REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Internet Service Provider

August 27, 2020

Town of Bristol

5 School Street | Bristol, NH 03222

1. Description:

The Town of Bristol (Town) is currently accepting proposals to improve internet coverage in Town to the

unserved and underserved locations. Locations do not need to be subscribing to this service, but the

service must be available at the street location (State or Town Road).

The Town currently has uneven internet access availability and speeds. Most of the current service is

from two providers (Atlantic Broadband and Consolidated Communications) with some other providers

supplying service for a handful of locations. Other providers, such as satellite and cell companies are

removed from this consideration since they have significant download cap limitations that make them

unsuitable for practical use in homes and businesses.

2. Project Areas:

The Town’s desire is to form a partnership(s) with one or more ISPs that address the goal of high-speed

internet delivery in town and surrounding areas. The Town is building a network with two initial project

areas, as cited to below, that constitute top priority for the Town due to funding sources and grant

requirements. However, the Town aspires to and will pursue further dissemination of high-speed

internet services throughout the Town and region with a goal of 2021 and beyond.

Priority Project 1:

The Town received grant funding from the Connecting New Hampshire Emergency Broadband Expansion

program which is providing funds by the CARES Act and is being administered by the State of New

Hampshire. This project is referenced further as “Project 1” in an RFP for the construction of the

network, which can be reviewed here: https://www.townofbristolnh.org/home/pages/bids-rfps. Project

1 is currently in the design, engineering, and permitting phase. Construction of the project is expected to

begin in October 2020 is required to be closed out by December 15, 2020. Internet service to this project

area must be turned on by December 15, 2020.

Priority Project 2:

The Town also received grant funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission and a Town

appropriation. This project is referenced further as “Project 2” in an RFP for the construction of the

network, which can be reviewed here: https://www.townofbristolnh.org/home/pages/bids-rfps.

Construction of Project 2 is TBA as the Town’s preference and top priority is to complete Project 1 first.

It is likely that Project 2 construction will begin in January 2021 or soon thereafter.

Project 1 and Project 2 are further described below in Addendum I.

Other Areas:

Upon completion of Project 2, the Town is looking for the chosen ISP to work in conjunction with the

Town in providing additional service to the remainder of the Town in future years.

3. Specifications:

This internet service is expected to be available for businesses, municipal and school buildings as well as

residences along the corridor of Projects 1 and 2 who need fast, reliable internet for everyday

operations and home needs, telework, telemedicine, distance learning, and research.

The Town requires the ISP to provide services that establish a minimum speed of 100mb synchronous

with 1 gig available. Higher delivery speeds may be required by high-tech businesses.

The Town expects the proposer to evaluate and recommend the best way to complete this project.

The head end for Projects 1 and 2 have tentatively been identified as the Bristol Town Office located at 5

School Street. However, the proposer is free to recommend another location.

Both wired and wireless technologies will be considered.

It will be up to the ISP to recommend the switching equipment.

For Project 1, the Town’s contractor will deliver assets to the closest poles. Customer acquisition and

equipment provided from the pole to the endpoint and into the home will be the responsibility of the

ISP.

For Project 2, the Town’s contractor will deliver assets to the premise for the municipal, school and

university buildings (Group A and Group B listed in Attachment I). For Group C (also listed in Attachment

I), the Town’s contractor will deliver assets to the closest poles. Customer acquisition and equipment

provided from the pole to the endpoint and into the home/business for Group C will be the

responsibility of the ISP.

The Town is willing to work with any and all providers with regards to siting equipment, e.g. poles on

Town right of way or distribution equipment.

The Town is not willing to fund plans or parts of plans to provide service to those not in the grant funded

areas. However, providers are free to compete in those areas of town with their own funding, and with

cooperation of the Town with regards to right-of-way access.

The ISP will be required to operate and manage the network and assets and work with pole owners.

Once the ISP is selected, the ISP will be introduced to the Town’s contractor that is taking care of the

planning, engineering, permitting and construction.

