The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) herby provides notice pursuant to the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 and its adopted Guidelines, that it has accepted for consideration an unsolicited proposal from Firefly Fiber Broadband for securing Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Virginia Telecommunications Initiative Act (VATI) funds. The proposal would provide universal broadband internet access to areas in the Counties of Cumberland, Goochland, Greene, Louisa, Madison, and Powhatan, and possibly others, which are part of the TJPDC’s VATI 2022 grant, and that are unserved according to the definition of broadband in the VATI 2024 Program Guidelines and Criteria, with the VATI grant match to be provided by the Firefly and the Counties.
Competing proposals will be accepted until 5 pm on Monday, September 25, 2023, and shall be submitted electronically via email to info@tjpdc.org.
For a competing proposal to be considered, it shall, at a minimum, provide the following:
- A plan for expanding, constructing, distributing, terminating, managing, and sustaining (including technology refreshes) universal FTTH coverage in the areas to be served.
- A description and supporting documentation of the proposer’s ability and willingness to provide open access to physical infrastructure necessary for the project, including but not limited to, existing fiber and conduit.
- A description of the proposer’s experience, capabilities, and qualifications in the ISP sector, including other networks the proposer has designed, built, maintained, or operated.
- A description of the proposer’s plans to finance the project.
The foregoing list is nonexclusive. The TJPDC reserves the right to request clarification or supplementation of any proposal, including but not limited to, submission of additional documentation, response to specific questions and interviews with proposers.
The TJPDC will evaluate responsive proposals based on the proposer’s industry reputation; experience; financial capacity; proposed design; schedule and timing; and project cost and funding sources. The TJPDC also will consider price as one factor in its evaluation, but shall not be required to select the proposal with the lowest price.