WIRELESS ACCESS POINT REPLACEMENT PROJECT

Location:	Mississippi
Posted:	Jan 9, 2026
Due:	Feb 10, 2026
Agency:	State Government of Mississippi
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	59 - Electrical and Electronic Equipment Components 70 - General Purpose Information Technology Equipment (including software). Y - Construction of Structures and Facilities Z - Maintenance, Repair or Alteration of Real Property
Solicitation No:	1551-20260109113230 CSD
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

E-RATE Funding Year 26-27

Columbia School District

Technology Department

613 Bryan Avenue

Columbia, MS 39429

Contact: John Sabine, Technology Coordinator

Telephone: (601) 649-6391 ext. 1030

E-mail: jsabine@columbiaschools.org

District URL: www.columbiaschools.org

STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS

And

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RFP # ERATEFY26-27Equipment

Subject

RFP - The Columbia School District (the district) will accept sealed statements of qualifications (SOQ)

and proposals from qualified firms/vendors to provide services necessary for installation and

configuration of network equipment for the FY 26-27 (E-RATE) cycle. Bidders must have a Service

Provider Identification Number (SPIN) and this SPIN must be included in the bid proposal. Those

interested shall submit a signed, sealed SOQ and cost proposal to the district by 10:00 AM local time,

02/10/2026 at the address listed on page one of this RFP.

Purpose

Sites in scope: All E-Rate eligible campuses of Columbia School District (Columbia School District).

Proposals are being sought by the District to provide wireless access points for All E-Rate eligible

campuses of Columbia School District, including associated /Ruckus SmartZone controller or equivalent

or equivalent management licensing. upgrades (e.g., ICX series or equivalent) may be included as

needed to support budgets and s for the AP deployment. Note: Cabling (new drops, fiber construction,

closet cleanup) is NOT part of this solicitation and will be addressed under a separate RFP.

General Requirements

The District seeks enterpriseclass network equipment (es and wireless access points), vendorneutral,

with appropriate /Ruckus SmartZone controller or equivalent or equivalent management and licensing.

Proposers should note applicable certifications.

Terms used throughout this RFP:

USAC–Universal Service Administrative Company

SPIN –Service Provider Identification Number

FCDL–Funding Commitment Decision Letter

FCC–Federal Communications Commission

SLD–School and Library District

USF — Universal Service Fund

All proposals and supporting documentation must be sent to:

(Submittal should be clearly labeled on the outside of the submittal)

Columbia School District

FY 26-27 Network Upgrade Project

RFP # ERATEFY26-27Equipment

Submittal should be addressed to:

Columbia School District

SEE ADDRESS ON PAGE ONE OF THIS RFP

One original and two copies of proposals and statements of qualifications are to be prepared and

delivered either by mail or Federal Express to the District on or before 10:00 AM local time,

02/10/2026 where they will be time and date stamped. In addition, the bid must be broken down

per school building and totals per school campus must be shown, as well as a grand total for the

entire district project (PDF and Excel files must be submitted). All of the above bid documents must

also be provided in electronic format on one jump drive or to the district’s if available. Please view

the district’s website for instructions on how to access the or contact the school district office. Please

do not fax proposals. In addition to the project total, any received bid must include the a breakdown

of the discounted portion the school is responsible for.

Basis of Award

 E-rate approval by USAC

 The bidder must have SLD SPIN

 References of at least two installations of similar application size and complexity.

 Please see “Vendor Requirements” on the following pages for additional information.

 Please also see “Criteria for Selection” in more detail.

Selection Schedule

Event

Release of RFP to Vendors

Vendor Site Visit Meeting

Vendor Site Visit Meeting (Optional if at previous)

Proposal Submission Deadline

Opening of Proposals (Columbia School District Office)

Date(s)

12/15/2025 10:00AM

01/07/2026 10:00AM

01/27/2026 10:00AM

02/10/2026 10:00AM

02/10/2026 10:30AM

Questions regarding the RFP may be emailed to Bids@columbiaschools.org before February 3, 2026. A

response within 3 business days will be posted on the district’s website and/or emailed to all bidders. It

will be the responsibility of the vendor/bidder to check the website daily for any changes to the RFP or

the listing of bidder questions and answers that may arise.

NON-APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS

In the event funds are not appropriated by the School District governing body in any fiscal period

for payments due under RFP # ERATEFY26-27Equipment, then the Technology Director, or

Superintendent’s designee(s), will immediately notify the successful vendor(s), or designee(s), of

such occurrence and this contract will terminate on the last day of the fiscal period for which

appropriations were received without penalty or expense to the School District of any kind

whatsoever, accept other payments herein agreed upon for which funds will have been

appropriated and budgeted or are otherwise available.

AWARD OF SOME OR THE ENTIRE PROJECT MAY BE SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF

DISTRICT FUNDING AND PROJECT NEEDS.

Proposer’s response to the request must include a statement that the proposed terms will remain in

effect and available for the project term identified as July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027 The work

itself will consist of all aspects of technology implementation for which the district desires to

contract with the selected Proposer(s). The school district’s vision for this technology project calls

for the installation and configuration of new technology equipment, software, and services to

improve the district’s network access point (backbone) infrastructure. Proposed solutions must

integrate with the existing network environment to ensure seamless management and design.

Completion for the project is scheduled for June 30, 2027. The School District reserves the right to

waive any informality and to reject any or all proposals. Proposers are prohibited from contacting

or lobbying members of the School Board, school district administrators, school district employees,

school district contractors, or school district consultants. Failure to conform to this condition will

be grounds for disqualification of the proposer. Proposals and statements of qualifications are to

include the information requested at the beginning of this RFP.

MANDATORY VENDOR SITE VISIT MEETING

A mandatory vendor site visit meeting will be held on the date and time listed under Selection

Schedule at the beginning of the RFP at the school District central office and proceeding to the

respective school campuses. Any questions received will be discussed at that time and responses

will be posted on the district web site for everyone to review after the walk-throughs have been

completed. Written questions will be allowed for any vendor interested in responding to the

District’s RFP and responses again will be posted on the web site. The district will accept only

ONE bid per vendor. This Network Upgrade Project will be awarded to a SINGLE vendor that can

quote, install, all network equipment requested/required. The School District requires a “turnkey”

solution for this project. Requested paper copies and electronic copies of the proposal and other

required documentation must be sent in a sealed envelope clearly marked as listed at the beginning

of the RFP or to the district’s if available. This Network Upgrade Project will include preferred

equipment preference information and will be provided to each vendor who attends the vendor site

visit meeting. This information will include a listing of equipment specifications and school campus

maps with explanations. (If necessary) The equipment specification list provided is a minimum

guideline list. If the bidder wishes to add to the district’s equipment list to improve the functionality

of their proposed equipment, the bidder is encouraged to do so. Therefore, attendance on this

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

Smart Number	1551-20260109113230 CSD	Advertised Date	01/09/2026 3:00 PM
RFx #	3170034744	Submission Date	02/10/2026 10:00 AM
RFx Status	Open	Major Procurement Category	INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)
RFx Opening Date	N/A	Sub Procurement Category	EQUIPMENT - TECHNOLOGY
RFx Type	MDA - RFx
Agency	MPTAP
RFx Description	Per-Bid Conference; Date & Time: 1/27/2026 10:00:00 AM Description: A mandatory vendor site visit meeting will be held on the date and time listed under Selection Schedule at the beginning of the RFP at the school District central office and proceeding to

PRODUCT CATEGORY	PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
83833	Communications

WIRELESS ACCESS POINT REPLACEMENT PROJECT

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