HomeMy WebLinkAboutRFI - REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - 7661REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)
7661 NEXT GENERATION BROADBAND STRATEGIC PLANNING, EQUIPMENT,
ENGINEERING, AND OPERATIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES
Executive Summary
The City of Fort Collins (City) is preparing to develop a Next Generation Broadband
Strategic Plan to assess community needs and evaluate alternative strategies for how
the City might best facilitate the availability of such services in the community. The City
anticipates evaluating a wide range of alternative strategies including working with
existing incumbent service providers, public / private partnerships, or establishing some
form of wholesale or retail municipal telecommunications utility service. The City
anticipates conducting the strategic planning process in 2015 and engaging qualified
professionals to assist the City throughout the process.
The City is conducting this Request for Information (RFI) to learn more about the state of
the broadband industry, and the scope and character of professional services that may
be available to support its strategic planning process. This learning process will enable
the City to develop a focused Request for Proposals in early 2015.
It is the City’s intention that this RFI will create an open, flexible, and non-committal
forum through which the City can learn about options and opportunities from a wide
range of planning and engineering consultants, telecommunications service providers,
and equipment suppliers.
This RFI is NOT intended as a tool to “short-list” or pre-qualify vendors.
Section 1.0 Background Information
1.1 The City of Fort Collins Organization
The City of Fort Collins has a population of approximately 140,000. It is the home to
Colorado State University with approximately 26,000 students. More information about
the City of Fort Collins can be found at http://www.fcgov.com/business/community.php
Fort Collins Utilities (FCU) is a municipal electric, water, wastewater and storm water
utility. It serves approximately 60,000 electric customers and 30,000 water customers.
FCU has a long history of progressive initiatives with 99% of the electric system
underground, very high reliability statistics, and robust energy and water conservation
programs. More information about FCU can be found at http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/.
Financial Services
Purchasing Division
215 N. Mason St. 2nd Floor
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6775
970.221.6707
fcgov.com/purchasing
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The Fort Collins Utilities is a member with three other municipal distribution utilities in
Platte River Power Authority (PRPA), the sole power provider. Platte River’s power mix
to Utilities is about 20% hydroelectric from Western Area Power Administration (WAPA),
7% renewables, and the remaining from PRPA-owned coal generation with natural gas
turbines for peaking power.
PRPA has constructed a regional fiber optic network to support electric utility operations.
The network includes fiber rings that connect local substations within each community as
well as a regional ring that connects each of the local substation rings with the regional
PRPA generation and transmission facilities and control systems. The entire fiber
system was overbuilt to include considerable excess capacity beyond that required to
support electric utility operations. PRPA has a program to lease excess dark fiber to
private telecommunications service providers.
The Fort Collins Community Network is an informal collaborative partnership between
the City of Fort Collins, Colorado State University, Larimer County, Poudre School
District, Front Range Community College, and other local public intuitions to leverage
the PRPA fiber system to provide low cost, high performance network connectivity to
support the internal operational needs of these public sector agencies. The City’s Traffic
Department has constructed a fiber optic network that extends the PRPA fiber system to
support traffic operations. In addition, the City and Colorado State University are active
participants in the Gigabit University (Gig.U) initiative.
Additionally, the City has implemented an Advanced Metering Infastructure (AMI) system
supported by a Tropos wide area WIFI network to back haul meter data to the fiber
network. This network does not yet support any mission other than the metering system.
1.2 Next Generation Community Broadband Program Overview
The City has established a Next Generation Community Broadband Program to support
work on a number of different challenges and opportunities confronting the Fort Collins
community. A key focus of the program will be to develop a City of Fort Collins Next
Generation Broadband Strategic Plan.
The planning process will be conducted in two phases – Phase 1 will take place in 2015
and will focus on strategic planning and evaluation of alternative strategy options. Phase
2 will follow in 2016 and will support implementation of the preferred strategy developed
in Phase 1.
The Phase 1 strategic planning process will include at a minimum the following
elements:
* a community needs assessment,
* market research,
* business outreach and citizen engagement,
* review of benchmark communities case studies,
* review of local telecommunications related policies, permitting processes, and,
* evaluation of a wide range of alternative strategies the City may pursue to best
facilitate availability of next generation broadband service, including the financial
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and operational feasibility of public private partnerships and various wholesale
and retail municipal telecommunication utility business models.
