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Commissioners award $226,883 contract to Cross Connect for broadband switch upgrade and centralized monitoring
Summary
The board approved a contract with Cross Connect Engineering to replace older Brocade switches at primary broadband towers, standardize core equipment on Cisco, and add a unified monitoring system with seven years of licensing.
Rio Blanco County commissioners voted July 22, 2025, to approve a notice of award and agreement with Cross Connect Engineering for the county’s 2025 broadband network switch upgrade and monitoring project, accepting a value‑engineered Cisco‑based solution at a proposed cost of $226,883.
Eric, a county broadband/IT staff member, told commissioners the county’s broadband infrastructure included three switch manufacturers across sites: Juniper core switches in the data centers, Brocade at primary towers and Ubiquiti at secondary towers. The primary objective of the project is to standardize hardware where it matters most and add unified monitoring and no‑touch provisioning so switches can be pre‑configured before field installation.
An RFP issued in April drew proposals from Cross Connect Engineering (Cisco), High Point Networks (Extreme Networks) and 1 Technology Corporation (Juniper). Staff recommended Cross Connect’s Cisco‑based proposal after evaluating the submissions and negotiating value engineering to meet the county’s previously identified $226,000 budget cap. Cross Connect’s revised proposal included training credits and expanded warranty/licensing (seven years) that staff credited for the selection; county staff said the Ubiquiti switches at secondary solar towers will remain in place for the time being because they are DC‑powered, lower cost, and carry fewer radios.
Eric said the county expects to place the order after formal contract execution, target an October implementation window and have the system fully operational by the end of the year.
Commissioners called the roll on the award motion. Recorded votes were Aye from Commissioner Overton, Commissioner O'Harend and Commissioner Scratchfield; the motion passed.
Staff said Cross Connect will additionally provide engineering support during the seven‑year licensing period and will act as a consultant for integration between the county’s internal IT network and its broadband network.
The county noted the Sourcewell cooperative pricing framework will be used for documentation of financing terms and will provide the formal rate structure to staff and commissioners for due diligence.