After Project 1 and Project 2 are built and providing service, the Town is willing to transfer the assets of

the system(s) to the ISP. Upon any such conveyance, the ISP shall be responsible for all aspects of

ownership, maintenance and service of same for the remaining life of these fiber-optic system(s).

4. Proposal Elements:

Proposals must include:

• A letter of transmittal with the name, signature and title of the person authorized to commit

your company to the proposal terms.

• The professional qualifications of your company and team demonstrating the skill, ability and

integrity necessary to faithfully perform the work required, including any subcontractors

proposed to be used.

• Examples and references to other systems installed and managed.

• Business model.

• Cost of monthly service for different performance specifications including rental of all

equipment and if there is a time commitment for such pricing (business, residential and

municipal customers). If data caps are part of the service, these must be specified and should be

high enough that a family of four (4), with students, will not reach them.

• Cost of installation from “street” to premises (business, residential and municipal customers).

This can include a per foot charge.

• Costs for business, residential and municipal customers for equipment in the premises.

• Any other costs associated.

• Project schedule for Projects 1 & 2.

• Approximate timeline for installation.

• Proposed insurance coverages.

• Description of the technology to be used and how it meets the specifications.

• Latency performance measures.

• Guarantees of service call response times.

5. Proposal Evaluation Criteria:

The Town of Bristol will evaluate all proposals based on the following criteria.

• Overall proposal suitability: proposed outlines must meet the scope and needs included herein

and be presented in a clear and organized manner

• Organizational Experience: Companies will be evaluated on their experience as it pertains to the

scope of this project

• Previous work: Companies will be evaluated on examples of their work as well as client

testimonials and references

• Value and cost: Companies will be evaluated on the cost of their solution(s) based on the work

to be performed in accordance with the scope of this project

• Technical expertise and experience: Companies must provide descriptions and documentation

of staff technical expertise and experience

6. Schedule:

All proposals are due and must be emailed to the Town on or before 12:00pm on September 18, 2020.

Proposals submitted late will not be considered or accepted.

Each respondent must submit an electronic copy of the proposal in PDF format by email to Town

Administrator Nik Coates at townadmin@townofbristolnh.org. Due to the high volume of emails

received, respondents are advised to send an email before the proposal to advise that the proposal will

be coming in a subsequent email.

Proposals submitted must be clearly marked Bristol Internet Service Provider Proposal and list the

company’s name and address.

The Town will not be liable to any company for any unforeseen circumstances, delivery, or delays.

Companies are responsible for submission of their proposal. Additional time will not be granted to a

single company. However, additional time may be granted to all companies at the discretion of the

Town.

Proposals that fail all required documentation in complete form upon proposal opening will be deemed

non-responsive and will not be considered for award.

After proposals are received, the Town Administrator and project team will review these proposals and

recommend to the Select Board the partner or partners to work with. Final approval and acceptance will

be done at a Select Board meeting.

The following is the schedule for this process. The schedule is for information purposes only and is

subject to change depending on circumstances. Project 1 must be closed out by December 15, 2020.

Close out means completely constructed, fully operational and tested, paid for and paperwork

completed by December 15, 2020. Project 2 will commence construction in January 2021 or soon after.

Activity Event Anticipated Date

Pre-Proposal Meeting There will be no pre-proposal meeting due to

COVID-19

Written Question Deadline September 9, 2020, by 12:00pm

Addenda Published (if needed) September 11, 2020, by 4:00pm

Proposal Due Date September 18, 2020, by 12:00pm

Selection Committee Recommendations

Reviewed by Select Board & Authorizations

September 24, 2020

Negotiations September 29, 2020

Project 1 Start October 5, 2020

Project 1 Close Out By December 15, 2020

7. Questions and Clarifications:

All questions regarding this RFP shall be submitted via e-mail. No phone calls. Questions will be accepted

and answered in accordance with the terms and conditions of this RFP. Answers will be shared with all

respondents on the Bids/Proposals page of the Town website: www.townofbristolnh.org.

