HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 09212006 - SD.8 SEaL I
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS aF` Contra
FROM: John Cullen: County Admi r - Costa
DATE: September 21, 2006 }
SUBJECT: EAST BAY REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS Count
SYSTEMS (EBRCS) PROJECT j
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- ri_:..�EST„',_.CR RECC:•:-�N �i ON:"S`6 BACKGROUND AiJ7 JUST.=1� V i
RECOMMENDATION
1. Acknowledge Receipt of this Board Order as the first quarterly report on County radio
communications activities and the East Bay Regional Communications System (EBRCS)
project. j
2. Accept the findings of County staff in this report regarding the Alameda County
(ALCO) procurement process. and recommendations of the County Administrator
regarding our next steps.
3. Provide requests for any additional information that the Board would like included in
future quarterly reports.
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BACKGROUND
On July 25. 2006. the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors endorsed in concept.
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County participation in the proposed East Bay Regional Communications System
(EBRCS): directed the CAO to work with Alameda County, cities and other agencies to i
develop a JPA; authorized the CAO to work with ALCO to solicit proposals for an j
independent review of the Motorola design and study: directed the CAO to report back
on all preliminary steps and funding commitments thus far: directed the CAO and County
Counsel to review the history of the Alameda County bidding process, including the RFP.
specifications. and involvement by Contra Costa County management: and directed the
CAO to provide quarterly reports to the Board on the project. i
CON'7:NJED ON ATTAC:-I' EW: _YES SIGNATJRE: lot_ -C-0001"',
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RECCIMMENCAT C•\OF C O—NTv ACMIN;STRATOR RECOMM..ENC.A73N OF BOAC-_ ITTEE
APPRO'E CTHER
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`TOTE OF SUPERVISORS 'HERESY CERT=Y-.—A'-H.S iS A TRUE
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BOARD C=SU?ERVIS•CRS ON THE DATE j
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CONTACT: JO.—N S+v=ETEN-CLERX OF THE SOARD OF
SUPERVISORS ANDi COJINT'AJ Pr IN.STRA7OR
CC Sne,i l arren Rip`.Coit-a Costa Ccurty
C-`ef Keith R-cater Coit-a Costa Fiore
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S.:sa,i',to-a nsn.. ia—eda Covey Acriris'-atc-
C'lie` ' .••a^-N%:0a--on.AAa-eda Cowry
J Jake'.Anoch C:y Manager
_Vdia C.:_crg.Cc-iccm City Manager !
B-cck T ..Amer.Sar Pan-o City Warage-
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Review of the Alameda Countv Procurement Process
On August 21. 2006 representatives of the CAO. Department of Information Technology, and
County Counsel traveled to Oakland to gather information and interview Alameda County
officials involved in the 2005 procurement process leading to a three year contract with
Motorola for an Interoperable Radio System. During this visit, and several follow-ups, Contra
Costa staff reviewed the RFI (Request for Interest). RFP (Request for Proposal) and an
addendum to the RFP. Bidder's Conference notes, and a set of written Questions and Answers I
that were also a part of the ALCO process.
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In summary, on June 30. 2005, the ALCO General Services Agency issued a RFI seeking
qualified vendors to respond to an anticipated RFP for a new P25 digital radio system. The RFP i
described the new radio system as a two-county. P25, trunked 700/800 MHZ. Land Mobile
Radio System. Included were the requirements for: a Motorola Master Site Controller or
equivalent: an upgrade to the existing ALCO radio system with full integration to the new
system: one or more P25 trunked 700/800 MHZ radio sites capable of simulcast with up to 24
sites in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties: and six portable radios for testing. The RFP
clearly stated that the new system must fully integrate with ALCO's existing analog (Motorola) i
system, as well as meet the P25 open standards which allows for the interoperability of radio
equipment from various manufacturers.
ALCO followed its procurement process leading up to an award by the ALCO Board of
Supervisors on October 11, 2005 to Motorola (the only respondent) for an amount not to exceed i
S16.193,993 and for a term of Oct. 31. 2005 to Oct. 31. 2008, with renewal options and
provisions for the purchase of additional equipment. I
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M/A-COM, a Motorola competitor who raised concerns about the ALCO process to your Board,
did not submit a response to the RFP, in part, because they did not have a P25 compliant
trunked 700/800 MHZ radio system product available at the time of ALCO's RFP. In addition.
