INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS OF PROJECTS A, B, C, AND/OR D WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. 
 
 
·         Vendors are required to submit bids via the template “Internal connections – Template V15 – 1” or “Basic Maintenance Template V15 – 1” for each individual school that is receiving equipment and a separate template for all shared equipment.  Please name each template for the name of the school and project.  Example:  “Smith Elementary School Wireless Project” or “Wireless project shared equipment for all schools.”  Vendors that do not submit bids in the required template format will be disqualified from the process. 
 
·         CATEGORY TWO PROJECT – VENDORS WISHING TO SUBMIT BIDS FOR CATEGORY TWO PROJECT  B and PROJECT D MUST ATTEND ONE OF TWO MANDATORY SITE VISITS.  SEE BELOW FOR DATES/TIMES/LOCATION.  BIDS RECEIVED FROM VENDORS WHO DID NOT ATTEND EITHER MEETING WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
 
 
·         CATEGORY TWO PROJECT – VENDORS WISHING TO SUBMIT BIDS FOR THE CATEGORY TWO PROJECT A and PROJECT C MAY ATTEND ONE OF TWO VOLUNTARY SITE VISITS.  SEE BELOW FOR DATES/TIMES/LOCATION. 
 

Services and Equipment Requested :
UPDATE 11/19 - THE FOLLOWING IS INFO GIVEN OUT AT THE SECOND SITE VISIT:

Chris Garvin made a clarification to me regarding using AC access points.  He informed me that though the 802.11n access points I currently have will penetrate cinder block walls, the new 802.00ac access points I am requesting will not.  They transmit at on a shorter wave length and it is not as strong.  He and Ray Riddle both recommended putting 1 access point in each classroom. 

My response to them was:

Figure that one per classroom configuration for the 3rd grade up to the 8th grade which on the floor plan starts with rooms 123 and 124 and goes up the hall.  We will put one access point between classes in the kindergarten through the 2nd grade for now.  I told them to figure using some of our existing access points in these areas as well as in the lower and upper library, in the admin building, the preschool, the 2 gyms, and outside the two offices.

This is to all bidders:

I am not an engineer.  If a vendor knows that their access point will support 2 classrooms of 25 devices without lagging, then they can bid it that way.  If not, they better bid it such that these devices can be used to their full potential.  





Cellular phone service – Approx 7 lines.  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 bundled data and voice plans, please identify the amount to be cost-allocated out for the ineligible data, text messaging functions or other bundled ineligible services.
 
CATEGORY TWO DISQUALIFICATION FACTORS:
·         SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE REQUIRED TO BID THE ENTIRE HARDWARE PROJECT/UPGRADE.  BIDS FOR INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS OF PROJECTS A, B, C, AND/OR D WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. 
·         Vendors are required to submit bids via the template “Internal connections – Template V15 – 1” or “Basic Maintenance Template V15 – 1” for each individual school that is receiving equipment and a separate template for all shared equipment.  Please name each template for the name of the school and project.  Example:  “Smith Elementary School Wireless Project” or “Wireless project shared equipment for all schools.”  Vendors that do not submit bids in the required template format will be disqualified from the process. 
·         CATEGORY TWO PROJECT – VENDORS WISHING TO SUBMIT BIDS FOR CATEGORY TWO PROJECT  B and PROJECT D MUST ATTEND ONE OF TWO MANDATORY SITE VISITS.  SEE BELOW FOR DATES/TIMES/LOCATION.  BIDS RECEIVED FROM VENDORS WHO DID NOT ATTEND EITHER MEETING WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
·         CATEGORY TWO PROJECT – VENDORS WISHING TO SUBMIT BIDS FOR THE CATEGORY TWO PROJECT A and PROJECT C MAY ATTEND ONE OF TWO VOLUNTARY SITE VISITS.  SEE BELOW FOR DATES/TIMES/LOCATION. 
 

CATEGORY TWO PROJECT WALKTHROUGHS (Mandatory for Projects B & D, Voluntary for Projects A & C)
·         Tuesday, November 3, 2015, from 9am to 11am CST, at 2945 South Hickory Street, Sapulpa, OK 74066
·         Tuesday, November 17, 2015, from 9am to 11am CST, at 2945 South Hickory Street, Sapulpa, OK 74066
 
CATEGORY TWO PROJECT DETAILS:
We would like for you to submit your bids in your normal format – a word/excel/PDF as you normally would (in addition to the required templates).  The winning vendor will be required to complete, for each school (and all shared equipment), the 2016 USAC C2 Templates when they become available. 
PROJECT A INTERNAL CONNECTIONS
·         4 X JUNIPER SWITCHES
·         3 X APC UPS/BATTERY BACK UPS
·         32 NETWORK DROPS/APPROX 3,000 FEET CABLING
 
PROJECT B INTERNAL CONNECTIONS
·         32 X ARUBA WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS
·         1 X ARUBA WIRELESS CONTROLLER
 
PROJECT C BASIC MAINTENANCE For the following items purchased under PROJECT A
·         4 X JUNIPER SWITCHES
 
PROJECT D BASIC MAINTENANCE For the following items purchased under PROJECT B
·         32 X ARUBA WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS
·         1 X ARUBA WIRELESS CONTROLLER

There is an additional document associated with this IFCB. Please click the buttons to download the document.

BasicMaintenanceTemplateV15169.xlsm
InternalConnectionsTemplateV15157.xlsm

Questions Received with Applicant Answers   ( Ask Questions? )




Is the cabling and install of the Aruba Access Points a part of the bid or is the bid just for providing equipment for owner install?

