Approval is requested for the award of a contract to Motorola, Inc., of San Mateo to furnish and install customized workstations at the Department of Public Safety Dispatch Center for the Information Technology Department (ITD).

On August 17, 1999, Council awarded a contract to Motorola, Inc., for a new 9-1-1 telephone system to be funded by the State of California (RTC #99-380). As part of this project, the Dispatch Center radio consoles that interface with 9-1-1 have been replaced; and the E-911 telephone system will be replaced in the near future. The last phase of this project is to replace the existing Dispatch Center furniture with new workstations that better accommodate the additional equipment and that provide a working space for each dispatcher that is functional and ergonomically correct.

The three manufacturers of specialized workstations for Dispatch Centers are DONCO, Omni Pacific and Center Core.

The Department of Public Safety Communications Manager and dispatchers conducted a comprehensive evaluation of potential workstation manufacturers and configurations by making site visits to several dispatch centers, including Mountain View, Palo Alto, Contra Costa County, Pleasant Hill, Concord and the San Ramon Valley Fire Department.

As the result of these site visits, staff has determined that DONCO offers the greatest capability to customize the workstations for ergonomic correctness. In addition, the DONCO workstations can be customized to conceal system wiring.

The installation of the new workstations will require some facility modifications to the Dispatch Center (new lighting fixtures, carpet replacement, etc.) and the physical relocation of dispatch personnel to a temporary trailer in the Public Safety Headquarters parking lot. Because of the critical nature of the E-911, single vendor responsibility for the entire project is essential.

Staff, therefore, recommends the award of a contract for Dispatch Center workstations to Motorola, Inc. Motorola is the selected supplier of the new E-911 integrated system, the provider of the recently-installed radio consoles, and an authorized dealer for the DONCO product. Motorola is responsible for all other aspects of the Dispatch Center upgrade and is familiar with the layout, wiring and system configurations at Public Safety Headquarters.

Section 2.08.070(b) exempts from competitive bidding situations where the solicitation of bids or proposals would for any reason be impractical, unavailing or impossible. In this case, calling for bids would be impractical (and ill advised) because of the potential for interruption of a critical public service.

Total cost to the City will not exceed $180,550 which includes:

Funds are available in ITD Account #021200-5030.

It is recommended that Council award a contract in an amount not to exceed $180,550 to Motorola, Inc., of San Mateo to furnish and install workstations at the Department of Pubic Safety Dispatch Center.