PHONE SYSTEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Location:	Georgia
Posted:	Mar 20, 2026
Due:	Apr 6, 2026
Agency:	Jackson County School System
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	58 - Communications, Detection and Coherent Radiation Equipment
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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Jackson County Schools Phone System Replacement RFP - 3/20/2026

Vendor 1:

1. What ATA models are currently in use?

a. We have Grandstream HT-801-V2 and HT-802 ATAs currently.

2. Are the ATA's being used for fax machines or paging? If they're being used for

paging, could you provide the paging system in place, including the model number?

a. The ATAs are used for fax machines or elevator phone service only, no paging.

3. Would the School System be open to a demo of our solution?

a. Yes. We will reach out to schedule demos if needed.

4. The Yealink T44U phone model is now end-of-sale. Should we propose the newer

Yealink model that is replacing the T44U?

a. Yes, that is fine. Our RFP states that any equipment functionally equivalent will

be considered.

5. Could you provide the list of 228 DID's that are going to be ported?

a. The list of current DIDs will be provided to the winning bidder.

6. Is the current connectivity a PRI or SIP? If it is SIP, how many concurrent channels

are provided?

a. We currently have SIP connectivity and are limited to 75 concurrent channels.

7. The RFP states that the mobile app must be available to all users. When designing

the solution, can we operate under the assumption that all users will have the mobile

app installed and operational on cell phones?

a. Yes, that was our intent. Our current users who have the mobile app use it on

their cell phones.

Vendor 2:

1. Will there be a site visit or walk for this project?

a. There are no site visits or walks planned for this project.

Vendor 3:

1. What are you using the ATA’s for? Fax or paging?

a. The ATAs are used for fax machines or elevator phone connections only, no

paging.

2. If paging, can we get a list of the model numbers and zones?

a. N/A

3. If this is paging, are you open to us scheduling a site walk?

a. N/A

4. Can the requested training sessions happen over Microsoft Teams or another platform,

or are they required to be in person?

a. The training sessions can be virtual.

5. Are we integrating with any CRM or any other software?

a. No.

6. Can we get a breakdown of users by location?

a. Please note: these numbers are estimates.

East Jackson High School

135

East Jackson Elementary School

East Jackson Middle School

Empower College & Career Academy 90

Gum Springs Elementary

Heroes Elementary School

100

Jackson County BOE

129

Jackson County High School

157

Legacy Knoll Middle School

Maysville Elementary School

North Jackson Elementary School

South Jackson Elementary School

West Jackson Elementary School

101

West Jackson Middle School

Hayes Farm Elementary School

102

Sells Mill Middle School

Hoschton High School

156

7. Are any calls being routed to any type of contact center or groups? If so, is this voice

only or do we need to connect with customers via chat, text, etc.?

a. None of our calls are being routed to a contact center or group. This is voice

only. We do have auto attendants/IVRs/call trees set up for each of our schools

and our board office.

8. Do you need 24/7 support?

a. Yes, 24/7 support is required.

9. It looks like you are going to provide the power and connectivity via Meraki. Will we have

cable drops to all of the phones?

a. Yes, all cable drops will be provided. No power adapters are required, as all

phones will be powered through the switch.

Vendor 4:

1. It states you have a Mitel on-premise system currently. What Mitel system do you

have?

a. It is a Mitel MiVoice Business system.

2. How old is that system?

a. Six years. All servers are virtualized.

3. The RFP states you would like to go to a cloud-hosted solution. Do you have a data

center now that you are looking to Host the system in? Or are you looking for the

solution to be complete turn-key and hosted by the winning provider?

a. Completely turn-key and hosted by the winning provider.

4. Will the new system be covering all (7) Elementary, (5) MS/HS and the Empower

College & Career Center? District Office? And what about the “under construction”

buildings. Can you let us know all sites this RFP will cover?

a. This RFP will cover these locations:

East Jackson High School

1435 Hoods Mill Road Commerce, GA

30529

East Jackson Elementary School

1531 Hoods Mill Road Commerce, GA

30529

East Jackson Middle School

1880 Hoods Mill Road Commerce, GA

30529

Empower College & Career Academy 1952 Winder Highway, Jefferson, GA

30549

Gum Springs Elementary

600 Gum Springs Church Road,

Jefferson, GA 30549

Heroes Elementary School

4001 Highway 332, Hoschton, GA 30548

Jackson County BOE

1660 Winder Highway, Jefferson, GA

30549

Jackson County High School

152 Jaxco Junction, Hoschton, GA 30548

Legacy Knoll Middle School

79 Legacy Knoll Road, Hoschton, GA

30548

Maysville Elementary School

9270 Highway 82 Spur Maysville, GA

30558

North Jackson Elementary School

1880 Old Gainesville Highway, Talmo, GA

30575

South Jackson Elementary School

1630 New Kings Bridge Road,

Athens, GA 30607

West Jackson Elementary School

391 East Jefferson Street, Hoschton, GA

30548

West Jackson Middle School

400 Gum Springs Church Road,

Jefferson, GA 30549

The proposal will also need to account for future expansion, as Jackson County

Schools has 3 schools that are under construction at the corner of Boone Rd.

and Hwy. 332 in Hoschton, GA.

