Albany, NY – September 28, 2021 – FirstLight, a leading provider of fiber-optic data, Internet, data center, cloud, Unified Communications and managed services to enterprises and carriers throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, announced today that it is an authorized supplier in the Pennsylvania COSTARS Cooperative Purchasing Program.

The COSTARS program gives municipalities, agencies, and authorities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania access to verified vendor options and competitive pricing across a platform of 39 categories of goods and services. One of the most notable benefits of the COSTARS program is the elimination of the public bidding process, saving its members time and resources. Members can purchase directly from the COSTARS authorized vendor(s) of their choice, ensuring cost-effective purchasing decisions while satisfying local government procurement policies.

FirstLight’s expansion into Pennsylvania was first announced in October of 2019, and it continues to expand its high capacity, low latency fiber optic network throughout the state, with presence in Harrisburg, Lancaster, Allentown, Scranton, and beyond. As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to provide organizations in Pennsylvania with access to reliable connectivity and top-flight technology solutions, FirstLight completed the COSTARS approval process with the Pennsylvania Department of General Services and is now eligible to provide services to all 9,000 of its public procurement entities.

“We’re honored to be a COSTARS authorized vendor through the Pennsylvania Department of General Services,” said Patrick Coughlin, Chief Development Officer for FirstLight. “As a service provider and technology partner, not only does FirstLight’s expansion into Pennsylvania bring a quality option to enterprises in the state, but thousands of Pennsylvania government entities now have access to our services via the COSTARS Program. We’re looking forward to serving members with the reliable, quality connectivity and communications solutions we’re known for across the Northeast.”

“FirstLight has extensive experience in the government sector, so we understand the importance of having the right technology solutions in place,” said Maura Mahoney, Chief Marketing Officer at FirstLight. “Being able to offer our services to the members of the COSTARS program and providing them with the performance and cost efficiency they require to thrive is another great step for FirstLight in Pennsylvania.”

FirstLight serves over 600 state and local government entities in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic with solutions tailored to the needs of the industry, including redundant fiber optic connectivity, colocation, cloud computing, managed security solutions, and more.

For more information on FirstLight, visit:
https://www.firstlight.net/solutions/industry-tailored/government/