Title
MOTION TO AWARD IFB # TS-24-05 "CISCO INFRASTRUCTURE HARDWARE," TO THE MOST RESPONSIVE/RESPONSIBLE BIDDER, GERELCOM, INC, IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $810,640.07.
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 3, 2024, the City Commission authorized the advertisement of IFB # TS-24-05 "Cisco Infrastructure Hardware," which was advertised on April 10, 2024.
2. The purpose of this solicitation was to seek bids from qualified firms to provide the requested Cisco infrastructure hardware to replace aged and end of life (EOL) hardware at various locations throughout the City. The requested hardware included:
- Cisco FPR2140-NGFW-K9 firewall: The Cisco Firepower NGFW (next-generation firewall) is the industry’s first fully integrated, threat-focused next-gen firewall with unified management. It uniquely provides advanced threat protection before, during, and after attacks. The Cisco Firepower 2100 Series NGFW appliances deliver business resiliency through superior threat defense. They provide sustained network performance when threat inspection features are activated to keep your business running securely.
- Cisco Catalyst C9500-24Y4C-A9500 core switch: Core switches serve as gateways to City’s wide area network (WAN) or Internet and provide the final aggregation point for the network allowing for multiple aggregation modules to work together. Cisco Catalyst 9500 series switches are the next generation of enterprise-class core and aggregation layer switches, supporting full programmability and serviceability including advanced routing and infrastructure services.
- Cisco Catalyst C9200L-48P-4X-A edge switch: These switches connect end-user local area networks (LANs) to Internet service provider (ISP) networks. Cisco Catalyst C9200L-48P-4X-A series switches provide 48 ports, full PoE+, 4x10G uplink Switch, with Network Advantage software.
3. On May 7, 2024, the City opened eleven (11) proposals and one (1) Alternate, from the following vendors (listed in ascending order):
|
Vendor |
Total Cost |
|
Gerelcom, Inc. |
$810,640.07 |
|
Axelliant LLC |
$922,101.53 |
|
Presidio |
$955,760.74 |
|
Kambrian |
$956,497.80 |
|
Cyber Dreams, LLC |
$970,996.35 |
|
Technical Fellows Consulting |
$980,961.70 |
|
Acachi LLC |
$991,129.08 |
|
Magna Cyber LLC |
$1,031,954.33 |
|
Magna Cyber LLC - Alternate # 1 |
$1,031,954.33 |
|
Pawol Tafya, LLC |
$1,081,733.06 |
|
Jaak Tech LLC |
$1,128,099.00 |
|
C&C International Computers and Consultants, Inc. |
$1,282,921.00 |
4. The Technology Services Department initially required switches to include PI-LFAS-T and PI-LFAS-AP-T-3Y for Cisco's Prime Infrastructure Lifecycle & Assurance Licenses. However, after the bid process, the department confirmed that Cisco had announced the end-of-sale and end-of-life dates for the Cisco Prime Infrastructure HW Gen3 Appliance and 3.10 Software and Licenses. Consequently, the last day to order the affected products was September 29, 2023, however customers with active service contracts will continue to receive support from Cisco. All proposers either explicitly stated that these items were not included in their bid or listed them at zero dollars. Since none of the bidders provided a price for these items, and they are no longer available from Cisco, which has stated that "there is currently no replacement product available," the Technology Services Department intends to proceed without Cisco's Prime Infrastructure Lifecycle & Assurance Licenses.
5. The Technology Services Department reviewed the proposal from Gerelcom, Inc. and deemed them to be the most responsive/responsible vendor.
6. In addition, Gerelcom, Inc., has also completed the Equal Benefits Certification Form and has stated that the "Contractor currently complies with the requirements of this section."
7. Request Commission to award IFB # TS-24-05 “Cisco Infrastructure Hardware," to the most responsive/responsible bidder, Gerelcom, Inc., in the amount not to exceed $810,640.07.
Financial Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT DETAIL:
a) Cost: Amount not to exceed $810,640.07.
b) Amount budgeted for this item in Account No: Funds will be available in the following account # 001-513-2002-664400-0000-000-0000 (Other Equipment)
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.