FY2026 Internet/WAN 470 - Porter County Public Library System

1. Read, print, and follow the RFPs carefully. 2. Adhere to the FCC E-Rate rules . Internet Access - Porter County Public Library System seeks Internet Access and Data Transmission Services. We seek symmetrical bandwidth at 1+/- Gbps scalable to 10+/- Gbps with guaranteed throughput to the Applicants head-end located at Valparaiso Public Library, 103 Jefferson St, Valparaiso, IN 46383, beginning July 1, 2026. Please provide laddered pricing in 1+/- Gbps increments in all bids and contracts. Bidders are advised that this project will be contingent upon the successful obtaining of E-Rate funding, and the contract agreement between the Applicant and the selected vendor must recognize that contingency. . The Applicant seeks a 3+/- or 5+/-year with up to TWO optional voluntary one-year extensions; other terms will be considered. All cost proposals must reflect the LCP (Lowest Corresponding Price), GSA pricing, and any available governmental unit discounts including existing state purchasing agreements or contracts. Any proposal referencing an existing state purchasing agreement or contract must include that information in the proposal. Bid prices must be complete for the services proposed and shall include all associated costs, even if the amounts are estimates based upon current applicable taxes, surcharges, or fees. The Applicant requires that the selected vendor be willing to utilize the E-Rate SPI form of invoicing (discounted invoices). . We require 53+/- public IPv4 addresses. Please provide individual or block pricing for additional addresses to account for potential growth during the term of the contract. You may also provide optional pricing for the technical equivalent number of IPv6 addresses. . ADDITIONAL SERVICE REQUESTS - WAN - Porter County Public Library System seeks to lease lit network capacity to provide an eligible Standalone Data Transmission (WAN) Service between its eligible sites and its network head-end, located at Valparaiso Public Library, 103 Jefferson St, Valparaiso, IN 46383, beginning July 1, 2026. Bidders are advised that this project will be contingent upon the successful obtaining of E-Rate funding and an Applicant-issued Notice to Proceed, and the contract agreement between the Applicant and the selected vendor must recognize that contingency. Sites to be connected to the head-end are listed below. South Haven Public Library - 403 West 700 North, Valparaiso, IN 46385 Portage Public Library - 2665 Irving Street, Portage, IN 46368 Kouts Public Library - 101 East Daumer Road, Kouts, IN 46347 Hebron Public Library - 201 W Sigler St, Hebron, IN 46341 . In each building, the selected vendor will demarc the service in an existing network closet to be designated by the Applicant. Building maps for locations of current service entrance points and desired demarcation points will be made available via email request. . Your proposal should include pricing options for 500 Mbps, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Gbps connections between each endpoint site and the head-end site (500 Mbps to 10 Gbps at the head-end site) and should allow for service level changes to be made to any location during the term of the contract. . The Applicant seeks a 3+/- or 5+/-year with up to TWO optional voluntary one-year extensions; other terms will be considered. All cost proposals must reflect the LCP (Lowest Corresponding Price), GSA pricing, and any available governmental unit discounts including existing state purchasing agreements or contracts. The Applicant requires that the selected vendor be willing to utilize the E-Rate SPI form of invoicing (discounted invoices). . The Applicant seeks both Internet Access and Data Transmission (WAN) circuits in this Form 470. Service providers may bid on one or both of these services. The Applicant requests that interested service providers include separate pricing for Internet Access, WAN circuits, and bundled Internet Access with WAN circuits. The Applicant reserves the right to select a single or multiple vendors for these services to maximize the cost effectiveness for the Applicant. . Questions/Site Visits - No informational meetings or building visits will be scheduled. Building maps will be made available by request, via email, no later than NOON CST on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. Any questions related to the technical aspects of this document should be directed to Angela LeNeave, IT Coordinator, at aleneave@pcpls.org no later than NOON CST on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. Please copy E-Rate Consultant Chastity Hinshaw on all correspondence at chastity.hinshaw@adtecerate.com. 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.
Requested services (2 line items): - Category 1 — Data Transmission And/Or Internet Access — Internet Access And Data Transmission Service - Category 1 — Data Transmission And/Or Internet Access — Standalone Data Transmission Service
State/local procurement requirements: 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 services listed herein. Bids merely listing a general menu of 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. . All proposals must reflect the LCP (Lowest Corresponding Price), GSA pricing, and any available governmental unit discounts including existing state purchasing agreements or contracts when applicable. Any proposal referencing an existing state purchasing agreement or contract must include that information in the proposal. Bid prices must be complete for the services proposed and shall include all associated costs, even if the amounts are estimates based upon current applicable taxes, surcharges, or fees. Proposals MUST separate eligible and ineligible services by line item for all services to which service provider responds. No proposal can be submitted that includes equipment or components for equipment from companies deemed to provide a national security risk as defined by FCC Order 19-121. . COMPLIANCE WITH SPECIFICATIONS By submitting a proposal, the Service Provider certifies that it has read and agrees to the following terms and conditions. Failure to meet any requirement outlined herein is adequate cause to reject your proposal. -The Service Provider has clearly listed any exceptions to any requirements or conditions set forth in this RFP with which it is unable or unwilling to comply and has included all relevant standard or additional contract terms and conditions with its proposal. Such exceptions, terms, and conditions must be set forth with specificity and may not be incorporated by reference. -The Service Provider agrees that the final contract shall incorporate and not override any terms or conditions set forth in this RFP, minus any agreed-upon exceptions, and that the RFP will be incorporated into the final contract. -The Service Provider agrees to follow and abide by the rules of the E-Rate program as promulgated by USAC and the FCC and certifies that it has not been suspended, debarred, or placed on Red Light Status within the prior three years. Service Provider further agrees that any costs not funded by the E-rate Program due to Service Provider violations of Program rules will be the sole responsibility of the Service Provider. . Failure to meet any requirement in this 470 or RFP will be sufficient cause to disqualify your proposal. . The district 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. . 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 be e-mailed to the office of Angela LeNeave, IT Coordinator, at aleneave@pcpls.org no later than NOON CST on Monday, December 1, 2025. Please copy E-Rate Consultant Chastity Hinshaw on all correspondence at chastity.hinshaw@adtecerate.com.
Reference documents (Form 470 / RFP): https://publicdata.usac.org/SL/Prd/Form470/337408/260002720/Original/USAC_FCC_FORM_470_APPLICATION_260002720_CERTIFIED.pdf, https://publicdata.usac.org/SL/Prd/Form470/337408/260002720/FY2026%20Internet%20WAN%20470%20Porter%20Co%20PLS.docx