CITY OF MENIFEE
SUBJECT: Agreement with Apace Systems Corporation for a Digital Media Management Equipment and Storage Solution
MEETING DATE: March 5, 2025
TO: Mayor and City Council
PREPARED BY: Ross Sublett, Management Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Michelle Sarkissian, Acting Chief Information Officer APPROVED BY: Armando G. Villa, City Manager
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute a one-year agreement with Apace Systems Corporation (“Apace Systems”) for a digital media management, equipment and storage solution, in an amount not-to-exceed $41,848.75 through December 31, 2025; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute up to four one-year extensions in an amount not-to- exceed $47,153.97.
DISCUSSION
The Information Technology Department (“IT Department”) manages data storage solutions for all City departments, ensuring efficient and secure handling of the City’s growing digital assets.
As the City continues to expand, so do its storage needs, particularly with the increasing volume of digital media produced to engage residents and document Menifee’s journey to becoming a vibrant community. To meet these demands, the IT Department has identified a media management, equipment and storage solution that more effectively manages and houses the City’s media data while reducing overall costs.
Background
Apace Systems is an on-premises storage and management system that allows for the storage of media such as photos and videos-on a dedicated server, allowing multiple departments to efficiently search for and track shared content. The proposed contract would include both the physical equipment, and the software needed to operate the storage platform. By migrating large media files to Apace Systems, the City would free up space on its current shared drives.
Additionally, this system can support direct video-editing functions without requiring staff to download copies to work on.
City of Menifee Staff Report
Agreement with Apace Systems for the Media Management Equipment and Storage Solution February 19, 2025
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Apace Systems Solutions offers a secure, centralized platform for the City Executive Office (CEO) - Communications Division, Police Department, Economic Development Department, and other City departments to efficiently share and edit media. This dedicated system enhances accessibility across departments by utilizing an advanced front-end interface with metadata- based search and tagging capabilities. By streamlining media management, it minimizes the risk of file loss, simplifies raw data retrieval, and promotes a more collaborative and efficient workspace for all media teams.
Acquisition of Product
The City needs a streamlined and accessible video repository to accommodate growing content demands. The current storage system has quickly reached capacity due to increased production by the CEO - Communications Division. Public meeting recordings and final media products must be preserved under the City's "forever" retention policy. Additionally, approximately 26 terabytes of media are currently stored on USB drives and other external devices, making file sharing cumbersome and increasing the risk of data loss.
Apace Systems would allow for the consolidation of all media, both existing and newly created- into a single, shared secure platform tailored to the needs of the Communications Division as well as other departments. This would facilitate broadcast-quality, content production, data security and backup, compliance with the City’s Retention Policy, and automated purging of data once it is no longer needed.
Apace Systems has been used by the City of Riverside for 10 years to support a mature television and media program. The IT - Digital Production Division took a hands-on approach to the software with staff from the City of Riverside. Together with on-line demos from Apace Systems, staff determined that the total solution offered would best suit the needs of our media demands in the City of Menifee and meet our budgetary requirements. Apace Systems provides solutions that are tailored and aligned with the City’s workflow applications for real-time video editing technical requirements and storage capabilities that no other vendor could provide us with.
A one-time server acquisition from Apace Systems would cost $34,648.75 and the discounted software subscription would cost $7,200.00 for a total not-to-exceed amount of $41,848.75 for the initial year of service. The proposed contract includes an option for four additional years, with a subscription cost of $11,150.00 in the first year and a 5% annual increase over the four-year period.
Cost Savings
Apace Systems solutions would be able to store 10 terabytes of data from our current infrastructure, which costs $3,600.00 annually to back up. There are also 26 terabytes of additional data contained on USB drives, which would cost $9,360.00 annually to secure through our existing backup solution. By moving and storing data onto Apace Systems, the cost will be $11,150.00, as opposed to $12,960.00 through the City’s current storage system while offering the significant benefit of additional space for storage in the future without increasing costs.
Apace’s integrated hardware and software delivers a more cost-effective solution while offering expanded storage capacity and advanced video-editing features that are not available in our current solution. Additionally, a five-year contract locks in a competitive rate and ensures the long- term security of our media.
City of Menifee Staff Report
Agreement with Apace Systems for the Media Management Equipment and Storage Solution February 19, 2025
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STRATEGIC PLAN OBJECTIVE
Regular City Business
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact for the proposed agreement with Apace Systems is not-to-exceed $41,848.75 for FY 2024/2025, while individual agreements not-to-exceed $12,568.38 would be issued per year thereafter. Funding for the proposed agreement with Apace Systems is available within the FY 2024/2025 budget in the IT Fund, Operations Division for the ongoing cost of $7,200.00 (1110- ITD-OPER-651353) and in the Public, Educational, and Governmental Fund for the one-time cost of $34,648.75 (2340-ITD-ITAD-653155). Funding for future fiscal years shall be budgeted as part of their respective year’s budget. No additional budget appropriation action is required. A breakdown of the cost by the fiscal year is shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1 – ALLOCATIONS BY FISCAL YEAR
Fiscal Year Description Amount
FY 2024/2025 Initial Contract $41,848.72
FY 2025/2026 Optional Year 1 $11,150.00
FY 2026/2027 Optional Year 2 $11,484.50
FY 2027/2028 Optional Year 3 $11,951.09
FY 2028/2029 Optional Year 4 $12,568.38
Total: $89,002.72
ATTACHMENTS
1. Professional Services Agreement – Apace Systems