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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 12-03-2007-4gORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: December 3, 2007 Action Agenda Item No. _ ~~__~ SUBJECT: Bid Award: Connect "Gateway Campus" to County Computer Network DEPARTMENT: Information Technology PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Jones, 245-2285 David Cannell, 245-2651 PURPOSE: To consider approving a contract with Intellicom, Inc. of Durham, North Carolina to install data networking fiber between the new "Gateway Campus" and the Orange County computer network. BACKGROUND: In 2001 the County installed a fiber network in the downtown area connecting the County's server room with; • The Link Center • Government Services Annex • Sheriff • New Court House • Old Court House • Court Street Annex • Clerk Of Court Annex The County fiber network allows County computers and servers to interconnect, providing staff access to email, file servers, application servers, the Internet, municipal partners and other computing resources. With the construction of the three new buildings for the "Gateway Campus" (the Gateway building, the office building and the Library), the Information Technologies department needs to provide a networking connection so staff at those facilities can connect with the County network. The Purchasing and the Information Technologies Department solicited bids from qualified vendors to perform the interconnection work. The requirements for this work include: • All easement and right of way negotiations with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) private and public utilities • Installation of an NCDOT approved 4" metal conduit pipe underneath Churton Street, County properties and other roadways for the full length of the interconnection. • Furnishing and installation of 72 strands of fiber optic cabling to accommodate current and future data connectivity needs between the Purchasing Building and the Gateway Center • Termination of fiber optic strands in the Gateway building and the current Courthouse, which in turn connects with the County data center. (Conduit has been placed by Telesis on the west side of Churton Street) When the network was originally installed in 2001, extra conduit was run to each building with a "pull-string" running through the conduit, to allow future fiber strands and/or wiring to be installed in the conduit with minimal cost. This project will utilize the spare conduit that runs to the New Courthouse. Two firms submitted bids. Intellicom Inc. of Durham North Carolina submitted the lowest bid at a cost of $40,780. • Intellicom, Inc. -- $40,780 • Integrated Communication Services, Inc. -- $46,175 As the County's network has grown in speed and complexity, Information Technologies has arrived at a model for cost effectively managing network expansion. In this model, the County invests Capital funds to install, own and manage short distance interconnections (less than a quarter mile) between facilities, using buried fiber optic cables. For longer distances, the County leases fiber optic cable from private providers. This hybrid model ensures that the County can achieve connectivity through capital investment in the shorter interconnections and operating budget expenditures for longer connections. This proposed fiber installation is consistent with that model If the County were to lease fiber circuits to achieve this same connectivity, the costs would be $18,000 a year for the additional circuit needed to achieve this, thus yielding a payback of some 28 months for the contract option. Additionally, if the County proceeds with its plan to relocate the County data center to the office building, the leased fiber alternative would require two additional circuits at $36,000 a year, yielding a payback of some 14 months for the contract option. The Information Technologies Advisory Committee discussed this proposal at its October meeting and unanimously endorsed the plan of engaging a contractor to perform the work, as specified. FINANCIAL IMPACT: Total cost for this action, if approved by the Board, would be $40,780. Sufficient funds were included in the 2007-2008 CIP. RECOMMENDATION (S): The Manager recommends that the Board authorize the Purchasing Director to issue a purchase order to Intellicom, Inc. in the amount of $40,780.