The Connectivity Question in Amazon's RFP

Barendrecht: “It’s important to understand why Amazon put this into the RFP. “

NEW YORK CITY—“Ensuring optimal fiber connectivity is paramount at our HQ2 location. Please demonstrate the fiber connectivity on all submitted sites. Also, demonstrate multiple cellular phone coverage maps to ensure optimal service.”

This paragraph in Amazon’s Request for Proposals to build a second headquarters somewhere in North America is light on specifics, and may not be top of mind when considering what it would take to reel in the enormous catch that an eight-million-square-foot headquarters facility would represent to a city’s economy. Yet the world’s largest online retailer had good reason to specify telecom capacity in its RFP, and a city or region’s ability to meet that requirement certainly will be weighed along with such factors as the pool of qualified employees. GlobeSt.com spoke with Arie Barendrecht, cofounder and CEO of New York City-based WiredScore, for his assessment. Part one of a two-part interview follows below.