City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: FEBRUARY 27, 2024 FROM: INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: MEASURE Z – FOURTH AMENDMENT TO THE PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR RFP NO. 1926 NETWORK REFRESH PROJECT SERVICES AND HARDWARE WITH VECTOR RESOURCES, INC., DOING BUSINESS AS VECTORUSA, FOR A SIX-MONTHS EXTENSION WITH A TERM ENDING JUNE 30, 2024, WITH A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $2,562,278.02 ISSUE:
Approve a Fourth Amendment to the Professional Consultant Services Agreement for Request for Proposal 1926 Data Network Refresh services and hardware with Vector Resources, Inc., doing business as VectorUSA, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, for a six-months extension with a term ending June 30, 2024, with a total contract amount not to exceed $2,562,278.02.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve the Fourth Amendment to the Professional Consultant Services Agreement for Request for Proposal 1926 Data Network Refresh services and hardware with Vector Resources, Inc., doing business as VectorUSA, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, for a six-months extension with a term ending June 30, 2024, with a total contract amount not to exceed $2,562,278.02, and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents pursuant to the Professional Consultant Services Agreement, and to make minor non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
On April 18, 2019, Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 1926 was issued to seek a qualified entity to provide services, equipment, and software associated with the build-out and upgrade of the City of Riverside’s data network which was more than 15 years old and experiencing degraded network performance, outages and capacity limitations. This Data Network Refresh Project provided new, manufacturer supported equipment, city-wide and was designed to be highly scalable to better support staff, cybersecurity and applications. It provided redundancy for key City and RPU core sites and was designed to support disaster recovery efforts.
The scope included major overhauls of the core network and to the connectivity of the City’s data centers to support the City’s growing data needs. The new network supports all the existing network’s technical capabilities and implemented dozens of new technical capabilities for cybersecurity, mobility, cloud computing, and “Internet of Things” devices. The vendor implemented a comprehensive network management platform that leveraged the concepts of Software Defined Networking to enhance network management, deployment, and performance while ensuring the new network was compatible and integrated with several existing network systems and standards including the City’s enterprise firewall, wireless network system and wireless devices, servers and data centers, computer workstations, and existing phone system.
In addition, the vendor would be responsible for the provision of training and development services required for City of Riverside staff to effectively operate the installed equipment in addition to providing the personnel resources, subcontractors (if needed), and professional services, in sufficient scope and depth, to complete the scheduled projects as defined in the scope of work. This includes conducting formal acceptance testing with Innovation and Technology Department staff and reporting on all performance testing to ensure that the solutions and electronics installed are operating within the manufacturer’s specifications. This agreement includes support and maintenance of the network solution for five-years as well as support availability for the core network 24 hours per day, 365 days a year.
The City received six (6) responses to RFP 1926. After evaluating all responses based upon approach and methodology, pricing, qualifications, experience with projects of similar size and scope, and professional references, the City deemed Vector Resources, Inc., dba VectorUSA, as the most responsive and responsible bidder.
On November 25, 2019, the Board of Public Utilities voted to approve an expenditure for the project and the agreement was subsequently approved by City Council on December 17, 2019.
DISCUSSION:
The proposed Fourth Amendment (and all before it) only extended the term of the agreement and no changes to the scope of service or compensation were (or are) proposed.
Three months after the agreement was signed, the city joined countries and territories around the world with enforced lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. This led to significant supply chain delays of more than one year which resulted in the First Amendment to the agreement being entered into on October 12, 2021, to extend the term expiration from December 30, 2021, to June 30, 2022.
Over the next couple of years, IT staff (specifically our Network Team) were redistributed to build new networks for the new Main Library and Youth Innovation Center as well as disassemble and relocate equipment from the old library in time for the Cheech Marin Center’s opening. Additionally, both the city and the vendor experienced significant staffing challenges throughout the pandemic. All of these reasons contributed to subsequent time extensions being signed (in the form of amendments) on April 23, 2022, and July 28, 2023.
As of today, the project is over 95% complete. Four of the five major phases of the project have been successfully delivered, leaving only one phase with outstanding tasks. Notably, the core network, network ring, data center networks, software defined networking, network management systems, wireless access point upgrades, and cybersecurity features are all fully operational and serving approximately 9,000 connected City devices. Out of the seventy office locations connected to the network, sixty-eight are now fully operational, while the remaining two are progressing well at 80% and 40% completion, respectively.
Since the implementation of the core network ring, which enhances redundancy at the City’s mission-critical facilities, the City’s network has demonstrably proven its resilience. It successfully weathered two physical network events that would have caused outage under the previous design. The more severe event, involving accidental fire damage along the Magnolia corridor, caused significant physical network damaged requiring 30 hours of continuous repair. In the past, such an event would have severely impacted Police and Fire 911 response operations for the duration of the repairs. However, with the new network, these critical services remained completely unaffected.
The proposed Fourth Amendment to the agreement will add an additional six months to the agreement for a new term expiration of June 30, 2024, without changing the scope or compensation. This will allow staff time to work with the vendor on the final implementations, perform testing and any troubleshooting required to complete the project.
Purchasing Resolution 23914 Section 1104(d) states “Change Orders. Modifications to a Purchase Order shall be made only by Change Order. Subject to the availability of funds, Change Orders may be utilized for purposes of (1) adding and/or deleting quantity of items being procured, (2) modifying unit prices, (3) modifying scope of work/services being provided, where the modification is reasonably related to the original scope of work/services, (4) changing funding source(s), (5) modifying contract completion time or the term of a Contract, or (6) any other change approved by the Manager. Unless otherwise specifically authorized by the Awarding Entity, Change Orders which cumulatively exceed the following will require Awarding Entity approval; d) A Contract amendment which extends the term of the agreement beyond one year of the original expiration date.” Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommendation is in accordance with Purchasing Resolution 23914, Section 1104(d).
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This item contributes to the following Envision Riverside 2025 City Council Strategic Priority:
Strategic Priority 6, Infrastructure, Mobility & Connectivity Goal 6.2. Maintain, protect and improve assets and infrastructure within the City’s built environment to ensure and enhance reliability, resiliency, sustainability, and facilitate connectivity.
The item aligns with each of the five cross-cutting threads as follows:
Community Trust – Utilizing competitively bid services and negotiated pricing complies with the City’s procurement policies and ensure the City and its’ resident’s best interest are at the forefront. Extending the term of the agreement allows staff to fully vet all aspects of the project to make sure all requirements are met and the work performed meets our expectations.
Equity – All City employees benefit from IT making research driven decisions based on industry trends and the City’s specific needs. This benefits Riverside residents and the community who benefit from reliable and available services.
Fiscal Responsibility – This purchase is an extension of a publicly bid contract with no changes to pricing or scope of work (even though the agreement was initially signed more than four years ago).
Innovation – The new network will increase communication speed by 10x, introduce self-healing capabilities to equipment and fiber damage to the City's 6 core facilities and improve cybersecurity.
Sustainability & Resiliency –. This purchase is imperative to the ongoing success of the City’s technological infrastructure, which serves the community daily.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact for this item as it is an extension of the term of the contract with no additional compensation.
Prepared by: Jessica M. Gordon, Administrative Services Manager Approved by: George Khalil, Chief Innovation Officer
Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Edward Enriquez, Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial , Officer/Treasurer) Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachments:
2019 Original Agreement
2021 First Amendment
2022 Second Amendment
2023 Third Amendment
Proposed Fourth Amendment
4th Amendment to Vector Resources Agreement ● Page 2