Agenda
September 11, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Department of Information Technology
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION TO AMEND CITY CONTRACT NO. 31790 WITH VOX NETWORK SOLUTIONS, INC. TO INCREASE THE NOT TO EXCEED
AMOUNT BY $125,734 AND TO EXTEND THE CONTRACT TERM BY
TWO YEARS FOR TELECOM SYSTEMS MAINTENANCE COVERAGE
AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1 . Find that the recommended actions are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines per Section 15061 (b) (3), the "common sense" provision that CEQA only applies to projects that may have an effect on the environment;
2. Authorize the City Manager to amend Contract 31790 with Vox Network Solutions, Inc., to increase the contract amount by $125,734 thereby increasing the total not-to-exceed amount from $238,388 to $364,122 and to extend the contract term for two years, to September 30, 2025. Competitive bidding is not required pursuant to City Charter Section 1002(F) contracts for professional or unique services; and
3. To the extent this could be considered a separate procurement subject to the Competitive Selection Process, it is recommended that the City Council grant the contract an exemption pursuant to Pasadena Municipal Code (PMC) Section
4.08.049(8), contracts for which the City's best interests are served.
BACKGROUND:
The Department of Information Technology (DolT) maintains the City telecom voice systems including telephones, contact center, voicemail, and Interactive Voice Response (IVR). These systems are available 24/7 to provide critical communication services to every City department across forty-two locations including the Police Department, fire stations, libraries, community centers, and City Hall, among others.
MEETING OF __ 0___;9::....:/:.-1_1_;../_2-=-3- AGENDA ITEM NQ. _ _,,.2.___ _ _ Authorization to Amend Contract No. 31790
September 11, 2023
Voice services are provided via various legacy telecommunication systems with multiple generations and types of telephone sets. The current systems have reached their manufacturer end-of-life and support status.
Best-effort maintenance and support coverage on these systems has been provided by Vox Network Solutions, Inc. (Vox) since October 1, 2020 through contract 31790 that was approved by City Council on July 20, 2020. The contract was awarded through a competitive selection process and support includes remote and on-site trained specialists to support the systems to ensure consistent system reliability and provide replacement parts for any failed component of the systems. The current contract with Vox expires on September 30, 2023.
Given that the current telephone systems have reached their end-of-life, Doll staff researched and reviewed various modern telephony offerings and options. On April 24, 2023, City Council approved a contract with NWN Corporation (NWN) for a Microsoft Teams Phone System and Five9 Contact Center to replace the current systems.
Implementation on the new system will be phased in and is expected to last a minimum of two years. During that time, the current systems will still be in use, but slowly services therein will be decommissioned and transition to the new platform.
While the current systems are still in use during implementation, it is in the City's best interests to extend the current contract with Vox to provide 24/7 telecom systems maintenance coverage and professional services. Vox has proven to be a reliable partner, and their knowledge and expertise on the current system will be invaluable in maintaining it while staff efforts are focused on implementing the new Teams phone system in a seamless manner. To solicit new proposals for these services, and possibly change vendors during implementation would not be beneficial. Further, Vox was the lone vendor to submit a proposal to provide these services back in June 2020.
Therefore, staff is recommending an amendment to contract #31790 with Vox to increase the contract amount by $125,734 to continue to maintain the current telephone systems while implementation on the new system is in progress and extend the contract term for two years through September 30, 2025.
There are currently no other active contracts open with Vox Network Solutions, Inc.
Authorization to Amend Contract No. 31790
September 11, 2023
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
This proposed contract extension with Vax Network Solutions, Inc. promotes the City Council's goal to improve, maintain and enhance public facilities infrastructure by providing a high quality of public service, which adds to the quality of life in the City and increases its attractiveness through more efficient management of resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The actions proposed herein are exempt from the CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 (b)(3), the "common sense" provision of CEQA (formerly the general rule), which applies to projects which may have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. The approval to extend and add funding to an existing contract for maintenance and support on an existing system will not have a significant effect on the environment.
Authorization to Amend Contract No. 31790
September 11, 2023
FISCAL IMPACT:
The maximum cost of this action will be $125,734 for a revised total not to exceed of $364,122 for contract 31790 with Vox. Annual funding for this action will be addressed by the utilization of existing budgeted appropriations in account 50114001-811400. It is anticipated that approximately $50,880 of this increase will be spent in FY 2024. The remainder will be spent in FY 2025 and FY 2026. There are no indirect or support costs anticipated as a result of this contract.
Prepared by:
Dan Au ustyn
Management Analyst V
Department of Information Technology
Approved by:
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MIMARQUEZ
City Manager
Respectfully submitted,
~~ PHILLIPLCLAI R
Chief Information Officer
Department of Information Technology