TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute agreements and all related documents with recommended firms, including three Long Beach businesses, to provide as-needed professional and technical services related to system analysis, system development, system implementation, project management, and technical support for information technology projects and systems in an aggregate amount not to exceed $2,840,000 in total expenditures over a two-year period. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach leverages new technology to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and improve service delivery. To facilitate the adoption of new technology, the Department of Technology Services uses professional and technical services from private sector firms on a project basis to assist in upgrading, replacing, and implementing information and communications systems.
This sourcing strategy is cost-effective and responsive to our customer departments' needs. It allows Technology Services to quickly acquire the specific technical expertise required for a project, while not incurring ongoing fixed costs once it is complete and the specific skills are no longer needed. Additionally, it provides a mechanism to rapidly address temporary support responsibilities for critical production systems.
Over the next two years, professional and technical services will be necessary to support several planned technology projects. This includes the current implementation of a new utility customer information system (CIS) approved by the City Council in July 2011, in which temporary project staffing is required to carry out the technical tasks to transition to the new system. Examples of other scheduled projects requiring temporary resources include upgrades to the land management and revenue system and various other critical business information systems, and enhancements to the City's geographic information system (GIS) and work order system.
A request for proposals (RFP) for Information Technology Professional Services was closed on September 29, 2011. The RFP documents were made available on the Purchasing Division's website at www.longbeach.gov/purchasing <http://www.longbeach.gov/purchasing> and were also sent to 1,528 registered vendors, including 144 Long Beach businesses. Among the combined total of 35 responses received from potential vendors, 21 indicated they were minority or women-owned and four are Long Beach businesses. The proposals were reviewed and evaluated based on experience and demonstrated competence working with specific applications used by the City, as well as in providing other required technical services.
Based on the review of proposals received, the following 11 companies, including three Long Beach businesses, are recommended for selection:
· Arrow Strategies, LLC |
· Power Engineers |
· Baker Crew Consulting, Inc. |
· The Ryte Professionals |
· C3G |
· Segula Technologies |
· Digital Intelligence Systems Corporation (Long Beach Business) |
· Slade Group, LLC (Long Beach Business) |
· Total Network Solutions (Long Beach Business) |
· Technology Associates International Corporation |
· Milestone Software Solutions |
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Multiple agreements are recommended to ensure a pool of qualified candidates is readily available for the Technology Services Department to quickly deliver technical services as they are needed. All recommended firms committed to use best efforts to provide local Long Beach residents for City projects.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Gary J. Anderson and by Acting Budget and Performance Management Bureau Manager Shari Metcalfe on January 10, 2012.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action on this matter is requested on January 24, 2012 to ensure that projects can proceed on schedule.
FISCAL IMPACT
Over the next two years, the aggregate expenditure amount for professional and technical services will not exceed $2,840,000, of which $1,375,000 will be for temporary resources to support the utility CIS implementation. The proposed amount for utility CIS resources is well within the project budget approved by the City Council.
Expenditures for as-needed professional and technical services will be made within existing departmental appropriation. Sufficient funding has been budgeted in the General Services Fund (IS 385) and in the Technology Services Department (TS) to support this activity. There is potential for additional jobs to be created as a result of this action as all recommended firms committed to using best efforts to provide Long Beach residents for City projects.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
CURTIS TANI
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER