City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: September 19, 2023
From: Robert Sousa, Chief of Police
Department: Police
Submitted by: Donna Aggers, Records Manager
Subject
Professional Services Agreement with CentralSquare Technologies, LLC (CentralSquare) for Dispatch and Mobile Software
Recommendation
Approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute a Professional Services Agreement with CentralSquare, in substantially the same form as submitted, for a Public Safety Software System for a total amount not-to-exceed $582,117, for a three-year term.
Background
The Vernon Police Department (VPD) utilizes various software systems and tools to conduct its daily operations and remain compliant with state and federal reporting mandates. The Mobile Systems used in the field, Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System, and Records Management System (RMS) are all critical in enabling the VPD to receive and respond to calls timely and to collect and share critical information about each call. VPD’s current Mobile System and CAD System (both in place since 1999) are no longer supported by their respective providers, as new versions are available. These systems are at the end of their serviceable life and are no longer capable of handling upgrades. Additionally, there is limited communication/data transfer capability between the current Mobile and CAD systems with the RMS. Thus, VPD looked to transition from the use of individual applications to a comprehensive system that could include Mobile systems, CAD and RMS as an all-in-one product.
In July 2023, the Department issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking proposals for a Public Safety Software System. Pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code (VMC) Section 3.32.080, the RFP was reviewed by the City Attorney and approved by the City Administrator. The RFP was posted on PlanetBids and emailed to five qualified vendors as required by VMC Section
3.32.130. In response to the RFP, two proposals were received by the July 31, 2023 deadline.
The written proposals were subject to a review process by a panel of staff with extensive knowledge of the City’s Public Safety Software System requirements. Individual scores were applied by members of the selection panel using the weighted evaluation criteria set forth in the RFP. Once the scores were reviewed, CentralSquare held the top score.
Utilizing the Pro-Suite software and hardware as proposed by CentralSquare in response to the RPF, will increase the overall efficiency of department operations. CentralSquare’s Pro-Suite provides various advantages for the VPD including increased functionality and reporting capabilities, as well as seamless communication and the ability to transfer information between dispatch, officers in the field, and records. Transitioning to a new system would also decrease the demand for Information Technology staff to maintain the currently unsupported applications, as the proposed Pro-Suite software and hardware package will be maintained by CentralSquare under an annual subscription. The subscription service will include updates, upgrades, system down issue handling, and hardware failure replacements.
Based on the results of the RFP, staff recommends approval of a three-year agreement with CentralSquare to provide a Public Safety Software System for the City. CentralSquare met all the RFP criteria, including qualifications, responsiveness to the RFP, and references.
CentralSquare has been an industry leader in public safety technology since 2003, serving over 8,000 organizations across North America.
The proposed agreement has been reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney’s Office.
Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact is not-to-exceed $582,117. Sufficient funds are available in General Fund, IT Department, Repairs & Maintenance - IT Account No. 011-010-110-529110 for the current fiscal year and will be budgeted in subsequent years.
Attachments
1. CentralSquare Agreement