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Item 1.B.
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| City Council Regular | |
| Date: | 01/13/2025 |
| Title: | CONTRACT TO REPLACE OUTDATED 911/NON-EMERGENCY PHONE SYSTEM |
| Presented by: | Randi Dvorak, Communications Center Supervisor |
| Department: | Fire |
| Presentation: | |
| Legal Review: | |
| Project Number: | N/A |
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of this contract to facilitate the use of joint city-county 911 specific funding to fund the project
BACKGROUND (Consistency with Adopted Plans and Policies, if applicable)
BACKGROUND
From 2020 to date, the Billings 911 Center has processed 1.4 million phone calls and has done so on the shoulders of a system version in its ninth year. It’s recommended that software upgrades to call-handling software be implemented every five years. A hardware refresh will provide the City of Billings with a solution that improves the safety of its residents, officers, and visitors.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Billings-Yellowstone County have requested a hardware refresh on their existing VESTA system, which has surpassed the five-year mark. Motorola Solutions proposes to upgrade the Billings 911 Center by moving forward the Vesta Hardware Refresh for Vesta 9-1-1 from version R7.9 to version 8.3. The new system will include the replacement of all workstations, servers, gateways, and switches.
This pricing and contract were procured through Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing. Cooperative purchasing is “Procurement conducted by, or on behalf of, one or more Public Procurement Units” as defined by the American Bar Association Model Procurement Code for State and Local Governments. Sourcewell only uses competitively solicited contracts and has been heavily vetted by our legal department.
KEY FEATURES OF THE MOTOROLA VESTA 911 HARDWARE, V.8.3
Increased operational efficiencies and reliability along with stable, centralized call handling, (911, non-emergency, text-to-911, etc.), for multiple Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) locations.
SYSTEM COMPONENTS
· VESTA 9-1-1 Service Package
· Hardware/software
· Implementation, Project Management and Training
· Extended Warranties
· Spares
· CommandCentral Cloud Services Smart Transcription, a cloud-based service that takes the 911 call audio and transcribes it real-time into a searchable transcript, making it available for live call monitoring to increase situational awareness across an entire agency. It preserves the transcript in long-term, secure storage for post-call analysis.
RESPONSIBILITIES
MOTOROLA RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Schedule the remote Project Planning Session.
2. Request the assignment and attendance of Customer Core Team and any additional Customer resources that are instrumental in the project's success, as needed.
3. Provide the initial Project Management Plan.
4. Conduct a review of the Project Management Plan.
5. Discuss high-level schedule framework.
6. Review Motorola’s delivery approach and its reliance on Customer-provided remote access.
7. Document the mutually agreed upon Project Kickoff Meeting Agenda.
TRAINING AND SUPPORT
· Motorola will provide training for end users and administrators.
· The support package includes 24/7 remote support, on-site response times, and a system upgrade agreement to keep software and hardware updated.
DURATION
Per Motorola Solutions Senior Account Executive Cassel McWaters, the pre-build is ready so an eight-month projection was given but with the anticipation that it’ll happen “much faster than that because of the age of current solution in Billings.”
From 2020 to date, the Billings 911 Center has processed 1.4 million phone calls and has done so on the shoulders of a system version in its ninth year. It’s recommended that software upgrades to call-handling software be implemented every five years. A hardware refresh will provide the City of Billings with a solution that improves the safety of its residents, officers, and visitors.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Billings-Yellowstone County have requested a hardware refresh on their existing VESTA system, which has surpassed the five-year mark. Motorola Solutions proposes to upgrade the Billings 911 Center by moving forward the Vesta Hardware Refresh for Vesta 9-1-1 from version R7.9 to version 8.3. The new system will include the replacement of all workstations, servers, gateways, and switches.
This pricing and contract were procured through Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing. Cooperative purchasing is “Procurement conducted by, or on behalf of, one or more Public Procurement Units” as defined by the American Bar Association Model Procurement Code for State and Local Governments. Sourcewell only uses competitively solicited contracts and has been heavily vetted by our legal department.
