BID Q&A
Q - Is there a limit for representatives attending from each provider?
A - NO
Q - Is the meeting on 3/1 mandatory attendance?
A - YES
Q - We’re good for pricing all the way to 10GB on the internet, but not up to 100MB on the WAN. Can we simply not bid the pricing segments that we are unsure about?
A - YES
To be more specific, you do not have to bid on a 100 Gb WAN link. You can bid in whatever increments you are capable of providing to member districts.
Q - Are you looking to award one company the entire RFP or will you be splitting it up based on who has the best price per location? If so, is it feasible for a vendor to no bid some locations where they do not have a fiber presence and quote the locations where they do have fiber or near fiber splice points?
A - This will be a multi award with each district requesting quotes from all of the awarded vendors.
We do ask that vendors respond to all quote requests from consortium members, even if it is just documentation that you cannot respond in a certain area. Most of these questions will be answered at our bidders meeting.
Q - Can you provide a list of the addresses where the services will need to be installed for each district?
A - The list of addresses will be provided in the quote request form from the districts or libraries
Q - Is there a way to propose Special Construction? This is an excellent way for under served districts to get pricing better than rate book with E-rate 2.0. Especially in rural areas that are served by microwave.
A - Special Construction can be added in the column for Non-Recurring costs on the Quote Response Form you received at the bidder conference on March 1. However it is our recommendation that you fold construction costs into your monthly fee quote rather than quoting it separately. Regarding Microwave, the E-Rate 470 for this bid does not include microwave so microwave is not allowed as a response for this RFP. The 470s are for LEASED LIT FIBER only.
Q - Will the district consider 10 year bids? As you know, USAC wants district to make decisions based on 20 year TCO for Lit and Dark services. I have seen some Mississippi district such as West Bolivar ask for longer terms.
A - The maximum term for a service agreement must end June 30 2024.
Q - Will the Consortium accept a not to exceed "Per foot" construction price as part of the RFP submission? This will allow for more aggressive pricing rather than very conservative not to exceed pricing models.
A - We would like for you to quote the price according to the most expensive connection on the list. This will be your not to exceed price. The competition will come when you proceed to the mini-bid process with each individual library or district.
Q - For the firewall requested in the M-RESA / S-RESA RFP do you have specific CIPA Compliant requirements for this firewall and if so can you share what those are?
A - We are asking for pricing if the district or library requests firewall services for their internet connection. This is not a filter, so there are no CIPA requirements.
Q - For the submission of our responses are you wanting one original, three copies, and three electronic copies?
A - No, we only need one original bid. I was asking for an electronic copy to make it easier for me to get the information out to the others that will be helping me evaluate the bids.