Broadband Reporting and Compliance Services (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act)

"STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE\nDepartment of Business and Economic Affairs\n\n2024-11 Broadband Reporting and Compliance Services (Infrastructure Investment and\n\nJobs Act)\nB Plammed. Era. een ensure 16\nC Dita ST nenn 16\nD. Preliminary Technical Scoring of Proposals ........ssssssssnsssssnsssssnnssnsnnsnnnnnsnnnnnennnnnennnee 17\nE Oral Interviews and Product Demonstrations........ssssssnsssonssnnssonsnsnnsnonssnnnsnnnsssnnsnnnne 17\nF Final Technical Scoring of Proposals ..........susssssssssosssssnsssnsnnssnsnnsnnnnnsnnnnnsnnnensnnnnnnnnnne 17\nG Final Selection............sousssusssnssonsssonssnnssnonsnnnnssnnsnnnnsnnnsnnnsnsnnennnnsnnnsnnnssnnnssnnnsnnnsnonssnnnsnnnne 17\nH. Rights of BEA in Accepting and Evaluating ProposalS .......uessesssonssnosssonsssnnsnnnsenunne 17\nSECTION 7 - Process for Submitting a Proposal ........sssssssssosssssnsssnsnnssnsnnsnnsnnsnnsnnsnnnensnnnnnnnnene 18\nA. Proposal Submission, Deadline, and Location Instructions ......sersserssnssnorssonssnnnsnanne

18\nSECTION 8 - Proposal Content and Requirements .......uursssosssssnsssnnussssnnssnsnnsnnnnnsnnnnnnnnnnnennene 19\nAPPENDIX A: Form P-37, Standard Contract Form ...............s0e00000002s020200000000000000000000n0000000 20\n\nRemainder of this page intentionally left blank\n\nPage 3 of 25\n" "STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE\nDepartment of Business and Economic Affairs\n\n2024-11 Broadband Reporting and Compliance Services (Infrastructure Investment and\nJobs Act)\n\nSECTION 1 - Overview and Schedule\n\nA. Executive Summary\n\nNew Hampshire\u2019s Department of Business and Economic Affairs (\u201cBEA\u201d or \u201cthe Agency\u201d)\nseeks proposals from qualified Vendors to supply a range of services in support of BEA\u2019s\nimplementation of the federally funded Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD)\nProgram Grant (hereinafter \u201cBEAD Grant\u201d). Pursuant to the BEAD Grant, BEA will invest in,\ndeploy, and enable high-quality broadband access, affordability, and adoption with the intent to\nreach all New Hampshire households. BEA will specifically prioritize unserved and underserved\nbroadband coverage locations, underrepresented communities, and \u201ccommunity anchor\ninstitutions\u201d that facilitate greater use of broadband by vulnerable populations, such as schools,\nlibraries, hospitals, and many others.\n\nBEA is the administering entity for the BEAD Grant, valued at $196.5 million and issued under\nthe Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021(IIJA) by the National Telecommunications\nand Information Administration (NTIA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.\nThrough this Request for Proposals (RFP), BEA anticipates selecting a single Vendor for a term\nlasting through May 31, 2029, with an option to extend the term through December 31, 2032.\nThe Vendor will support BEA\u2019s complete, BEAD Grant-compliant planning for deployment of\nhigh-speed internet in locations eligible for sub-grant funding, including by providing research,\noutreach, data-collection, risk-management, training, and related services. The Vendor will\nfurther support BEA\u2019s BEAD Grant-compliant deployment of internet access in New\nHampshire\u2019s eligible locations, including through project monitoring, reporting, and verification\nof sub-grantee compliance.\n\nBEA will enter into a \u201cFirm Fixed-Price/Not to Exceed\u201d contract with the successful Vendor,\nsubject to approval by New Hampshire\u2019s Governor & Executive Council (\u201c\"G&C\u201d). Given its\nlength, the contract will require periodic reauthorization of funding by G&C, as well as\ncontinued availability of funding, neither of which is guaranteed. The value of the contract will\nnot exceed $4,500,000, with $1,500,000 of that total reserved for the potential extension noted\nabove.\n\nTo achieve the BEAD Grant\u2019s objectives, BEA seeks informed, results-oriented proposals for\nmulti-year assistance from Vendors offering a deep understanding of NTIA\u2019s original Notice of\nFunding Opportunities (NOFO) and ongoing direction to grantees! and proven abilities to\nprovide services as described in Section 2 (Proposed Scope of Work) of this RFP. The Selected\nVendor must ensure compliance with all federal guidance and regulations, including the\napplicable requirements of 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200 (Uniform\n\n! The original NOFO is accessible at BEAD NOFO.pdf (doc.gov). Additional direction pertaining to BEAD and\n\nsupplied by NTIA is available, inter alia, at Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program\nInternet for All and Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program | BroadbandUSA (doc.gov).\n\nPage 4 of 25\n" "STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE\nDepartment of Business and Economic Affairs\n\n2024-11 Broadband Reporting and Compliance Services (Infrastructure Investment and\nJobs Act)\n\nAdministrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards). All\nexpenditures under the contract issued under this RFP must occur by the end ofthe BEAD\nGrant\u2019s performance period.\n\nB. Schedule\nThe following table provides a Schedule of Events for this RFP through contract finalization and\n\napproval. BEA reserves the right to amend this Schedule at its sole discretion and at any time\nthrough a published Addendum. As referenced below, \u201cLocal Time\u201d is Eastern Daylight Time.\n\nEVENT DATE LOCAL\nTIME\nRFP Released to the Public (Advertisement) March 20, 2024\nVendor Inquiry Period Ends March 25, 2024 | 4:00 PM\nFinal Agency Responses to Inquiries March 29, 2024 | 4:00 PM\nProposers Submit Proposals Due April 8, 2024 4:00 PM\nC. Description of Agency or Program issuing the Request for Proposals\n\nThe Department of Business and Economic Affairs, home of New Hampshire\u2019s Broadband\nOffice, is dedicated to enhancing the economic vitality of New Hampshire while promoting the\nstate as a destination for domestic and international visitors. For more information visit\nwww.nheconomy.com or www.choosenh.com.