DEPARTMENT: Information Technology Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Kevin Goodwin, Interim Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
An Ordinance approving a professional services contract with Southwest Research Institute to conduct standards based testing and reporting on public safety radio units and accessories for an amount up to $96,060.00.
SUMMARY:
This action will authorize the City and the Information Technology Services Department the use of a professional services contract with Southwest Research Institute to provide the City of San Antonio Public Safety Departments with monitored controlled testing and results on current and future public safety radio units and accessories for purchase.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Submitted for City Council consideration and action is an ordinance for the Information Technology Services Department to utilize a professional services contract with Southwest Research Institute to provide controlled, standards based, testing for current and future purchases of public safety radios and accessories. The City currently does not operate a certified laboratory to conduct this type of testing. However, the Southwest Research Institute is a national and internationally acclaimed laboratory in San Antonio that possesses the necessary skills, equipment and processes to conduct the required testing. The Southwest Research Institute has previously provided similar testing of communication equipment on behalf of the City’s public safety departments.
The City is currently in the evaluation phase of solicitation to select a vendor for the San Antonio Public Safety Radio System (SAPSRS). As part of the evaluation process, the City is looking for an independent third party to conduct testing on proposed equipment used by the City’s Police, Fire and EMS personnel to ensure it complies with stringent and rigorous operational standards. This contract will allow the City to have test reports submitted by radio manufacturers on performance of their equipment assessed by an accredited third party laboratory.
In addition, the contract will authorize SwRI to perform unique testing of portable radios and lapel microphones in the physical configuration used by our Police and Fire Operations personnel.
ISSUE:
This action will provide the Information Technology Services Department the use of a certified laboratory to conduct unique testing of public safety radio equipment and accessories against Military-Standard 810G, IEC 60529, NIST-TN-1850 and NFPA 1802 guidelines using San Antonio Police and Fire real world criteria. These radio units are the public safety operator’s full-time means of communication to conduct duties in support of public safety for themselves and the entire community of San Antonio and Bexar County. The testing and corresponding reports will be a validation tool for operators and evaluation committees to ensure proposed radio units can fulfill their intended use and meet operational requirements.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should this action not be approved, the City would not be able to validate respective vendor specifications. This in-turn could jeopardize the functional capabilities of the public safety operator’s only means of communication. This will result as a negative impact on their communication ability and possibly result in loss of public safety services to the community and possible loss of life to the community and the public safety operator.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This is a one-time capital improvement expenditure in an amount not to exceed $96,060.00 payable to the Southwest Research Institute as approved in the FY 2017- 2022 Capital Improvement Budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the approval of this action for the Information Technology Services Department to utilize a professional services contract with Southwest Research Institute to provide standards based testing and reporting for the Public Safety Departments.