E-Rate #270001297

Lowell Area Schools E-Rate internet service and network equipment

Lowell Area Schools is seeking E-Rate-funded internet service and network equipment for its nine Michigan school buildings. - Government buyer: Lowell Area Schools, a public school district in Lowell, Kent County, Michigan; sub-agency and purchasing office are not identified. - Named OEM: Ruckus is specified for switches and related software or licenses, with equivalent products allowed. No other manufacturer or reseller is named. - Products requested: 3 Ruckus ICX7850-48F-E2 core switches; 3 ICX7850-PREM-LIC licenses; 3 LE9-7850-SGX3 components; 2 E100G-QSFP-QSFP-P-0101 QSFP cables; 50 Ruckus ICX8200-48ZP2-E switches; 50 Ruckus L09-0001-SGCX components/licenses; 4 Ruckus ICX8200-24ZP switches; 5 E1MG-TX components; 50 part 228223; 51 part 70383; 27 part 343907; and 1 N1C.L1500 UPS/battery backup with required software and licenses. Equivalent products are permitted. The Form 470 also describes 3 Category One network equipment units with 10–25 Gbps capacity, 57 switches with necessary software/licenses, approximately 4 feet of cabling, 1 rack (included only in case a bracket is needed), and antennas/connectors with no quantity specified; these category-level entries may overlap with the detailed equipment list. The RFP says racks are not needed. - Services requested: Internet access and data transmission for nine buildings, minimum 1 Gbps and up to 5 Gbps; installation and initial configuration; managed internal broadband services for existing equipment; and maintenance, installation, and configuration for switches, associated parts, and the UPS. - Connectivity requirements: Include domain-name registration and two PVCs if needed, one to the ISP and one to KISD; provide a backbone diagram to the nearest Tier-1 backbone, a 10/100 Ethernet demarcation at each building, and details of ISP-owned equipment placed in the district. A 99.97% uptime commitment is requested if available, with a maximum four-hour service response and end-to-end maintenance for service-delivery equipment. DNS, local CIPA-compliant filtering, firewall, and DHCP services are preferred and should be itemized. - Other notable requirements: Separately itemize products or services that are not E-Rate eligible. Core switches are bid under both funding categories, with the district intending to seek Category One funding for them. The procurement is for E-Rate Funding Year 2027; contract term and service dates are not specified, and multi-year arrangements may be considered.

Description

Lowell Area Schools is seeking quotations for E-Rate funding year 2027 services and equipment across Category 1 and Category 2. The scope includes internet access and data transmission, core and other network switches, associated software and licenses, maintenance, installation and configuration, and an uninterruptible power supply/battery backup. The RFP states quantities are approximate and asks bidders to email quotations marked “E-rate bid”; non-eligible items must be itemized separately. Responses are due October 28, 2026.

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