HomeMy WebLinkAbout10 - Fire Station Alerting System - Award of Contract 9446-1Q �EwPpRT
CITY OF
s NEWPORT BEACH
`q44:09 City Council Staff Report
January 23, 2024
Agenda Item No. 10
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Jeff Boyles, Fire Chief - 949-644-3101, jboyles@nbfd.net
PREPARED BY: Michael Wojciechowski, IT Supervisor - 949-644-3088,
mwojo@newportbeachca.gov;
Raymund Reyes, Fire Administrative Manager - 949-644-3352,
rreyes@nbfd.net
TITLE: Fire Station Alerting System — Award of Contract 9446-1
ABSTRACT:
On September 26, 2023, the City Council approved the purchase of U.S. Digital Designs,
Inc. (USDD) Phoenix G2 systems for the Fire Station Alerting System project. The City of
Newport Beach received a construction bid to install the low -voltage cabling necessary
for these systems at Fire Station Nos. 3,4,6,7, and 8, and staff is requesting City Council
approval to award the construction contract to Pacific Coast Cabling, Inc. (PCC, Inc.).
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because
this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly;
b) Approve the project documents and specifications;
c) Award Contract No. 9446-1 to Pacific Coast Cabling, Inc. for the total bid price of
$171,425.38, and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the contract; and
d) Establish a contingency of $8,500 (approximately 5% of the bid) to cover the cost of
unforeseen work not included in the original contract.
DISCUSSION:
Fire station alerting systems notify all personnel within a station of an incident via any
combination of audible alarms, lights and/or digital communications. They are found in
the City's eight fire stations and Lifeguard Headquarters, and are linked with a Computer
Aided Dispatch (CAD) system.
The City's Information Technology (IT) Division previously sought a more modern alerting
system to replace the existing system which has been in use for over 25 years. Several
systems, including the system currently used, were reviewed during the construction of
Fire Station No. 5. The Phoenix G2 system from USDD was selected for Station 5 and
the City Council approved the purchase in 2019. The system offered improved
performance, low -bandwidth use, web -based access, and "off the shelf" components.
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Fire Station Alerting System — Award of Contract No. 9446-1
January 23, 2024
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Most importantly, IT Division staff could quickly troubleshoot the system and provide
support or repairs without having to rely on outside service technicians.
A Phoenix G2 system was also incorporated into the construction of the new Peninsula
Fire Station No. 2, and the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Capital Improvement Program Budget
included additional funding to upgrade the remaining systems to establish a single system
platform. The City Council approved /the purchase of additional Phoenix G2 systems on
September 26, 2023 for all remaining stations (Station Nos. 3,4,6,7 and 8).
On November 1, 2023, a request for bids was issued on PlanetBids for the procurement
of the low voltage cabling installation work for the Phoenix G2 systems. A mandatory
pre -bid meeting was held on November 15, 2023; of the 16 prospective bidders, only two
bidders attended the meeting. By 10 a.m. on November 30, 2023, a single bid was
submitted by PCC, Inc.
The original bid amount of $220,992.31 was much higher than the IT Division's original
estimate of $150,000. IT staff reviewed the unit costs and conferred with PCC, Inc. It was
determined that some of the line -item costs related to mobilization and project
management were incorrectly assumed and calculated. PCC, Inc. subsequently provided
a corrected and adjusted amount of $171,425.38. This adjusted bid comes in at
approximately 14.2% higher than the original estimate and is reflective of labor and
material cost escalations in this sector. However, the total cost of the project remains
within the City's budget.
Pursuant to the contract specifications, the contractor will have 60 consecutive working
days to complete the work, or as adjusted per Fire Department and IT Division operational
needs. Following the completion of the low -voltage cabling installation, IT Division staff
will connect the Phoenix G2 system components.
Project specifications will be available for review at the January 23, 2024 City Council
meeting or upon request.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Sufficient funding for this contract is available from the Public Works Department Capital
Improvement Program budget in the General Fund. Expenses will be charged to the Fire
Station Alerting System Project Account.
Account Description
Fire Station Alerting Sys
US Digital Designs
US Digital Designs
Account Number
0 1 201925-980000-23M 11
Total:
Purpose
Construction
Contingency
Total:
Amount
$179,925.38
$179,925.38
Amount
$171,425.38
8 500.00
$179,925.38
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Fire Station Alerting System — Award of Contract No. 9446-1
January 23, 2024
Page 3
Staff recommends including $8,500 (approximately 5 percent of the total bid) for
contingency purposes and unforeseen conditions associated with construction.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not
result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment)
and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA
Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no
potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of
the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
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