REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on the Award of a Public Works Contract for the Fiber Optic Aerial and Substructure Project, Contract No. 2004F, to West Valley Construction Company, Inc., for a Not-to-Exceed Amount of $8,792,787, Over a Two-Year Period, Inclusive of a 15% Contingency, Funded by Silicon Valley Power and Other Departments
Report
BACKGROUND
In 2000, the City of Santa Clara's Electric Department, Silicon Valley Power (SVP), upgraded its communication system from an older copper-based network to a modern fiber-optic network. The upgraded system was intentionally designed with excess capacity to ensure long-term reliability for internal City operations and to allow for future commercial leasing.
Today, the SVP fiber-optic network ("SVP Fiber Program") spans approximately 100 route-miles, with about 70% installed underground and 30% installed aerially. This network supports critical SVP operations, City communication networks, local schools, and connectivity for 33 data centers.
Through its SVP Fiber Program, SVP also makes limited use of the excess capacity by leasing dark fiber to third parties. Dark fiber consists of City-owned, unlit fiber-optic network that customers use for their own communication needs. SVP Fiber currently provides services to 16 commercial customers and generates approximately $2.1 million in annual revenue.
As demand for fiber-optic capacity continues to grow, SVP must actively improve and expand its existing fiber-optic infrastructure to ensure system reliability and operational continuity. To support these ongoing needs for both external customers as well as internal City departments and facilities, SVP requires on-call public works services to perform minor construction and improvements on an as-needed basis across the City's fiber-optic network. This contract is needed for work that SVP Fiber Program's City forces do not perform, such as underground and aerial construction for fiber installation.
DISCUS...
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