IT NETWORK INSTALLATION SERVICES

RFP #251-27-112
Memorandum from Purchasing Department
Letter of Instruction for RFP #251-27-112
To: Prospective Parties
Thank you for your interest in the Wake County Public School System. Please review the following instructions prior
to submitting your proposal.
All submittals must be organized and indexed according to the order of the required subject matter. The
information in your submittal should be indexed and easily accessed by WCPSS. WCPSS is not required to seek
clarification on any proposal that does not meet these minimum requirements.
Prior to submitting and executing the proposal, please make sure you read and understand the terms and
conditions referenced. All proposals are subject to the terms and conditions outlined herein. All responses will be
controlled by such terms and conditions and the submission of other terms and conditions, price lists, catalogs,
and/or other documents as part of an offeror's response will be waived and have no effect either on this Request
For Proposals or on any contract that may be awarded resulting from this solicitation. The attachment of any
other terms and conditions by the Offeror may be grounds for rejection of that proposal. Offeror specifically
agrees to the conditions set forth in the above paragraph by signature to the proposal.
WCPSS will adhere to strict deadlines as indicated in the solicitation document and thus will not make exceptions to
these dates and times.
Please read carefully the section titled CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING
THE RFP PROCESS. All questions should be directed to bids-mcalvert@wcpss.net.
Offerors are cautioned that this is a request for offers, not a request to contract, and WCPSS reserves the
unqualified right to reject any and all offers when such rejection is deemed to be in the best interest of WCPSS.
In submitting a proposal, the Offeror agrees not to use the results therefrom as part of any news release or
commercial advertising.
Submit one (1) signed, original response via electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) by the specified time and date of
opening. Vendor shall bear all risk for late electronic submission due to unintended or unanticipated delay,
including but not limited to internet issues, network issues, or local power outages. Vendor must include all
pages of this solicitation in their response. Inability by WCPSS to open the Vendor's files may result in the
offer(s) being rejected as non-responsive.
Questions or issues related to using the eVP Ariba Sourcing Tool can be directed to the North Carolina
eProcurement Help Desk at 888-211-7440, Option 2. Help Desk representatives are available Monday through
Friday from 7:30 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST.
Offerors are cautioned that responses will be deemed nonresponsive if they do not include all required information
and submittals as requested.
Offerors shall not be debarred from doing business with Wake County, North Carolina, or the federal government.
Offeror shall disclose a debarment or UCC lien.
Include a copy of IRS Form W-9 along with WCPSS Vendor Information Form (Attachment A).
Before submitting a bid, Vendor must be registered with North Caroline eVP. Additional information can be found at
https://eprocurement.nc.gov/registering-evp/download?attachment. There is no cost to register.
WCPSS publicly advertises proposal solicitations on the following sites: NC eVP -
http://webarchive.wcpss.net/about-us/purchasing/open-bids.html and WCPSS - https://evp.nc.gov/solicitations.
Please review these sites for updates and amendments during the proposal timeframe.
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RFP #251-27-112
Request for Proposal #251-27-112
1551 Rock Quarry Rd - Bldg. F PUBLIC BID OPENING: JUNE 3, 2026 @ 2:00 PM ET
Raleigh, NC 27610 Contract Type: Agency Specific Term Contract
Refer ALL Inquiries to: Marcella Calvert Commodity: 811123 - IT Network Installation Services
Telephone No: 919-588-3457
Using Agency Name: WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
E-Mail: bids-mcalvert@wcpss.net
NOTICE TO VENDORS
Electronic proposals, subject to the conditions made a part hereof, will be received until 1:00 PM ET on the day of
opening and then opened, for proposal submittal process the commodity or service as described herein. Refer to
proposal submittal below for information regarding delivery. Proposals are subject to rejection unless submitted
electronically in the North Carolina electronic Vendor Portal (eVP).
EXECUTION
In compliance with this Request for Proposal, and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned offers and agrees to
furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are proposed, at the prices set opposite each item within the time
specified herein. By executing this proposal, I certify that this proposal is submitted competitively and without collusion.
