Explanation
BACKGROUND: This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Public Safety, on behalf of the Division of Support Services, to enter into a contract with Motorola Corporation for the second phase of an upgrade to the City of Columbus 800MHz Radio System from an analog to a digital system that serves nearly all city departments including Public Safety, Public Utilities, Public Service, Development, and Recreation and Parks. The radio system is used as a primary source of communications from the Department of Public Safety's dispatch center to public safety units in the field, for internal communications of public safety units, and for interoperability communications between federal, state, and other local public safety agencies. Other Departments use the radio system for similar communications with their employees in the field. The system aids the dispatchers by transmitting critical information by voice signal to radio users in the field. The City first installed the 800 MHz Radio System in April 1992 and upgraded the infrastructure with Federal Grant Funds in 2006. This new upgrade will bring the radio system up to the most current industry standard of public safety radio systems and allow the City of Columbus to retain the level of interoperability communications with its partners who have upgraded to the P-25 Digital System.
This contract is phase two of a two phase upgrading process. It will incorporate the installation of all new infrastructure at the City of Columbus' 800MHz tower sites, connectivity of the tower sites to the State of Ohio's system, and includes testing and migration of all agencies to the new infrastructure. Four vendors will be a part of the phase two implementation; Agile Network Builders LLC, Sound Communications, Locution Inc. and Motorola. Agile Network Builders will install and maintain the connectivity from the communication towers to the City’s dispatch centers. Sound Communications and Locution will p...
Click here for full text