Title
MOTION TO AWARD IFB # TS-25-09 "SOLARWINDS RENEWAL" TO THE MOST RESPONSIVE/ RESPONSIBLE BIDDER, VCLOUD TECH, INC., IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $42,489.13 FOR AN INITIAL ONE-YEAR PERIOD.
Summary Explanation and Background
PROCUREMENT PROCESS TAKEN:
- Chapter 35 of the City’s Code of Ordinances is titled “PROCUREMENT PROCEDURES, PUBLIC FUNDS.”
- Section 35.15 defines an Invitation for Bid as “A written solicitation for competitive sealed bids with the title, date and hour of the public bid opening designated therein and specifically defining the commodities or services for which bids are sought. The invitation for bid shall be used when the city is capable of specifically defining the scope of work for which a service is required or when the city is capable of establishing 15 precise specifications defining the actual commodities required. The invitation for bid shall include instructions to bidders, plans, drawings and specifications, if any, bid form and other required forms and documents to be submitted with the bid.”
- Section 35.18 of the City's Code of Ordinances is titled "COMPETITIVE BIDDING OR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS REQUIRED; EXCEPTIONS.”
- Section 35.18(A) states, "A purchase of or contracts for commodities or services that is estimated by the Chief Procurement Officer to cost more than $25,000 shall be based on sealed competitive solicitations as determined by the Chief Procurement Officer, except as specifically provided herein."
- Section 35.19 of the City's Code of Ordinances is titled "SEALED COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCEDURE."
- Section 35.19(A) states "All sealed competitive solicitations as defined in § 35.18 shall be presented to the City Commission for their consideration prior to advertisement."
- Section 35.21 of the City's Code of Ordinances is titled "AWARD OF CONTRACT."
- Section 35.21(A) of the City's Code of Ordinances is titled "City Commission approval.”
- Section 35.21(A)(1) states, "An initial purchase of, or contract for, commodities or services, in excess of $25,000, shall require the approval of the City Commission, regardless of whether the competitive bidding or competitive proposal procedures were followed."
SUMMARY EXPLANATION AND BACKGROUND:
1. On April 16, 2025, the City Commission authorized the advertisement of IFB # TS-25-09 “SolarWinds Renewal”, which was advertised on April 22, 2025.
2. The purpose of the solicitation was to seek qualified vendors to provide the requested SolarWinds renewal licenses for the City of Pembroke Pines.
The renewal will be for the following SolarWinds products:
SolarWinds DameWare Remote Support (SKU 8240086) - Features include ability to remotely control computers both inside and outside the network firewall. Support remote desktop connection to Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X systems and remotely manage and troubleshoot Windows computers and Active Directory (AD) domains.
SolarWinds Pingdom Synthetics Tier 3 (SKU 48328) - SolarWinds Pingdom Synthetics Tier 3 is a website and web application monitoring tool that uses synthetic testing to simulate user interactions and monitor performance, uptime, and functionality from multiple global locations. It helps organizations proactively identify issues, improve user experience, and ensure reliable service delivery by continuously testing APIs, transactions, and page loads.
SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability (SKU 201086HC) - SolarWinds Hybrid Cloud Observability is a comprehensive, integrated, and full-stack observability solution that integrates data from across the IT ecosystem, including networks, servers, applications, databases, and more. Platform includes built-in intelligence built to help optimize performance, ensure availability, and reduce remediation time across on-premises and multi-cloud environments. Key features include infrastructure, network, and application performance observability. Physical and virtual hosts, SD-WAN, and device monitoring. Automated discovery and dependency mapping. Historical and real-time dashboards. Intelligent AIOps correlation, alerting, and customizable reporting and configuration management for networks, virtualization, servers, and applications.
SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SKU 8250096) - collects, consolidates, and analyzes logs and events from firewalls, IDS/IPS devices and applications, switches, routers, servers, operating system logs, and other applications. The main applications are threat detection, automated incident analysis and response, and compliance reporting for IT infrastructure.
SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server NG (SKU 8250971) - SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server NG is a centralized log management tool designed to collect, filter, and archive syslog messages and SNMP traps from network devices, servers, and other syslog-enabled systems. It provides real-time log monitoring, alerting, and automated responses to help IT teams troubleshoot issues, enhance security, and ensure compliance.
SolarWinds Access Rights Manager ARM100 (SKU 201166) - SolarWinds Access Rights Manager (ARM100) is a security and compliance tool designed to help organizations manage and audit user access rights across Active Directory, file servers, and Microsoft 365 environments. It provides visibility into who has access to what, enables role-specific access provisioning, and supports compliance efforts through detailed reporting and automated auditing.
3. On May 13, 2025, the City opened seven (7) proposals, from the following vendors:
|
Vendor |
Total |
|
vCloud Tech Inc. |
$42,489.13 |
|
Govsmart |
$43,195.97 |
|
SCONY REALTY LLC dba SCONY IT |
$43,245.31 |
|
DHE Computer Systems |
$43,336.25 |
|
Strictly Technology |
$43,521.19 |
|
Kambrian Corporation |
$45,167.59 |
|
Malor & Company Inc. |
$64,112.44 |
4. vCloud Tech Inc. submitted the lowest overall proposal in the amount of $42,489.13.
5. After reviewing the bids, it was determined that Strictly Technology qualified for Local Vendor Preference, as they are a Local Broward County Vendor and their price was within 2.5% of the lowest price submitted. The policy states the Local Vendor that qualifies for the local vendor preference shall have an option to submit another bid which is at least 1% lower than the lowest responsive bid.
Per Section 35.36(B)(2) of the City’s Code of Ordinance, “For bid evaluation purposes, vendors that meet the definition of local Broward County vendor, as detailed herein, shall be given a 2.5% evaluation credit. This shall mean that if a local Broward County vendor submits a bid/quote that is within 2.5% of the lowest price submitted by any vendor, the local Broward County vendor shall have an option to submit another bid which is at least 1% lower than the lowest responsive bid/quote. If the local Broward County vendor submits a bid which is at least 1% lower than that lowest responsive bid/quote, then the award will go to the local Broward County vendor. If not, the award will be made to the vendor that submits the lowest responsive bid/quote. If the lowest responsive and responsible bidder is a local Pembroke Pines vendor, the award will be made to that vendor and no other bidders will be given an opportunity to submit additional bids as described herein.”
The Procurement Department reached out to Strictly Technology to give them the option to submit a second bid that is at least 1% lower than the lowest responsive, however Strictly Technology decided to decline the option to submit a second quote.
6. As a result, vCloud Tech Inc.’s offer remained the lowest and they were deemed to be the most responsive/responsible vendor.
7. vCloud Tech, Inc. has also completed the Equal Benefits Certification Form and has stated that the "Contractor currently complies with the requirements of this section."
8. Request Commission to award IFB # TS-25-09 “SolarWinds Renewal” to the most responsive/responsible bidder, vCloud Tech, Inc., in the amount not to exceed $42,489.13 for an initial one-year period.
Financial Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT DETAIL:
a) Initial Cost: Amount not to exceed $42,489.13 for an initial one-year period.
b) Amount budgeted for this item in Account No: Funds are budgeted in the following account # 001-513-2002-546801-0000-000-0000 (IT Maintenance Contracts)
c) Source of funding for difference, if not fully budgeted: Not Applicable.
d) 5 year projection of the operational cost of the project: Not Applicable.
e) Detail of additional staff requirements: Not Applicable.
FEASIBILITY REVIEW:
A feasibility review is required for the award, renewal and/or expiration of all function sourcing contracts. This analysis is to determine the financial effectiveness of function sourcing services.
a) Was a Feasibility Review/Cost Analysis of Out-Sourcing vs. In-House Labor Conducted for this service? Not Applicable.
b) If Yes, what is the total cost or total savings of utilizing Out-Sourcing vs. In-House Labor for this service? Not Applicable.