Explanation
BACKGROUND:
This ordinance authorizes the purchase of Real Application Clusters (RAC) technology (software licenses and support); related services through use of a State Term contract (STS-033, 533207-0 expiration date of June 30, 2007) with Mythics Corporation. The City's current hardware infrastructure consists of both UNIX and Windows servers, an optimal solution at the time of the city's technology consolidation. Since that time however, the hardware technology has improved, with one such improvement being the development of the RAC technology. RAC technology is made of up multiple smaller and interchangeable components. Through the uses of RAC technology, administrators can more easily isolate and address problem areas in database clusters and on-demand server coupling. Gartner Group has confirmed the benefits of RAC Technology for increasing service levels and reducing cost in the datacenters.
The recommendation to upgrade to a RAC infrastructure was made by Oracle Corporation representatives, who held extensive interviews with Department of Technology staff. Information gathered in these interviews suggested that if a server experiences downtime the failover process can take 2-4 hours. This will result in application inaccessiblity for critical applications such as 311, GIS, and Accela. RAC provides the ability to run and scale all application workloads on a cluster of database servers and provides the highest level of availability, scalability, and low-cost computing. If a node in the cluster fails, RAC continues running on the remaining nodes. If more processing power is needed, new nodes can be easily added to the cluster without system downtime.
In addition to reduced downtime (and the resultant overtime pay) the purchase of RAC technology carries other benefits such as, absence of a single point of failure, including a lower total cost of ownership; improved database administration productivity; economies of scale due to shared system resources and a lower total cost of ownership.
Three (3) quotes were received from companies that can provide for this infrastructure. Mythics Corporation quoted $294,600.55; SEK Solutions, LLC quoted $310,141.80; and Tier Solutions, Inc. quoted $300,996.00.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION:
The department requests that this ordinance pass as an emergency measure as it is desirous of obtaining this purchase in advance of the completion of certain projects, the applications for which will be stored on it. Since many of these projects are already underway, the purchase is needed in short order.
FISCAL IMPACT:
While not expressly budgeted, funds for this purchase, in the amount of $294,600.55, have been identified and made available through savings within the Department's (information services fund) operations budget. Regarding this purchase, no prior funds or expenditures, by the Department of Technology, have been made.
Contract Compliance Number: 54-1987871, expiration date May 5, 2008.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Finance and Management to establish a blanket purchase order with Mythics Corporation off an existing State Term Contract, to enable the upgrade of the Technology Department's hardware infrastructure through the purchase of Real Application Clusters technology; to authorize the expenditure of $294,600.55 from the Department of Technology's information services fund; and to declare an emergency ($294,600.55)
Body
WHEREAS, the Department desires to upgrade its hardware infrastructure through the purchase of Real Applications Clusters technology; and
WHEREAS, there is a State Term Contract, STS-033, 533207-0, with Mythics Corporation facilitating said purchase; and
WHEREAS, adequate funds have been identified and are available within the Department of Technology's inforamtion services fund; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Technology in that is needs to upgrade its hardware infrastructure through the purchase of Real Application Clusters technology from the Mythics Corporation for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property and safety; now, therefore:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS
SECTION 1. That the Finance and Management Director establish a blanket purchase order in the amount of $294,600.55 with Mythics Corporation of an existing State Term Contract, STS-033, 533207-0 for the purchase of Real Application Clusters technology to facilitate an upgrade of the infrastructure of the Department of Technology.
SECTION 2. That the expenditure of $294,600.55 or so much thereof as may be necessary is hereby authorized to be expended from:
Dept/Div 47-02|Fund:514|Subfund:001|OCA:281832|Obj. Level One: 03|Obj. Level 3: 3369|Amount: $294,600.55
SECTION 3. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, where is hereby made a part hereof, this Ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure, which shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.