Amendment 5 5G celluar services at Camp Randall and the Kohl Complexes.pdf

5G Cellular Services at Camp Randall and the Kohl Complexes

2025-UWMSN-08001-RFP

Amendment #5

Amendment #5 serves to:

1.) Answer the questions received following the site visit. This is an incomplete list of answers to questions received by March 13th, 2025. All questions submitted by March 14th, 2025, will be answered tentatively by March 26th, 2025. A new amendment will be published.

2.) Extend the RFP due date to April 29th, 2025, 2PM Central.

Question No. Question Response 1 Who owns the fiber in the stadium and arena?

Are there available construction drawings or as-builts for the fiber per venue?

The University owns the fiber. The University has provided all the information it has via the Supplemental Materials.

2 Where is the Crown headend for the arena DAS?

How big is it?

Crown Castle’s headend equipment is located at two sites:

Ramp 17 and WARF B156. The exact distribution of equipment between the two is unknown. According to Space Management floor plans, WARF B156 is approximately 3,000 sq. ft., but Crown Castle only occupies a portion of that space, which is currently assigned to DoIT. The size of the Crown Castle hut at Ramp 17 is unknown without physical measurement.

3 Is the Wi-Fi owned/managed by the University?

Does AmpThink still have a role with the Wi-Fi?

Yes, the existing Wi-Fi systems in the Camp Randall and Kohl Center complexes are owned by the Athletic department.

Ampthink was the designer of the current system. They assist with new additions and upgrades to our system.

4 Would the Wi-Fi responsibilities be impacted by Crown’s departure that the new vendor would be responsible for?

Crown Castle has no responsibility for the Wi-Fi system. In the RFP, the University has requested Proposers to consider mobile coverage and capacity options that include, in addition to 5G Coverage and Capacity, option for Wi-Fi offload. Features that facilitate such hybrid network should include seamless mobility/roaming between 5G and Wi-Fi. The Proposer or new vendor would be responsible for managing the Wi-Fi offload and mobility/roaming between 5G and Wi-Fi at the target Venues.

5 Is there Wi-Fi roaming capability with the existing Wi-Fi?

There is no 4G to Wi-Fi managed roaming or offload capability at present.

6 Can we mount antennas on the roof of the suites under the lights (east side of the stadium)?

To begin with the Camp Randall sports lights are scheduled to be replaced this summer. Athletics can provide details. Regardless an engineering study would have to be completed to see if the structure can also support these additional antennas. Also, the aesthetics of these antennas will need to be evaluated by Athletics Senior staff before being approved to mount and should comply with the provisions in Annex C of the RFP.

9 What is the power output provided by UW- Madison at each node location?

At present time, the University is unable to provide this information. The Proposer can perform their own audit as necessary to determine power availability in coordination with the University.

10 Is UW-Madison open to an extension given the amount of time it will take to design/cost the new

DAS?

Yes, the University intends to extend the RFP close date to 2PM CT, April 29, 2025.

11 Is it possible for UW-MADISON to provide the DAS as-builts for the stadium? Would you also be able to share the Bill of Materials (BOM)?

The University is unable to provide this information.

Proposals shall be based on site visits and Supplemental Materials provided.

14 Would the University allow multiple operators on the campus, beyond the stadium

Currently, Crown Castle has the contractual rights for providing mobile services on the campus areas beyond the Camp Randall and Kohl Center/LaBahn Arena complexes.

At this time, the focus of the RFP is only for the Target Venues.

19 Is the interconnecting fiber which is University owned will be maintained by University?

Yes, the University owns and maintains the fiber networks including those that interconnect the target venues with the rest of campus

20 Can we assume all conduits that exist between all buildings and can be used by RFP Winner?

Yes, to the extent the conduits have space for additional fiber, they can be used.

22 Is there additional power available to run a new 5G system while old 4G is still operating before cutover?

Athletics cannot provide this information at this time. The Proposer can perform their own audit as necessary to determine power availability in coordination with the University.

25 Do all remotes need to be concealed or enclosed?

The Proposer will need to follow the guidelines as defined in Annex C for Aesthetics.

26 Are LOT17 and Warf Head end rooms owned by University or Crown?

The are owned by the University

27 Will University build out new Head end rooms if needed?

New headend room construction is not anticipated by the University.