M/A-COM did not appeal or protest the bid award. They have since submitted a 'stop-work'
demand to ALCO, which ALCO has addressed.
As of the date of this review, ALCO has expended $5.7 million of their S16.2 million contract
with Motorola. The entire cost for the build out of the EBRCS is estimated at $60.1 million. The
S46.9 million difference is the amount remaining to be funded that will need to be shared
between the participating agencies in order to obtain a fully functional EBRCS. (Attachment 1) i
Based upon a thorough review of all pertinent documents involving the procurement process,
the contract. correspondence. and interviews. we have concluded:
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1. The initial RFP identified the two-county EBRCS project and called for ALCO to initially
acquire equipment. specifically. a Master Site Controller or "switch", one or more P25 radio
sites, upgrades to existing Gold Elite dispatch consoles and their integration with the proposed
system, and six P25 portable radios for S5.7 million in the first year of the contract, to be funded
by ALCO's federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Domestic Preparedness
(ODP) grants. I
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2. ALCO utilized its General Services Agency (GSA). with extensive solicitation and outreach.
to conduct the procurement. GSA relied upon a team composed of ALCO officials from the
Sheriff's Office. the Office of Emergency Services and the City of Oakland to develop the
specifications and then evaluate the only submitted bid by Motorola. A representative of the
Contra Costa Sheriff's Office participated on the team. i
3. ALCO's RFP requirement for backward compatibility with its legacy radio system and its j
Motorola Gold Elite dispatch consoles was necessary for continued use of its legacy radio
system and was an appropriate business decision.
4. At the time of the ALCO RFP, M/A-COM did not have equipment that met the new national
P25 standards for 800 MHZ systems. recommended by the Federal Interoperable
Communications Technical Advisory Program (ICTAP) support group and the Urban Area I
Security Initiative (UASI).
5. ALCO's position, in its written response to M/A-COM's 'stop-work' request, is that the three i
year contract not to exceed $16.2 million with Motorola is valid: that additional equipment for
ALCO would be anticipated as funding became available: and that M/A-COM had an
opportunity to bid and simply chose not to respond.
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6. The Contract between Alameda and Motorola provides the opportunity for Contra Costa
County to purchase equipment and services under this agreement with Motorola's concurrence,
but does not obligate us or other partner agencies to purchase any radios under this contract.
7. ALCO's contract with Motorola is for three years and not to exceed S16.2 million. It is not for
the total EBRCS cost estimated at $60.1 million. The proposed JPA will be responsible for
securing the additional funding necessary to complete the build out of the EBRCS
infrastructure: including acquisition of portable radios.
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8. ALCO has financed all costs to date with time limited federal grants which had they not been
utilized would have been lost.
Based upon our review, it is recommended that:
1. Contra Costa County should continue planning for the County's participation in the EBRCS
by: utilizing a financial advisor and legal counsel to assist in creating the JPA and its
governance structure: hiring an independent third party consultant to review the two-county i
design, engineering study and costs proposed by Motorola: and work in collaboration with our
City-County organizations to support EBRCS. I
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2. Contra Costa County should further consult with ALCO to resolve any concerns regarding the i
use of the ALCO contract with Motorola by Contra Costa for any interim EBRCS purchases.
3. The JPA, once formed. should consider its options for procurement of additional EBRCS
infrastructure above that committed by ALCO. Lack of market competition at the time of the
ALCO RFP could have influenced price. Additional RFIs and any recommendations from the
independent consultant's review should be considered by the JPA in future purchases.
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4. Contra Costa County should designate a project Manager to represent our interest in the I
build-out of the EBRCS.
Background on Contra Costa County Radio System Project
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The Board of Supervisors took action in 2003 to begin the replacement of the County's
outdated public safety radio system. Recognizing the need for a state of the art interoperable
radio system which could be utilized by any public safety or public service agency in responding i
to emergencies. the Board allocated interim funding to begin the transition and directed i
collaborations with Federal, State. Regional and local agencies. The Board also recognized i
that a multi-jurisdictional project would allow for lower infrastructure and operational costs for
participating agencies.
S5.225 million of County general funds was allocated to finance short-term and mid-term
improvements to the County's public safety radio system. The goal of these short and mid-term
radio projects was to ensure that radio communications would operate effectively for at least the
next six years as we prepared for a regional interoperable radio system. In summary. the short-
term radio projects involved upgrading communication infrastructure. improving radio reception i
and upgrading mobile data systems. (These Board approved short-term projects have all been
completed.) The mid-term radio projects which involve replacing the low band radio system
supporting the County's public service departments (Animal Services. Building Inspection.
General Services. Health Services and Public Works) are underway but have not been
completed. In addition. significant work is underway to improve the critical component of radio
interoperability on a limited basis between agencies within and adjacent to Contra Costa County
realizing that the long-term replacement radio system (EBRCS) is several years away. This
work. known as "Tac n Stack" consists of 28 mutual aid hilltop repeaters and intelligent gateway
devices under the control of communication centers operated by the Sheriff. and the Contra
Costa County Fire and San Ramon Valley Fire districts. The "Tac n Stack` system allows radio
users on different bands (Low Band. VHF, UHF and 800 MHZ) to communicate with each other.
The `Tac n Stack' system will integrate with a similar system being built by Solano County and
is expected to be operational early next year. This system will provide limited interoperability
now, and will integrate with the EBRCS when built to allow for interoperability between EBRCS
and other counties/agencies (i.e.. Solano, City of Richmond, Oakland).
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A County Communications Workgroup comprised of the CAO. the Sheriff. Contra Costa Fire
Chief. DoIT Director, and a consultant has worked with both the Police and Fire Chief's
Association in developing the regional radio system for Contra Costa County. The concept for a
regional radio system was also presented to the Public Managers Association (PMA) who
subsequently designated a sub-committee of three city managers to work with the County
Communications Workgroup in development of a new regional system. i
At the same time. Alameda County, the City of Oakland and the Contra Costa County Sheriff's
Office. as members of the Oakland Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) consulted with the
Federal Interoperable Communications Technical Advisory Program (ICTAP) on regional
communications needs. ICTAP is a federal technical assistance program designed to promote
and enhance interoperable communications among local. State. and Federal emergency
responders and public safety officials. From these meetings the concept of a P25 standards
based. two-county regional radio system evolved. This proposed two county regional radio I
system began to be referred to as the East Bay Regional Communications System (EBRCS).
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The County of Alameda. seeing the opportunity to utilize available federal Homeland Security i
Funds to help transition their limited radio system. and move closer to a P25 interoperable radio
system, began their RFI/RFP process. with input from UASI. i
Our County Communications Workgroup and the PMA subgroup first met with representatives
of Alameda County in May 26. 2006 in San Leandro to get a briefing on the EBRCS and the
Motorola proposal. The Alameda Fire Chief brought the concept of the EBRCS to the Alameda
County Mayor's conference on July 14, 2006 and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on
August 1. 2006: and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors endorsed in concept the
EBRCS along with a recommendation to prepare for the development of a JPA and an
independent analysis of the Motorola design. The Contra Costa County Fire Chief and the
Alameda County Fire Chief presented the EBRCS to the Contra Costa County Board of
Supervisors on July 25, 2006 and the Contra Costa County Mayors Conference on August 3, i
2006. Both endorsed the EBRCS in concept and the Mayors Conference appointed two Mayors
as a sub-committee to work with the existing workgroups. other local agencies in our two
counties have endorsed the EBRCS concept and are interested in joining the JPA.
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Fundina Committed to date.
Of the currently estimated S60.1 million dollars for EBRCS build-out, Alameda County has set
aside S12.5 million for the EBRCS. In addition, $7.8 million of Federal UASI. SUASI and
Alameda County DHS grants have been secured towards the EBRCS. i
Contra Costa County is utilizing S1 million of federal Homeland Security grant funds towards the
EBRCS. These funds have been designated by our Homeland Security Approving Authority.
knows as the "Gang of 5" which consists of the County Sheriff, County Fire Chief, County
Health Director, and a representative of the Police Chief and Fire Chief Associations. S320.000
of UASI grants and S500.000 of general funds from 2003 have been allocated towards the
building of the `Tac n Stack' interoperability system. The balance of Contra Costa County $5.2 ;
million allocation from 2003 has been committed to projects described earlier in this report.
