FY2026 Internal Connections & MIBS - Walton Tipton Twp PL

All bidders are encouraged to: 1. Read, print, and follow the RFPs carefully. 2. Adhere to the FCC E-Rate rules. . Internal Connections - Walton Tipton Township Public Library is seeking proposals for a project to supply and install network equipment at its eligible location at 110 North Main Street, Walton, IN 46994. Bidders are advised that this project will be contingent upon the successful obtaining of Category 2 E-Rate funding, and the contract agreement between the district and the successful bidder must recognize that contingency. The Applicant requires that the selected vendor be willing to utilize the E-Rate SPI form of invoicing (discounted invoices). The Applicant seeks an agreement that allows it to work with the selected vendor to adjust quantities and/or scale back or cancel the project entirely as needed based upon funding availability and/or the best interests of the Applicant. . Additional Services Request MIBS - Walton Tipton Township Public Library seeks services provided by a third party for the purchase, operation, management, and monitoring of eligible broadband LAN/WLAN components (managed Wi-Fi), including the installation, activation, and initial configuration of eligible components necessary for broadband connectivity within the Applicants facility/ies. We seek a 5+/- year contract with TWO 1-year voluntary extensions for eligible equipment and MIBS services under this agreement. Walton Tipton Township Public Library understands that eligible Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections items are also sometimes necessary to provision a Managed Internal Broadband service and expects bidders to propose those as necessary. Managed Internal Broadband Services are those that include the operation, management, and monitoring of eligible broadband internal connections. Service Providers should include those expenses that directly support and are necessary for the broadband connectivity within schools. Those expenses include the management and operation of the LAN/WLAN, including installation, activation and initial configuration of eligible components, and on-site training on the use of eligible equipment. The applicant will own the equipment and the service provider will manage it for them. . Basic maintenance and technical support services are those appropriate to maintain reliable operation when provided for eligible broadband internal connections. Repair and upkeep of E-rate eligible hardware, wire and cable maintenance, configuration changes, basic technical support including online and telephone based technical support, software upgrades and patches including bug fixes and security patches. . Project Scope Walton Tipton Township Public Library seeks eligible equipment as outlined in Appendix A. Equipment shall be new, factory-sealed equipment currently available from the manufacturer; the Applicant will not accept proposals of used, remanufactured, refurbished, B stock, returns, open-box, discontinued, gray market, or equipment in any other condition other than new and factory-sealed with all original manufacturer warranties. . Installation will be in place of existing equipment, and the requested equipment will be integrated into the existing environment. Each bid should include all labor necessary for staging, installation, testing, and documentation of equipment. Equipment staging will consist of (but not be limited to) ensuring firmware version consistency, configuration loading, and hardware preparation for mounting. Software and firmware version for components will be agreed upon at time of deployment, and configurations will be coordinated with the Applicants staff. Installation by the selected vendor shall include the removal of the existing equipment and placement of the new equipment. Equipment testing should verify access to internal resources and the Internet. Documentation should include configuration and summary reports of installations. Installation can be performed from a ladder. . The Applicant wishes to purchase the equipment along with managed services from a single vendor. Project Scope - The list below represents equipment (with any associated licensing) that is projected to be purchased, installed, and managed (or better). Bidders may add other eligible equipment as may be needed for a turnkey, fully functional managed Wi-Fi network. Bidders should clearly indicate any ineligible cost by line item for all services associated with this RFP. 4+/- Meraki MR46 4+/- Meraki MR Enterprise Cloud Controller 5 Year License 20+/- Related software & hardware components that enable the functionality of the equipment in your proposal 1000ft+/- Cat6 cabling for Access Points See Questions/Site Visits information in State & Local Procurement
Requested services (14 line items): - Category 2 — Internal Connections — Wireless Access Points And Necessary Software And Licenses - Category 2 — Managed Internal Broadband Services — Existing Equipment - Category 2 — Internal Connections — Cabling - Category 2 — Internal Connections — Antennas, Connectors, And Related Components - Category 2 — Basic Maintenance Of Internal Connections — Cabling - Category 2 — Basic Maintenance Of Internal Connections — Wireless Access Points - Category 2 — Basic Maintenance Of Internal Connections — Antennas, Connectors, And Related Components
State/local procurement requirements: Questions/Site Visits - A voluntary site visit will be scheduled at Walton Tipton Township Public Library at 110 North Main Street, Walton, IN 46994, 11 AM EST, Wednesday, December 17,2025, to look at the layout of current equipment and installation and will be the only opportunity to ask questions or to receive answer related to this RFP. Respondents choosing not to attend in so doing acknowledge their understanding that they were offered and voluntarily declined the opportunity. Please pre-register for this voluntary pre-bid meeting by contacting Kristi Hileman, Library Director, at khileman@walton.lib.in.us no later than 3PM EST on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Please copy E-Rate Consultant, Chastity Hinshaw, on all correspondence at chastity.hinshaw@adtecerate.com. The pre-registration email should include primary contact (including cell phone and email), and the number of people who will attend the pre-bid meeting. If applicable, answers to any written questions or any additional information, revisions, or clarifications to the RFP will be provided in the form of an addendum to be posted with the FCC Form 470 on the Universal Service (E-Rate) website. It is the sole responsibility of the Service Provider to check for any addenda that may be issued. . BE ADVISED: No email address or phone number associated with this RFP or Form 470 should be added to any marketing distribution or phone list. The Applicant respectfully requests that any contact be specific to this request. Any other contact is discouraged. . Proposals must be prepared with specificity with regard to the equipment and/or services listed herein. Bids merely listing a general menu of equipment and/or services available from a vendor, bids appearing to be automatically generated without specificity in relation to the requirements of this RFP, and bids missing substantial information but inviting the applicant to contact the bidder to refine the bid and/or discuss specifics will not be considered valid bid responses and will be disqualified from consideration. This includes any SPAM and/or robotic responses. For more information, please review the USAC E-Rate News Brief of February 15, 2024. . Proposal Delivery - The Applicant reserves the right to reject each and every bid, and to waive informalities, irregularities, and errors in the bidding to the extent permitted by law. This includes the right to extend the date and time for receipt of bids. In the event that a responsible bid is not received or if it is determined that the low bid received is too high, the bid received will be rejected and the project will be cancelled or re-bid. . Bids should e-mailed to the office of Kristi Hileman, Library Director, at khileman@walton.lib.in.us by 3PM EST on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Please copy Chastity Hinshaw, E-Rate Consultant, on all correspondence, at chastity.hinshaw@adtecerate.com.
Reference documents (Form 470 / RFP): https://publicdata.usac.org/EPC/Prd/Form470/260008346/130509/20743471-USAC_FCC_FORM_470_APPLICATION_260008346_CERTIFIED.pdf, https://publicdata.usac.org/EPC/Prd/Form470/260008346/130509/20678678-FY2026%20IC%20and%20MIBS%20470%20Walton%20Tipton%20PL.docx, https://publicdata.usac.org/EPC/Prd/Form470/260008346/130509/20743461-Questions%20and%20Answers%20to%2012.17.2025%20Onsite%20Visit%20Walton%20Tipton%20Twp%20PL.docx