by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The Telecommunications Master Plan Task Force has narrowed its list of potential consultants to five and within the next few weeks will pare that group down to three finalists.
The five consultants are Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, United Telesystems, Keidel & Co. and Gartner Group. Next month, the consultants will appear before the City’s Professional Evaluation Services Committee, which will hear a presentation from each consultant.
“PSEC has scheduled meetings with each tentatively set for Aug. 5, “ said Sandy Bateh, chief of the City’s Information Technology Division. “We will try and work around everybody’s schedule.”
The task force, which is chaired by General Counsel Rick Mullaney and meets today at noon at City Hall, was formed to look at the feasibility and affordability of wiring the entire city for the future. A resolution was drafted, seeking to have an information technology consultant brought on board to study the options available to City leaders. The resolution — which was amended March 2 — calls for the consultant to come back with a report, any findings and their analysis of Jacksonville’s ability to fully wire itself with fiber optics, cable, wireless and other technologies. The task force has also asked for a comprehensive study concerning Jacksonville’s telecommunications infrastructure and the creation of a high-speed, county-wide network that would service all of consolidated Jacksonville.
Several months ago, the task force issued a Request for Proposals for the study and received almost 30 responses from consultants interested in pursuing the matter. Of those 30, 14 made the initial cut. While each consultant has its pros and cons, Bateh said once they enter the PSEC meetings, everyone will be on the same playing field.
“We will wipe the slate clean and narrow the list to three,” he said.
Like the recent design competitions involving the four major vertical projects within the Better Jacksonville Plan, PSEC will rank the consultants and recommend that the task force begin negotiating with the top-ranked firm on a contract.
“If we can’t get a contract with the first firm, we’ll move on to the second firm,” said Bateh.
The resolution also requires the consultant to produce their findings by September. Bateh said that because the whole process has been delayed to an extent, making the September deadline will be difficult at best.
“That date was set months ago,” said Bateh, adding he wasn’t sure if the deadline was still valid or if extending the deadline would require City Council approval. “I’m not sure. Most of the consultants that responded said they could meet the date was set forth in the resolution. But I would say we will have it by the end of the year.”
Mullaney has stated in the past that wiring the city for the future is paramount to Jacksonville being successful in virtually every realm during the rest of the century. And the Better Jacksonville Plan presents the perfect opportunity to install the necessary telecommunications infrastructure. Of the $2.2 billion Plan, about $1.5 billion of that has been allocated for road and infrastructure improvements. Those improvements include repaving roads, installing plumbing and drainage and burying utility lines.