Failure to execute/sign proposal prior to submittal shall render bid invalid. Late proposals are not acceptable.
VENDOR: FEDERAL ID OR SOCIAL SECURITY NO.
STREET ADDRESS: P.O. BOX: ZIP:
CITY & STATE & ZIP: TELEPHONE NUMBER: TOLL FREE TEL. NO
(800)
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS ADDRESS IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE
TYPE OR PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING: FAX NUMBER:
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE: DATE: E-MAIL:
Offer valid for 60 days from date of proposal opening unless otherwise stated here: ________ days
Prompt Payment Discount: _______ % _____________ days.
Submit one (1) signed, original executed proposal response via eVP (emails not accepted).
PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL: This is an absolute requirement. Late bids, regardless of cause, will not be opened or
considered, and will be automatically disqualified from further consideration. Vendor shall bear the sole risk of
late submission due to unintended or unanticipated delay. It is the Vendors' sole responsibility to ensure its
proposal has been received as described in this RFP by the specified time and date of opening. Failure to submit a
proposal in strict accordance with instructions provided shall constitute sufficient cause to reject a Vendor's
proposal(s). Solicitation responses are subject to Sealed Bidding requirements.
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RFP #251-27-112
Vendors' proposals for this procurement must be submitted through electronic Vendor Portal (eVP). For training
on how to use eVP to view solicitations, submit questions, develop responses, upload documents, and submit
offers to the district, Vendors should go to the following site: https://eprocurement.nc.gov/training/vendor-
training
RFP SCHEDULE
The table below shows the intended schedule for this RFP. WCPSS will make every effort to adhere to this
schedule.
Event Responsibility Date and Time
Issue RFP WCPSS May 18, 2026
Questions submitted to: Vendor/WCPSS May 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM/ET
bids-mcalvert@wcpss.net
(Reference RFP # 251-27-112 in subject line)
Provide Response to Questions WCPSS May 27, 2026 by end of business day
Submit Proposals Vendor By June 3, 2026, 1:00 PM/ET
Public Live Bid Opening WCPSS, Vendor June 3, 2026, at 2:00 PM/ET
(Vendor attendance is not required) Microsoft Teams meeting
Join:
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/259005
959910579?p=Wr6UUAladuOs1hTRvM
Meeting ID: 259 005 959 910 579
Passcode: Do76pT39
PROPOSAL QUESTIONS
Upon review of the RFP documents, Vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the RFP in order to submit
the best proposal possible. To accommodate the Proposal Questions process, Vendors shall submit any such
questions, in written form by the above due date. WCPSS will not respond to questions via telephone or
telephone message(s). Written questions must be emailed to bids-mcalvert@wcpss.net by the date and time
specified above. Vendors should enter "RFP #251-27-112 Questions" as the subject for the email. Questions
submittals should include a reference to the applicable RFP section and be submitted in the format shown below:
Reference Vendor Question
RFP Section, Page Number Vendor question ...?
Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, WCPSS' response and any additional terms deemed
necessary by WCPSS will be posted in the form of an Addendum and shall become an Addendum to this RFP. No
information, instruction, or advice provided orally or informally by any WCPSS personnel, whether made in
response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFP, shall be considered authoritative or binding.
Vendors shall rely only on written material contained in an Addendum to this RFP. Addendums associated with
the Request for Proposal will be posted to the following links and it will be the vendor's responsibility to adhere to
and check these addendums prior to bid submittal:
http://webarchive.wcpss.net/about-us/purchasing/open-bids.html
https://evp.nc.gov/solicitations
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RFP #251-27-112
PROPOSAL EVALUATION
All proposals will be evaluated by representatives of WCPSS. WCPSS may, at its sole discretion, ask for additional
information and/or elect to conduct interviews with finalists to clarify information provided in the proposals.
The services that are the subject of this RFP are not required to be bid under North Carolina law, and none of the
statutory requirements regarding public bidding apply to this RFP. This document, and not those statutes, will
govern the selection process.
