HomeMy WebLinkAboutCMR -Broadband Master Plan SelectionCity of San Luis Obispo, City Manager Report
Final City Manager Approval Approver Name Date Approved
City Administration DJJ 10/27/22
Reviewer Routing List Reviewer Name Date Reviewed
City Attorney MK 10/27/22
Finance Nh 10/27/22
October 27, 2022
FROM: Greg Hermann, Deputy City Manager gh 10/27/22
PREPARED BY: Rebecca Cox, Administrative Analyst
Stephanie Lopez, Administrative Assistant II
SUBJECT: Broadband Master Plan Selection
RECOMMENDATION
1. Execute an agreement with Magellan Broadband for the preparation of the Broadband
Master Plan.
DISCUSSION
The COVID-19 pandemic showed that broadband is a necessity for people to work, go to school,
shop, and conduct government business. All levels of government (Federal, State and Local) have
recognized the importance of broadband access and are in the process of updating the standards
for what constitutes broadband access. Given the difficulties the City heard from the community
in accessing electronic resources and the pending changes to broadband standards, City IT staff
did an exercise to look at broadband accessibility based on publicly available information and
presented to an ad-hoc committee of the Council that was looking at ways to utilize American
Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, now referenced as State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
(SLFRF). Based on IT staff findings, the Council ad-hoc committee decided to recommend to the
City Council that $100,000 be allocated to a study of broadband access in the community, and an
additional $500,000 be set aside to implement recommendations that might come from the
study. Staff were also successful in securing $100,300 in grant funding through the California
Public Utilities Commission, Local Agency Technical Assistance grant (LATA), a grant program
for eligible pre-construction work facilitating broadband network projects.
To accomplish this project, the City issued a request for proposals (RFP) (Attachment A) to engage
with a third-party consultant that has experience preparing Broadband master plans. As part of the
master plan process, the consultants will conduct a study of existing broadband coverage in the
City, identify areas that are unserved or underserved, and make recommendations to the City about
ways to remediate those areas over the long term. The scope of work includes:
Selection of Consultant for Broadband Master Plan Page 2
1. Kick-Off Meeting and Project Management Plans
2. Identify and Inventory Assets
3. Needs Assessment and Goal Setting
4. Conceptual Network Routes and Infrastructure Requirements
5. Technical Specifications and Cost Estimation
6. Capital Project Analysis and Grant Technical Materials
7. Master Plan Compilation and Approval Process Support
Solicitation and Recommendation
On August 17, 2022, the Information Technology Division released an RFP for the preparation of
a Broadband Master Plan, with a deadline to submit proposals by September 15, 2022.
The city received two proposals: Magellan Broadband (Attachment B) and Televate. Proposals
were reviewed and evaluated based on established criteria including qualifications and expertise
and assessed by a selection team consisting of Josh Erquiaga, Network Services Supervisor, Hans
Poschman, Assistant to the City Manager, and Rebecca Cox, Administrative Analyst. On
September 30, 2022, the selection team met to discuss the proposals and select the most qualified
firm. The table below outlines the scoring and ranking of the two proposals.
Rank Firm Collective Score
1 Magellan Broadband 134
2 Televate 103
Based on the consensus of the selection team, Magellan Broadband ranked first, and it is
recommended that the city execute an agreement with Magellan Broadband (Attachment C) for
preparation of the Broadband Master Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT
An ad-hoc committee of the City Council recommended $600,000 in State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds (SLFRF) be allocated toward a broadband study and subsequent implementation
of recommended actions. The recommendation was formalized at the June 7, 2022, City Council
Meeting, with Resolution No. 11333, 2022 series (Attachment D). Additionally, staff applied for
the Local Agency Technical Assistance grant (LATA); a grant program for eligible pre-
construction work facilitating broadband network projects to areas in need and were awarded
$100,300 by the California Public Utilities Commission on Friday, October 6 (Attachment E). The
total cost to the City for the Broadband Master Plan and Policy is $99,730 and includes all work
to be completed by Magellan as stated in the proposal.
ALTERNATIVE
Deny Recommendation. This option to deny execution of the agreement with Magellan Broadband
is not recommended and would delay production of a Broadband Master Plan and potential grant
funding opportunities.
Selection of Consultant for Broadband Master Plan Page 3
ATTACHMENTS
A. Preparation of Broadband Master Plan RFP
B. Magellan Broadband Proposal
C. Magellan Broadband Agreement
a. Exhibit A
b. Exhibit B
D. Resolution No 11333, 2022 Series
E. LATA Grant Award Letter