No further commitment of county general funds are anticipated beyond the S25,000 cost for the
independent consultant review and costs for a financial advisor until the JPA is formed and the
total projected infrastructure costs (including site improvements), radio costs (mobile and hand i
held). and operational costs are more fully known and verified. It is anticipated that the
independent review will help answer these questions.
Upon the advice of ALCO counsel a financial advisor should be utilized prior to the JPA being
formed, since it will be responsible for securing the funding necessary to complete the build out ,
of the EBRCS. making procurement decisions. and sharing of costs with its participating
members.
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ATTACHh1ENT 1 t I
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EAST BAY REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS SY5YTEN1 i
Current financial Overview t
(DRAFT)
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Motorola Proposal S (10.1 M
This?ncludes the micro xvax a and other compz)nents
that Zvi'I be purchased through other graris � +
Deductions t
Funded flu-ough grants
Maser site controller and 2 sites S 5,355 M i l
1-4c:-owavc h L21EM
$12,5701.4 512.5 M)
$47.6 M
Tax _ 3.1 M.
S50.7t1'I
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Contingency
Approximately a 10%contingency to cover
IJnexpected costs related to site deve.'ooment S 5.0m
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Total $55.7111 ' I
Grants secured
X05 UAS1* S 2.999 M
2006 SUASI** 3.000 M
Alameda County 51ISGP'*** S 1.800 M I
Contra costa SHSGP S 1,000 M I j
$ 3.799 M LI' 8.8 M
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Total remaining to be funded
By JPA, Additional Grants or
Participating Members 46.9 N-1 �
iUSAJ-Urban Area Security Initiative
k SUSAi - Super Uthrn Area.Se=ity lnithttiv.-
"°* SITSGP—Shue Homeland Security Grant Program
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Addendum to SD.8
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OCTOBER 3, 2006 (Radio Systems)
On this day-the Board accepted the first of a series of quarterly reports on Count-radio
communications activities and on the East Bay Regional Communications System
project. accepted staff findings regarding the Alameda Count-system procurement
process. and approved recommendations on the next steps in the process to develop the
system.
Count-Administrator, John Cullen presented this item saying the recommendation
before the Board would be the first quarterly report on East Bay Communication Systems
and requested the Board to accept the findings and recommendation and provide i
information or issues to be addressed in future reports. Mr. Cullen gave a summarized
version of the status of the Alameda County Procurement Process spelled out in its I
entiret on the Board Order. He continued. sa-6nQ Alameda Count-has spent SS.?
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million of the S 16.2m contract with Motorola; the entire build out cost of the East Bay I
ReQional Communication is S60.1m plus radios: the S46.9m difference is the amount the
JPA and the participating agencies would need to be addressed. IMr. Cullen noted that in
the ALCO Request for Proposal. M_A-COM did not have equipment that would meet the
new national P25 standards for 800 MHZ systems. He finished by saying Contra Costa
Countshould appoint a Project Manager to represent the County's interest in the build- i
out of the East Bay Regional Communication Systems. i
Chair Gioia noted the heart of the issue is that Alameda County has a partial investment
in the Motorola Svstem and that they base expansion on the Motorola System. He asked
if Motorola was the only company that had the P-25 compliant system.
Department of Information and Technology Director Tom Whittinaton told the Board
Alameda Count was looking for a standards based system. He told the Board the intent
is to come up with a standard so multiple manufacturers could build to the same standard
to get competition in the radio market. He said the idea is to more to a model where one
has a standard that will allow interoperability of different manufacturers equipment.
Mr. Cullen said the P-25 standard has been identified and promoted by federal agencies
as a wav of ensuring interoperability and indirectly tyring the federal dollars to
interoperability.
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Supervisor Lilkema expressed her concern on the proposal for Motorola at S61m and I
said she would like this to be good, safe, and operable at the best possible price. She said
she would not like the idea of being locked into another Count•'s integrated system.
