REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 6, 2019
FROM
JENNIFER HILBER, Chief Information Officer, Information Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Aviat U.S., Inc. for Technology Refresh Program of the County’s Microwave System
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with Aviat Networks, Inc. (Aviat) in the amount of $13,195,778, plus applicable taxes, for the period of August 6, 2019, through August 5, 2029, for a technology refresh program of the County’s microwave system.
(Presenter: Tim Trager, Chief, Public Safety Communications Division, 388-5563)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this contract will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total ten-year contract cost of $13,195,778, plus applicable taxes, will be paid in ten equal annual payments of $1,319,578, plus applicable taxes. The cost for the first year of the ten-year contract is included in the 2019-20 Information Services Department (ISD) budget and the cost for the remaining nine years will be included in future recommended budgets. Operating costs are recovered via service rates and fees approved by the Board of Supervisors (Board). One-tenth ($1,319,578) of the total contract cost has been included in the approved 2019-20 service rates and fees, and will be included in subsequent annual service rate and fee calculations.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ISD maintains the microwave system for transmission of information throughout the county. It is a critical component of the public safety communications network. It uses a radio-based pathway for data, voice, and video communications. The County’s Public Safety radio system, enterprise telephone system, and the wide area network all rely on the microwave system for connectivity with sites and facilities throughout the county. This connectivity enables the County to facilitate emergency radio calls between public safety entities, including law enforcement, fire, police, dispatch centers, and first responders, as well as provide telephone and internet connections to numerous departments within the county.
The County's microwave system is currently being upgraded from an analog system to a digital capable system as part of the Public Safety Radio System Upgrade project. That project does not include on-going technology refresh or lifecycle management. Approval of this Aviat contract will enable the County to have the system upgraded by the vendor as bandwidth needs increase, the technology changes, and to refresh equipment as needed; it will also ensure technology refresh and lifecycle management costs are recovered by ISD service rates and fees.
In addition to technology refresh, this contract includes lifecycle support for a full end-to-end network solution. Aviat’s lifecycle support program ensures the County’s system has the latest software, features, and full 24/7 support including system performance monitoring. This lifecycle support ensures less downtime, better performance, and lower/fixed costs of the microwave system.
Approval of this contract will allow ISD to purchase a ten-year technology refresh program from Aviat that will modernize and sustain the existing microwave system. It will provide long-term support and up-to-date technology to proactively manage the system’s lifecycle and mitigate the challenges of operating obsolete technology as the County’s system ages. With a technologically up-to-date microwave system, the County will experience less down time and enhanced performance and service availability at a fixed cost over the next ten years.
PROCUREMENT
On September 11, 2012 (Item No. 30), the Board approved Aviat as the exclusive vendor and standard to be used for the Public Safety Radio System Upgrade project for microwave equipment and services. This standardization is to be maintained throughout the lifecycle and useful life of the microwave system. Purchasing supports this non-competitive purchase from Aviat.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Bonnie Uphold, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5545) on March 11, 2019; Purchasing (Leo Gomez, Purchasing Manager, 387-2063) on March 22, 2019; Finance (Joon Cho, Administrative Analyst, 387-5402) on March 26, 2019; and County Finance and Administration (Kelly Welty, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-4376) on March 27, 2019.