Reading - WAN - FY2027

Reading School District ("District") issues this Request for Proposals (RFP) for Wide Area Network (WAN) services at 26 District buildings in Reading, Pennsylvania. The District is seeking 10-year, 15-year, and 20-year pricing, each with up to 24 months of optional month-to-month extensions. Vendors may propose lit fiber or District-leased dark fiber; all proposals must be 100% fiber based. The network electronics required to light a dark fiber network are not part of this RFP.
An optional pre-bid conference call will be held Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 10:00 AM Eastern; RSVP is required via email to erate-rfp@readingsd.org by close of business Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
Proposals are due no later than Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at Noon Eastern, and shall be submitted via email to the attention of Jeff Haas, Chief Information Officer, at erate-rfp@readingsd.org, with files labeled "E-rate WAN Proposal." The complete RFP and its attachments, including technical requirements, the location list, and reasons for disqualification, are posted with this Form 470.
Requested services (9 line items): - Category 1 — Data Transmission And/Or Internet Access — Category One Maintenance And Operations - Category 1 — Data Transmission And/Or Internet Access — Leased Lit Fiber - Category 1 — Data Transmission And/Or Internet Access — Leased Dark Fiber
State/local procurement requirements: Applicant is a Pennsylvania public school district. No award is final and no contract is binding until approved by the Board of School Directors and countersigned by the District. Applicant may consider multi-year contracts with voluntary extensions. Any voluntary contract extension must be identified within the awarded contract and must be of a specified number and duration; contracts with automatic or evergreen extension terms will not be considered. Applicant may consider contracts with flexible terms to allow sites to be added, removed, or relocated during the term without penalty and at the contracted per-site rate. All contractor and subcontractor personnel working at District facilities must obtain Pennsylvania Act 34, Act 151, and Act 114 clearances before on-site work begins. Applicant is exempt from Pennsylvania Sales and Use Tax, and all applicable taxes, fees, and surcharges must be disclosed in the proposal. Proposals are subject to the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law; Service Providers must identify any material they deem proprietary and submit a redacted copy. Service Providers submitting proposals in response to this FCC Form 470 must be in compliance with the rules and orders governed by the Federal Communications Commission. Failure to be in compliance and remain in compliance may result in the denial of discount funding, and/or cancellation of funding commitments and/or contracts, and/or could result in civil or criminal prosecution by law enforcement authorities. Service Providers submitting proposals must do so in good faith of compliance with the Lowest Corresponding Price (LCP) Rule (see 47 CFR Part 54 Section 54.500(f)). Service Providers submitting proposals must be in full compliance with USAC's Free Services Advisory https://www.usac.org/e-rate/applicant-process/competitive-bidding/free-services-advisory/. Any offering of free services must be clearly identified in the Service Provider's bid. All services must be provided under a single SPIN, and a separate monthly invoice is required for entities and services that are not eligible for E-rate discounts. Service Provider invoicing to USAC must be completed within 120 days from the last day of service. Should the Service Provider fail to invoice USAC timely, Applicant will only be responsible for paying its non-discounted share. The Service Provider acknowledges that all pricing and technology infrastructure information in its contract shall be considered as public and non-confidential pursuant to 47 CFR Part 54 Section 54.504(a)(2).
Reference documents (Form 470 / RFP): https://publicdata.usac.org/EPC/Prd/Form470/270000478/126265/22455174-USAC_FCC_FORM_470_APPLICATION_270000478_CERTIFIED.pdf, https://publicdata.usac.org/EPC/Prd/Form470/270000478/126265/22454247-RSD%20WAN%20RFP%20FY2027.pdf, https://publicdata.usac.org/EPC/Prd/Form470/270000478/126265/22454250-Attachment%20B%20%20WAN%20Diverse.xlsx, https://publicdata.usac.org/EPC/Prd/Form470/270000478/126265/22454249-Attachment%20A%20%20WAN.xlsx