28 Are there limitations on weekly working hours and weekend hours?

All work taking place outside of Athletic facilities is regulated by the City of Madison’s noise ordinance. I.e.

Monday through Saturday’s 7am to 7pm and Sunday 10am to 7pm. Inside Athletic facilities, work schedules will have to be coordinated depending on events etc. In general, all athletic facilities normal hours of operations are 6am to 10pm. Again, contractors will need to coordinate with Athletics' building Managers.

29 Is conduit required or can it be secured in a safe manner instead?

The Proposer will need to follow all guidelines and specifications as defined in the RFP and Annex C for Aesthetics.

30 If AC power is required in the IDF rooms, will it need a meter or University provided?

Vendors must install their own dedicated electric meters so the Physical Plant (PP) Utility Department can connect to their system. If vendors choose to use power drawn from the existing meter, the Utility Department will not be able to integrate the new submeter into their system. The Utility Department will provide a single consolidated invoice that reflects the consumption readings from the existing meter. It is the vendors' responsibility to accurately assess and document any pass-through charges related to their energy usage on their end. Ideally, these meters should be separate.

31 What is the timeline for implementation of the 5G NHN solution?

Our target for the implementation, starting with Camp Randall is prior to the start of the regular football season in 2025. The full implementation of the 5G NHN system can be a staged, phased approach for completing Camp Randall and Kohl Center complexes. The University encourages Proposers to provide a practical, actionable schedule with milestones according to their capabilities and expertise and the University will evaluate the approach with respect to its priorities.

32 Do you intend to deploy it in 2025 or 2026? The University expects the Proposer to provide a timeline for its deployment and operation of the 5G NHN system starting at Camp Randall complexes in time for the Fall 2025 football season with a phase implementation that includes the Proposer’s deployment schedule for the Kohl Center complexes.

33 Also, what would the cost be to purchase the existing conduit, cables, etc. from Crown Castle;

in order to re-use as much of the existing infrastructure as possible?

The existing fiber conduits are owned by the University. Any new conduits built by the 5G NHN system vendor would be transferred for ownership to the University. The University will make existing conduits available to the 5G NHN system vendor as part of the contract.

35 Site Walk Question: What is the University’s preference for 5G vs Wi-Fi?

The audience was referred to the AOI definitions the AOI definitions in the RFP:

Green: Mandatory 3GPP 5G Cellular Technology for Capacity and Coverage with supplemental offload via CBRS/MOCN and WI-FI 7 acceptable.

Orange: Mandatory 3GPP 5G Cellular Technology for Coverage with supplemental offload via CBRS/MOCN and WI- FI 7 acceptable.

Yellow: Optional 3GPP 5G Cellular Technology for Coverage and Wi-Fi 7 acceptable.

36 Site Walk Question: Do the Students when visiting the Venues get automatically on the Venue Wi-Fi network?

Students go through Captive portal to get on to Wi-Fi network in the Venues, whereas Campus network has

Passpoint implemented. The Wi-Fi network in the Venues and Campus are two different networks.

38 Site Walk Question: Can the Vendor install conduits for Fiber and RF cables within the Venues walkways, concourses, similar to the exposed conduits of the current 4G NHN system

Yes, the Vendor can construct and use similar conduits similar to the existing 4G NHN system

39 Site Walk Question: Does Crown staff and provide support to the University during Games?

No, Crown does not have physical on-site staff available during games. Crown has a NOC that can be contacted for any technical issues.

46 Is Crown aware of the RFP for this project? Yes.

47 Is Crown bidding on the RFP? It is unknown at the present time.

48 Will an RFP proposal be considered if a carrier or vendor is only providing the RFP information for a NH DAS for the proposed AOI’s?

RFP proposals will be considered and scored from Proposers that provide responses for all Sections of the

RFP.

49 Will a proposal be considered if it does not include participation in marketing or extra fees part of the RFP depends on the specific requirements outlined in the RFP document.

RFP proposals will be considered and scored from Proposers that provide responses for all Sections of the

RFP.

If a Proposer chooses to not respond to sections e.g., 3.8.

Marketing Sponsorship Requirement, then a Proposer can provide responses in 3.8.5, and still provide responses to Section 3.10. including the Funding and Revenue Value requirements.

50 Will the University provide an extension to the current RFP due date of April 11, 2025?

See Response to Question 10.