NO-ISO RFP

How many fibers will be dropped to each parcel? Can there be more than one dropped for MDUs?
The fiber plan is designed to have one strand dropped for each parcel.  For most MDU’s an optical splitter can be used at the building entrance to provide individual customer handoffs. We do have excess capacity in all fiber cables if dropping multiple strands to a parcel proves to be the best solution.
Do you intend to monitor every ONT?
No.
If the ISP funds the head-end equipment and the customer end equipment, who pays for the fiber drop to the customer?
OTO Fiber. We are looking for bidders to describe how they can coordinate the installation of a fiber drop with the turn up of their service.
​How/When does the ONT equipment ownership transfer?
At the expiration of the contract.
Will OTO Fiber install a NID that matches the ONT the ISP prefers?
As we are looking for the ISP/NO to coordinate the installation of the fiber drop and NID with the turn up of their service, OTO Fiber expects to define the specification of the NID to be used during contract negotiations. ​
Have you done any market surveys or outreach to the parcels passed to determine take rate?
We have conducted needs assessment surveys that included all of Old Town and Orono.  We have also done a minimal amount of social media outreach. Our goal is to have a 30% take rate within the first 3 years which we feel should be attainable.
What is the mix of MDU/Commercial/Residential on the current fiber run?
The Town of Orono's Parcel Viewer offers layers with details on Zoning and Rentals. The City of Old Town is currently researching this question.
​Do Old Town and Orono have the same goals for service?
Yes.
Is it likely that you will negotiate with more than one finalist?
It is OTO Fiber’s intent to enter into contract negotiation with a single bidder, the finalist. If those negotiations fail to produce a mutually beneficial arrangement agreeable to both parties, OTO Fiber may, at its sole discretion, enter into contract negotiation with another bidder, release another RFP, or take other actions it feels are in its best interest.
Do you expect there to be a pre-marketing plan?
​Yes, we expect an overall marketing plan to include the period of time between contract signing and the availability of service.
Are you expecting to be eligible for connectme funding in the future?
No.
is everything aerial?
Yes, the fiber plant is aerial. Individual properties may have underground entrances.
Are you willing to deploy a separate NID per unit within an MDU parcel? An example is smaller MDU’s (2-6 units).
OTO Fiber's fiber plant is not engineered to be able to provide an individual strand of fiber for every housing unit within the MDUs it passes. While there may be individual cases where more than 1 strand of fiber and associated NID can be provisioned for a MDU, bidders should not assume that will be the case in general. For bidders that plan to use GPON technology, OTO Fiber is aware of NIDs that support up to 1:16 optical splitters which will satisfy the needs for most MDUs. (See https://www.fs.com/products/35858.html  as an example.) Bidders that use active ethernet technology will need to plan on using multi-port active electronics with most MDUs.
Section 4.1.4 requires the OSP to list pricing without the need to provide contact or any other information. Since the network is not available to the entire community, would it be possible to gather just address information to determine service availability?
​OTO Fiber's intent is to have rates publicly available without first having to enter address information.  Having a separate feature on a web site that allows a potential subscriber to determine availability would be a good addition.
Section 4.1.6 you mention the ISP/NO having a web portal. What are the particulars of the functionality OTO expects?
OTO Fiber envision a web portal where subscribers are at least able to view and pay their bills, set up recurring payments, manage communications preferences with the provider (ex. e-mail, postal mail, SMS), and submit non-urgent support requests.  Any additional information or services available through the web portal would be viewed favorably and should be detailed in the bidder's proposal.
On the pre-bid call you stated that OTO is responsible for plant maintenance. Do you consider the drop and the NID to be part of the plant?
Yes.
Can you elaborate on your vision for digital literacy as it relates specifically to the ISP/NO involvement?
OTO Fiber believes it is a shared benefit of both the ISP/NO and OTO Fiber to have as many subscribers as possible making use of the network. One of the ways to drive subscriptions is to educate potential subscribers on the benefits and uses of the Internet in general and what makes this service in particular better than other alternatives. OTO Fiber is looking for bidders to describe how it will work with OTO Fiber to incorporate an educational campaign specifically targeting digital literacy in its marketing plan.​

Re-issued RFP for Fiber Optic Network Construction

what is required for the fiber concentration point cabinets?
Each Fiber Concentration Point only needs one (1) indoor-rated cabinet.
Are the responses to the previously asked questions still accurate?
Yes.

RFP for Fiber Optic Network Construction

Do you have to hire the municipality for traffic control?
No. The contractor is responsible for implementing proper traffic control measures but may do that with their own employees or contracted services.
What are the red stars on the old town core network design print?
They are Maine Fiber Company splice cases.
Are Davis-Bacon wages required?
No.
Is oto fiber exempt from maine sales tax and maine service provider tax?
OTO Fiber has submitted an application to be exempt from Maine sales tax but it is still under review. Please make a note if you have included or excluded the sales tax from your quote. The Maine Service Provider Tax is technically a tax on the service provider, not the customer (although the service provider is allowed to pass it on to the customer) so OTO Fiber is not exempt from this tax.
Is a bid bond required? Are payment & Performance Bonds required?
Yes. Please see Section 5.4 under Northern Border Regional Commission for more details.
what is required for permitting?
Please see section 4 for permitting information.
Are pole replacements required?
The contractor will not be expected to do any pole replacements. See Exhibit E for make ready results.
where is the strand located and has the route been ridden out for clearance? what is the overlash connected to?
The fiber strand will be lowest on the pole in all areas where a new installation is required. The strand will be overlashed to University of Maine fiber in the Orono Core buildout. The route has been ridden out to confirm clearance below the phone cable.The fiber strand will be lowest on the pole in all of the network areas in Old Town and in the Forest-Noyes-Mahaney Neighborhood in Orono. The route has been ridden out to confirm clearance below the phone cable.