The scope and character resources required to support the Phase 2 implementation
work is dependent on the strategy adopted through Phase 1.
1.3 RFI Objectives and Scope
The City’s objectives of the RFI process are as follows:
Learn about the current state of the broadband industry and the essential
equipment and business operations capabilities necessary to develop next
generation broadband services on a community wide scale.
Learn about how broadband planning processes can be effectively conducted
and what key deliverables might be included in a strategic plan.
Understand the key skill sets and firm capabilities required to undertake various
components of a broadband strategic planning process.
Learn about the scope and character of system design, engineering and
construction services potentially available in the event the City elects to develop
a municipal telecommunications utility service.
Learn about the scope and character of on-going operational support services
available to the City to support network operations, billing, or other operational
functions the City may choose to contract for rather than perform in-house.
Learn about the potential for telecommunication service provider’s data, voice,
or subscription video services through a public wholesale open access network.
Learn about how to assess and develop the potential value of the City’s AMI
system wide area mesh Wi-Fi network to provide value to the community.
This information will be used to help assist the City in determining a scope, timing, and
to develop the associated RFP.
Section 2.0 Request for Information Rules and Process Requirements
2.1 Information and Preparation
For the RFI, vendors are encouraged to submit information in partnership with other
vendors or to submit individual product information. Each RFI response should indicate
which other companies the vendor might be partnering with.
Based on the responses received, the need for clarification and/or the interest generated
in the City project team, some vendors might be contacted for a follow-up phone call,
webinar or in-person visit. On-site or online demonstrations may be requested by the
City to clarify vendor responses, and to clarify product or service functionalities.
The City expects that all responses to this RFI have been reviewed by the vendor for
technical accuracy.
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A minimum of three (3) information packages must be received at the City of Fort
Collins’ Purchasing Division, 215 North Mason Street, 2nd Floor, Fort Collins, Colorado
80524 if delivered. If mailed, the address is P.O. Box 580, Fort Collins, 80522-0580.
Information packages shall be received by the Purchasing Office on or before 3:00 PM
MST by July 15, 2014.
Submittals should be presented in an organized and concise manner. It is desirable that
submittals be received electronically if convenient for solution provider.
Electronic Responses can be delivered using either of the following options:
a. Mail (enclose three CD’s or jump drives):
City of Fort Collins – Purchasing and Risk Management Division
215 North Mason Street
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
OR
b. Proposals may be submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF format and e-mailed
to: purchasing@fcgov.com.
All information packages will be public record and solution providers shall include no
confidential or proprietary information.
Questions concerning the scope of the planned project should be directed to Pat
Johnson, CPPB, Senior Buyer at 970-221-6816 or pjohnson@fcgov.com. Email is
preferred.
2.2 Submittal
Qualified firms interested in participating in this request for proposals should submit a
minimum of the following information to the City. Responses must include all of the items
listed below, in the order listed. (DO NOT include proprietary information):
1) A summary document with the following information (please do not exceed 5,000
words):
a) Company Name, address, website
b) Organization Type (Corporation, Subsidiary, Partnership, Individual, Joint
Venture, Other)
c) The name and contact information (email, phone) of the company representative
responsible for providing further information
d) A brief company history and experience in the firm’s role in planning,
engineering, implementing, or operating Next Generation Broadband Networks
e) A brief, high-level description of company’s solution/product(s). Please clarify up
front what elements of the overall network implementation your firm supports.
Highlight the content of the RFI and features of the solution/product(s), including
a general description of the program and any unique aspects or benefits provided
by your firm.
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f) Participation in any industry or trade associations/organizations specifically
related to Fiber Optic Next Generation Broadband Networks solutions.
2) Include product brochures, flyers, electronic links, specifications, and any other
information which might be helpful in understanding your solution. Vendors are
welcome to provide information about additional value-added technology solutions
that might assist FCU regarding development of a Next Generation Broadband
Service strategic plan.
2.3 Schedule
FCU has established the target schedule shown below for the RFI. FCU reserves the
right to amend the target schedule at any time.
RFI Issuance: June 13, 2014
Final questions due: July 1, 2014
RFI Due: July 15, 2014 3:00 PM
Gerry Paul
Director of Purchasing and Risk Management