Background
BACKGROUND: To provide reliable cell phone and data reception in the lower level of the Jerry Hammond Center, the Real Estate Management Office solicited proposals for the engineering, design, equipment, setup, and installation services for a multi-carrier universal cellular communication signal amplification system to improve poor cellular service through SA004773, Request for Proposal and Statement of Work for Multicarrier/Universal Cellular Communication Repeater Services. The Request For Proposal (RFP) required the Responder to provide a detailed project approach including: preliminary project assessment/ site evaluation, system engineering & design, and installation. In addition, the RFP established performance criteria for the multi-carrier cellular communication signal amplification system proposed by the Responder as the solution to ensure reliable cell service coverage. The Responder selected shall provide a complete turnkey multi-carrier solution (analysis, engineering, equipment, and installation) that guarantees reliable cellular coverage from all major cellular service providers in Columbus.
The City received two responses to the RFP. The RFP established that evaluation of the proposals would be based on the following criteria: competence, quality & feasibility, capacity, past performance, cost structure and environmentally preferred practices. After a review of the proposals for the Jerry Hammond Center and scoring by the Proposal Evaluation Committee but before an award was made, it came to light that the City was also experiencing poor cellular reception in several interior and basement areas in City Hall and that there were concerns regarding reliable and comprehensive cellular reception in the newly renovated 77 N. Front Building. It was deemed reasonable that both Responders to the original RFP should also, under the same requirements established in the RFP, analyze cellular reception in these two additional buildings and provide a response as part of the RFP. Both Responders toured and evaluated City Hall and 77 N. Front Street. The Responders then provided updated proposals to the RFP that included design and equipment pricing for both City Hall and 77 N. Front Street Buildings in addition to the Jerry Hammond Center.
The Proposal Evaluation Committee evaluated the updated proposals. The Seamless Cellular LLC response scored the highest in the evaluation criteria of quality & feasibility, cost structure, and capacity and was deemed the best and lowest cost response.
Given the complexity required to conduct an analysis of existing radio frequencies in the buildings and the communications engineering services required to design a complete turnkey multi-carrier solution based on the specific equipment to be supplied, the procurement process chosen under Columbus City Codes was Section 329.14, Awarding Professional Service Contracts Through Requests for Proposals. The provisions of 329.14 were followed to issue a RFP and to evaluate the responses. The RFP required that the specific equipment required to amplify carrier signals and the associated installation cost be detailed and priced as part of the proposal. Therefore, this ordinance requests the waiver of Section 329.06 of the Columbus City Codes for the purchase of the equipment required for the multi-carrier repeater systems to be installed in each of the three building locations.
This ordinance authorizes the Director of Finance and Management to execute a contract with Seamless Cellular, LLC to design and install a multicarrier/universal cellular communication repeater system in the Jerry Hammond Center, City Hall, and 77 N. Front Street; authorizes the appropriation and expenditure of $135,000.00 from Construction Management Capital Improvement Fund.
The Contract Compliance Number for Seamless Cellular LLC is 273732822 with an expiration date of 06/21/2014.
Emergency action is requested to ensure the availability and reliability of cellular communications in these three key City buildidngs.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding for this contract is budgeted and available in the Construction Management Capital Improvement Fund. ($135,000)
Title
To authorize the Director of Finance and Management to enter into contract for the engineering and installation of a multicarrier/universal cellular communication repeater system in the Jerry Hammond Center, City Hall, and 77 N. Front Street; to amend the 2013 Capital Improvement Budget; to authorize the transfer of $135,000.000 between projects within the Capital Improvement Budget; authorize the expenditure of $135,000.00 from the Construction Management Capital Improvement Fund; to waive the competitive bidding provisions of the Columbus City Codes, 1959; and to declare an emergency. ($135,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, certain portions of the Jerry Hammond Center, City Hall, and 77 N. Front Street experience weak or nonexistent cell phone reception; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the City to have reliable cellular coverage in these key buildings from all major cellular service providers in the Columbus area: and
WHEREAS, the Real Estate Management Office through an RFP process has identified a contractor that has the necessary expertise to engineer and install a multicarrier/universal cellular communication repeater system required to provide an reliable cell phone reception in each of the aforementioned buildings; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the City of Columbus to waive the requirements of 329.06 for the purchase and installation of the equipment associated with each multicarrier/universal cellular communication repeater system; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to amend the 2013 Capital Improvement Budget to account for encumbrance cancellations and transfers between projects; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to transfer funds within the Construction Management Capital Improvement Fund; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to authorize the expenditure of $135,000.00 from the Construction Management Capital Improvement Fund to provide payments to Seamless Cellular, LLC for the engineering and installation of the repeater system for each building; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the various City departments in that it is immediately necessary to enter into a contract for the installation of a multicarrier/universal cellular communication repeater system in the Jerry Hammond Center, City Hall, and 77 N. Front Street, thereby preserving the public health, peace, property, safety, and welfare; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Finance and Management Director be and is hereby authorized to enter into a contract with Seamless Cellular, LLC for the design and engineering, purchase of equipment, and equipment installation associated with three multicarrier/universal cellular communications repeater systems to serve the Jerry Hammond Center, City Hall, and 77 N. Front Street.
SECTION 2. That the 2013 Capital Improvement Budget be amended as follows:
Fund Project Project Name Current Auth. Revised Auth. Difference
*733 570057-100000 Groves Rd. Building $981,838 $1,187,282 $205,444
(Unvoted Carryover)
*Due to prior enc. cancellations
733 570057-100000 Groves Rd. Building $1,187,282 $1,052,282 ($135,000)
(Unvoted Carryover)
733 570031-100005 Cellular Repeater $0 $135,000 $135,000
(Unvoted Carryover)
SECTION 3. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to transfer funding within the Construction Management Capital Improvement Fund as follows:
Transfer From:
Fund Project Project Name OCA Code OL3 Amount
733 570057-100000 Groves Rd. Building 733057 6620 $135,000
(Unvoted Carryover)
Transfer To:
Fund Project Project Name OCA Code OL3 Amount
733 570031-100005 Cellular Repeater 733105 6620 $135,000
(Unvoted Carryover)
SECTION 4. That the expenditure of $135,000.00, or so much thereof as may be necessary in regard to the action authorized in SECTION 1, be and is hereby authorized and approved as follows:
Division: 45-50
Fund: 733
Project: 570031-100005
OCA Code: 733105
Object Level 1: 06
Object Level 3: 6620
Amount: $135,000.00
SECTION 5. That in accordance with the Columbus City Codes, City Council has determined it is in the best interest of the City of Columbus that the requirements of 329.06 be and hereby are waived for the action authorized in SECTION 1.
SECTION 6. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 7. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contract or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 8. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized to transfer the unencumbered balance in a project account to the unallocated balance account within the same fund upon receipt of certification by the Director of the Department administering said project that the project has been completed and the monies are no longer required for said project.
SECTION 9. That for the reason stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and 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.