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AUTHORIZATION FOR THE PURCHASE OF AN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION (RADIO) SYSTEM SOLUTION PLAN FROM MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, INC./TOTAL RADIO, INC., IN THE AMOUNT OF $40,000 DURING THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION FROM THE CURRENT SYSTEM THROUGH INSTALLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW SYSTEM FROM HARRIS CORPORATION AUTHORIZED UNDER CONTRACTS K-1617-107 AND K-1617-109.
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BACKGROUND: In 2008 the City of Norman was informed by the manufacturer that the City’s Emergency Communication System, a fundamental component in public safety service delivery, would be end-of-life (no longer serviceable) in 2018. The City’s Emergency Communication System is the primary means for 9-1-1 Communication Officers to notify Norman’s public safety first responders (medical, fire, and police) of requests for service from citizens as well as the primary means of communication between the same first responders. In addition, the City’s Emergency Communication System is the primary means of communication for incidents involving response from public safety partners from neighboring and shared jurisdictions. The City’s Emergency Communication System provides both operability for routine delivery City services and interoperability with partnering government entities during joint responses.
On August 12, 2014 Council approved Contract K-1415-16 with RCC Consultants for consulting services related to Phase I of the City’s Emergency Communication System replacement project. RCC Consultants successfully concluded their services contract that included a Needs Assessment, Development of System Alternatives, and Preparation of Budgetary Cost Estimates on March 24, 2015.
On August 15, 2015 Council approved Contract K-1516-42 with TUSA Consultants for consulting services related to Phase II of the City’s Emergency Communications System replacement project. TUSA successfully concluded their services contract that included a review of RCC’s Phase I findings, development of a detailed system configuration, construction of a Request for Proposal (RFP), proposal solicitation, proposal evaluations, vendor selection, contract negotiations, and Council Study Session presentation on January 24, 2017.
The City then entered Phase III of the Emergency Communication System. Phase III of the project consists of implementing the Harris Emergency Communication System which was approved on March 14, 2017, in Contract K-1617-107 and Contract K-1617-109 performing acceptance testing of the same. The project with Harris Corporation is currently under way with tower sites being evaluated and having an expected completion date in late 2018.
DISCUSSION: The State of Oklahoma will update their core radio system on July 7, 2017. This will sever the connection from our dispatch radio consoles to the Core/Database and limit the dispatch radio system to our current back-ups, making the back-ups primary and leaving us without any form of back-ups to use if the system goes down for any reason. The Core manages how the radio consoles transfer the audio of our Communications Officers’ to the right radio channel. Currently, through the database in Tulsa, the City’s Communications Officers can access over 85 channels to help facilitate communications within Norman, our neighboring agency partners and other State agencies. Without that connection to the database we will be limited to seven channels.
On a daily basis police and fire alone may use up to four channels per agency and this can occur at the same time which would exceed the seven back-up radios we currently have and will be our limit if we do not modify our consoles. This does not include operations for Animal Welfare and Parking, who are also dispatched through the Communications Center, or any large scale emergency or event that may occur. Typically, on a University of Oklahoma football game day in Norman 16 or more channels are used.
Motorola Solutions, Inc., has provided a solution plan to give the City expanded capabilities until the new system is in place. This solution will expand the current seven radio backups to 16 radios connected locally which will decrease the impact of the severed connection until our new radio system is operational.
The cost of this solution from Motorola is $40,000. Motorola is the only company that can provide a solution because the current equipment we have is proprietary. The City Code provides that supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services that can only be furnished by a single dealer do not have to be competitively bid (Norman Code, Section 8-204(b)(2)).
Funding for this contract is available in the Emergency Communication System project account 015-9319-419.61-01; Project: BP0030.
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that authorization for the purchase of this communications solution from Motorola Solutions/Total Radio in the amount of $40,000 be approved for this solution plan until the new system with Harris Corporation is operational.