REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Agreement with US Digital Designs for a Fire Station Alerting System
Report
COUNCIL PILLAR
Deliver and Enhance High Quality Efficient Services and Infrastructure
BACKGROUND
Public Safety Dispatchers rely on the fire station alerting system to notify fire station(s) of an incoming emergency. The fire station alerting system provides personnel with the necessary details to respond to the incident.
The existing fire station alerting system was installed over 20 years ago and is at end-of-life status. The new fire station alerting system will help the Fire Department meet its performance objectives and will contribute to enhanced firefighter wellness and resilience.
DISCUSSION
Pursuant to City Code Section 2.105.330, a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) was conducted as the solicitation method for this procurement, with the award recommendation based on “best value”. The factors considered in the award were experience, technical capability, and cost.
In 2020, a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) was advertised on the City’s bid notification system for a Contractor to provide a fire station alerting system. Sixty-three vendors viewed the RFP, and three proposals were received from Bryx, Inc., PURVIS Systems, and US Digital Designs, Inc. (USDD), respectively. Proposals were independently evaluated by four representatives from the Fire Department and two representatives from the Department of Information Technology. The evaluation criteria set forth in the RFP were experience, technical capability, and cost. Finalists were required to participate in demonstrations and the City elected to conduct a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) to ask clarifying questions regarding the proposed solution and to provide proposers a final opportunity to revise their proposed costs.
References were checked with City of Palo Alto, Mountain View Fire Department, and the Santa Clara County Fire Department. All references checked positive.
USDD is recommended for award of contract as having submitted the best value proposal. They demonstrated experience deploying the proposed system at numerous fire departments across the country. USDD’s technology meets or exceeds the requirements in the RFP and they have a dedicated team on the west coast available for on-demand customer support. In addition, USDD lowered their original price by $45,000 through the BAFO process.
Under the proposed agreement, US Digital Designs will provide professional services for project planning, system implementation, configuration, testing, training, and support services. The initial term of the agreement will be five years which covers the purchase and implementation of the software and hardware, plus four years of software support services. The City may extend the term of the Agreement for five additional years for ongoing support services after the initial five-year term.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
US Digital Designs’ system has a first-year cost of approximately $571,774. In FY 2021/22, this first year cost is funded in the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Alerting System Upgrade capital project (project #4094) in the Fire Department Capital Fund. The annual ongoing cost for support services after the first year is $13,342 for Year 2, which is for 6 months of support services (the initial purchase includes 18-Months of warranty and support) and $26,684 annually for Years 3 through 5. The ongoing cost has been factored into the General Fund Operating Budget for the Fire Department.
COORDINATION
This report was coordinated with the Finance Department and City Attorney’s Office.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov>.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an Agreement with US Digital Designs, Inc. to provide services for the purchase, installation and implementation of a fire station alerting system for an initial five-year term beginning on or about September 28, 2021 and ending on or about September 30, 2026 with maximum compensation not-to-exceed $665,167.54 and subject to the appropriation of funds;
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute amendments to the Agreement up to $67,000 for contingencies in the event there are unanticipated changes during the initial term of the Agreement, subject to the appropriation of funds; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to extend the term of the Agreement for five additional years ending on or about September 30, 2031, at a cost of up to $40,000 annually for Years 6 through 10. These ongoing costs will be factored into the General Fund Operating Budget for the Fire Department and subject to the appropriation of funds.
Staff
Reviewed by: Ruben Torres, Fire Chief, Santa Clara Fire Department
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Agreement with US Digital Designs Draft