Agenda Item
a. Approval of RFP 26-703 District Wide Cabling Equipment and Services (Not to exceed $5,842,716.83)
Summary: Presented by: Dr. Kermit Belcher, Chief Information Officer, Division of Information & Instructional Technology
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education award RFP #26-703, District-Wide Cabling Equipment and Services, to Integrated Communication Networks, Inc. (ICN) as the preferred vendor. This award will provide the structured cabling and wireless infrastructure required to support teaching, learning, and operations across more than 138 schools and administrative sites. All future purchases exceeding $100,000 will be presented to the Board of Education for consideration and approval. This award represents Year 1 of a five-year agreement.
For the 2025-2026 school year, the new project cost will not exceed $350,000. In addition, the continuation of two SPLOST-funded projects originally approved in March 2023 will carry forward under this RFP. The remaining expenditures to complete these cabling and wireless projects will not exceed $5,492,716.83. The total cost will not exceed $5,842,716.83.
Why: The purpose of this recommendation is to provide network cabling and 3rd level technical support for all adds, moves, and changes to existing buildings, building renovations, mobile, and modular units; as well as new construction/renovation building projects.
Details: DeKalb County School District (DCSD) issued RFP #26-703 to secure a qualified vendor to supply, configure, install, and maintain structured cabling systems and wireless infrastructure across all 138 schools and administrative facilities. These services are essential to ensure reliable, high-speed connectivity that supports daily instruction, district operations, and future construction and renovation projects. The selected vendor will provide a complete turn-key solution, covering all equipment, materials, labor, testing, and ongoing maintenance needed to keep systems fully operational.
DCSD issued RFP #26-703 in August 2025, seeking an experienced provider to deliver a comprehensive turn-key solution for structured cabling and wireless access points across more than 138 schools and administrative sites. The scope requires the vendor to manage all aspects of staging, configuration, installation, setup, testing, and ongoing maintenance, ensuring systems are fully operational prior to sign-off.
The solicitation was published through multiple channels, including IonWave, the Champion Newspaper, and the Georgia Procurement Registry. Notifications were distributed to 24 vendors from the DCSD Vendor Bid List, 626 vendors through the state registry, and 468 vendors through IonWave. Nine responses were received by the September 16, 2025, deadline, and eight were deemed responsive and evaluated.
Proposals were reviewed by an evaluation team from the Division of Information and Instructional Technology (DIIT), representing the Deputy CIO, Network, Telecommunications, and the Project Management Office. Vendors were scored against five weighted criteria totaling 400 points:
● Scope of Services - 140 points
● Firm’s Overview - 80 points
● Relevant Experience and Expertise - 80 points
● Professional References - 40 points
● Cost Proposal - 60 points
Eight vendors were evaluated. Following this comprehensive review, Integrated Communication Networks, Inc. (ICN) emerged as the top-ranked vendor and is recommended for the award. This contract will ensure continuity of service as the previous cabling agreement concludes, sustain the infrastructure necessary for district-wide connectivity, and provide a stable foundation for equitable access to digital learning resources across DCSD.
Financial impact: $5,842,716.83
$350,000 - General Fund
$5,492,716.83 - SPLOST (Remainder from original award in March 2023)
306.2210.530000.80336.7600.9990.8010.070.0000 - Professional Services (SPLOST)
100.2600.573400.00011.7600.9990.0308.070.0000 - Lease Equipment (General Fund)
100.2600.530000.00011.7600.9990.0308.070.0000 - Professional Services (General Fund)
Contact: Dr. Kermit Belcher, Chief Information Officer, Division of Information & Instructional Technology, 678.676.1274
Effective: December 2025
Status: Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs
RFP 26-703
District Wide Cabling and Equipment Services
Executive Summary
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RFP 26-703
District Wide Cabling and Equipment Services
Executive Summary
Table of Content
Purpose ................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Background and Process ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Evaluation Results ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Decision Table ......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................... 4
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RFP 26-703
District Wide Cabling and Equipment Services
Executive Summary
Purpose
The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) sought written proposals from experienced and highly qualified
providers to deliver a comprehensive, turnkey solution for structured cabling systems and Wireless Access
Points across more than 138 schools and administrative sites within its Wide Area Network. A turnkey solution
requires the selected vendor to manage all aspects of staging, configuration, delivery, installation, setup, and
testing at designated DCSD locations, in alignment with DCSD’s scheduling requirements.
Additionally, the provider will be responsible for ongoing maintenance of the cabling infrastructure and the
installation or replacement of Wireless Access Points on an as-needed basis. The awarded vendor must
ensure that the delivered cabling system is fully operational and meets all DCSD specifications prior to final
approval and sign-off. This award requires the winning provider to support the infrastructure for the following
devices district wide:
3000 Desktop Computers
98000 Student Chromebooks
11500 Staff Laptops
14,000 IP Telephones
7900 IP Cameras
8100 Wireless Access Points
Background and Process
The evaluation team was made up of four staff members in the Division of Information and Instructional
Technology (DIIT): the Deputy CIO, one represented the Network, one represented Telecommunications
Office, and one represented the Project Management Office (PMO)--RFP process facilitator.
The solicitation was written in July 2025, published in August 2025 for two weeks, evaluated in September
2025, and submitted to the Board of Education for approval in November 2025. September 16, 2025, was the
deadline for receiving responses. There were nine responses and eight were deemed responsive to the
requirements and were evaluated. Finance posted RFP 26-703 on IonWave and Champion Newspaper on
August 14, 2025. Electronic notifications were sent to 24 vendors from the DCSD Vendor Bid Lis, 626 vendors
through the State of GA Procurement Registry, and 468 vendors through IonWave.
Evaluation Results
Following a thorough evaluation of how effectively each of the eight offerors met the five key criteria, Integrated
Communications Networks (ICN) emerged as the top choice. The offerors were ranked based on total points
received, in the following order:
1. Integrated Communications Networks
2. SG Network Services, Inc.
3. Layer 3 Communications, LLC
4. Electrical Contractor Incorporated
5. Next Link Communications
6. Computacenter United States, Inc.
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7. Risk Response Team, Inc.
8. Smart Choice Technologies
The criteria and point values used to evaluate the options are listed below. The overall total point value for the
evaluation was 400 points.
Firm’s Overview – 80 points
Scope of Services – 140 points
Firm’s Relevant Experience and Expertise – 80 points
Professional References – 40 points
Cost Proposal – 60 points
Decision Table
A decision table was created showing total scores for each criterion. This table gives a complete view of all
criteria used in evaluating each response.
Conclusion
After a careful evaluation of each option, Integrated Communications Networks appears to be the best choice.
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