All questions shall be submitted on or before September 9, 2020, at 12:00 p.m., and should be directed

to townadmin@townofbristolnh.org. There will be no “walk through” of the projects due to COVID-19.

Respondents should caveat their proposals accordingly in case there are unforeseen issues.

Should any prospective company be in doubt as to the true meaning of any portion of this RFP, or

should the company find any ambiguity, inconsistency, or omission therein, the company shall make a

written request for an official interpretation or correction by the due date above.

All interpretations, corrections, or additions to this RFP will be made only as an official addendum that

will be posted to the Bids/Proposals page of the Town’s website and shall be the company’s

responsibility to ensure they have received all addenda before submitting a proposal. Any addendum

issued by the Town shall become part of the RFP and must be incorporated in the proposal where

applicable.

8. Proposal Openings:

Proposals will be opened by the Town Administrator as they are received and taken under advisement

at that time. No immediate decisions will be rendered. A selection committee will evaluate the

proposals and will make recommendations to the Select Board and Town Administrator at the

September 24, 2020, Select Board meeting. Negotiations will commence thereafter with the company

chosen by the Select Board and Town Administrator.

9. Confidentiality & RFP Ownership:

All responses to the RFP will become the property of the Town of Bristol and will not be returned. New

Hampshire State Law (reference NH Revised Statutes Annotated Chapter 91-A, Access to Governmental

Records) all materials received or created by the Town are considered public records. These records

include but are not limited to bid or proposal submittals, agreement documents, contract work product,

or other information submitted by a vendor to the Town.

NH RSA 91-A requires that public records must be promptly disclosed by the Town upon request unless

that NH RSA 91-A or another NH RSA specifically exempts records from disclosure. Exemptions are

narrow and explicit and are listed in NH RSA 91-A.

If you believe any of the records you are submitting to the Town as part of your informational material

are exempt from disclosure, you can request that they not be released before you receive notification.

To do so, you must contact Town Administrator Nik Coates. You should very clearly and specifically

identify each record and the exemption(s) that may apply.

10. Cost Liability:

The Town assumes no responsibility or liability for costs incurred by the company prior to the execution

of an Agreement. The liability of the Town is limited to the terms and conditions outlined in the

Agreement. By submitting a proposal, company agrees to bear all costs incurred or related to the

preparation, submission, and selection process for the proposal.

11. Debarment:

Submission of a proposal in response to this RFP is certification that the Respondent is not currently

debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, and declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from

participation in this transaction by any State or Federal departments or agency. Submission is also

agreement that the Town will be notified of any changes in this status.

12. Proposal Protest:

All proposal protests must be in writing and filed with the Town Administrator within five (5) business

days of the award action. The company must clearly state the reasons for the protest. The Town

Administrator will provide the company with the appropriate instructions for filing the protest. The

protest shall be reviewed by the Town Administrator, whose decision shall be final.

13. Reservation of Rights:

1. The Town reserves the right in its sole and absolute discretion to accept or reject any or all proposals,

or alternative proposals, in whole or in part, with or without cause.

2. The Town reserves the right to waive, or not waive, informalities or irregularities in terms or

conditions of any proposal if determined by the Town to be in its best interest.

3. The Town reserves the right to request additional information from any or all companies.

4. The Town reserves the right to reject any proposal that it determines to be unresponsive and

deficient in any of the information requested within RFP.

5. The Town reserves the right to determine whether the scope of the project will be entirely as

described in the RFP, a portion of the scope, or a revised scope be implemented.

6. The Town reserves the right to select one or more companies to perform services.

7. The Town reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted and to use any ideas in a proposal

regardless of whether that proposal is selected. Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance by the

company of the conditions contained in this RFP, unless clearly and specifically noted in the proposal

submitted.

8. The Town reserves the right to disqualify proposals that fail to respond to any requirements outlined

in the RFP, or failure to enclose copies of the required documents outlined within RFP.

14. Performance Clause:

In the event that the successful awarded proposer/Town should default in the observance of the

stipulations set forth in this Request for Proposals and any attachments thereto and such default is not

corrected within 30 days of written notice from either party, the successful awarded proposer/Town

shall have the option of canceling the proposal.