This is an estimated number of extensions that will be needed for the new

schools:

● Hayes Farm Elementary - 102

● Sells Mill Middle School - 86

● Hoschton High School - 156

5. Do each of these sites have their own dedicated Internet connection, or do they

backhaul to a central location for WAN/Internet access?

a. Both our BOE office and West Jackson Elementary have a dedicated Internet

connection. All other sites connect through a 10GB WAN and access the

Internet through one of those two connections.

6. Do you need wall mounted phones for example in the classrooms?

a. No, none of our current phones are wall mounted.

7. Do you have overhead paging that the system will need to integrate with? If yes, can

you give us the make/model of each system at each school?

a. No, the paging and phones are separate systems at each location; they are not

integrated.

8. What are the make/model of your existing phones? (with qty of each) If these are

compatible would you like to re-use them or do you prefer all new sets.

a. We currently have a mix of Mitel 6905, 6920, and 6930 phones throughout the

district. We do not plan on reusing any of these phones, and are seeking

replacements for all 1,370 phones. We would prefer to standardize on one

model of phone with the new system, and are seeking either Yealink T-44U, Mitel

6930, or equivalent.

9. There is an option for re-using existing ATAs. Can you give us the make/model of those

ATAs?

a. We would consider reusing the existing ATAs if they are compatible with the new

proposed solution. We currently have 35 ATAs throughout the district. These are

Grandstream HT-801-V2 and HT-802 devices.

10.You state that there are no POTS or analog lines. What are the ATAs being used for?

a. They are being used for faxes and elevator phone service.

11.Implementation services. Are you looking for the solution provider to install all the

phones or will your team provide placement of phones?

a. Please quote it both ways, with the option of you placing and installing the

phones, and separately with us installing them.

12.Since it states you do not want to do “metered” extensions, can you give us an average

of minutes used in a month per user or if you don’t have per user, overall in one month?

a. I do not have this information.

13.Will the implementation be in one phase or are you looking for a phased approach? If

phased implementation, do you need to have desk to desk dialing between the sites

during the phased implementation?

a. Our plan is to do a phased implementation. Since this will most likely occur

during the summer, we do not need to have desk to desk dialing between the

sites during the phased implementation.

Vendor 5:

1. The RFP States that the current environment consists of 1370 desk phones and

extensions. Do you want pricing on 1370 new phones and extensions or is there a

difference in what you currently have and what you want as part of this RFP?

a. We are requesting 1,370 new phones and extensions. Please note: this does not

account for the 3 new schools under construction. Those 3 sites are not under

the scope of this project, except that we need to know that the proposed solution

can support 3 additional sites as well as future district growth. Please use these

numbers for estimating required phones/extensions for the 3 under construction

sites:

b. Hayes Farm Elementary - 102

c. Sells Mill Middle School - 86

d. Hoschton High School - 156

2. Do you know what type of ATA’s you currently have in use? (manufacturer/model

number).

a. We have Grandstream HT-801-V2 and HT-802 ATAs.

Vendor 6:

1. Please describe the time frame for the decision process after submission. Will this

process include a demonstration of products and services? What are the expectations

from the district for the complete installation timetable?

a. We do not have an exact date of when we will finish evaluating responses. The

earliest this project could begin would be May 1st, 2026. We do reserve the right

to ask for product demonstrations if necessary. We would prefer that all

installation and migration to the new system be complete before June 30th, 2026.

2. Is there a desired pecking order of installation by site? Realizing that there are (13)

current schools and (3), which are under construction.

a. This will be discussed with the winning bidder. The complexity of integration as

well as school schedules over summer break will determine the order. The scope

of this project does not include the 3 additional schools, except that we need to

know that the system can support the new sites and future district growth.

3. Is it safe to assume that the numbers identified only represent the current (13) school

count? If that is correct, please identify what calculations are to be made for the (3)

new schools currently under construction.

a. Yes, the 1,370 phones and extensions only account for our current users. Please

use these estimated numbers for the new schools:

● Hayes Farm Elementary - 102

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

PHONE SYSTEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

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