City of Corona
Staff Report
400 S. Vicentia Ave.
Corona, CA 92882
File #: 22-0361
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 5/4/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Information Technology Department
SUBJECT:
Award of Contract to Birdi Systems Inc. for the purchase, installation, and configuration of a new jail control system for the Police Department.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
City Council consideration of an agreement with Birdi Systems Inc. for $135,800 to replace the current Commend Jail System with INTELLI-SITE correctional facility control software. The City’s current jail control system is still in place but continues to age, leading to many maintenance and safety issues. Parts for the existing automated system are challenging to find. The current system runs on an insecure version of the outdated Windows XP operating system, and the vendor no longer supports the system. The replacement of the jail control system was approved during the Fiscal Year 2020 budget process.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council
a. Award Request For Proposal 22-040RH for the Commend Jail System to Birdi Systems Inc. of Pasadena, CA, in the amount of $135,800 and waive all minor irregularities in the bidding document as submitted by the said bidder.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the contract with Birdi Systems Inc of Pasadena, CA, in the amount of $135,800 as a result of RFP 22-040RH. c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to negotiate and execute non- substantive extensions, amendments, and change orders up to 10% or $13,580 of the original contract amount as provided by Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.060 (J). d. Authorize the Purchasing Manager to issue a purchase order to Birdi Systems Inc. of City of Corona Page 1 of 4 Printed on 4/28/2022
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File #: 22-0361
Pasadena, CA, for $135,800.
e. Authorize a transfer of $55,800 from savings in the salaries/benefits budget in the Police Department’s General Fund operating budget to the Jail Control Systems and Phones Capital Improvement Project (CIP) No. 60350.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Corona Police Department Jail was built and completed in December 2009 when Corona Police Department moved from its old location (815 W 6th St) to its current location (730 Public Safety Way). The jail was operated with a manual control system until the Corona Police Department saw the need to have an automated system that could control the jail doors, lighting, and emergency alarms. The City procured an electronic jail control system in 2011, which met these needs and automated many of the previously manual tasks. The system, procured in 2011, electronically manipulates essential safety functions within the jail, including: the seventeen cell doors, three pods, one large dormitory, sally door gates, intercoms, jail alarms, and lighting. The system modernized the facility and met State and County jail regulations while incorporating the City’s camera system.
The City’s jail control system is still in place but continues to age, leading to many maintenance and safety issues. Parts for the 2011 system are challenging to find. The system runs on an insecure version of the outdated Windows XP operating system, and the vendor no longer supports the system.
The replacement of the jail control system was approved in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget process with an estimated cost of $80,000.
This is the second Request for Proposal (RFP) advertisement issued for the project, as RFP 21-029RH was initially released on November 13, 2020, leading to no bids received. On December 29, 2021, the Information Technology Department issued the second RFP 22-040RH to procure a jail control system to replace the existing Commend Jail system.
ANALYSIS:
The City has requested a new system to maintain the existing functionality of the jail control system and provide the following enhancements:
• Allow for more than four lighting zones controlled through a touch screen. Each pod lighting can be controlled individually, allowing those not being used to be turned off/dimmed.
• Upgrade the current outdated analog intercom system to a digital system to better communicate with those in custody.
• Control system that can unlock and lock doors remotely. • Control System that shows if doors are locked or unlocked. • The City will continue to utilize the current 13 alarms but provide Jailers with a remote device that can be worn. Having a remote will increase the safety of the jailers and prisoners. The jailer can press the remote device if an emergency occurs, sending the alert City of Corona Page 2 of 4 Printed on 4/28/2022
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File #: 22-0361
to Dispatch and the Police Department’s Public Address (PA) system. (RFP) 22-040RH was advertised pursuant to Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 3.08.110 Nonpublic projects - formal bidding procedures seeking the design and replacement of the Corona Police Department Jail Control System. Through PlanetBids, forty-five vendors were solicited, with seven consultants and eight bid service companies downloading the RFP document. The bid service companies, in turn, notified their clients of the potential bid opportunity, thereby, providing additional exposure for the project. Due to the nature of the scope of work and the need to update existing jail facility security controls, a mandatory pre-proposal conference was held on January 5, 2022, for consultants to view the specific site requirements associated with the project location. Two consultants were in attendance, and a single proposal was received by the February 28, 2022 due date and time, as noted in the table below.
Vendor City Total Bid
Amount
Engineer's
Estimate
Birdi Systems, Inc. Pasadena $135,800 $150,000
Although the City only received one bid, based on the Engineer’s Estimate of $150,000 and increasing inflation costs, staff believes the received bid price is reasonable and competitive. The bid document did include product substitution procedures, but the non-bidders elected not to pursue this option. Based on the information provided above, the staff’s opinion is that there would be little chance of receiving additional bids if the project were to be released through a new advertisement process a third time. Additionally, the Jail Control System is past its service life and is no longer supported, which has caused difficulties in finding replacement parts to keep the system in working order.
Birdi Systems, Inc. (BSI), dba Birdi & Associates, is an award-winning, full-service systems engineering consulting and contracting corporation with California C-7 and C-10 licenses. Since its founding in 2006, BSI has implemented numerous electronic security systems for public agencies such as the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the City of Glendale, the City of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro), and the Port of Los Angeles (POLA), among others. Additionally, BSI constructed the electronic jail control system for the Chino Police Department, which is a similarly designed jail to the City of Corona’s. BSI has consistently demonstrated the ability to support live, heavily trafficked, public infrastructure sites without unscheduled interruptions while ensuring the safety and security of the public. Through this experience, BSI has grown to become a leader in systems engineering, design, integration, operations, and maintenance.
For the reasons noted above, the staff recommends that the City Council award the bid and contract of $135,800 to Birdi Systems Inc as the selected vendor for the Jail Control System.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Partial funding in the amount of $80,000 for the replacement of the jail control system is available in the Fiscal Year 2022 CIP No. 60350, Jail Control Systems and Phones. Approval of the recommended actions will result in a transfer from savings in salaries/benefits in the Police Department’s General City of Corona Page 3 of 4 Printed on 4/28/2022
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File #: 22-0361
actions will result in a transfer from savings in salaries/benefits in the Police Department’s General Fund operating budget to the Jail Control Systems and Phones CIP for the remaining amount of $55,800, for a total contract of $135,800 with Birdi Systems, Inc.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action merely approves an agreement for the purchase of software licenses that allows virtual access to the City’s computer systems, and there is no possibility that this project will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: JIM AUKERMAN, SENIOR NETWORK ARCHITECT
REVIEWED BY: CHRIS MCMASTERS, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - RFP 22-040RH
2. Exhibit 2 - Professional Services Agreement
City of Corona Page 4 of 4 Printed on 4/28/2022
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