5. Market and Regulatory Analysis
The Market and Regulatory analysis is a critically important component in planning for the future. The consultant should provide specific information about locally licensed telecommunications service providers, with an analysis of their capabilities and footprint. In addition, any local regulations governing the deployment of telecommunications equipment and networks should be provided.
An analysis of the incumbent and competitive voice, data, Internet, satellite and cable providers will identify core competencies, whether or not they are currently in the building or are near the building site, their general financial strength, and their viability as a stable business. It is critical for the building owner to understand the local telecommunications market trends - who is building metro fiber networks close to the site, who has FCC frequency allocations, which companies have enough funding to sustain their growth plans, and which companies are likely to fail or to be purchased.
In selecting a telecommunications consultant, it is critical that the building owner find out how involved they are in the regulatory arena, how much market intelligence they can access, and what relationships they have with locally available service providers.
6. Technical Analysis and Technology Selection
In developing a new building or upgrading an existing structure, it is important that the owner perform a comprehensive technical analysis of the required telecommunications infrastructure. As the architects and other contractors design the structural components of the building, they need to have an accurate sizing of the telecommunications infrastructure in order to allocate appropriate space, power, and security infrastructure.
The telecommunications consultant should provide a comprehensive technical
analysis of the telecommunications systems, taking into account the intended
tenants, future telecommunications developments, and existing market conditions.
For new developments, the telecommunications consultant will work hand in hand
with the architect to plan an optimal inside wiring solution that provides the
most flexibility for a wide range of service providers. Designing access facilities
and telco rooms to allow multiple carriers to have secure access, as well as
designing meet points so that no single provider has an advantage over any others,
will add significant flexibility to the building. Designing vertical risers
and conduits that have easy access and allow easy upgrades for all kinds of
wiring including CAT-5, CAT-6, fiber, and co-axial cable will help avoid future
core drilling and conduit upgrades. As in-building wireless LAN solutions come
to market, the telecommunications consultant can provide design and evaluation
of these solutions for the building or individual tenants.
The final deliverable from this service is a design specification for the buildings' telecommunications infrastructure, including drawings, sizes, recommended equipment and design criteria. This document is the basis for any RFP that might be released for competitive bid.
7. Financial Analysis
The telecommunications consultant performs the financial analysis related to telecommunications projects either as a standalone assignment or as part of the turnkey statement of work. There are several different phases of each project where financial analysis must be performed, including:
· Overall budget preparation for new construction projects - If a building
owner has an allocated amount of money to spend on telecommunications, the telecommunications
consultant can analyze how to provide the best solution for each budget. The
telecommunications consultants prepare budgets, cost benefit models, cost assessments
for existing infrastructure, and any other analysis that will help maximize
the budget.
· Financial analysis related to technology and vendor selection - If
an owner is considering a wireless LAN technology for the building, the telecommunications
consultant can analyze the cost difference between several vendors, as well
as against traditional wireline LAN solutions.
· Financial Due Diligence assessments of vendors and service providers
(section 9).
· Financial analysis of disaster recovery/redundancy systems
8. RFP Preparation
The preparation of the Request for Proposals is the single most critical part of the implementation of the telecommunications infrastructure. The RFP sets forth all of the detailed design requirements that the bidders must meet in order for the system to satisfy the building owner and tenants needs. Defining those requirements accurately is critical, and the telecommunications consultant should have demonstrated experience defining the RFP and managing the review of the resulting proposals.
The RFP Preparation will be done using information already captured earlier in the project. Depending on the kind of project (upgrade to existing building or new development), the specifications that go into the RFP will be quite different. In the case of a new development these specifications might include:
· Total desired incoming capacity (primary and backup)
· Number of voice lines
· Number of data lines and capacity
· Size and type of conduit and riser
· Location and size of telco room and closets
· Interface equipment in telco room
· Masts and towers for wireless antennae
The telecommunications consultant will write the RFP and disseminate it to all viable potential bidders. The RFP may in fact be made up of several smaller RFPs that address different technology areas and services desired. The telecommunications consultant will manage the interaction with the bidders, perform the initial review of the bids, and summarize and compare all responses to make it simple for the client to perform an intelligent assessment of the proposals.
