# E-Rate #270004003

Polk County Public Schools Category 2 wireless, network switch, firewall, and firewall management procurement

**Posted:** November 10, 2026
**Respond By:** December 08, 2026
**Identifier:** 270004003
**NAICS:** 238210, 423430, 541513, 541512, 517810, 423690, 334290, 334220

The School Board of Polk County, Florida, is seeking E-Rate network upgrades and managed firewall services for Polk County Public Schools.
- **Buyer:** The School Board of Polk County, Florida (Polk County Public Schools), Competitive Solicitations office; contact listed: Denise Whitaker, Senior Manager, Competitive Solicitations.
- **OEMs:** **Aruba** equipment is requested for wireless access points and switches; **Fortinet** (listed as “FortiNet” in the bid form) is specified for the firewall solution. Equivalent products may be proposed where permitted.
- **Group A — Wireless access points:** Aruba line items include 834 S3J34A access points, 10 S1G85A access points, 165 R4W44A outdoor access points, 835 S0J40A mounting kits, 165 JW055A outdoor brackets, 8,515 Q9Y65AAE five-year licenses, 80 R6P67A 30-watt PoE injectors, and 50 S3J26A 60-watt PoE injectors. The solicitation calls for enterprise Wi-Fi suitable for high-density K–12 environments, Wi-Fi 6/6E or better, at least 5 Gbps advertised aggregate throughput, and Aruba Central compatibility or an equivalent.
- **Group B — Network switches:** Aruba items include 13 JL625A switches, 970 R8Q71A switches, 13 JL482C two-post rack kits, 6 JL483C four-post rack kits, 39 J8177E 1G SFP RJ45 transceivers, 170 J9151E 10G SFP+ LC LR transceivers, 50 J9150D 10Gb SFP+ SR transceivers, 1,820 J4858D 1GbE SFP transceivers, 1,940 JL087A power supplies, 13 HC7H0E five-year licenses, and 970 H91Y8E one-year licenses.
- **Group C — Firewall replacement:** Two Fortinet FG-3500G appliances, two FC-10-G3K5G-950-02-12 five-year licenses, and two FC-10-G3K5G-211-02-12 five-year licenses. The broader requirements call for rack-mountable physical appliances meeting stated performance, interface, security, redundancy, and management requirements.
- **Group D — Firewall MIBS:** Managed Internal Broadband Services, with a base service year and up to four optional one-year renewals. The requested scope includes transition and discovery, continuous monitoring, configuration and policy management, firmware and lifecycle management, incident response, reporting, service reviews, and remote and onsite support.
- **Related work and requirements:** Installation and configuration are listed for Groups A, B, and C; shipping is also listed for equipment groups. Proposed equivalents must meet quality, functionality, compatibility, and interoperability requirements with District systems. E-Rate pricing requirements include the Lowest Corresponding Price rule, and ineligible bundled items must be separately itemized. Equipment pricing must remain valid for at least two years.
- **Performance period:** Groups A–C are described as a roughly 15-month period. Group D has a one-year base period with up to four one-year options, subject to the stated conditions and approvals.

### Description

The School Board of Polk County is seeking proposals for Category 2 network equipment and related services under four groups: wireless access points, network switches, firewall replacement, and firewall managed internal broadband services. Equipment includes wireless access points, licenses, switches, components, firewalls, and related items; complete requirements are in the referenced ITB and group bid forms. Proposed equipment and pricing must use the applicable bid-form format and remain valid for at least two years, and the required accompanying documents must be completed and returned. Proposals are due December 8, 2026; the School Board may reject proposals or make awards in whole or in part, subject to funding and approval.

[View original listing](https://publicdata.usac.org/EPC/Prd/Form470/270004003/127814/22917960-USAC_FCC_FORM_470_APPLICATION_270004003_CERTIFIED.pdf)