HomeMy WebLinkAbout17 - CC-9 - Sole Source Purchase for the Replacement - 9/15/2015CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: September 15, 2015 ITEM NUMBER: CC -9
SUBJECT: SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF POLICE RADIOS
FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY 800 MHZ COUNTYWIDE COORDINATED
COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM UPGRADE
DATE: SEPTEMBER 15, 2015
FROM: POLICE DEPARTMENT — SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION
PRESENTATION BY: KEITH DAVIS, LIEUTENANT — TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LT. KEITH DAVIS — 714-754-5660
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Approve and authorize the Chief Executive Officer to sign the sole source purchase
request for ninety-six (96) police patrol car and motorcycle radios identified as eligible for
the "Hot Red" radio promotion offered by Motorola in an amount not to exceed
$705,000.00.
BACKGROUND:
The Orange County Sheriff -Coroner Department (OCSD) operates and maintains the
800 MHz Countywide Coordinated Communications System (CCCS), which provides
centralized, interoperable voice radio communications for the County and its 34 cities.
This includes all public safety and public service agencies, as well as a number of
private, state, and federal agencies that provide support to the above agencies and/or
have relevant communications requirements. After a competitive bid process, the
County entered into a $70.4 million contract with Motorola Inc. in September 1995 to
provide the countywide 800 MHz CCCS integrated radio communications system. A
new five-year agreement with Motorola Inc. was approved by the Board of Supervisors
(Board) on April 20, 2010. On October 1, 2013, the Board approved a contract with
Motorola Inc. in the amount of $495,497 for an upgrade of the mobile, portable, and
fixed station radio equipment to maintain the integrity and performance of the 800 MHz
CCCS and provide the operational capabilities required by the various users.
Orange County law enforcement agencies have long benefited from a unique capability
to monitor the Orange County law enforcement emergency channel known as the "Red"
channel. The Hot Red receiver installed in all front-line vehicles has allowed law
enforcement personnel to monitor the Red channel at all times, regardless of what
channel they have selected on their primary radio. This allows an officer to hear
emergency traffic from other agencies while still communicating with their own dispatch.
This capability requires a unique configuration of radio equipment that is not available in
a typical off-the-shelf arrangement. The existing Spectra Hot Red radio equipment has
reached end -of -life and is no longer supported by Motorola. The Spectra model radio is
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not upgradable to Project 25 (P25). P25 is a set of standards for digital radio
communications for use by federal, state, and local public safety agencies in North
America to enable them to communicate with other agencies and mutual aid response
teams in emergencies. P25 was established to address the need for common digital
public safety radio communications standards for first -responders and homeland
security/emergency response professionals. The goal of P25 is to enable all public
safety responders to communicate with each other and thus, achieve enhanced,
coordinated, and effective use of communication equipment. Spectra radios must be
replaced prior to the countywide system upgrade to P25 in 2018.
When the original contract for the 800 MHz CCCS was awarded to Motorola in 1995,
among the many considerations that led to the selection of Motorola's proprietary
SmartNet/SmartZone technology was the requirement for certain specialized features
including, but not limited to, Dynamic System Management and Fleet Regrouping,
which are embedded in both the infrastructure and the subscriber equipment (e.g.,
mobiles, portables, control stations, etc.). In addition, Motorola equipment is capable of
encrypted voice transmission, which is utilized continuously by all law enforcement
agencies throughout the Orange County. Only Motorola equipment is capable of
encrypted operation on a SmartNet/SmartZone system. Mobile, portable, and fixed
station equipment utilized by participating CCCS agencies must be capable of operation
on Motorola's SmartZone® technological platform. Only certain Motorola products can
be utilized on the 800 MHz CCCS network. To maintain the integrity and performance
of the 800 MHz CCCS, and provide the operational capabilities required by various
users, the mobile, portable, and fixed station equipment must be upgraded by Motorola
Inc., the original manufacturer and supplier of all of the subscriber equipment currently
used on the system.
OCSD — Communications & Technology has been working with Motorola to develop a
new generation of P25 compatible Hot Red radios to keep this critical capability alive for
the law enforcement community in Orange County. Motorola has completed the design
of a replacement set of equipment that will duplicate the Hot Red function. Due to the
custom configuration of this equipment, the list pricing is considerably higher than a
single APX6500 mobile radio. OCSD — Communications & Technology has been
working with Motorola to bring the pricing down and Motorola agreed to a limited time
promotion reducing the list price by 50%. The promotion is available only until
November 30, 2015.