\n\nIn this RFP, \u201cAgency\u201d and/or \u201cBEA\u201d refers to New Hampshire\u2019s Department of Business and\nEconomic Affairs. \"Vendor\" means a person or entity that offers products or services for sale.\n\"Selected Vendor\" means the qualified person or entity that submits a proposal that BEA awards\nthe highest score according to the criteria set forth in this RFP.\n\nD. Vendor Instructions\nInterested Vendors must read this RFP in its entirety and submit required information and\n\ndocuments in the manner it prescribes. Vendors are responsible for reviewing the most updated\ninformation related to this RFP before submitting their proposals.\n\nPage 5 of 25\n" "STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE\nDepartment of Business and Economic Affairs\n\n2024-11 Broadband Reporting and Compliance Services (Infrastructure Investment and\nJobs Act)\n\nSECTION 2 - Proposed Scope of Work\n\nAs a minimum requirement, a Vendor that submits a proposal under this RFP must demonstrate\nexperience with providing services that are the same as or equivalent to those outlined in the\nScope of Work below. Experience gained through the Vendor\u2019s work as a proposed\nsubcontractor would meet this requirement. Vendors failing to meet this requirement will not\nreceive any further consideration.\n\nBEA seeks a Vendor that can provide all of the following services specifically related to the\nInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021(ILJA), Broadband Equity, Access, and\nDeployment (BEAD) Program Grant, at the request and direction of BEA:\n\nl. Supplement the ongoing work of BEA\u2019s Office of Broadband Initiatives as needed,\nincluding, but not limited to:\n\na. Supporting compliant implementation ofthe BEAD Grant across all stages and\nphases, including, for example, through research and reporting on grant-related\nmatters, tracking NTIA and other federal guidance, creating appropriate\nknowledge-management systems, identifying eligible project locations and\npartners, working with eligible grantees in both planning and deployment, and\nsimilar tasks as assigned by BEA\u2019s Office of Broadband Initiatives\n\nb. Supporting BEA\u2019s implementation ofthe BEAD Challenge Process, as defined\nand delineated by NTIA and appropriately adapted in New Hampshire, and\nthereafter resulting in final determination of those locations or entities that are\neligible for BEAD sub-grants\n\nc. Engaging and routinely consulting with stakeholders who can inform, contribute\nto, and/or aid in BEAD Grant program development and compliant\nimplementation\n\nd. Providing periodic information and analysis on funding resources available to\nBEA in terms of telecommunications and/or electronic communications,\nincluding resources that may supplement or complement the BEAD Grant or\notherwise be used for the building, accessibility, affordability, and maintenance of\nwired and fixed wireless broadband internet in New Hampshire\n\ne. Assessing state and BEA-specific information transparency efforts and success\nmetrics, comparing those efforts and metrics to other states, and recommending\npotential changes to current monitoring and reporting policy and practice\n\nf. Supporting BEA\u2019s Office of Broadband Initiatives as it keeps BEA leadership\napprised of BEAD Grant-related developments, rules, regulations, guidance, and\nreporting requirements\n\nPage 6 of 25\n" "STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE\nDepartment of Business and Economic Affairs\n\n2024-11 Broadband Reporting and Compliance Services (Infrastructure Investment and\nJobs Act)\n\ng. Engaging in other BEAD Grant-related program development and roll-out\nservices, as needed, and\n\nh. Assessing and, as appropriate, responding to opportunities for publication and\nuses of BEAD Grant outcomes, metrics, stories, and lessons learned.\n\n2. Assist BEA in maximizing federal funding currently available for broadband\nexpansion and positioning New Hampshire\u2019s unserved and underserved locations\nand entities for future funding, with assistance including, but not limited to:\n\na. Tracking, identifying, and analyzing information and guidance generated by\nNTIA, other federal sources, and other potential f\u00fcnding sources for the purpose\nof ensuring New Hampshire\u2019s long-term and sustainable access to appropriate\nbroadband funding sources\n\nb. Supplying strategic advice to BEA regarding broadband-specific funding\nopportunities at the federal and non-federal levels\n\nc. Assisting in providing feedback to pertinent federal agencies related to their\nfunding guidance and requirements, and\n\nd. Compiling and integrating as appropriate key feedback or lessons learned as\nreported to federal agencies by other states, organizations, and entities.\n\n3. Create guidance materials and/or training for potential BEAD Grant sub-grantees\nand other interested entities pertaining to broadband funding, including, but not\nlimited to:\n\na. Developing or adapting useful and necessary funding-related guidance that is\nBEA-specific; oriented toward different regions in New Hampshire; and/or of\nstate-wide interest\n\nb. Developing and/or hosting webinars or other information events that explain and\nclarify funding-related guidance to potential sub-grantees, and\n\nc. Developing and maintaining a repository of \u201cfrequently asked questions\u201d tailored\nto BEAD Grant implementation in New Hampshire.\n\n4. Provide guidance related to sub-grantee reporting requirements and submissions,\nincluding, but not limited to:\na. Developing or adapting useful and necessary reporting-related guidance for sub-\ngrantees\nb. Monitoring and conducting field-based verification, by a qualified entity, of sub-\ngrantees\u2019 project deployment and progress, including verification that work has\nbeen completed as required by sub-grants and the NOFO\n\nPage 7 of 25\n"