The first contracts are in place, construction machinery, ducting and other materials are on-island and physical construction of the fiber optic backbone of the V.I. Next Generation Network should begin by the end of August, viNGN President Julito Francis told the Legislature Friday.
Francis was giving the Committee on Economic Development, Technology and Agriculture a quarterly report on the massive broadband project, which is funded through $68 million in federal grants and $32 million in local matching funds.
Work continues on a number of public computer centers across the territory and on other parts of the overall project, Francis said, rattling off the locations and the work performed to date. But the actual fiber optic backbone of the network is the next major piece of the puzzle to begin construction.
The CEO of a local network engineering firm, Michael Carty of Alliance Data Services and Smartnet, made a plea for special consideration for local firms in selecting bids for work on the network. He said he was disappointed the viNGN never followed up, asking for presentations or more information.
"No other owner can say they are from this community, of this community or have as much history in the community as we do," Carty said.
Francis agreed having local contractors is preferable. The viNGN governing board "strives to find ways to ensure that local vendors and suppliers are afforded the best opportunity to participate in the economic stimulus that these funds can bring to the local economy," Francis said. "However, local vendors thus far have not provided competitive pricing in close enough range to off-island vendors, even after adjustment for local gross receipts and excise taxes."
Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone, the committee chair, asked Carty what his company bid. Carty said because bidding is over, he saw no reason he could not reveal the figure, "We bid $4.3 million," Carty said. Malone asked Francis what the winning bid was.
"Approximately $2.9 million was awarded for that contract," Francis said. The legally mandated process for issuing requests for proposals and weighing bids was followed to the letter, he said. Atlantic Engineering Group out of Braselton, Ga., won the contract. AEG also performed much of the design work.
As work progresses, more and more of the contracts should be local, Francis said. Much of the upcoming work is construction, "which is inherently local," Francis said.
