FirstNet deadline won't be met

While everyone in the US — and, let’s face it, the rest of the world — will be glad when 8 November (US federal election day) has come and gone, we’ll all have to wait a little longer for the results of another contest.

The award of the contract to build the US’s nationwide FirstNet public safety broadband network was due to be announced on the first day of November. But FirstNet CEO Mike Poth has indicated that the agency will not meet that deadline.

In a blog post, Poth said that while “not able to discuss procurement specifics, I am pleased to report that we have made significant progress in the evaluation process and are moving closer to a contract award in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)”.

Poth went on to say, “As an organisation, FirstNet has accomplished many of the major tasks needed to award the contract for the deployment of the Network on behalf of public safety on or ahead of schedule. We developed and issued the Request for Proposals (RFP) in January, answered several hundred questions about its content, and received and evaluated proposals from offerors.

“From the outset, FirstNet set an aggressive schedule for the procurement knowing that the timing of the award would depend on many factors given its significance and complexity, some of which are outside our control,” he said.

“This is a highly complex acquisition that requires the input and support of multiple agencies and entities; it is critical that all parties are thorough and follow the necessary processes so that FirstNet gets this right for public safety.”

“With all of this in mind, FirstNet will continue to execute the acquisition process outlined in the RFP beyond the November 1st target date for the award,” added Poth.

“We will continue to work diligently with our Federal partners to complete the RFP process in line with the FAR, while being as transparent as allowable.”

Image courtesy FirstNet.