2016 RFP & FAQ

Marmot Broadband RFP for 2016 Marmot E-Rate 470

Marmot Broadband RFP (.pdf)

Supplemental Site Spreadsheet (.xlsx)

Questions & Answers:

Q1: Is there an existing contract?

A1: No. A 5-year contract was executed in March 2015, but it was canceled in December 2015. All existing services detailed in the Supplemental Site Spreadsheet are effectively month-to-month.

Category 2 E-Rate

Accepting bids on Category 2 (network hardware) until 2/2/2016

No RFP is associated with Category 2

Questions & Answers:

Q1: Is there any additional information for the requirements for the switches?

A1: 48 port, POE/POE+ preferred, 1GB uplinks sufficient, layer 2/3

Q2: Is there any additional information for the requirements for the firewalls?

A2: Antivirus, IPS, web-filtering capabilities preferred. 

Q3: Any additional details on the scope of the project?

A3: We're redesigning our network to utilize VPN connections versus backhauled private connections. As far as the switches go, we're working to replace problematic low-end switches from our network to improve performance.

Q4: For the firewall you mentioned that you would prefer to have Antivirus, IPS, web-filtering capabilities, would you have any throughput requirements for this device with those services activated?
A4: See column "L" in the Supplemental Site Spreadsheet (.xlsx). Throughput should be appropriate to the bandwidth we are seeking.

Q5: For the switch’s do you have any specific layer 3 protocols/features that you will expect to have available upon deployment?
A5: Primarily VLAN capability, so L3 is not absolutely necessary. We'll consider both types.

Q6: What are you currently using for your WLAN?
A6: Meraki MR16 access points

Q7: Is this a new project or an expansion?
A7: Partially a hardware refresh. The rest are additions to improve coverage

Q8: How many buildings are you looking to install Wi-Fi in?
A8: 30 buildings. See the Supplemental Site Spreadsheet (.xlsx). All sites listed except the "Marmot HQ" rows and "MCVSD District 51".

Q9: Is there a specific Bid or Walkthrough Date?
A9: Bids are due on or before 2/2/2016. Facility walkthroughs will not be required.

Q10: 29 Firewalls are requested on the 470, yet there are 32 sites listed in the site spreadsheet. What is the correct quantity?

A10: Please ignore the two "Marmot" locations and the second "San Miguel" location (rows 23, 24, 35).

Q11: What are the throughput requirements for the 1Gb sites?

A11: At least 500Mbps is desirable