Wide Area Network (WAN) Installation (E-Rate)

This contract awards Leon County Schools a ten‑year, E‑rate‑funded wide‑area network (WAN) that will interconnect all district sites via 10 Gbps (scalable to 40 Gbps/100 Gbps) fiber circuits. Metronet is the selected vendor and will provide either leased‑lit or leased‑dark fiber, full Layer‑3 managed services, equipment ownership, and ongoing maintenance, all billed as monthly recurring charges with separate non‑recurring construction fees. The procurement was conducted through an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) with a competitive bid deadline of 9 Jan 2026 and a board‑approval recommendation issued on 31 Mar 2026. Key contract features include a 99.99 % availability SLA, a 10‑year base term with two optional five‑year renewals, and strict E‑Rate compliance requirements. • Scope: design, install, and manage a district‑wide fiber WAN (leased‑lit or leased‑dark) with 10 Gbps minimum per site, OSPF routing on Cisco/Meraki devices, and 24 × 7 NOC support. • Financial: pricing split into non‑recurring construction costs and monthly recurring service fees; no price increases allowed during the base term; cost‑weighting 35 % of evaluation. • Timeline: bid opening 9 Jan 2026, activation of all sites required by 30 Jun 2026, 10‑year contract term with two 5‑year renewal options.