City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: March 19, 2024
Agenda Item: 5.I
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ramon Batista, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Award Bid and Enter into Agreement with Convergint Technologies LLC. for a Video Management System.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Award Bid #387 to Convergint Technologies, LLC, a California-based company for installation and maintenance of a Video Management System.
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Convergint Technologies, LLC for installation of a Video Management System in an amount not to exceed $424,318 (including a 20% contingency for adding potential cameras in the future). This sum includes installation, programming, and maintenance for a total of 5 years of service, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The current City of Santa Monica Video Management System (“VMS”) has been in use since 2013 and has not scaled well with the increased demands and complexities of the City’s camera network. It lacks many of the features and capabilities of a modern VMS and has been the source of several failed attempts to obtain video recordings during the investigation of high priority incidents. Consistent with the Santa Monica Police Department’s goals of being a benchmark for excellence and embracing emergent technologies, SMPD applied for a grant under the Board of State and Community Corrections (“BSCC”) for an Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant to create a Real 2 of 5
Time Crime Center (“RTCC”). The grant was awarded to SMPD in October 2023 (Attachment A).
This RTCC will be located in the Public Safety Facility and will be referred to as the “SMART” Center (Santa Monica Analytical Real Time Center) (Attachment B). One of the backbone components of the SMART Center and its effective operation is a robust and reliable VMS. Therefore, the SMPD in partnership with the City’s Information Services Department, set out to replace the current VMS as part of the SMART Center project to support its goal of reducing, detecting, and deterring Organized Retail Theft (“ORT”), vehicle theft, and catalytic converter theft. Staff recommends awarding the contract to replace the City’s current VMS to Convergint Technologies LLC.
Discussion
The City’s current VMS manages approximately 825 camera licenses across the city including cameras from the Santa Monica Public Library, 3rd St. Promenade, the Pier, Big Blue Bus, parks, Santa Monica Airport, traffic cameras, and other City facilities such as City Hall, the PSF, and parking structures. The VMS is relied upon heavily by the Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit as a means to locate and securely extract video related to investigations. The current VMS has been fraught with repeated failures to keep cameras connected, capture video, and retrieve video for important investigations.
SMPD staff began its research of a VMS replacement in early 2023. Staff attended several technology and security trade shows and visited over 20 law enforcement and critical infrastructure security centers that allowed for staff to view and assess in person the various VMS platforms. Staff also viewed demonstrations directly from several VMS vendors prior to the procurement process initiation. This experience and expertise helped shape the expectations and requirements that were developed for the VMS Request for Proposal (RFP) released on November 21, 2023.
Seven vendors submitted proposals in response to the RFP. Four major VMS brands were offered by the responsive vendors, including VMS platforms by Motorola 3 of 5
Solutions, Milestone, Genetec, and IREX. A team comprising of Police Department and Information Services Department staff evaluated the proposals. The evaluation team evaluated each vendor’s solution with consideration given to pricing, vendor history and capabilities, VMS platform offerings, and vendor support offerings. The evaluation team selected Convergint Technologies and their proposal for a Genetec VMS solutions as the best proposal. This proposal is also the least expensive. Convergint’s proposal includes installation, programming, training, and user licenses. It also includes a prebundled five-year software maintenance and support plan, which provides software updates, patches, and technical support. At the conclusion of a proposed five-year contract term, the estimated annual cost for ongoing support and maintenance is $58,240, which is comparable to the current maintenance costs for the City’s existing VMS system.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Bidder Convergint Technologies, LLC
Evaluation Criteria Price; the quality of the material or services offered; the ability, capacity and skill of the bidder to perform or provide the materials or services; the capacity of the bidder to perform the contract or provide the service promptly, within the time specified, and without delay or interference; the sufficiency of the bidder’s financial resources; the character, integrity, reputation, judgment, training, experience and efficiency of the bidder; the ability of the bidder to provide such future maintenance or service as may be needed; any other factor that will further the intent set forth in Section 608 of the City Charter. The City shall have absolute discretion in determining the applicability and weight of the criteria listed above.
The city is not required to select the bid with the lowest price.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.180
Bid Data
Date Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
11/21/2023 City's Online Santa Monica Daily 40 12/13/2023 Submittals Received
Convergint Technologies $353,318.00 EyeP Solutions $566,482.77 IK Systems, Inc. $481,714.00 IREX $4,680,000.00
Vector Resources, Inc. dba
VectorUSA $511,243.97 Integrated Security Solutions, Inc. $1,390,150.00 A3 Communications Inc.
dba Blue Violet Networks $360,685.31
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Bidding Site Press
Best Bidder Justification
Based on the evaluation criteria and criteria in SMMC 2.24.180 staff recommends awarding the bid to Convergint Technologies. Convergint Technologies has a long history of completing law enforcement agency integrations and product installations.
The Genetec Security Center, which is Convergint’s proposed VMS vendor solution, is well known to SMPD. This VMS platform is used by surrounding Santa Monica community partners including the Los Angeles Metro and the Santa Monica Place Mall, making camera integration with these entities seamless. Genetec is a modern and reliable VMS with a user-friendly and intuitive interface that allows for live monitoring of system health with customizable dashboard layouts. The Genetec system can accommodate the integration of Santa Monica’s existing cameras and the full usage of those cameras on-board capabilities. Convergint, on a direct comparison over the 3-year grant period, was also the lowest bidder for this project.
Environmental Review
The contract for the VMS is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the CEQA Guidelines. The contract is covered by the commonsense exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, “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 agreement will provide the City with a new video management system. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
10/24/23
(attachment A)
Authorization to Accept Grant from the BSCC for the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the General Fund and Miscellaneous Grants Fund to award an agreement with Convergint Technologies LLC 5 of 5
for a Video Management System. The 20% contingency ($71,000) is contingent on additional department needs and funds will only be spent if available. Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Contract Request
FY 2023-24 Budget
Request Amount
Future Years
Amount Department/CIP Account # Total Contract Amount
$260,238 $0 20180001.556631 $260,238
$93,080 $0 01180005.529230 $93,080
$0 $71,000 Various, as needed $71,000
$353,318 $71,000 Total $424,318
Prepared By: Jose Arroyo, Senior Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. October 24, 2023 Staff Report (Web Link)
B. SMART Center Information Item
C. Oaks Initiative Form - Convergint
D. Levine Act Disclosure Form