HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 1555City of Palo Alto (ID # 1555)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 5/2/2011
May 02, 2011 Page 1 of 3
(ID # 1555)
Summary Title: PM Services for Phone System Upgrade
Title: Approval of Contract with Communication Strategies for Project
Management Services for Telephone System Replacement and Infrastructure
Upgrade in the Total Amount of $119,700
From:City Manager
Lead Department: Administrative Services
Recommendation
Staff recommends that Council Authorize the City Manager or his designee to execute the
attached contract with Communication Strategies in the base amount of $99,750 and $19,950
in contingencies with a total amount not to exceed $119,700 for telecommunications and
infrastructure project management services in support of the implementation of a new
telephone system. This is one contract of approximately four that will amount to a total of $2.4
million dollars for the total project.
Executive Summary
Approval of a contract with Communications Strategies, Inc in the base amount of $99,750 and
$19,950 in contingencies with a total amount not to exceed $119,700 for telecommunications
and infrastructure project management services.
Background
A majority of the City’s telecommunications systems (Phone System, Voicemail, and Data) are
over 20 years old and are no longer supported by the manufacturer. The hardware has
experienced down time over the last several years that have led to temporary loss of telephone
services. The reliability of the City’s telephone and telecommunications services is critical to
City operations. The telephone system is old and many of the telephones components are no
longer manufactured with replacements becoming difficult to come by.
Discussion
In September of 2009, staff contracted with a telecommunications professional services
consultant, Communication Strategies, to prepare a feasibility study and needs analysis of the
City’s telephone and voicemail systems to determine the direction the City should pursue to
upgrade the system and at what estimated costs. In August of 2010, the consultant provided
their findings and recommended moving in the direction of an industry standard Voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system. It was also recommended that the City first perform
May 02, 2011 Page 2 of 3
(ID # 1555)
essential and requisite infrastructure upgrades to ensure Quality of Service (QoS), Power over
Ethernet (PoE) redundancy, and capacity management including:
·Cabling (approximately 70% of the City’s cabling is antiquated CAT3 cabling)
·Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
·Power (including Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS))
·Facility renovations (for cabling closets)
The estimated total cost range for this recommendation is $1,990,000 -$2,180,000.
All Internet Protocol (IP) Telephony Call Processing hardware,
software and implementation costs. Redundancy/Resiliency and
failover is included
$725,000-$800,000
Refresh of all IT switching equipment $ 630,000-$730,000
UPS and additional power requirements for access switches $100,000
Misc. Feeder cable/Fiber/Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF)
work
$60,000
Refresh of all City IT cabling infrastructure with 2000 runs of Cat6
plenum rated cable @$200 per drop (includes allowance for
asbestos work)
$400,000
Project Management Costs (RFP/Evaluation/Project Management)$75,000-$90,000
TOTAL $1,990,000-$2,180,000
Annual Support (after year 1) Telephone system $40,000
In order to ensure competitive pricing, City staff elected to do another competitive solicitation
for Project Management services. In December of 2010, proposals were received in response
to a Request for Proposal (RFP) for telecommunications and infrastructure upgrade Project
Management services. Three vendors submitted proposals and vendor interviews were
conducted. The following lists the vendors that submitted proposals:
Company Name Location (City, State)Selected for Oral Interview
Visionary Integration
Professionals
Sacramento, CA Yes
Communication Strategies Saint Helena, CA Yes
Client First Consulting Group Corona, CA Yes
Cost Range of Proposals Submitted: $99,750 -$350,000
May 02, 2011 Page 3 of 3
(ID # 1555)
Staff carefully rated and ranked each firm's submittal in response to the RFP relative to the
following criteria:
·Vendor Experience
·Knowledge of and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies
·Completeness and Quality of Proposal
·Cost Proposal
Upon staff’s evaluation of the proposals and vendor interviews, Communication Strategies was
selected as the recommended awarded vendor based on all the above criteria. Communication
Strategies has extensive knowledge in telecommunications and technical infrastructure, has a
proven track record working with other public agencies such as, City of Tracy, City of Manteca,
Stanislaus County Office of Education, San Mateo County, and Stanford Hospital and Clinics. In
addition, Communication Strategies submitted the most favorable proposal in terms of cost.
Moving forward, Communication Strategies will assist with developing requirements for all
components of this upgrade, develop specifications, establish evaluation criteria, coordinate
vendor interviews, assist with contract execution, and provide overall project management
during implementation.
Resource Impact
In anticipation for this work, CIP TE-00010 was established in the amount of $1 million dollars.
Due to the required infrastructure upgrades needed to support the implementation of a new
phone system, staff will be asking for additional funding. The phone system cost will be
allocated to all funds based on usage. The Funding sources will first be identified by the closure
of technology CIPs that are completed or no longer needed and then utilizing Technology Fund
reserves.
Environmental Review
This is not a project for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Attachments:
·Attachment A: Communication Strategies Contract (PDF)
Prepared By:Lisa Bolger, Manager, IT
Department Head:Lalo Perez, Director
City Manager Approval: James Keene, City Manager