Agenda Item
a. Approval of Network Cabling, Wireless Infrastructure, and Fiber Installation Services for New Dresden Elementary School (Integrated Communication Networks, Inc.) (Not to exceed $684,213.78)
Summary: Presented by: Dr. Kermit Belcher, Chief Information Officer, Division of Information and Instructional Technology
Request: It is requested that the DeKalb County Board of Education approve the purchase of network cabling, wireless infrastructure, and fiber installation services from Integrated Communication Networks, Inc. (ICN) to support the opening of New Dresden Elementary School, at a cost not to exceed $684,213.78.
Why: The opening of New Dresden Elementary School requires a reliable and scalable network infrastructure to support instructional, administrative, and operational systems across the new facility. The services provided by Integrated Communication Networks, Inc. (ICN) will establish the foundational connectivity needed for the school to operate, including structured cabling, wireless access point installation, fiber connectivity, and telecommunications room buildouts. This infrastructure ensures consistent network performance, supports district technology standards, and enables all instructional and operational systems to function effectively on the first day of school.
Details: The network infrastructure scope for New Dresden Elementary School was developed in coordination with district leadership, instructional technology staff, and construction partners to ensure the facility meets district standards for connectivity, performance, and reliability.
Structured Cabling Systems =$571,374.07
ICN will provide structured Cat 6A cabling and telecommunications room build-outs as part of a phased implementation.
Wireless Infrastructure Services =$19,393.60
ICN will support wireless connectivity through a combination of new installation and reuse of existing equipment.
Fiber Connectivity =$4,200.83
ICN will install indoor-outdoor plenum multimode fiber to establish connectivity between the old school MDF and the new school MDF.
Contingency =$89,245.28
A contingency amount of 15% above quoted costs is included to manage unforeseen conditions associated with network installation in a new construction environment and to ensure timely project completion.
Financial impact: $684,213.78
SPLOST
306.1000.561600.80336.7600.9990.0308.070.0000
Contact: Dr. Kermit Belcher, Chief Information Officer, Division of Information and Instructional Technology, Phone: 678.676.1274
Effective: March 2026
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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