For City Council Meeting [September 28, 2021]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Marcus Fuller, City Manager
FROM: Mark P. Kling, Chief of Police
Title
Request City Council to approve a Services Agreement with National Public Safety Group, LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company, in the amount of $105,640 for procurement, project management services and expertise in implementation of the Police Department CAD/RMS system upgrade.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND
The Police Department is in need of enhancing public safety software systems to include purchasing a new Computer Automated Dispatch (CAD), Records Management System (RMS) and Mobile Data Software. These are enterprise-level software systems that are complex in nature and take an absorbent amount of time and resources to implement. These systems have a large effect on the police department’s day-to-day operations. Law enforcement agencies across the nation, including Rialto Police Department depend on these systems to provide service to the communities we serve. Rialto PD relies on these technologies to capture reporting data necessary to be in compliance with the State of California’s upcoming standards, including the Federal Government’s reporting criteria.
A project of this magnitude requires experts in the field of police technology to ensure implementation and integrations of various software packages are completed effectively. Hiring consultants who have the knowledge and experience will ensure the public safety software implementations at our police department are completed with the City’s best interest as the priority.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
Over the last 10-years, the public safety software market has become very volatile. Private equity and venture capital companies have purchased many of the software companies, which has created confusion and change in the market. Some long-time products were immediately listed as end of life. Our own products went through several of these purchases and have become unsupported by vendors. The police department’s current systems have very little support and have not been improved upon for several years due to system configuration conflicts.
Transitioning to new public safety software systems are extremely complex, very detailed and requires a vast amount of knowledge to implement properly. As these systems are usually in place for long periods of time, most tenured law enforcement professionals might see a transition to new systems maybe only once in their career. That leaves agencies largely relying on the software provider to lead them down the path of success in their implementation. To put it mildly, there is a long history of troubled or failed implementation processes where agencies have deployed very expensive and complex systems, only to be left with inefficiencies and a lack of achieved goals.
The Police Department cannot afford to have this be the case for our CAD/RMS conversion project. Staff researched and found a resource that has become immediately valuable to this process and recommended by local partner law enforcement agencies - National Public Safety Group (NPSG). NPSG is a unique consulting firm in public safety, whose sole focus is on public safety software consulting for projects like ours. On April 19, 2021, the police department entered into a service agreement with NSPG for $14,300. The agreement was for NSPG to complete a department-wide CAD/RMS needs assessment.
At the conclusion of the NPSG department-wide assessment, the firm submitted a 36-page report for the Rialto Police Department (Attachment A). The needs assessment assisted the department with ensuring it was purchasing exactly what was needed and the systems would integrate with pre-existing software systems. NPSG has been instrumental in the department understanding its future CAD/RMS needs as well as working with the SOMA software provider to negotiate the best pricing. Already, NPSG was not only able to have many features/functions included in the SOMA CAD/RMS contract at no additional cost, but negotiated a contract savings of $327,350 (Attachment B). For these reasons, Staff recommends contracting with NPSG for procurement and project management services of the SOMA public safety software project.
NSPG has advantages which aided in the selection:
• The company’s sole focus is on public safety software consulting, this is their field expertise.
• They are comprised of public safety software specialists, who have previously worked directly with the SOMA, which is the software provider that council approved at the September 14, 2021, city council meeting.
• NPSG comes with many references, but locally they have been recommended by the Ontario Police Department, Ontario Fire Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
On March 16, 2021, following their association’s procurement policy, the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association awarded National Public Safety Group technology contract for Individualized Services - Consulting. Staff worked with the city’s purchasing division and determined that this award is acceptable as specified in the City of Rialto Municipal Code Section 2.48.210 General - Cooperative Purchasing Agreements (Piggybacking), which states:
“Where advantageous for the City, the Purchasing Manager is authorized to purchase supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services through legal contracts of other governmental jurisdictions or public agencies without further contracting, solicitation, or formal bidding, provided such practice otherwise complies with state law. This practice
is commonly referred to as “piggybacking.” Utilization of cooperative purchasing agreements must include:
a) Minimal change in specifications from original bid.
b) Copy of the request for bids and all bids received for the subject item(s) by the originating agency.
c) Authorization from the originating agency to use the bid.
d) Authorization and agreement from the vendor to supply the supplies, materials, equipment or services in accordance with the terms of the bid.
e) Utilization of CMAS, GSA, or “County established contracts.”
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The proposed action does not meet the definition of a project as defined by Section 15378 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and excludes the following:
1) Continuing administrative or maintenance activities, such as purchases for supplies, personnel-related actions, general policy and procedure making.
2) Organization or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
The City of Rialto has outlined key goals and objects relating to public safety. The purchase of this service is consistent with meeting these objectives.
Goal 5-8: Provide effective and comprehensive policing services that meet the safety needs of Rialto.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed and supports this staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget Impact
This report does not impact the City’s operating budget.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
Funding in the amount of $105,640, is budgeted and available in FY2021/2022 Capital Improvement Account No. 300-500-6151-3001 for the contract agreement for procurement and project management services with National Public Safety Group.
Per Rialto Municipal Code Section: 2.48.145 a vendor disclosure form is attached.
Licensing
Prior to execution of the Professional Service Agreement/Purchase Order/Construction Contract, the vendor shall submit a business license application and pay a Business License tax at the rate of $179.00, as well as Administration and State fees.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Approve a Services Agreement with National Public Safety Group, LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company, in the amount of $105,640 for procurement, project management services and expertise in implementation of the Police Department CAD/RMS system upgrade; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all documents.