Mr. Cullen clarified that the EBRCS direction the County is going does not lock the
Count-into the old Alameda legacy system but is just the opposite in taking_ the first step
to developing a P-25 compliant that everyone link with their old system for them to
continue to have a system in their jurisdiction, and continued by sa-yring building out the
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old legacy system in Alameda would become a thing of the past and noted the County is
also concerned about the costs. and based on recommendations to the Board an
independent Consultant should be hired to review the technical side and the costs. Mr.
Cullen said the County is not obligated to buy the EBRC system under the Alameda
Contract. He said the proposed JPA must make a decision on developing the system
above the S 161n level that Alaemda County is currently committed to the S60m plus
level. He also noted 40 jurisdictions signed up to be partners in this concept at this time.
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Supervisor Uilkema requested Mr. Cullen to explore possibilities of nearby partners who �
could possibly partner with the County. �
Chair Gioia asked staff to refresh the Board's memory on the make up of the seats of the
JPA.
Scott Tandy(ex Assistant County Administrator) said it is 1'members made up of equal
representation from both Counties: the two Police Chiefs Association—two from the two
Countv Fire Chiefs Association. 1 from Special District. 4 Cin-Managers from Contra i
Costa. four City Managers from Alameda, the Alameda Count-Administrator. the Contra
Costa Country Administrator and the two County Sheriffs. i
Chair Gioia asked if there was anv_ discussion about whether there should be anv elected
representatives.
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Mr. Tandy said up to this point the elected representatives have not been added. The
proposed JPA has been patterned after the Insurance authority in Alameda and Contra i
Costa Countv. He said the CAO is Contra Costa County's non-elected official on the
JPA.
Chair Gioia said it would be important to get a time period to take this back to City
Managers and their City_ counsels in both Counties for some official direction as soon as
possible.
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Mr. Cullen noted the process is under way in mane jurisdictions to get this before their
entire City Counsel to get them to endorse the concept. I
Supervisor Piepho asked what the time frame was to expect the vision and the idea to
evolve into a JPA.
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Mr. Cullen responded when the original RFP and RFI process was seeing a 6-year
timetable before for the roll out of the EBRCS in the region. recent consultations looked
at requiring an independent reviewer this calendar year to start the technical analysis and
the validation of costs. He said the other step is to consult with a financial person on
helping to form the JPA, which would occur in the next 122 months. He said this is a
conceptual approval by all of the jurisdictions who have partnered to date to the common i
plan was shared with the Mayors Conference.
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Chair Gioia asked Mr. Cullen the time frame when he would like to form the JPA? �
Mr. Cullen said S to 12 months to go through the legal and financial analysis.
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Chair Gioia said he strongly recommends a brief white position paper be developed by I
the group that sets forth all the principles here of this arrangement, details. vision, and
that a team from this group along with the Cit-Manager for the respective city make a �
presentation for each city council and get a Resolution from each council pursuing the
JPA. i
Supervisor Piepho directed staff to develop a timeline that has the concept to transition
into a rollout.
Mr. Tandy-said the JPA would do that. He said now they do not have a good proof of
cost—they know-what the balance is S46m—but they do not know the Motorola cost is �
accurate and therefore the request to the Board for an independent consultant to review. i
He also said the Financial Advisor would need to look at hoer to finance whatever cost
the system is going to be, both the infrastructure cost and the subscriber cost which could
be larger. He continued saying the third part would be the current operation and
maintenance cost that each jurisdiction would need to support.
SuperVisor i=ilkema said she would like to know whether it is recommended that the JPA j
issue the Bonds and requested staff to look at other choices. She compared the system to i
the Air Quality Board System and commented it was enormously expensive and asked
\1r. Tandy to gather information and find out-what system the Air Quality Board has and
hoer they analzed their needs.
Mr. Tandy-pointed out the importance of the independent consultant. He said a federal
group called ICTAP could do this for free but had previously been involved in the
development of the EBRCS.
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Br-a unanimous rote with Supervisor Glover absent. Supervisor liilkema abstaining the �
Board took the following action:
ACKNOWLEDGED receipt of the Board Order as the first quarterly report on County_
radio communications activities and the East Bay-Regional Communications System
(EBRCS)project: ACCEPTED the findings of Count-staff in the report regarding the
Alameda County (ALCO)procurement process and recommendations of the County
Administrator regarding next steps: REQUESTED staff incorporate all comments made
by the Board.
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