PORT OF SEATTLE
MEMORANDUM
COMMISSION AGENDA

Date of Meeting
DATE:

September 2, 2011

TO:

Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer

FROM:

Peter Garlock, Chief Information Officer

SUBJECT:

Century Link Optical Ethernet Connectivity Master Contract

FOUR YEAR AMOUNT: $990,000

5b

Item No.

September 12, 2011

SOURCE OF FUNDS: ICT Expense
Budget

Amount of This Request: $0
ACTION REQUESTED:
Request authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to execute appropriate contract
documents with Century Link (previously Qwest) to continue Qwest Metropolitan
Optical Ethernet (QMOE) services until December 31, 2015, at a cost not to exceed
$990,000.
SYNOPSIS:
Qwest/Century Link Metropolitan Optical Ethernet (QMOE) provides the wide area
network connectivity for the Port of Seattle locations.
BACKGROUND:
QMOE provides the Port's wide area network. It connects all port locations to our
primary and secondary data centers in order to provide IT services, including application
access, file and printing services, voice connectivity, internet access, and other
miscellaneous IT functions. Qwest (recently purchased by Century Link) utilizes fiber
optic cables for the connections.
The Port first deployed QMOE in 2006. At the time Qwest was the only provider
capable of meeting the Port's needs at an acceptable cost. The original five-year contract
expired in early 2011. We have recently completed negotiations with Qwest/Century
Link that will allow us to consolidate agreements, increase bandwidth and reduce costs
by approximately 20% compared to our original Qwest agreement.
The new Port agreement with Qwest/Century Link will be established through
Washington State's Department of Information Services (DIS) contract with Century

COMMISSION AGENDA
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer
September 2, 2011
Page 2 of 2
Link/Qwest. DIS conducts competitive procurements and enters into contracts with
multiple agencies enabling them to secure lower prices than available to individual state
agencies or local governments.
SOURCE OF FUNDS:
Payments to Century Link for 2011 are already included in the Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) expense budget. Payments for future years will be
included in future ICT annual expense budgets.
OTHER DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS REQUEST:
None.
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS:
None.