Below are questions the City of Dublin has received regarding the Bid Solicitation for Citywide Fiber to the Home. Please note the following:
- Where practical, questions are edited to remove irrelevant information.
- These questions do not include communications from respondents just indicating they wish to be included in all correspondence regarding this solicitation going forward. The City did not consider these as questions requiring answers. Any respondent who sent such a request to the City has been noted and will receive future correspondence.
- For clarity, questions are displayed in italics. Responses from the City are displayed in the color Green.
NOTE/REMINDER:
RFP Response Due Date: 5:00 PM EST Monday, August 8, 2022
QUESTION 1:
“it was mentioned that the presentations from yesterday would be made available to attendees. I wanted to follow-up to see where these presentations would be posted and if you had a timeframe as to when they would be posted?”
The presentations from the Innovation Day event can be found at this URL: https://dublinohiousa.gov/newsroom/dublin-hosts-innovation-day/
“Do we need to submit anything to show we are a participant (as part of any submissions from other vendors). Is there anything you need from me or my company?”
Anyone who has corresponded with the City regarding this RFP since it was announced, including asking a question, is noted as an interested party and will receive all correspondence or updates sent from the City. No further action is needed.
QUESTION 2:
“Are you wanting the provider to build to the majority of houses in the city? Or are you looking for just a large provider with large bandwidth to several points within the city so the Dublin can bring the internet to the residences?”
The City is interested in a partner building fiber connection to every residence in the City and achieving the bandwidth objectives. The proposal should include a description of how services would be delivered to end users by a service provider. The builder may also be the service provider, the City could be the service provider, or another party could be the service provider. The proposal should describe both build and service provision.
QUESTION 3:
“RFP STATEMENT: Most Connected City as competitive access to Broadband Internet services of “at least” 10 Gbps for 100% of Dublin residents
- Clarification Questions: We are working on the grounds that the deployed system must be capable of delivering at least 10Gbps to every resident in the City. Requesting clarification as to City of Dublin’s intent is…
- Serving Office/Datacenters must be equipped with 10Gbps Residential access service XGS PON or NG PON2
- Upstream Connectivity to PON system must be at an adequate port interface capacity to support 10Gbps access service
- Service Provider may offer packages less than 10Gbps to residents and businesses on affordability basis
- Service Provider may elect to equip residents with Customer Premises Electronics of less than 10Gbps based on service subscribed
- Confirmation City is looking for 10Gbps Port service whereby actual throughput due to overhead being sub 10Gbps for user applications (Full 10Gbps for Subscriber applications would require greater than 10Gbps physical port)”
- The City does require a system that is capable of at least 10Gbps.
- Serving Office/Datacenters must be equipped with 10Gbps Residential access service XGS PON or NG PON2 [Correct. It is assumed the technologies like XGS PON or NG PON2 will be proposed, but the respondent is free to propose any technology infrastructure that will meet the requirements.]
- Upstream Connectivity to PON system must be at an adequate port interface capacity to support 10Gbps access service [This is correct]
- Service Provider may offer packages less than 10Gbps to residents and businesses on affordability basis [This is correct]
- Service Provider may elect to equip residents with Customer Premises Electronics of less than 10Gbps based on service subscribed [This is correct]
- Confirmation City is looking for 10Gbps Port service whereby actual throughput due to overhead being sub 10Gbps for user applications (Full 10Gbps for Subscriber applications would require greater than 10Gbps physical port) [Confirmed. This is correct]
QUESTION 4:
“STATEMENT: The third use of Dublin’s fiber program has been the direct lease of dark fiber to companies. Usually for lengths of 10 or 20 years, these long term leases have been a source of revenue for the city for many years… “direct revenue to the City (fiber leases)
- Clarification: Does the City maintain a publish listing of services and rates?
- If Yes, can the standard price listing, subject to availability, be made available?
- If No, who is the City’s authorized employee/agent/broker for establishing pricing & uni/bi-directional fiber leases?
- Does the City make available vacant (partial or full) conduit leases as a service? If so same questions on standard rates and/or authorized employee/agent/broker.”
