REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: BRYON HORN, Chief Information Officer
Information Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Approve a consultant services agreement with Magellan Advisors for project design engineering for Last Mile broadband deployment in an amount not to exceed $496,874 (RFQ No. 12303131).
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends Council approve a consultant services agreement (Agreement) with Magellan Advisors (Magellan) for project design engineering for Last Mile broadband deployment in an amount not to exceed $496,874 and authorize the Chief Information Officer or designee to enter into the Agreement.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On June 23, 2023, the City of Fresno solicited proposals on Planet Bids (RFQ No. 12303131) for consultant services for design engineering for Last Mile broadband deployment. The consultant services include, but are not limited to, conceptual/low-level/final design, bill of materials, partner request for proposal development, public engagement and outreach, business model and partner negotiations, and Local Agency Technical Assistance (LATA) reporting requirements. Proposals were submitted by three vendors and Magellan provided the best value to the City.
BACKGROUND
The Council of the City of Fresno passed Resolution No. 2021-205 supporting increasing broadband access throughout the City. The Information Services Department (ISD) submitted a grant application for LATA, and, on October 6, 2022, the Public Utilities Commission awarded the City an amount up to $496,874 in grant funding. Council approved acceptance of these grant funds and ISD, working with a consultant, developed RFQ No. 12303131 for the design engineering services necessary to expand broadband in the greater Fresno area. Two pilot areas and 10 locations were identified for the LATA grant. Recently, the CPUC published better broadband data of the unserved households in the City, staff will work with the consultant to petition the CPUC to use the awarded funds to design engineering to the newly identified 1824 high-density unserved housing units. Attached is a map of the 1824 high-density unserved housing units we are targeting.
Fresno is a city of 542,107 residents and has a geographic size of 116 square miles. It is the largest city in Fresno County, which is situated in the San Joaquin Valley, and is the city base for Yosemite National Park. Over half of the county’s residents live in Fresno, and the City-owned fiber backbone is the linchpin in connecting the county to the state middle mile network. The City has taken the lead in the area to address the digital divide.
Unfortunately, last mile connectivity is still lacking in Fresno. There are currently many underserved and unserved areas which lack qualifying broadband. These underserved areas often have high poverty and low income. The median household income in Fresno is $53,161, much lower than the median income of $78,672 in the state of California. 23.5% of Fresno residents live in poverty, far higher than the national average of 13.15%, and 11.5% in the state. As of the last census, only 83% of households in the city have a broadband internet subscription. Large portions of Fresno are without reliable connectivity. The LATA grant will provide the City with the monies to develop projects to help bridge the digital divide.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines this item does not qualify as a project and is therefore exempt.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not applicable for this item because of state funding.
FISCAL IMPACT
This is a reimbursable grant. The City will expend funds and get reimbursement. Funding has been identified in the Information Services Department Budget.
Attachments:
Consultant Services Agreement
Committee Evaluation Report
Map of High-Density Unserved Housing Units