WCPSS shall not be required to award the contract to the lowest proposed compensation; nor shall WCPSS have
any obligation to explain its decision to recommend or not to recommend any particular vendor or to invite or
exclude any particular vendor from consideration at any stage of the process. Instead of recommending that
contracts be awarded to one or more vendors who presented proposals, WCPSS may, at its sole discretion, reject
the proposals and repeat the process, enter into direct contract negotiations with one or more vendors (possibly
including vendors who have not previously submitted proposals) or take any other action WCPSS deems advisable
under all the circumstances.
WCPSS is expected to make any final selection(s) based upon any factors or considerations WCPSS deems
relevant. Factors often considered include qualifications, relevant experience, fee, and ability to perform work in
a timely manner. WCPSS retains sole discretion to award the contract to the vendor(s) it believes will best serve
the interests of WCPSS and may consider any factors, documents, or information it deems relevant in making that
determination. WCPSS shall not have any obligation to explain its decision to select or not select any individual
vendors or to invite or exclude any individual vendors from consideration at any stage of the process. The
decision of WCPSS to accept or reject any proposals and to award contract(s) to any one or more vendor(s) shall
be final and not subject to further review.
Vendors are subject to immediate disqualification at any stage of the selection process for any of the following:
The submission of false or misleading information in the vendor's proposal.
Any efforts to dissuade or discourage other vendors from submitting proposals.
Any efforts to influence, dictate, or change the terms of another vendor's proposal.
Any form of bid collusion or bid rigging.
METHOD OF AWARD
All qualified proposals will be evaluated, and awards will be made to the Vendor(s) meeting the RFP requirements
and achieving the highest and best final evaluation which is best for WCPSS. Vendors SHALL not be considered
who are not approved or authorized by The State of North Carolina to do business with The State of North
Carolina. WCPSS reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in proposals received.
TERM OF CONTRACT
The contract service shall be for a period of one (1) year and shall begin July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027,
subject to the continuation of the program and the availability of funds. The Wake County Public School System
reserves the right to extend the contract for two (2) additional one (1) year terms, provided the vendor continues
to offer qualified contract resources at competitive rates.
VENDOR REGISTRATION AND SOLICITATION NOTIFICATION SYSTEM
The NC Electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) allows Vendors to electronically register with the State to receive electronic
notification of current procurement opportunities for goods and services available at the following website:
https://evp.nc.gov.
ELECTRONIC VENDOR PORTAL (EVP)
The State has implemented the Electronic Vendor Portal (eVP) to connect vendors with state government
organizations that purchase goods and services and allows the public to retrieve award notices and other
information. Please register at https://evp.nc.gov to receive bid notification and electronic procurement
opportunities from Wake County Public Schools. Results may be found by searching by Solicitation Number. This
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RFP #251-27-112
information may not be available for several weeks depending upon the complexity of the acquisition and the
length of time to complete the evaluation process.
Terms of Use Link: https://eprocurement.nc.gov/evp-terms-use/open
Vendor will be disqualified for consideration if they are listed on either the State of North Carolina
debarred vendor registry, or the Federal Government debarred vendor registry.
(North Carolina) https://ncadmin.nc.gov/documents/nc-debarred-vendors
(Federal Government) https://www.sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/searchRecords/searchResults.jsf
SCOPE OF WORK
BACKGROUND
WCPSS Technology Services Division supports over 200 sites for approximately 161,000 students and
approximately 20,000 staff. TSD provides comprehensive technology support, service request management, and
asset reporting. WCPSS is the 15th largest school district in the United States and the largest in North Carolina,
operating on multiple academic calendars. The school year begins in early July and concludes on June 30. A list of
schools and locations can be accessed via the internet site www.wcpss.net.
PURPOSE
The Wake County Public School System is seeking to secure a contract, or contracts, to provide IP network
monitoring, operational support, troubleshooting, and maintenance services for all WCPSS facilities throughout
the county now or hereafter owned, leased, or possessed by WCPSS. WCPSS facilities consist of all real property
and buildings owned or leased by WCPSS at sites designated.
SCOPE OF WORK
1.1 Project Overview
The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) is seeking a qualified vendor to provide installation, moves, adds,
deletions, and changes on a time and material basis for the district's enterprise IT network infrastructure.
