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Commissioners approve $226,883 award to Cross Connect for broadband switch upgrade, citing seven-year licensing
Summary
The board awarded Cross Connect Engineering the notice of award for a broadband network switch refresh and monitoring system, selecting Cisco-based proposal after value-engineering to meet a $226,883 budget line; commissioners discussed manufacturer differences, warranty terms and deployment timing.
The Rio Blanco County Board of County Commissioners voted July 22 to approve a notice of award and agreement with Cross Connect Engineering for the 2025 broadband network switch upgrade and monitoring system, in a motion that passed in roll call.
Eric (broadband/IT staff) told commissioners the county's broadband network currently uses three switch vendors: Juniper in core data center locations, Brocade at primary towers and Ubiquiti at secondary towers. He said primary towers’ Brocade equipment is oldest and most in need of replacement and that a unified monitoring and “no‑touch provisioning” capability was the main goal. He presented results from an April RFP that returned three proposals: Cross Connect Engineering (Cisco), High Point Networks (Extreme Networks) and 1 Technology Corporation (Juniper).
Eric said Cross Connect’s Cisco‑based solution was judged the most comprehensive for future needs, and that Cross Connect revised its original higher-priced proposal (roughly $327,000) down through value engineering to fit the county budget of $226,883. The approved package includes Cisco hardware and seven years of licensing and warranty coverage. Eric said the Juniper option initially quoted higher per-main-switch list prices but had only five years of licensing in its proposal; Cisco pricing as revised provided longer licensing and service credits including training.
Commissioners asked about manufacturer differences and relative costs. Eric said Cisco is a higher‑end option and noted that Extreme and Juniper were other viable vendors; he also explained that some existing Ubiquiti switches at secondary, DC‑powered solar sites would remain in place for now because they are less critical and significantly lower cost. He told the board Cross Connect had proposed retaining the Ubiquiti units for secondary towers and planned a phased approach.
The board asked about deployment timing. County staff said order placement would begin after the contract is signed; implementation was targeted for an October start and completion by year‑end.
Action and vote: the motion to approve the notice of award to Cross Connect Engineering passed on roll call with Commissioners Overton, O’Harend and Stitchfield recorded as voting “Aye.”
Ending: County staff said they will place the order and begin procurement steps after formal contract execution, and will coordinate configuration and monitoring tools with Cross Connect once equipment arrives.
