DATE: December 10, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: David Pomaville, Director, Department of Public Health
Robert W. Bash, Director of Internal Services/Chief Information Officer
SUBJECT: Agreement with Vesta Solutions, Inc., for Automated Emergency Notification software
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
TITLE
1. Make a finding that it is in the best interest of the County to waive the competitive bidding process under Administrative Policy No. 34 for unusual or extraordinary circumstances for the solicitation of ongoing maintenance and support of the web-based automated emergency notification system for the Department of Public Health; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute the sole source Agreement with Vesta Solutions, Inc., for ongoing maintenance and support of the web-based automated emergency notification system, effective upon execution, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $234,510.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended actions would allow for ongoing maintenance and support of the Department of Public Health’s web-based automated emergency notification system. The system is used to mobilize first responders and provide information to County residents in the event of an emergency. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended actions, the Department would no longer have maintenance/support for the County's automated emergency notification system. The Vesta Communicator/Alert services are only provided by Vesta Solutions, Inc. (Vesta).
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
The Department’s request to waive the competitive bidding process is consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34, as Vesta provides continued support for Vesta Communicator/Alert, a proprietary product, which has been in use by the County since 1999, including upgrades and a new agreement enacted in 2014. Software licenses, maintenance and technical support for the emergency notification system in use are proprietary, and available only from Vesta, now a subsidiary of Motorola Solutions. The Department is satisfied with the reliability, training, maintenance and support provided by the vendor. It would require significant start-up costs and resources to change the system at a cost that exceeds the recommended Agreement. Vesta is a leader in this industry and is extensively used in California and the rest of the nation. The Internal Services Department - Purchasing Division concurs with the Department's request to waive the competitive bidding process.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The total maximum cost for the recommended agreement is $234,510, and will be funded with Health Realignment. The first three-year costs will be $140,906 ($500 one-time conversion fee, $26,802 annual software and maintenance fees, and an annual $20,000 for additional services). There are no annual rate increases.
An expenditure category has been allotted to address additional services, including on-site training, additional service support, and universal Calling/Messaging. Additional services will be based on the County's request for these services as needed, and shall not exceed $100,000 for the total, potential five-years.
Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department's Org 5620 FY 2019-20 Adopted Budget and will be included in future budget requests for the term’s duration.
DISCUSSION:
The County’s emergency notification system is used to mobilize first responders and provide critical information to partner agencies in the event of an emergency. The system has been used frequently by the Department to provide information to local medical providers regarding emerging critical health issues, call back first responder staff, and provide important safety information to citizens when water systems are impacted by a power outage. Federal, State, and local governments recognize notification systems as a basic functional capability of emergency response organizations. The State and many other California counties contract with Vesta, for software products to support their emergency notification systems.
The County purchased the emergency notification system (Communicator) in 1999 from AirBus DS Communications (Airbus). The system was upgraded from a telephone notification system to a high-speed web-based automated system in 2009. The upgrade included an increase to the amount of notifications that could be sent and allowed for notifications to be sent from an offsite hosted location.
Agreement No. 14-718 was executed on December 16, 2014, which has been extended through December 15, 2019. In 2015, AirBus differentiated their AirBus Defence and Space, and Airbus DS Communications product divisions. In July 2017, Motorola Solutions acquired the AirBus DS Communications Platform (Including Vesta), and continues to conduct Vesta business through the Vesta platform.
With your Board’s approval of the recommended action, the Department will be able to alert and direct emergency agencies and first responders during critical events. The Vesta Communicator/Alert system provides needed briefings for emergency agencies, and saves the Department money and resources when responding to emergencies.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #36, April 5, 2016
BAI #33, December 16, 2014
BAI #33, June 2, 2009
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Sole Source Acquisition Request
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Vesta Solutions, Inc.
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa