Untitled opportunity

Exeter R-VI School District is seeking proposals for Category 2 enterprise-grade network infrastructure components, bulk deployment materials, and multi-year manufacturer maintenance support to optimize and secure our district network topology. Equivalent hardware architectures will receive equal consideration based on baseline performance compliance. 1. CORE FIREWALL APPLIANCE & SOFTWARE Seeking an enterprise-grade security gateway/firewall appliance, Fortinet FortiGate 121G or equivalent. Minimum specifications: 1U Rack-mountable form factor with dual built-in redundant power supplies; performance thresholds of 2.5 Gbps Threat Protection and 4 Gbps SSL Deep Packet Inspection; interfaces must include at least 4 x 10 GE SFP+ slots and 16 x RJ45 Gigabit copper ports; minimum 400 GB built-in, local solid-state storage (SSD) for local historical logging without cloud dependencies. Uplink utilizes standard Cat 6 copper patch cabling via an RJ45 WAN interface. Bids must include multi-year manufacturer support/security bundles (Fortinet UTP or equivalent) with clear cost-allocation metrics separating E-Rate eligible firmware/updates (FortiCare) from ineligible advanced security features (IPS, filtering, malware protection). 2. OUTDOOR PTMP WIRELESS MESH BRIDGE Seeking an outdoor point-to-multipoint wireless bridge to extend connectivity from the main instructional building to four (4) remote structures (Bus Barn/Practice Area, Outside Concession, AG Storage Building, and Baseball Press Box). Requirements: One (1) outdoor tri-radio 4x4 MIMO access point, Fortinet FortiAP 432F or equivalent, serving as the root bridge hub, paired with a matching wide-angle external 4x4 MIMO directional sector antenna (Fortinet FANT-04ACAX-0606-D-R or equivalent) and mounting brackets. Four (4) outdoor ruggedized 2x2 MIMO access points with high-gain internal directional antennas, Fortinet FortiAP 234F or equivalent, serving as bridge receivers at the four remote structures. All wireless hardware must be IP67-rated weather-resistant and integrate natively via FortiLink. Bids must include matching multi-year manufacturer support/advanced hardware replacement contracts (FortiCare or equivalent). 3. LOCAL CAMPUS DISTRIBUTION SWITCHING Seeking four (4) enterprise-grade 8-port network edge switches, Fortinet FortiSwitch 108F-FPOE or equivalent, for local outbuilding network distribution. Required specifications: Compact desktop/rack form factor with completely fanless architecture; minimum 8 x 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet ports and 2 x dedicated 1GE SFP uplink slots; copper ports must support full PoE+ power budget up to 130W. System must natively support FortiLink deployment architecture for automated, centralized management via our core firewall interface. Bids must include matching multi-year manufacturer support and hardware warranty contracts (FortiCare or equivalent). 4. BULK INFRASTRUCTURE & RACK MATERIALS Seeking Category 6 copper infrastructure components and horizontal server rack management. Specifications: 3,000 feet of Category 6 CMP Plenum-rated wire, 100% 23 AWG Solid Bare Copper (Copper Clad Aluminum wire is strictly unacceptable). Bids must include matching standard, non-pass-through RJ45 connectors with built-in load bars, and four (4) external gas-discharge tube in-line Ethernet surge suppression blocks (Ubiquiti ETH-SP-G2 or equivalent) to ground exterior antenna lines. Server room management must include six (6) 1U Horizontal Finger Duct Panels with snap-on covers (StarTech or equivalent) and fabric hook-and-loop bulk cable strapping. CRITICAL VENDOR CONTRACT TERM NOTE: Pre-packaged manufacturer hardware and service bundles ranging across uniform multi-year periods (including standard 3-year options and 5-year promotional factory bundles) will be explicitly accepted and evaluated. Software management licenses, system updates, and basic hardware warranties must be fully compatible with Fortinet architecture to ensure operational continuity. Bidding vendors must clearly break down individual component costs, multi-year subscription lengths, and manufacturer part numbers within final submittals to allow exact cost-allocations on the upcoming Form 471 filing.