The information on the history of the City’s fiber program is intended as background information on how the City has managed this resource in the past. While fiber and conduit within the Dublink system and inventory may be accessed via one of the City’s traditional contracts, the City anticipates negotiating a leveraging of these resources outside of the cost structure of the existing program with the selected partner.
Does the City maintain a publish listing of services and rates?
The City does not directly publish a listing of services and rates. The City of Dublin maintains an inventory of fiber and conduit. The City Point of Contact for questions about the price of City owned fiber or conduit is below. The City may make available vacant conduit leases as a service. For this proposal, the City expects to negotiate access to these assets as part of the City’s contribution to a partnership between the City and the selected respondent.
Kyle McKee | kmckee@dublin.oh.us
QUESTION 5:
“STATEMENT: “Dublin is willing to make available excess fiber it possesses in Dublin’s fiber system. Dublin is also willing to allow the winning vendor to use space in the conduit that Dublin owns within Dublin. Attached for your review as an Exhibit A is information regarding both the fiber and conduit availability” and “EXHIBIT A Dublink Conduit and Dublin Transport Fiber”
- It was previously stated that additional fiber was deployed to serve the school district sites within the city. Exhibit A displays green conduit paths.
- Are these paths depicting those in which excess vacant partial or full conduit is available?
- Are these path depicting paths in which excess fiber is available?
- Are the above fiber infrastructure resources available for lease available in a KMZ, KML, shapefile or other electronic format with a description of the asset available for lease?”
While there is conduit capacity in much of the Dublink system, the paths reaching schools specifically are not expected to have excess or available conduit or fiber sufficient to meet the needs anticipated by the proposed new system. Fiber and/or conduit available for lease can be available in KMZ, KML, shapefile or other electronic format with a description of the asset available for lease.
QUESTION 6:
“STATEMENT: How does the Respondent ensure user protections and the security of its network?
- Does the City have any requirements for differentiation of Network Security Service by
- Residential
- Business
- Basic (includes with base service as built into Gateway device IOS Firewall) versus Premiums Intrusion Detection/Intrusion Protection”
The City is not defining network security service requirements or differentiating between different types. The City anticipates that Respondents will propose those service levels. This solicitation refers to residential access and service levels only.
QUESTION 7:
“STATEMENT: access to available assets including fiber, conduits, real estate, and/or vertical assets;
- Provider has identified optimal locations for the efficient management of its FTTHlong-term (20-40 Years+) assets (fiber patch panel frame) and 10Gbps System Optronics. Does the City have an authorized employee, agent and/or broker for securing long term easement, lease and/or purchase of land to house such sites at/near the identified optimal locations? “
The City notes that there are two viable data centers, which could be engaged to build the proposed network and run services through. Those data centers operate independent of the City. We recommend Respondents communicate directly with representatives from one or both of those data centers to inform their proposals.
QUESTION 8:
“GENERAL: It was stated in the Innovation Day that CALIX had made a significant commitment to Dublin.
- Does the City have a preference and/or requirements on the make and model of the XGS-PON or NG-PON system?”
The City does not have a preference and/or requirements on the make and model of the XGS-PON or NG-PON system
QUESTION 9:
“GENERAL: It was mentioned during the Innovation Day that a field trial was being undertaken with TRAXYL?
- Is this within the City of Dublin? If so is it possible to visit the site; and
- has the City identified areas with the City where TRAXYL is the preferred method of installation?”
The trial of the TRAXYL technology did take place within the City of Dublin. The name and contact information for a representative from that project is below. They are independent and not affiliated with or employed by the City. We recommend Respondents communicate directly with that representative for information regarding that project and that technology.
Tina Lyden, President & CEO
Elysian Fiber
tlyden@elysianfiber.com
While the trial of the technology was successful, the City has not identified areas with the City where TRAXYL is the preferred method of installation. The City has an interest in any innovations or methods to meet the requirements of the proposal, including those we have already tried and proven as well as those we have not.
