REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 28, 2023
FROM
MELANIE OROSCO, County Librarian, County Library
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Presidio Network Solutions Group LLC for E-Rate Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract with Presidio Network Solutions Group LLC, including non-standard terms, to provide Data Distribution components connecting all County Library branches to high speed internet, in the amount of $888,782, for the period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.
(Presenter: Melanie Orosco, County Librarian, 387-2220)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost to the San Bernardino County Library (Library) for telecommunication circuits and equipment is expected to be $888,782. With the receipt of E-Rate funding, the Library will receive an estimated discount of 85% off this amount, which will result in a net cost of $133,317. Sufficient appropriation will be included in Library’s 2023-24 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Library is a public library which is allowed to receive a discount on its telecommunications bills and purchases from two different programs. One program is the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund, commonly known as E-Rate. This program is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). E-Rate provides discounts to assist many schools and libraries in the United States obtain affordable telecommunications circuits and internet access. It is one of four programs funded through a Universal Service Fee charged to companies that provide interstate and/or international telecommunications services. Those fees are passed on to the consumer and are placed in a special fund for annual use by the FCC.
The E-Rate telecommunications discount is based on a discount rate taken from the total school free lunch program percentage applicable to the school district in which the library is located. Since July 2012, the Library has successfully secured E-Rate funding, which led to the first phase of build outs for faster telecommunications circuits that provide County Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity. Since completing this buildout Library branches have seen a significant upgrade in speed to meet the speed demands of increasingly enhanced content available on the internet, the need to support public and staff personal computers (PCs) remotely, and the availability of Wi-Fi in library branches.
As of December 2018, the Library County WAN connects the hub at the Innovation and Technology Department (ITD) with the Library Administration building and all Library branches. ITD is served by multiple fiber links from existing internet providers. The County WAN serves staff computers and public computers. As of July 2021, a second library administration building (Library Administration 2) was added to the Library WAN. No installation or configuration services are needed for this project.
The recommended Contract with Presidio Network Solutions Group LLC (Presidio) will be signed in connection with the Library’s pursuit of E-Rate funding. Per the E-Rate program, the Contract is required to be approved by March 28, 2023. The Contract contains the following non-standard terms that differ from the standard County contract, which requires Board of Supervisors approval:
1. The Limitation of Liability of Presidio to the County for proven direct damages will not exceed the greater of $1,000,000 or the total net payment paid by County to Presidio. In addition, Presidio assumes no liability to the County for interoperability, interaction, access, or interconnection problems with applications, equipment, professional services, content or networks provided by the County or third parties, service interruptions, lost or altered messages or transmissions, unauthorized access to or theft, alteration, loss, or destruction of County’s applications, content, data, programs, information, network or systems. The limitation of liability excludes indemnification obligations, gross negligence, willful misconduct and violations of law.
• The County standard contract does not include a limitation of liability.
• Potential Impact: Claims could exceed the liability cap and the Contract amount, leaving the County financially liable for the excess.
The Library recommends approval of the Contract with Presidio, including non-standard terms, as approval will enable the County to participate in the E-Rate funding program, if awarded, and provide Data Distribution components (switches, firewalls, stacking cables, and network modules) required for high speed internet to meet the speed demands of increasingly enhanced content available on the internet and the need to support public and staff in the 32 Library branches.
PROCUREMENT
The Library posted Request for Proposals (RFP) No. RFP LIBR23-LIBR-4880 in the County’s Electronic Procurement Network for a 30-day period during January 2022 to February 2022 for Data Distribution components to upgrade network speed. The five vendors who responded to the RFP were Presidio Networked Solutions Group LLC, Gigakom, ConvergerOne Inc, Golden Star Technology, and Questivity Inc. The Library conducted an evaluation of the five proposals, and notified the vendors of results on February 28, 2023. No protests were received. After completion of the evaluation and ranking of the proposal responses, the Library is recommending award of the one-year Contract to Presidio.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Katherine Hardy, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on March 10, 2023; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Lead Buyer, 387-8258) on March 13, 2023; Risk Management (Victor Tordesillas, Director, 386-8623) on March 10, 2023; Finance (Elias Duenas, Administrative Analyst, 387-4052) on March 13, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on March 14, 2023.