Specifications include, but are not limited to: The City of Harvard, Illinois (“City”) is interested in engaging a qualified Engineering and/or Broadband Consulting firm to develop a detailed, actionable broadband feasibility study. The selected firm shall have demonstrated previous experience in developing broadband feasibility studies and assisting with the implementation of the plan. The City considers a modern digital infrastructure to be a critical component of a competitive city of the future and wishes to ensure that it is well-positioned to meet the current and future needs of its residents, businesses, and anchor institutions. The service territory of this network will include every residential home and commercial/industrial facility within the corporate limits of the City of Harvard and to include the townships immediately outside the corporate boundary. The desired outcome of this planning effort is to provide a tool for the City to establish if Harvard residents and businesses have a need and want this service, determine a successful deployment strategy and the associated cost to implement fiber to the premises (“FTTP”), and assess whether such project will be sufficiently supported by customer rates to justify the investment in this infrastructure. 3. Internet Speed, Network Design, and Cost Estimate The Harvard Feasibility Study will provide an approach for determining the current level of demand for affordable, accessible, and reliable broadband service in the City. It will provide an education/community engagement plan that the City can use to inform residents and businesses about the future benefits of a robust broadband infrastructure. The study will also build usage City-wide IT map in its current state. This will include but is not limited to, fiber/internet services, wireless point-to-point systems, and wireless cell data usage for all departments. The feasibility study will provide a pre-engineering or high-level design for both an active Ethernet and passive optical design (PON) of the City’s broadband infrastructure. The feasibility study will provide recommendations for the model option(s) the City should consider for the delivery of affordable, accessible, reliable broadband services. For each model option recommendation, provide an analysis of its financial risk to the City and the level of control that it affords the City. Each model option recommendation will include an operation and maintenance plan, a marketing plan, a governance plan, and an implementation plan. A pro forma analysis is required for each option recommendation. The feasibility study will provide an analysis of possible capital funding options that the City should consider. Qualifications for responding to the RFP include a vendor’s financial summary, broadband feasibility studies and related broadband experience with references, and the identification of partners and subcontractors that will be participating in the project.