Answer:
 The projects are separate so that if we are unable to afford all projects, we can choose which projects we will not move forward on.  With that said, bid the equipment, install, and configuration (Controller and Switches) of both project A and B.

Greetings I am contacting you from Ruckus Wireless regarding your recent E-Rate Form 470 filing for ERATE Funding Year 2016. Ruckus Wireless is a leading manufacturer of wireless access points and controllers in the education market with thousands of customers worldwide. LONE STAR DISTRICT 8 has listed a need for · 32 X ARUBA WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS · 1 X ARUBA WIRELESS CONTROLLER under the “Internal Connections” block 10 and I would like to know if you are already leaning towards a specific brand or if you are interested in evaluating all technologies and proposals. If an RFP was released, any assistance in locating it would be helpful. Form 470 Application Number: Link to Form 470: Please indicate any important dates such as mandatory site-walks and proposal deadlines. ******SHOULD YOUR SCHOOL BE CONSIDERING A NEW SOLUTION PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW ****** What we would need so that we can provide you with an accurate quote is listed below. - Are you looking to expand your existing Wi-Fi network or upgrade the system completely ? - What are you currently using for WLAN ? - Floor Plans : - Materials of Buildings (Cinder block, drywall) or environment (Open Space, Cubicles, Offices,): - Estimated users and devices/device type: - How many AP’s does the project currently have: - Indoor/outdoor: - How many buildings are you looking to install Wi-Fi in: - Any sort of Initiatives? (guest access, 1:1, BYOD, Online testing): - What is the project timeframe : - Has the project been budgeted : - LAST: what are the biggest area of concern/why: Let me know if you have any other questions. Kindest Regards

Answer:
 We currently have an Aruba wireless network.  We are looking to upgrade/expand what we have.  I am willing to evaluate other technologies and proposals but am satisfied with my current product.  There are 2 scheduled walk-throughs posted on the site.  They are Nov. 3rd and 17th from 9:00-11:00am and are mandatory to bid on Projects B and D.  Building composition materials and floor plan will be apparent at those meetings. 

We have 18 access points and a controller.  All access points are indoor.  We have no plans for outdoor access points.  We have 3 laptop carts with 30 laptops each that are used throughout the school.  We have roughly 70 tablet devices and 75 Chromebooks.  We are piloting a 1:1 initiative in 3 classes.  We currently average  >100 devices on our wireless network  on a daily basis.  We do use 30 laptops during state testing, but use wired connections for them.   However, we want to be able to use the Chromebooks in individual classrooms for state testing rather than in a lab setting so the students can test in a more familiar environment.  This would require a reliable wireless connection.


We are hoping to pass a bond issue to purchase Chromebooks for 10 more classes (225 devices) for the 2016-17 school year.  The plan is to add roughly 200 more devices for more classes the 2017-18 school year.  Ultimately, we hope to be able to provide 800 students with a Chromebook grades 3-8 or with a tablet device grades KG-2  over the next 5 years.  The network would need to be able to handle 1600 devices concurrently considering all teacher devices and student devices.

 

Areas of concern for me are:  security, management, reliability, and support.

You are requesting Aruba Access Points and Controller and Juniper switches. Are you expanding on an existing Aruba Network or are you replacing your current infrastructure? Is the request Juniper Switches for new/additional Juniper switches or are these for replacement?

Answer:
 We currently have an Aruba wireless network.  We are looking to upgrade/expand what we have.  We are adding switches to support the  wireless network expansion not replacing switches.

What questions came up at the first mandatory site visit?

Answer:
 1.       How many access points do you currently have?

Ans.:  18 

I added that I have an Aruba 3200 controller that is too old to be updated with current code and is not as secure as it needs to be.  This was why I included the request for a controller.

2.      What model are the existing APs?

Ans.:  Aruba 105

3.      Are you keeping them or replacing them?

Ans.:  I would like to keep them and place them in areas where the device density is lower.  These areas are:  the Event Center, the 2 libraries, the admin building, the pre-school building, the cafeteria, and the elementary gym.  I would like to upgrade to the AP 205.

4.      How many students per class usually?

Ans.:  PreK is 20 or less.  Kindergarten is usually 20-22.  1-8 grades averages about 20-25 in a class.

5.      How many concurrent connections at one time are expected on an access point?

Ans.:  With 1:1, it could be 100 per grade level though that’s not going to be the situation for a while as we’re not going to have that many wireless devices for students right away.  I said to figure 100 per grade so we’d have coverage until we could apply for C2 funding again.

6.      How many ports do you need in the switches?

Ans.:  The two switches that are going into the old library rack and the lab rack will be 48 port switches. The switch that goes in Room 104 of the Jr. High will be a 48 port switch.  The switch that goes into the upper grade Library closet that services the library and 4 classrooms will be a 24 port switch. 

 

Correction:  Jerry Burd asked if the switch in Room 119 of the Jr. High needed to be a 24 port switch and I said yes.  That switch is not being replaced.  That was a mistake on my part for not correcting him on that.  I don’t know if the others think that’s a switch to be replaced or not.  There are 2 switches being added and 2 being replaced.

 

7.       Will students be allowed to access wireless with personal devices?

Ans.:  Yes, at some point.  I remarked that this was one f the points in the bid request:  install and configure wireless controller.  I explained that I wanted it to be configured so that student access would be on a separate subnet from teachers or at least a different vlan so that permissions could be different.  I mentioned setting up a guest portal for when auditors and patrons come on campus so that they can access the internet when needed.  This should not be public access though.