What the buyer needs
AI summaryThe government authority in Houston, TX requires a vendor to provide network switch refresh services to increase network performance, bandwidth capacity, and manageability. The contractor must perform project planning, installation, configuration, testing, documentation, project management, cabling, and quality control management to upgrade access and distribution switches to Juniper EX4400 or equivalent platforms using Juniper Mist cloud management or equivalent. Only onshore USA organizations are eligible to bid, and the vendor will perform the work offsite. Bidders must submit all questions no later than October 15, 2026. The buyer is looking for proposal pricing to establish the budget. The contract period will span five years.
Scope of work
- Supply, configure, and support network switch refresh at eligible school sites
- Upgrade access and distribution switches to Juniper EX4400 platforms or equivalent
- Provide network switches with required optics, power supplies, and accessories
- Provide multi-year hardware warranty and 5-year software subscription and maintenance
- Provide professional services for planning, staging, configuration, installation, testing, project management, and quality control
- Provide AI-driven network management, continuous monitoring, proactive alerting, and intelligent automation
- Provide training and knowledge transfer for District network staff
- Provide electronic spreadsheet inventory mapping District asset tags to switch model and serial numbers
How proposals are evaluated
| Criterion | Weight / scoring |
|---|---|
| Purchase Price (25 pts Eligible costs, 5 pts Ineligible costs) | 30 points |
| AI Automation | 12 points |
| Quality of Vendor's Goods and Services | 15 points |
| Extent to Which the Proposed Services Meets District’s Needs | 12 points |
| Location of Company | 5 points |
| Vendor reputation | 12 points |
| Vendor’s Past Relationship with the District: Service History | 14 points |
Minimum qualifications
- Comply with all service provider E-Rate registration, guidelines, and policies as outlined by the Universal Service
- Demonstrable K-12 or public sector experience with switch deployments
- Registered vendor within the District's online bidding system
Documents to include with your response
- Form W-9
- General Classification Documents (e.g., HUB, MBE, WBE, SBE, VBE certificates, if applicable)
- Manufacturer technical specifications, data sheets, or white paper (if bidding equivalent equipment)
- Three (3) References
- Conflict of Interest Questionnaire (Form CIQ)
- Felony Conviction Notice
- Contractor Criminal History and Fingerprinting Certification
- Deviations document (if applicable)
How to submit
- Method
- Electronic via the agency portal
- Instructions
- Submitted electronically via the District's web-based e-sourcing online bidding system.