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Receive a presentation on the P25 public safety radio expansion project; Consider approval of a contract with Motorola Solutions for $5,547,613 for a term of July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027 to complete the Solano South Simulcast P25 public safety radio expansion; Consider approval of an agreement with CellSite Solutions, LLC, for $172,446 for purchase of a public safety radio shelter for the Benicia Southampton tower site; and Delegate authority to the County Administrator to sign the contracts and any subsequent amendments, with County Counsel concurrence, up to $74,999 of the contract amount within annual appropriations
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Information Technology (DoIT) recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Receive a presentation on the P25 public safety radio expansion project;
2. Consider approval of a contract with Motorola Solutions for $5,547,613 for a term of July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027 to complete the Solano South Simulcast P-25 public safety radio expansion;
3. Consider approval of an agreement with CellSite Solutions, LLC, for $172,446 for purchase of a public safety radio shelter for the Benicia Southampton tower site; and
4. Delegate authority to the County Administrator to sign the contracts and any subsequent amendments, with County Counsel concurrence, up to $74,999 of the contract amount within annual appropriations.
SUMMARY:
Solano County, in partnership with Vacaville, Fairfield, and Suisun City, operate a modern P25 simulcast Public Safety Communication (PSC) system in the northern part of the County. The southern portion of the County is covered by the East Bay Regional Communications System Authority (EBRCSA) which presents operational challenges to the Sheriff’s Department and other public safety agencies when responding to calls and offering mutual aid. P25 provides the Sheriff with interoperable and effective cost containment/avoidance, enhanced spectrum efficiency, and operational benefits of multi-jurisdictional, regional, and shared systems environments. This provides the Sheriff’s Department the flexibility to coordinate a multi-agency response and communicate effectively during mutual aid incidents.
The use of EBRCSA by the police and fire departments of Vallejo and Benicia was intended to be a stop-gap measure until Solano County was able to implement a full P25 solution for the region. The proposed contract with Motorola to complete the Solano South Simulcast P25 public safety radio expansion integrates Vallejo and Benicia into the current County P25 PSC system, enhancing mutual aid capabilities. The proposed design of the new installation includes two new tower sites that will improve overall functionality of the P25 broadcast as compared to the current state. In addition to the hardware and implementation of the P25 system in Vallejo and Benicia provided by Motorola, it has been identified that the shelter at the Southampton tower site in Benicia is in need of replacement. It is recommended the Board consider approving a contract with Motorola Solutions to complete the Solano South Simulcast P25 public safety radio expansion and approve an agreement with CellSite Solutions for the purchase of a refurbished shelter to house the new equipment at the Southampton tower site.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The cost of the Motorola contract is $5,547,613 and the cost of the CellSite Solutions contract is $172,446 for a total cost of $5,720,059. The FY2023/24 Adopted Budget included an appropriation of $4,000,000 of General Fund for this project. In addition, the County received a $2,750,000 California State earmark for this project. This leaves a project budget balance of $1,029,941 which will partially be utilized to provide the necessary infrastructure for the placement of the refurbished radio shelter at the Southampton site in Benicia, which will be provided by Resource Management in conjunction with other projects. The budget also provides a small contingency for any additional project costs.
DISCUSSION:
Background/Current State
The current public safety radio system does not meet the needs of modern emergency response. Upgrading to the P25 standard would provide many benefits such as improved communication between agencies, better coverage and reliability, and increased security for sensitive information. Additionally, P25 is a widely used industry standard, ensuring compatibility with other systems and a larger pool of available equipment and expertise. Investing in a P25 upgrade improves the overall effectiveness and efficiency of emergency response efforts ultimately increasing public safety.
Solano County currently owns a P25 core which is utilized by Fairfield, Vacaville, Suisun City, and Dixon Police Department, but the County also must maintain a Very High Frequency (VHF) system as the primary PSC, as the P25 system does not cover the whole County, including Vallejo, Benicia, and much of the unincorporated areas of the North County. The VHF system is outdated and in need of frequent emergency repairs and upgrades which is costly.
In addition, Vallejo and Benicia utilize P25, but are not on the County core and instead part of the EBRCSA system which does not communicate with the County system. The existence of two separate P25 PSC systems complicates mutual aid efforts when Vallejo or Benicia require assistance from other parts of Solano County, potentially compromising both citizen and officer safety.
This phase of the P25 expansion was selected for this funding source as it consolidates the County on to a single interoperable network, is achievable with the funding allocated, and will serve the largest concentration of residents currently unserved by the Solano County P25 system.
Solano South Simulcast P25 Public Safety Radio Proposed Expansion
Based on the funding that has been received for P25 expansion, this first phase would expand P25 coverage to the cities of Vallejo and Benicia. County staff have met with city staff from both Benicia and Vallejo, and both cities indicated they would join the expanded Solano County network upon project completion. Their current EBRCSA contracts expire in 2026, and the new system will be operational before their contracts end. At that time, both cities will transition to working with Solano County to cover operational costs.
The proposed Motorola Solutions contract covers all hardware and implementation associated with adding the Solano South Simulcast P25 PSC in Vallejo and Benicia. Key components include installing transmission equipment at four existing tower sites: Cummings (Contra Costa County), Southampton (Benicia), Vallejo Courthouse, and the County fairgrounds (Vallejo). Vallejo’s investments in PSC equipment at the Hiddenbrooke tower site will be repurposed for this project, significantly reducing overall costs for this phase. The proposal also includes converting two dispatch centers, reprogramming mobile and portable radios, and training Solano County PSC staff to maintain the new equipment. Motorola was selected as the vendor to complete this phase of the project since the existing P25 radio core and all existing repeater and transmission equipment in Fairfield and Vacaville are supplied and supported by Motorola. Keeping consistency with the technology vendor reduces risk for future support needs and dramatically simplifies integration between elements of the system. Motorola is a cooperative agreement vendor through the HCAGBuy program which Solano County is a part of.
The proposed CellSite Solutions contract will provide a refurbished radio shelter for the Southampton (Benicia) tower site. The existing shelter is over twenty years old and requires critical replacement before installing new P25 equipment. DoIT plans on working with Resource Management on the site work needed for the placement of the new shelter. In detailed exploration for options to supply a purpose-built structure for radio equipment, it was determined that CellSite could deliver a suitable option in approximately half the time and for half the cost of comparable options.
Next Steps
Future phases of the Solano County P25 project will be designed to cover unincorporated areas of the County that are not currently covered. As funding becomes available for additional investment to complete this system, additional contract(s) will be brought to your Board.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board may choose not to approve the Motorola Solutions contract, the CellSite Solutions contract, or both. This is not recommended as the impact of radio interoperability impacts both mutual aid and potential future consolidated dispatch opportunities and without this project both issues will remain.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The County’s Administrator’s office has reviewed the proposed contracts. The cities of Benicia and Vallejo were also consulted.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION