Title
Report regarding resolution approving a consulting services agreement with Daryl D. Jones, Inc. for Telecommunications Engineering and Police Information Technology Management Services for a three-year term in an amount not to exceed $608,940.00 and authorizing the City Manager to execute the consulting services agreement. (Police Chief Jeff Azzopardi)
label
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving a consulting services agreement with Daryl D. Jones, Inc. for telecommunications engineering and police information technology management services for a three-year term in an amount not to exceed $608,940.00 and authorizing the City Manager to execute the consulting services agreement.
Body
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The South San Francisco Police Department has had a professional services agreement with Daryl Jones, Inc. for the last 24 years. Daryl D. Jones was a city employee between 1981 and 1994 with responsibilities like those of the current consulting services agreement.
The City’s Information Technology (IT) Department currently provides services to the Police Department for office computers, some servers, and computers in the police cars. The IT Department’s responsibilities for the Police Department are also increasing, as discussed further below, the Police Department has ongoing specialized information technology needs, which the City’s IT Department staff cannot provide at this time. The specialized skills that Daryl D. Jones, Inc. will continue to provide to the City include:
• 911 call support and dispatch center support.
• Police Radio, computer, server, and hardware/software support.
• Monitoring new legislative requirements on the local, State, and Federal levels in order to keep City systems up to date, effective, and in compliance.
The proposed consulting services agreement with Daryl D. Jones, Inc., dba Telecommunications Engineering Associates (TEA) provides for a three-year average cost of $202,880. Under this contract Daryl D. Jones is present on site Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Under the agreement, Mr. Jones is also required to field calls on a regular, 24x7 basis, including weekends, with no extra charge. Based on a 40-hour work week, his hourly rate is $97.59 per hour. During the calendar year of 2018, Daryl D. Jones was onsite at the Police Department or attending meetings regarding Police Department business for more than 2,100 hours. This does not include the time spent working on Police Department issues from home or elsewhere. (Itemized details are available for Council review, if desired.)
A critical factor in staff’s recommendation to retain Daryl D. Jones is his flexibility and around the clock coverage he can provide the City. Mr. Jones routinely responds to requests for technical assistance on a 24x7 basis from Police Department employees, as well as from the City’s contract customers in Pacifica and Colma. Requests are usually related to the computer aided dispatch (CAD) and mobile data systems. An estimated average of 6 issues per week are remotely handled by Mr. Jones after normal business hours. Some issues take just a few minutes to resolve, while others take several hours.
The Police Department and IT Department have several projects in progress or in the planning phase for the next three years, and these services would be part of Mr. Jones’ services. They are:
• 911-NG (Next Generation) system implementation. This nationwide effort will upgrade the E911 telephone network to use modern VOIP technology and improve the way calls to 9-1-1 are routed. This will require substantial changes to the equipment and facilities our police dispatchers use to receive voice and text messages from the public.
• Participate in discussions and planning/review of Emergency Responder Radio Communications Systems (ERRCS) required by the Fire Code in some newly constructed commercial buildings. Jones’ expertise is needed to help assure ERRCS systems do not cause harmful interference to our police radio systems.
• Participate in detailed planning related to dispatch operations at the new police facility. Assist with planning a seamless transition from an operations perspective. Staff estimates the value of these services to be more than $80,000 if the City used other consultants. (This is separate from Mr. Jones’ role in technical equipment aspects of the new police building dispatch center.)
• Provide ongoing design and engineering services for an emergency dispatch relocation site so essential communications operations could be sustained in the event of a catastrophic failure of the primary facilities at 33 Arroyo, South San Francisco, California.
• Ongoing planning related to alternatives to the current UHF T-Band radio frequency. In 2012, Congress enacted Public Law 112-961 that requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to recover and auction the T-Band spectrum2, currently in use by public safety agencies, for commercial use by February 2021. Additionally, the law requires the FCC to clear public safety operations from this portion of the band within two years of auction close (i.e., early 2023). South San Francisco may need to plan for and implement a new radio system. This may require replacement of all police radio systems in San Mateo County. Staff estimates that the value of this service would be more than $80,000 if the City used other consultants.
As part of evaluating the need for approval of Mr. Jones’ current proposed agreement, the Police Department worked closely with the IT Department to determine which areas of Mr. Jones’ services could potentially be picked up by IT. Staff looked at different models of support, work knowledge and experience. Staff evaluated their existing skill, experience and the timeframe. Staff determined keeping Jones on site would be less risk, cost less, and afford IT staff more time to handle routine desktop and mobile computer support related to police operations. As part of the evaluation of Police and IT working together, IT was already able to identify and take over the support of police PCs and car computers. This resulted in the police department cancelling outside contractors which saved an estimated $130,000 annually.
In 2015, we sought quotes from other vendors and the responses demonstrated that Daryl D. Jones is the only consultant able to provide the level of service the city requires. There are currently no new consultants available that have the knowledge and expertise of Daryl D. Jones.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding is budgeted in the Police Department Fiscal Year’s Budgets (2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22).
CONCLUSION
The staff of the South San Francisco Police and Information Technology Departments both believe that the contract for Daryl D. Jones, Inc. should be renewed for a period of three years. Staff feels that the services provided from Mr. Jones will keep South San Francisco at the forefront of technology. This is the most cost-effective and low-risk option for providing the citizens of South San Francisco and its contract cities with the best engineering and support.
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving a consulting services agreement with Daryl D. Jones, Inc. for telecommunications engineering and police information technology management services for a three-year term in an amount not to exceed $608,940.00 and authorizing the City Manager to execute the consulting services agreement.