The proposed new sole -source agreement with Motorola Inc. is required to purchase
the Motorola APX Hot Red police radio package for all front-line law enforcement
vehicles and replace the obsolete Spectra Hot Red radio package implemented in
1999.
ANALYSIS:
The City of Costa Mesa, as a member of the 800 MHz CCCS, agrees to the joint
management and governance of the shared communication system. This agreement
addresses the estimated cost of upgrading aging backbone equipment through a cost-
sharing allocation and memorializes the City's commitment to funding of the Next
Generation Project.
The individual obligations for the ongoing maintenance cost of the system backbone
(consoles and equipment), as approved by the Governance Committee, for each of the
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cities and Orange County Fire Authority, are determined by the number of radios that
each of the partnering agencies operate on the system. Costs for the radios that
operate under contract with the OCSD are allocated to the city for which the services
are contracted. The City has 96 radios allocated for use through the contract with the
OCSD. Because of the upgrades to the 800 MHz system, all of these radios need to be
replaced.
The replacement radios have been identified by the County of Orange and the specific
models are manufactured by Motorola. Because of the number of radios requiring
replacement system -wide, Motorola Solutions is offering a one-time promotion of 50%
off the list price, referred to as the "Hot Red" promotion, for all participating agencies
that purchase these radios by the end of 2015. The total estimate for the City of Costa
Mesa to replace and upgrade its 96 radios is $704,955.32. This pricing estimate
includes the "Hot Red" promotion cost. If the City does not purchase and receive
delivery of the radios designated for the "Hot Red" promotion by the end of 2015, the
City will not receive the discount and the total cost of the radios will be approximately
$511,000.00 higher that than the estimated total cost of $704,955.32. The City's
Purchasing Policies and Procedures Manual generally requires competitive formal
bidding for purchases greater than $50,000. However, these bidding requirements and
procedures set forth in Section 3.2 of the Purchasing Policies and Procedures Manual
may be waived when any of the exemptions listed in Section 3.3 apply. In this case,
Motorola Solutions is considered a sole source vendor, offering a singular -type product
necessary to match existing equipment. Only Motorola manufactures the radio
specified by the County of Orange for use with the existing 800 MHz system. Section
4.4 of the Purchasing Policies and Procedures Manual provides for an exemption when
the goods and supplies, equipment or nonprofessional services are proprietary. The
particular technology for the 800 MHz system is proprietary, and only specific radios are
compatible with the system. As indicated, the proposed purchase is for radios that
have been pre -selected by the County of Orange for use with the existing 800 MHz
system.
The CCCS member agencies, including the City of Costa Mesa, engaged in significant
discussions as to how to take on this upcoming replacement project and have decided
on a four-year phased cost allocation which began in FY 14-15 and continues through
FY 17-18. The terms of the agreement and estimated cost sharing allocations are
outlined in the Amendment to the Joint Agreement.
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED:
There are no feasible alternatives. The cost is to extend the life of the 800 MHz CCCS,
and in order for the City to utilize the system, the radios must be replaced, as
necessary, to be compatible with the upgraded technology and system.
FISCAL REVIEW:
The sole source purchase is for $704,955.32. The City's estimated share of the overall
countywide system upgrade is $5,303,909. This total cost is being funded through
annual allocations which began in FY 14-15 and continue through FY 17-18. Funds in
the amount of $1,584,000 were set aside in the FY 14-15 adopted budget. Funds in
the amount of $1,239,969 have been approved in the FY 15-16 budget and will be
requested in the following two fiscal year budgets.
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LEGAL REVIEW
No legal review required.
CONCLUSION:
For all of the aforementioned reasons, the Police Department respectfully requests the
City Council approve the issuance of a sole source purchase order to Motorola Solutions
for the purchase of the ninety-six (96) police patrol car and motorcycle radios identified as
eligible for the "Hot Red" radio promotion offered by Motorola in an amount not to exceed
$705,000.00.
KEITH DAVIS
Lieutenant
THOMAS R. HATCH
Chief Executive Officer
STEPHEN DUNIVENT
Interim Finance Director
ROBERT N. SHARPNACK
Chief of Police
THOMAS DUARTE
City Attorney
Attachment: 1. Justification for Sole Source Request
2. Quote from Motorola Solutions
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