The Village has been utilizing Comcast for our Internet and metropolitan-area Ethernet services since 2009. This is the primary fiber optic-based Internet connection at Village Hall. The metropolitan-area Ethernet service connects two remote sites, Senior Center and Fire Station 2, with each other and to Village Hall. It allows staff at the remote locations to access files and applications hosted at Village Hall through a fast and secure network connection.

The current agreement with Comcast was for a 60-month service term and ended November 30th, 2020. Staff has successfully negotiated a cost decrease for a contract renewal. There will be a decrease from $4,050/month to $3,600/month which is a cost savings of $450/month. This reflects a competitive market rate.

In addition to the reduced cost, the proposed agreement will provide higher network bandwidth speeds. The increase in bandwidth speeds is needed to meet the network demands of many of the village applications that are now based on the Cloud architecture. Over the past few years, Comcast has met staff’s expectations and has been a reliable service provider. The proposed contract renewal is for a 36-month service term.

Staff recommends the contract renewal with Comcast for the Internet and Ethernet services at an annual cost of $43,200 plus applicable fees and surcharges for a total estimated cost of $54,200.

Funds are available in Account No.625-0601-553.21-65 for these services.

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the Village Board approve a three-year contract renewal with Comcast for Internet and metropolitan-area Ethernet fiber optic services, in a not-to-exceed total annual amount of $54,200 and authorize staff to execute the necessary documents.