Lit Fiber Service for Wide Area Network E-Rate

Background
Gallup McKinley County Schools (GMCS) serves the public education needs of McKinley County, New Mexico, covering approximately 4,857 square miles. The district operates 45 facilities, including elementary schools, middle and high schools, special education centers, and administrative offices. GMCS aims to provide scalable fiber-optics connectivity to enhance its Wide Area Network (WAN) for educational purposes.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is for E-Rate Eligible Lit Fiber Service to support the district's connectivity needs.

Work Details
The contractor will provide Leased Data Transport Service for GMCS's WAN with a minimum connection of 1 Gbps scalable up to 10 Gbps. Proposals should include pricing for various speeds (1 Gbps, 5 Gbps, and 10 Gbps) and may include additional incremental speeds.

The service must ensure connectivity between schools in case of an outage at the Network Operations Center. Strong service level agreements (SLAs) are required to guarantee consistent network reliability, including credits for SLA failures. All proposals must indicate whether prices include taxes and other charges. Special construction costs may be included but are not applicable for certain schools that received funding in previous years.

Period of Performance
The contract term is requested for up to five years, with services expected to begin on July 1, 2026.

Place of Performance
Services will be provided across various locations within the Gallup McKinley County Schools district in New Mexico.

Bidder Requirements
Vendors must be registered with USAC and possess a Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN). They must also comply with E-Rate program requirements and demonstrate the ability to meet the service start date of July 1, 2026.