KEY FEATURES OF THE MOTOROLA VESTA 911 HARDWARE, V.8.3
Increased operational efficiencies and reliability along with stable, centralized call handling, (911, non-emergency, text-to-911, etc.), for multiple Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) locations.
SYSTEM COMPONENTS
· VESTA 9-1-1 Service Package
· Hardware/software
· Implementation, Project Management and Training
· Extended Warranties
· Spares
· CommandCentral Cloud Services Smart Transcription, a cloud-based service that takes the 911 call audio and transcribes it real-time into a searchable transcript, making it available for live call monitoring to increase situational awareness across an entire agency. It preserves the transcript in long-term, secure storage for post-call analysis.
RESPONSIBILITIES
MOTOROLA RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Schedule the remote Project Planning Session.
2. Request the assignment and attendance of Customer Core Team and any additional Customer resources that are instrumental in the project's success, as needed.
3. Provide the initial Project Management Plan.
4. Conduct a review of the Project Management Plan.
5. Discuss high-level schedule framework.
6. Review Motorola’s delivery approach and its reliance on Customer-provided remote access.
7. Document the mutually agreed upon Project Kickoff Meeting Agenda.
TRAINING AND SUPPORT
· Motorola will provide training for end users and administrators.
· The support package includes 24/7 remote support, on-site response times, and a system upgrade agreement to keep software and hardware updated.
DURATION
Per Motorola Solutions Senior Account Executive Cassel McWaters, the pre-build is ready so an eight-month projection was given but with the anticipation that it’ll happen “much faster than that because of the age of current solution in Billings.”
STAKEHOLDERS
The 911 Advisory Board, comprised of the Chief Executive Officers from the Billings Fire Department, Billings Police Department, and the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office have approved the use of this funding pursuant to state statutes.
ALTERNATIVES
City Council may:
- Approve; or,
- Not Approve
- If Not Approved: With a system that’s years past its “end of life” and a documented uptick in equipment issues related to the outdated hardware, the 911 Center runs the risk of a complete phone system failure, which will affect all citizens within Yellowstone County. There are no back-ups and no other agencies capable of handling the massive workload of the Billings 911 Center if this happens. Also, if the 911 system fails, we are no longer considered a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and would lose all 911 funding, which would be detrimental to our responders, citizens and community.
FISCAL EFFECTS
The approval involves utilizing “911 Funds”, a combination of City and Yellowstone County funds specifically earmarked for equipment inside the 911 Center utilized by both entities. There is no impact on the general fund accounts.
TOTAL CONTRACT COST
The grand total is $795,225.24 over five years.
BREAKDOWN OF COSTS
Hardware Refresh
VESTA 9-1-1 Service Package $497,299.32
Hardware/Software $201,589.71
Implementation, Project Management and Training $148,806.02
Extended Warranties $24,795.69
Spares $15,361.26
887,852.00
CommandCentral Cloud Services
Smart Transcription (NRC) $7,400.50
Smart Transcription (ARC) $65,835.00
$73,235.50
Discount $165,862.26
Grand Total $795,225.24
The 911 Fund has sufficient cash to cover this expenditure, but this project was not included in the FY25 budget. If approved, a budget amendment may follow at a future council meeting.
TOTAL CONTRACT COST
The grand total is $795,225.24 over five years.
BREAKDOWN OF COSTS
Hardware Refresh
VESTA 9-1-1 Service Package $497,299.32
Hardware/Software $201,589.71
Implementation, Project Management and Training $148,806.02
Extended Warranties $24,795.69
Spares $15,361.26
887,852.00
CommandCentral Cloud Services
Smart Transcription (NRC) $7,400.50
Smart Transcription (ARC) $65,835.00
$73,235.50
Discount $165,862.26
Grand Total $795,225.24
The 911 Fund has sufficient cash to cover this expenditure, but this project was not included in the FY25 budget. If approved, a budget amendment may follow at a future council meeting.
SUMMARY
In summary, this contract involves upgrading the City of Billings’ emergency communications call-handling software with advanced features and support, ensuring a more reliable and safer system. Motorola will handle the installation and provide ongoing training and support while the City of Billings will need to ensure the infrastructure and network requirements are met. See fiscal effects for a total project cost.