​The strand will be overlashed to University of Maine fiber in the Orono Core buildout. In the Orono the Pine Street Neighborhood a mixture of overlash and new strand is specified with the new strand being located in the same position on the poles between the phone and cableTV strand to avoid transitioning positions on the poles.
Will make ready be complete before construction?
OTO Fiber has completed the make ready surveys and submitted the request for make ready to be performed by Consolidated and Emera. It is expected that the make ready will be complete before construction begins.
is the construction all brand-new build?
Except for the Core route in Orono.
are there any anchoring or guying requirements? what if the make ready, bill of materials, & design prints don't match?
Yes, there are anchoring and guying requirements as detailed in the make ready and design. The design and bill of materials (BOM) were completed before the make ready survey results were complete. If there is a discrepancy, please follow the make ready survey results.
do you want pine & westwood bid separately or together?
Separately.
the bill of materials lists specific vendors for materials? Are substitutions acceptable?
The BOM lists materials specific to vendors to clearly specify the requirements for the materials. Substitutions of equivalent materials from alternative vendors is acceptable.
how do i notify oto fiber or our intent to bid?
Do we count sca terminals on the design print or on the BOM? 
They should be the same count.

RFQ for Fiber Optic Network Design & Engineering Services

Is it mandatory to be in-person for the pre-bid meeting on October 6th, or is it possible to join via conference call?
OTO Fiber will facilitate video and/or phone conferencing for the pre-bid meeting on October 6th. Details on how to join the meeting will be posted on the website no later than October 4th.
Our company has the capabilities to perform the design and engineering services. The question I have is, if we do the design will that not allow us to perform the installation?
Our grant funding will not allow us to put out a single design-build RFQ and we will have a competitive process for both the design and build contracts. However, if the competitive process works out, we have no objection to awarding the contract for both phases to one contractor.
What is required for the response to the RFQ?
Section III of the RFQ details the requirements for a proposal. Respondents are also encouraged to review the evaluation criteria on page 17.
What should we consider in the design of the network with regard to costs, connectorization, etc.  How should we balance construction costs vs operating costs?
OTO Fiber is a fully volunteer board and all design, engineering, and operation work will be contracted out to a third party. As such, OTO Fiber wishes the final design to minimize operating costs.  ​
​Are you looking for design that can operate without bucket trucks?
​No. We will contract all fiber maintenance with a third party as part of an operational contract.
IS The scope of project is 3 miles/community plus approximately 1.5  route miles for expansion neighborhoods?
Is OTO Fiber looking to install just backbone fiber?
No. The initial project will serve as both a backbone and distribution network. The design must incorporate the ability to expand into neighborhoods along and beyond the defined Primary Neighborhoods as well as service all parcels, both residential and commercial, within the Primary Neighborhoods as defined in the RFQ in Section IV.
​Has anyone surveyed all existing pole lines to verify public rights of way?
​No. Part of pole survey work will be to identify such potential problems.   The awardee does not have to file applications, but should do all the necessary preparation short of filing.
Will professional engineering management be retained for construction?
​This will be decided when the construction is to take place.  We welcome suggestions from the designers.
​What are the deliverables from design phase? bid-ready prints & bill of materials?
​We expect that the awarded contractor provide bid-ready prints along with a bill of materials that uses generic descriptions that address the functional requirements rather than a particular vendor’s part numbers.
​Are the required computerized  design maps and detailed drawings GIS or CAD?
OTO Fiber does not have a preferred platform for drawings and design work.The terms CAD and GIS are used as generalizations and not as particular software packages.
​Where should costs be included that are not strictly hourly rates of a particular person?  Such as,  travel, printing etc.?
​Under "Other".
​Do overlash opportunities exist?
The University of Maine System has fiber assets along route 2 and Bennoch Road in Orono (marked in the KMZ file) to which overlash permission has been given. ​
​Does OTO own anything?
No, but currently there is fiber running down Kelley Road from route 2 to the Orono Public Works garage.  This is a 96 strand fiber with slack loops at every other pole.  It is expected that OTO Fiber will have rights to this fiber in the near future and can and should be included in the design.
​Will OTO fiber become a broadband utility?
At this point OTO Fiber is not a broadband utility. Such a designation will be explored if/when it becomes necessary.  ​
​On the main routes, are subscriber field surveys necessary?
​Parcels serviced off main routes, both primary and secondary neighborhoods, are identified in Attachment A.  Individual homes do not need to be contacted or surveyed.
​Is a home run to the Fiber Concentration Points (FCP) required?
Largely, yes.  We wish to have multiple service providers able to serve customers.  We don't know of an alternative other than separate fibers to each subscriber.  As long as we can serve customers from separate providers we are receptive to a design that we may not have thought of.
​Can we assume existing carrier strand is appropriately bonded and grounded?
​Such assumptions should be visually confirmed as part of a field survey.
​Will the Fiber Concentration Points (FCPs) be inside or outside?
​Allow time in design bid for either, pictures will be presented.  Even if the FCPs are inside, it would be prudent to assume that climate control is at a minimum.  We would prefer to use available indoor space, but not at significantly increased cost.
​Are you aware that Emera requires colored line drawings for pole applications?
​During the pre-bid meeting it was mentioned by one of the participants that Emera is now requiring colored line drawings with pole applications.  While OTO Fiber has no first hand knowledge of this requirement, bidders are encouraged to confirm the current pole attachment applications requirements with both FairPoint and Emera.