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# NTIA Plans to Award $50 Million Contract to CostQuest, but Considers Competitive Procurement
- URL: https://broadbandbreakfast.com/ntia-plans-to-award-50-million-contract-to-costquest-but-considers-competitive-procurement/
- Published: 2022-10-24T22:25:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-11T06:14:26.000Z
- Description: Earlier this month, the NTIA publicized its intention to negotiate a sole source contract with CostQuest Associates.
- Author: David B. McGarry
- Tags: Fabric, #with-siderail, CostQuest, Broadband Mapping and Data, BEAD, ACCESS BROADBAND Act, Broadband DATA Act, Broadband Funding, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-02-01 09:59, #added-preview-divider

WASHINGTON, October 24, 2022 – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration will gather public input until Wednesday on whether it should open a competitive procurement process for broadband mapping data or partner by default with CostQuest Associates.

On October 15, [the NTIA publicized its intention](https://sam.gov/opp/bd39121e15a548659ab49728cbd86d0b/view?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com) to negotiate a sole source contract with CostQuest for access to the latter’s Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric – commonly called the “fabric” – and related products to support the agency’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment; Digital Equity; and the Access Broadband Act programs.

The NTIA estimates the price tag will be $49.9 million and says CostQuest’s data will be used for “identification and use of un and under Served Broadband Serviceable locations as identified by the \[Federal Communications Commission\] for the use in the BEAD program,” defining high-cost and extremely high-cost areas, tracking broadband-deployment projects, and other purposes.

After reviewing responses, the NTIA will determine if other firms have the “ability to successfully perform this effort” and whether a competitive procurement process should be initiated. Responses are due by 5 p.m. ET on October 26.

CostQuest owns the fabric’s data, but the company provides the dataset to various government entities – such as the NTIA and state governments – and other interested parties, largely for the purpose of correcting its errors through [the FCC’s prescribed challenge process](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/fccs-fabric-challenge-process-important-part-of-getting-map-right-agency-says/).

“CostQuest Associates (CQA) is uniquely positioned as the only entity capable of providing the standard location information, broadband availability information, and estimated cost to implement broadband as a single, linked source,” the NTIA notice said.

Pursuant to the Broadband DATA Act of 2020, the FCC selected a partner – CostQuest – to initially create the fabric, a location-level dataset of all broadband serviceable locations nationwide. [CostQuest’s contract with the FCC](https://sam.gov/opp/7c2c1895e603440bb2be0d55199c6dc9/view?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com) netted the company $44.9 million. The FCC will overlay the fabric with broadband coverage data to create a national broadband map, the first draft of which the agency says it plans to release in November.

The NTIA is expected to allocate the BEAD program’s $44.45 billion among the states based on the FCC’s national broadband map.

***See other Broadband Breakfast articles on CostQuest and broadband mapping:***

> [After Controversial Panel on Mapping, FCC Confirms No Charges for Access to Fabric](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/after-controversial-panel-on-mapping-fcc-confirms-no-charges-for-access-to-fabric/)

> [FCC Broadband Data Task Force Emphasizes Need for Precision in Mapping Challenges](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/fcc-broadband-data-task-force-emphasizes-need-for-precision-in-mapping-challenges/)

> [Communities Must Be Accurate in Fabric-Challenge Submissions, says Mapping Non-profit](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/communities-must-be-accurate-in-fabric-challenge-submissions-says-mapping-non-profit/)

> [Panelists at Broadband Breakfast Event Urge the FCC Mapping Fabric Be Made Public](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/panelists-at-broadband-breakfast-event-urge-the-fcc-mapping-fabric-be-made-public/)

> [Federal Court Denies Challenge to FCC Selection of CostQuest as Mapping Contractor](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/federal-court-denies-challenge-to-fcc-selection-of-costquest-as-mapping-contractor/)

> [‘Not a Data Company’: LightBox Disappointed by Mapping Contract Denial](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/not-a-data-company-lightbox-disappointed-by-mapping-contract-denial/)