Enclosed: Attachment I

Attachment II

Attachment I

Project Areas

Projects 1 and 2 are part of a long-term effort to provide high speed internet to residences and

businesses in Bristol.

Project 1: This project will run through Bristol, Bridgewater and Plymouth. The Town consulted with staff

from the Newfound Area School District, Mid-State Health Center, and NHEC in order to identify the

locations listed below. The results of an internet access survey the Newfound Area School District staff

completed, conversations with Mid-State Health Center Staff on the reduction of patient visits, and

review of FCC broadband maps were determining factors in the choice of

route.

There are two legs to this project totaling approximately 24 miles:

• A: The first leg goes from the River Road/Cass Road intersection in Bridgewater to the Peaked

Hill Road, Hall Road, Oakcrest, River Road, and Schofield Drive neighborhoods and others in

Bristol. This leg of 17 miles of new or upgraded middle mile construction or IRUs is designed to

support telework, telemedicine, and distance learning running along 312 New Hampshire

Electric Cooperative (NHEC) customer properties in Bristol.

• B: The second leg goes from the River Road/Cass Road intersection to the NetworkNH head end

at Plymouth State University (multiple options available – best option being selected by

design/built firm). This leg of seven (7) miles of new or upgraded middle construction or IRUs is

designed to provide the connection to the NetworkNH system to leverage that high-speed fiber

network for workforce development and research purposes.

Project 1 will connect to Project 2, which is described below.

Project 2: This project will connect three groups of municipal, school and commercial buildings in Bristol,

some of which may serve for cellular backhaul. Project 2 will connect to municipal and school buildings

and be a middle mile build for businesses. It is expected that this portion of the network will aid in

creating and retaining jobs, facilitate workforce development, and increase tourism opportunities.

Group A: Bristol Municipal and School Facilities – The plan is to go into the building for these buildings.

• Bristol Fire Department ‐ 85 Lake Street

• Minot-Sleeper Library ‐ 45 Pleasant Street

• Bristol Town Office ‐ 5 School Street

• Bristol Old Town Hall ‐ 45 Summer Street

• Tapply-Thompson Community Center ‐ 30 North Main Street (includes microcell tower)

• Bristol Water & Sewer Department ‐ 180 Ayers Island Road

• Bristol Highway Department ‐ 100 Ayers Island Road

• Newfound Area School District ‐ 20 North Main Street

• Newfound Regional High School ‐ 150 Newfound Road

• Newfound Memorial Middle School ‐ 155 North Main Street

• Bristol Elementary School – 55 School Street

Group B: Connection to NetworkNH – The current plan is for the network to connect the Group B

locations to Group A and Project 1 locations and to run to the nearest pole by the businesses along this

route:

• Bristol Town Office ‐ 5 School Street

• Location of NetworkNH Connection at PSU (multiple options available – best option being

selected by design/built firm)

Group C: Businesses – The current plan is for the network to run to the nearest pole by these locations

and others along this route:

• Central Square Business District (Businesses in Central Square)

• Freudenberg, 450 Pleasant Street

• Mid‐State Health ‐ 100 Robie Road

• Medical Management & Reimbursement Specialists ‐ 459 Lake Street, Suite D

• Orlight ‐ 865 Lake Street

• Newfound Valley Airport ‐ 152 Pleasant Street

• Old Stage Road: Map/Lot 207-002 (via Peaked Hill Road)

• Future Research Facilities ‐ River Road

• McCleary Assisted Living ‐ 212 Summer Street

• Fox Meadow Retirement Home ‐ 1151 Summer Street

• Newfound Area Nursing Association ‐ 214 Lake Street

• Cell Tower - New Chester Mountain Road

• Newfound Lake Inn (Bridgewater)

Maps of the project areas can be found in Attachment II.

Attachment I

Project 1 Map (Addresses will be provided after contract is signed)

Project 2 Map: Group A

Project 2 Map: Group