EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: June 21, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: Greg Henry, Senior Management Analyst
Jimmie Tulabing, Senior IT Analyst
SUBJECT: Authorizing New Information Technology Equipment Purchases Recommendation
Adopt a resolution:
1. Authorizing the purchase of computer equipment, related peripherals, and network hardware from CDW-G through the Omnia Partners Agreement Number 2018011, for a total purchase amount not to exceed Three-Hundred Seven Thousand Dollars ($307,000) through June 30, 2024; and
2. Waiving the formal bid procedures under section 2.84.070(D) of the Municipal Code.
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Priority No. 3: Increase Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency Background
The Information Technology Division (IT) makes IT purchases on behalf of other departments and divisions of the City. This includes the backbone networking hardware required to run the City and individual desktop setups. Currently, much Citywide network hardware needs to be upgraded. Staff currently uses 63 desktops and 15 laptops which are at least 7-years old and are at end of their life. Finally, staff needs additional equipment as the City transitions to a more flexible environment where staff may work from home at least part of the time.
Analysis
The City can use the vendor CDW-G purchase agreement with the City of Mesa, Arizona for this equipment refresh. The details of that contract, including the request for proposal process is found here: https://www.omniapartners.com/publicsector/suppliers/cdw-g/contractdocumentation.
The following table has the proposed purchases for the next two years.
Table 1 – Proposed Purchases
The proposed computers (desktops and laptops) are to either replace aging existing systems or provide expansion due to work from home needs. All aging computers currently run on the Windows 10 operating systems, which has a scheduled end of support of October 14, 2025.
None of the systems proposed for replacement can be upgraded to a newer operating system and so must be replaced.
Staff require Dell Docks to maximize the use of the proposed laptops as the docks allow access to full monitor and other peripherals. This is cost neutral as only a single computer purchase would be required from staff who would work from home (instead of two desktops).
Staff need additional peripherals (headsets, webcams, keyboard and mice) to manage breakage and deployment of further remote work requirements.
Tate Street, PD, Corp Yard need new secondary firewalls and switches.
Staff propose to convert the following meeting rooms into Hybrid meeting areas to better facilitate meetings where staff, consultants or residents are meeting through a remote system:
City Hall Executive Room, PD Conference Room, PD CID Conference Room, Tate Street, Corp Yard.
Fiscal Impact
This purchase would use existing reserves of which there are sufficient to cover this expense.
While the City did not bid for these purchases directly, and thus the Council must waive the formal bid procedures, the City has been allowed to purchase equipment through an existing contract which is with the City of Mesa, Arizona, which were competitively bid. More than 50 municipalities in California are using this purchase contract.
Public Notice
The public was provided notice by making the agenda and report available on the City’s website and on a bulletin board located at City Hall: 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Environmental
The action being considered by the City Council is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a “project” pursuant to 15378(b)(4) because it is a fiscal activity which does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant impact on the environment.
Attachments
1. Resolution