The selected vendor will operate as the primary operational support partner for the WCPSS Network Services team
and will be responsible for monitoring, troubleshooting, configuration management, and operational maintenance
of the district's network environment.
The vendor will work collaboratively with WCPSS technical staff, who retain responsibility for network architecture
and strategic design decisions.
1.2 Network Environment
WCPSS operates one of the largest K-12 enterprise networks in the United States. The current environment includes
254 locations within Wake County:
128 Elementary Schools
43 Middle Schools
39 High Schools
9 non-instructional facilities
Supporting over 161,000 students and approximately 20,000 staff
Additional infrastructure details:
One primary data center, one secondary backup facility
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RFP #251-27-112
Two perimeter firewalls
100 Gbps Internet connectivity
5-10 Gbps fiber WAN connections to each location
~30,000 managed network devices (routers, switches, wireless access points, analog voice gateways)
Approximately 50 tickets per week
The environment is based primarily on Cisco and Meraki network technologies and includes internally developed
monitoring and asset management tools.
For the 2026-2027 school year, the district anticipates the replacement of the LAN and Wireless Network
infrastructure in 75 schools, with a combined asset refresh of 5,964 devices. For capacity planning purposes, the
district assumes an average of 6.25 sites per month, 80 FTE hours per site.
1.3 Service Model
The selected vendor will provide IT network installation services including:
Documentation management
Vendor coordination and escalation
The vendor will operate within the WCPSS operational governance framework, including established change
management and ticketing procedures.
1.4 Monitoring and Incident Response - none.
1.5 Network Operations Responsibilities
Vendor Escalation and Coordination
The vendor shall:
Open and manage support cases with manufacturers or service providers
Coordinate troubleshooting with vendors
Escalate critical issues to WCPSS leadership as appropriate
1.6 Firewall and Security Operations - none.
1.7 Change Management
All installations and changes must be made in accordance with the WCPSS Change Management process. The
vendor shall:
Submit change requests for all modifications
Provide documentation of proposed changes
Implement approved changes within designated schedule
1.8 On-Site Support - none required on a daily basis
1.9 Documentation Requirements
Nearly all network hardware is purchased through the federal E-rate program, which has stringent audit
requirements for accurate tracking and verification of assets. The vendor shall develop and maintain operational
documentation including:
Device manufacturer and model
Serial number
Installation location (school/site and network closet where applicable)
Date of installation or deployment
Device role within the network environment
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RFP #251-27-112
Asset tracking information shall be maintained in a format approved by WCPSS and must be made available for E-
rate documentation, auditing, and inventory verification purposes. The Vendor shall ensure that asset records
remain accurate and current following equipment installations, replacements, or reassignments.
1.10 Ticketing and Work Tracking
All work must be documented within the WCPSS ticketing system. Vendor personnel shall:
Record work performed
Document asset movement
Maintain accurate operational records
1.11 Collaborative Deployment Support
Collaborative Deployment Support
The Vendor shall work collaboratively with district's technical staff and vendors for planning, scheduling, and
execution of all moves/adds/changes. The vendor shall be responsible for the initial configuration and preparation
of new network hardware prior to installation at school sites.
Configuration responsibilities include:
Pre-staging network devices in accordance with WCPSS configuration standards
Applying required firmware and software versions
Loading approved configuration templates
Verifying device readiness prior to deployment
The Vendor shall work collaboratively with the WCPSS Network Operations group to ensure:
Efficient deployment of network equipment
Accurate device configuration prior to installation
Coordination of installation schedules
Minimal disruption to school operations and instructional activities
This coordination is particularly critical during school network upgrades, infrastructure refresh cycles, and new
school deployments.
