The Little Rock Technology Park Authority's board of directors on Wednesday approved entering into a contract with Ritter Communications as its broadband service provider.
Jonesboro-based Ritter Communications was selected over Unite Private Networks, AT&T, Level 3 Communications and Windstream Communications. Tech Park Executive Director Brent Birch was authorized to enter into a three-year contract with Ritter for 1 gigabyte of fiber with the capability of expanding to 10 gigabytes, if needed.
Ritter will charge $1,099.95 per month, or $13,199.40 per year for 1 gigabyte. Services could be scaled up or down depending on the needs of the park, and 10 gigabytes of fiber would cost $95,999.40 per year, or $7,999.95 per month.
"It's been a long, drawn-out piece but we were trying to make sure we got it right," Birch told the board. "We had the time to be thorough."
Ritter's existing central Arkansas clients include the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the Arkansas Department of Information Systems and the Jacksonville, Maumelle and North Pulaski high schools. The company has 45,000 residential and business clients, but declined to provide a number of strictly commercial customers.
Scott Tollett, Ritter's senior vice president and general manager of enterprise and wholesale services, said the contract will give his company an opportunity to raise its profile in central Arkansas and across the state.
"We've spent a lot of time and energy in developing our fiber network across the state," Tollett said. "Our participation with UAMS and [the Information Systems Department] has helped us to do that along with other key national carriers. ... This is really an extension of that. ... It's nice to be a part of what is going on in Little Rock."
Also included in Ritter's pitch to the tech park were guarantees of liquidated damages in the case of service failures or installation going beyond 60 days. The same fiber being installed can handle up to 10 gigabytes of data.
The contract will include stipulations that allow for individual tenants of the tech park to enter into contracts with other providers if desired.
"If a client has a national contract or if they want to use another contractor, we're set up for that," board member and Little Rock Chamber of Commerce CEO Jay Chesshir said. "Our contract [with Ritter] will serve our purposes and any tenants who want to utilize it."
In other business, Birch told board members he is reviewing bids for tech park furniture, fixtures and equipment providers. He is also looking at vendors for audio/visual equipment and installation. Those bids are due Monday and will be presented to the board in June.
Cost for asbestos abatement at 415 Main St. will decrease by nearly $20,000. Birch said crews discovered that the roof of the property tested negative and now the park will spend $22,957 for the project, rather than the original cost of $41,984.
Birch said he is in contact with the Pulaski County Brownfields Program about helping defer the cost of the abatement, but a tight construction timeline likely will not allow for the help.
"They use federal money, and the process can take a while," Birch said. "It's probably not going to shake out timing wise. We're plugging away at it anyway."
Tech park members also voted to name the first floor of the future conference room at 415 Main St. for past chairman Mary Good. Board member Dickson Flake offered the motion to name the conference room in her honor and joked, "If she comes up with $15 million, we'll name the whole park for her."
Business on 05/12/2016