REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 18, 2025
FROM
LYNN FYHRLUND, Chief Information Officer, Innovation and Technology Department
SUBJECT
Title
Purchases with Presidio Networked Solutions, LLC, for Cisco Systems, Inc. SMARTnet Maintenance and Support Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Authorize purchases with Presidio Networked Solutions, LLC, under Contract No. 25-221, for a total not-to-exceed amount of $6,200,000 for Cisco Systems, Inc. SMARTnet maintenance and support services, for the period of November 18, 2025, through September 30, 2026.
2. Authorize participating department and agency heads to sign Letters of Authorization allowing Cisco Systems, Inc. to release the department lists of hardware and software to Presidio Networked Solutions, LLC, as needed, for departments and agencies to procure services as approved by Recommendation No. 1.
(Presenter: Lynn Fyhrlund, Chief Information Officer, 388-5501)
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 additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Innovation and Technology Department (ITD) operating costs are recovered via service rates approved annually by the Board of Supervisors (Board). A three-year prepaid cost for maintenance and support services of existing deployed Cisco Systems, Inc. (Cisco) hardware and software, called SMARTnet, in the amount of $6,047,440, will allow the County to secure a 28.41% discount as opposed to paying annual payments. An additional $152,560 will be used for any new hardware and software, with SMARTnet, on orders placed before September 30, 2026.
ITD secured a multi-year upfront payment discount on SMARTnet maintenance and support service of 28.41% for subscription software and hardware from the Cisco list price during the contract term. Payment of this contract carries minimal risk to the County as Cisco's reputation and solid financial standing, rated AA-/AA- (short term/long term) by Standard & Poor's, make it highly unlikely that the company will default or cease to operate during the term of this contract. Additionally, Presidio Networked Solutions, LLC (Presidio) is a Cisco Authorized Reseller and, as such, is reselling SMARTnet maintenance and support services to the County.
Participating departments and agencies (departments) will reimburse ITD annually for their share of cost, based on each department's validated inventory of deployed Cisco hardware and software that is currently being reconciled. Departments are required to ensure there is adequate appropriation within their respective annual departmental budgets to reimburse ITD for the annual costs of the three-year services and additional purchases of maintenance and support services of new Cisco hardware and software for the term of the contract. ITD and other departments will adhere to County purchasing policies and return to the Board for approval, if necessary, during the term of this contract.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The County's network is comprised primarily of Cisco hardware such as data switches, routers, firewalls, and servers, as well as various Cisco software that can include features such as hardware operating software, content filtering, malware protection, and advanced threat detection.
Under Cisco's SMARTnet program, Cisco provides technical support, equipment replacement, and software upgrades for the County's network data switches, firewalls, and routers. Cisco SMARTnet maintenance and support services enable the County's information technology systems to communicate via the Wide Area Network (WAN) with limited interruption. Cisco will not provide technical support on any equipment unless it is covered by SMARTnet maintenance and support services.
Technical support services provided under SMARTnet come directly from Cisco as provided in the contract. Presidio provides contract management services, which include adding and removing equipment from the County's SMARTnet-covered inventory and obtaining quotes for SMARTnet maintenance and support services from Cisco. SMARTnet maintenance and support services will continue to be provided by Cisco for the term should Presidio cease to exist.
Presidio requires Letters of Authorization to be signed by participating departments to authorize Cisco to release the departments' lists of all Cisco equipment, software, and licenses to allow for proper management of the County SMARTnet systems. Approval of Recommendation No. 2 will authorize participating department heads to sign Letters of Authorization allowing Cisco to release the department lists of equipment, software, and licensing to Presidio, as needed.
Since 2000, ITD has been procuring SMARTnet maintenance and support services. In 2018, ITD secured a larger discount by pre-paying for three years of SMARTnet services. On December 13, 2022 (Item No. 43), the Board approved Contract No. 22-1184 with Presidio, for the provision of maintenance and support services of currently deployed Cisco hardware and software, for the period of January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2025.
On April 8, 2025 (Item No. 38), the Board approved Contract No. 25-221, the California Participating Addendum (State No. 7-20-70-47-01) to the Utah National Association of State Procurement Officers (NASPO) Data Communications Products and Services Master Agreement No. AR3227 with Cisco, for the purchase of Cisco Network building control systems and associated components from Presidio. The Project and Facilities Management Department presented the item specifically for purchases for the Valley Communication Center Project, in the amount not-to-exceed $317,017, for the period of March 25, 2025, through September 30, 2026. ITD is seeking to leverage this contract for SMARTnet as approval of this item will allow the County to continue to receive Cisco-direct SMARTnet services for hardware and support at a discounted rate of 28.41%, respectively.
The NASPO Master Agreement expires on September 30, 2026, and no orders may be placed after that date. However, the period of performance for support and maintenance services may extend beyond that date and will be honored through the period of time stated in an order, except that indefinite or perpetual orders are not permitted.
ITD recommends approval of purchase orders with Presidio, an authorized Cisco reseller, for SMARTnet services to ensure network stability and reduce system downtime in the event of hardware and software failures. ITD also recommends approval of the NASPO for SMARTnet support services, which will allow services to be purchased through Presidio through September 30, 2026 with an expiration date of December 31, 2028. Presidio agrees to perform in accordance with the terms and conditions of any orders outstanding at the time of such expiration or termination of the NASPO.
Any future SMARTnet purchases made under the contract will adhere to County purchasing policies and, if necessary, the participating department will return to the Board for approval.
PROCUREMENT
The California Participating Addendum (State No. 7-20-70-47-01) to the Utah NASPO Data Communications Products and Services Master Agreement No. AR3227 requires the County to solicit at least three quotes from a list of Cisco authorized resellers. Three vendors were determined to have provided responsible and responsive bids.
|
Vendor Name |
3-Year Cost |
Location |
Percent Discount |
|
Presidio Network Solutions LLC |
$6,047,440 |
Pleasanton, CA |
28.41% |
|
NetSync Network Solutions |
$6,299,562 |
Houston, TX |
25.42% |
|
Zones, Inc |
$6,214,155 |
Auburn, WA |
26.44% |
|
ePlus Technology Inc. |
No Response |
Herndon, VA |
- |
|
ConvergeOne Inc. |
No Response |
Bloomington, MN |
- |
ITD reviewed the quotes and determined that Presidio provided the largest discount and is the best cost option for the County.
The issuance of purchase orders in the not-to-exceed amount of $6,200,000 will accommodate current SMARTnet maintenance and support service costs for ITD and participating departments, as well as future SMARTnet maintenance and support service additions for new Cisco network equipment and software purchased by ITD, as needed, during the contract term. Participating departments will be required to obtain separate purchase orders as necessary with Presidio for their SMARTnet purchases when adding new Cisco hardware and software to their networks, per County Policy 11-04 Procurement of Goods, Supplies, Equipment and Services.
SMARTnet maintenance and support services are purchased for specific pieces of equipment; therefore, departments are unable to purchase more coverage than required. Additionally, Cisco only provides SMARTnet maintenance and support services for equipment that remains within its current support lifecycle and will not extend such services to outdated hardware.
The Purchasing Department supports this competitive procurement based on the informal quotes solicited for SMARTnet maintenance and support services for Cisco hardware and software.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Bonnie Uphold, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 27, 2025; Purchasing (Joni Yang, Buyer III, 387-2463) on October 21, 2025; Risk Management (Stephanie Mead, Staff Analyst II Trainee, 386-9044) October 27, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Ivan Ramirez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4020) October 29, 2025.