1.12 Operational Reporting Requirements
The vendor shall provide monthly operational reports including:
number of installations
mean time to resolution
recurring issues to resolve
recommendations for operational improvements
infrastructure risk observations
capacity planning insights
1.13 Personnel Requirements
The vendor shall provide named engineering resources assigned to the contract. WCPSS reserves the right to
approve or reject proposed personnel. Replacement of key personnel after contract award must receive prior
written approval from WCPSS. Replacement personnel must possess equal or greater qualifications than the
originally proposed individual. The proposal must include:
Resumes of proposed personnel
Relevant certifications
Experience supporting large enterprise networks
Experience supporting K-12 or public sector organizations
Subcontractor Disclosure
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RFP #251-27-112
Vendors must disclose all subcontractors that may participate in the delivery of services. Undisclosed
subcontractors may not be used without prior written approval from WCPSS.
Location of Support Services
All services must be performed by U.S.-based personnel. Offshore or near-shore services are not permitted under
this contract.
Background Checks
All vendor personnel providing services under this contract must complete required criminal background checks
and registry checks in accordance with WCPSS policy. Personnel failing these checks may not be assigned to the
contract.
Staffing Continuity
The vendor must maintain adequate staffing levels throughout the duration of the contract. Significant changes to
staffing levels must receive prior approval from WCPSS.
1.14 Transition Plans
Onboarding
Vendors must provide a transition plan including:
onboarding timeline
staffing assignments
knowledge transfer approach
risk mitigation plan
environment review
documentation review
monitoring system onboarding
escalation procedure development
Offboarding
The selected vendor must support a transition period of up to 90 days prior to terminating operational
responsibility at the end of the contract.
Transition activities include:
knowledge transfer
environment review
documentation review
monitoring system onboarding
escalation procedure development
1.15 Vendor Performance Review and Contract Remedies
WCPSS reserves the right to conduct periodic performance reviews of vendor services. Performance metrics may
include:
incident response times
resolution times
documentation quality
communication effectiveness
operational stability
Corrective Action
If vendor performance does not meet contractual requirements, WCPSS may require a corrective action plan. The
vendor must provide:
root cause analysis
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RFP #251-27-112
remediation plan
timeline for improvement
Termination for Cause
WCPSS reserves the right to terminate the contract for cause if the vendor:
repeatedly fails to meet requirements
fails to maintain staffing commitments
violates contractual requirements
2. Evaluation Criteria
All bids received that are determined to be "responsive" will be evaluated by WCPSS against the following criteria
and weight:
Evaluation Criteria Weight
Cost 35%
Technical Approach 25%
Staffing Quality 20%
Service Model 10%
K-12 Experience / References 10%
Bids will be evaluated in comparison to other bid responses and in their individual ability to meet WCPSS needs.
Scoring Guidance
Cost. Evaluation of the vendor's proposed pricing and overall value.
Technical Approach. Quality of the proposed monitoring, troubleshooting, and operational methodology.
Staffing Quality. Qualifications, certifications, and experience of proposed engineering staff.
Service Model. Operational structure, monitoring approach, escalation processes, and communication.
K-12 Experience. Experience supporting large school districts or similar public sector environments.
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RFP #251-27-112
3. Required Vendor Responses
3.1 Organizational Experience. Describe your organization's experience providing enterprise network installation
services for large organizations. Vendor must demonstrate experience supporting networks with more than
50,000 network devices. Include:
number of clients
network size supported
years of service
3.2 K-12 Experience. Describe your experience supporting K-12 school districts. Include:
district size
scope of services
duration of engagement
3.3 Technical Approach. Describe your approach to providing installation support for an environment of this size
and complexity. Include:
methodology
workflow
3.4 Staffing Model. Provide details regarding the staffing model proposed for this contract. Include:
number of engineers assigned
certifications
years of experience
3.5 Vendor Coordination. Describe your experience working with hardware manufacturers and service providers
to resolve network issues during installation. Include examples of:
Cisco TAC engagement
coordination with WAN providers
multi-vendor troubleshooting.
3.6 Documentation Practices. Describe how your organization develops and maintains network documentation,
including:
network diagrams
topology maps
configuration standards
3.7 Transition Plan. Describe the approach your organization will use to transition operational support
responsibilities from the current provider to your organization. Vendors must provide a transition plan including:
onboarding timeline
staffing assignments
knowledge transfer approach
risk mitigation plan
environment review
documentation review
monitoring system onboarding
escalation procedure development
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