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Planning and Building Department, Economic Development Division, and Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board approve and authorize the Purchasing Agent to sign Amendment III to Agreement 4555 with NEO Fiber, Inc., doing business as Neo Connect, for as-needed, ongoing staffing support and consulting services in support of American Rescue Plan Act-funded Broadband connectivity in the County, increasing the compensation amount by $80,882 for a not-to-exceed amount of $160,882, extending the term of the Agreement by one (1) year for a revised expiration date of January 29, 2023, and other minor administrative changes as necessary, with no changes to the scope of work.
FUNDING: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) / Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) funds.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On April 25, 2017 (File No. 17-0442, Item No. 5), the Board awarded Request for Proposals (RFP) 17-918-031 to Neo Connect to perform a Broadband Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study for the County, and authorized the Purchasing Agent to negotiate and execute an agreement with a not-to-exceed amount of $150,000 for this project, with funding provided through the Federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) Grant and General Fund. Agreement 248 was subsequently executed on September 20, 2017.
Beginning on January 23, 2018 (File No. 18-0077, Item No. 37) and concluding on December 17, 2019 (File No. 19-1821, Item No. 55), and as part of the Broadband Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study, the Board received several presentations from Neo Connect and staff regarding planning efforts, financial analysis and options related to implementing a broadband strategy in the County, and projected capital costs and funding alternatives of implementing County-wide broadband. During this period, the Board approved two (2) additional amendments to Agreement 248: Amendment II was approved to extend the expiration date to December 31, 2018 (File No. 18-1190, Item No. 2), and Amendment I...
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