Council
Communication

Office of the City Manager

 
 

Date

April 7, 2008

 

Agenda Item No.        60  

Roll Call No.                08-

Communication No.    08-176

Submitted by: Judy A. Bradshaw, Chief of Police

 

 

 

AGENDA HEADING:

 

Approval of project award for Public Safety Radio Interoperability Consultant to RCC Consultants Incorporated, 2425 Millcreek Ct., Tallahassee, Florida, 32308, (President, Mike Hunter) and authorization for the Chief of Police to negotiate a contract for services.

 

 

SYNOPSIS:

 

Recommend approval of a project award to RCC Consultants as a public safety radio interoperability consultant to assist the City and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in instituting a new radio interoperability plan associated with the 2005 COPS Interoperability Grant.

 

In February 2008, the Police Department and the Purchasing Department submitted a Request for Proposals (RFP) to qualified radio interoperability consultants to compete for a two-phase consulting contract.  Phase one will be to design the proposed radio system and prepare plans and specifications for its construction.  Phase two services will include assistance with bidding, reviewing proposals, making recommendations, and construction oversight.  Council is requested to take action to select RCC Consultants for the first phase at this time, with anticipated action in the near future to approve the contract that is yet to be negotiated.  At a later date, the Council will be asked to approve a contract for the second phase, based on scope and requirements to be determined during the first phase.

 

 

FISCAL IMPACT:

 

Amount: Estimated $180,000, 75% Federal Grant, 12.5% local E911 Surcharge, 12.5% Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Funding Source:  FY2008-09 CIP Budget, POL990000, CPO34, BLD116, Capital Improvements Program, Municipal Building Improvement Section, page 24.  

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

 

On July 6, 2005, the City Council approved the application for a COPS Interoperability Grant.  The award was $3,000,000 in federal funds to be matched by $1,158,868 in local funds to complete the submitted Emergency Radio Interoperability solution. The interoperability plan was presented to public safety agencies around Des Moines and Polk County.  Local police and fire agencies support the plan. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has agreed to assist the City by paying half of the 25% grant match. The match is coming from E911 surcharge revenue. 

 

As part of this interoperability solution, the plan requires the acquisition of a professional radio consultant to design the system, confirm construction and ensure propagation requirements associated with the City’s plan.  The consultant will also be interviewing participating agencies and inventorying communication equipment currently being utilized by surrounding agencies who desire to participate in the plan. A critical part of the consultant’s job will be to create an RFP to indentify a qualified radio system vendor who will actually construct the system.

 

Seven professional firms responded to the City’s RFP.  After review of all proposals and final interviews, and based on the evaluation criteria in the RFP, it was determined by staff that RCC Consultants, Inc. was best qualified to provide contract deliverables, and should be the selected consultant. 

 

The contract for the first phase will be to design the proposed radio system and prepare plans and specifications for its construction.  This phase of the consultant services is expected to cost about $92,000.  When the first phase is done, we will contract for services to assist with bidding, review proposals and make recommendations and assist in overseeing the construction.  The second phase is expected to cost about $88,000.

 

 

PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION(S):

 

Date: November 7, 2005

 

Roll Call Number:  05-2721

 

Action:   Acceptance of Department of Justice 2005 communications interoperability grant. (Council Communication 05-625), Moved by Kiernen to adopt, motion carried 7-0.

 

 

BOARD/COMMISSION ACTION(S): NONE

 

 

ANTICIPATED ACTIONS AND FUTURE COMMITMENTS:

 

Return to Council for contract approvals and equipment purchases.

 

 

 

 

For more information on this and other agenda items, please call the City Clerk’s Office at 515-283-4209 or visit the Clerk’s Office on the second floor of City Hall, 400 Robert D Ray Drive.  Council agendas are available to the public at the City Clerk’s Office on Thursday afternoon preceding Monday’s Council meeting. Citizens can also request to receive meeting notices and agendas by email by calling the Clerk’s Office or sending their request via email to cityclerk@dmgov.org.