Subject
title
Award and Authorize the City Manager to Execute, a Rider Contract with Motorola Solutions, Inc., of Chicago, IL, in substantially the form attached, as approved by the City Attorney, in the Amount Not to Exceed $1,129,061.80, for the Purchase and Delivery of Replacement Portable and Mobile Radios in accordance with the Pricing Structure, Terms, and Conditions of Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MCOG) Contract #21-069.
end
Department
Police
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Mayor and Council award and authorize the City Manager to Execute, a Rider Contract with Motorola Solutions, Inc., of Chicago, IL, in substantially the form attached, as approved by the City Attorney, in the amount not to exceed $1,129,061.80, for the purchase and delivery of replacement portable and mobile radios, in accordance with the pricing structure, terms, and conditions of Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MCOG) contract #21-069.
Change in Law or Policy
None
Discussion
The Rockville City Police Department (“Police Department”) upgraded their radio system with the digital Motorola APX radio system in the period from 2011-2012. Before that system, the obsolete Motorola XTS radio system was utilized. That upgrade was required to meet the radio system requirements of Montgomery County (who manages the infrastructure), ensuring interoperability with various Local, County, and State Agencies. This means that this radio system allowed the Police Department to communicate with other first responders in the region; for any critical incident or large-scale event the Police Department has been able to seamlessly communicate with all agencies involved.
The radio systems being currently utilized, which include police vehicle radio systems (mobiles) and personnel carried radio systems (portables), have reached their end-of-life, which for the models currently used is 10-12 years. Although the current radio systems were built to withstand a great deal of stress and damage, units and their components still break down over time, making them especially susceptible to failure. The Police Department has documented multiple situations where radios failed. Radio systems are mission-critical pieces of equipment, and with the current state of the radios, it can no longer be guaranteed that they will continue to function properly.
Also of note, the radio model in use by the Police Department is obsolete and no longer sold or supported by Motorola. As a result, the downtime for a radio failure now lasts over six-months, while in the past it was only 1-2 weeks, because a new radio needs to be requested, purchased, manufactured, and then programmed. Also, replacing the radio system in a police cruiser is no longer a simple procedure; because it requires that a new antenna be installed (necessary for Wi-Fi, upgrades, and updates), the police cruiser needs to be returned to the installer. Because radio systems are mission critical, it is essential that replacement/repair downtime is kept to a minimum.
The Police Department also needs to complete an upgrade to the emergency communication radio systems. These upgrades include replacements for the current mobile radio systems and the current portable radio systems. The radio models in use by the Police Department are the Motorola APX6000 AN (Portable) and the APX6500 AN / O5 control head (Mobile). The upgrades will equip officers with the latest BN model radio and E5 control head.
The radio systems are essential and necessary equipment for the Police Department, they are mission-critical for the City’s officers. The radios are used by the officers to receive emergency dispatches, take calls from the Emergency Communications Center and City Dispatch, and to communicate with each other. If these systems fail, then the Police Department runs the risk of having the officers completely lose radio communication. This not only places the officers in potential danger, but also the public’s safety will be potentially endangered as well if police officers are incapable of response, communication, and coordination. The hazards posed by failing, obsolete, and end-of-life radio systems places the City and Residents at risk, and a solution can be found with the purchase of new and working radio systems.
This is a one-time purchase with no ongoing cost because Montgomery County manages the radio infrastructure.
Mayor and Council History
This is the first time this agenda item has been brought before the Mayor and Council.
Procurement
Contract #21-069 from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MCOG), authorizes member entities to purchase via a purchase order the equipment listed in the Contract at a 40% discount from the list price. The City of Rockville is a member entity.
In accordance with Section 17-71 of the Rockville City Code, Cooperative Procurement; (b) The City may contract with any contractor who offers goods, services, insurance, or construction on the same terms as provided other state or local governments or agencies thereof who have arrived at those terms through a competitive procurement procedure similar to the procedure used by the City.
In accordance with Section 17-39 of the Rockville City Code, Awarding Authority, (a) All contracts involving more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) shall be awarded by the Mayor and Council.
Motorola Solutions, Inc. is a non-MFD-V firm.
The draft contract is provided as Attachment 1.
To view the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MCOG) contract and the Motorola Solutions quote (The Mayor and Council may be provided the redacted information upon request), please click the link below:
<https://www.swisstransfer.com/d/e52abf0b-5670-41aa-944d-9c7676a4aeda>
Fiscal Impact
Sufficient funding is available in the Police operating budget in FY 2025 for the replacement portable and mobile radios. FY 2025 Budget Amendment #1 was approved on August 5, 2024 which recognized a federal earmark totaling $963,000 as part of the $1.2 million reappropriation for the purchase of this equipment.
Next Steps
Upon Mayor and Council approval, the Procurement Division will complete execution of the contract and will issue a purchase order to Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Attachments
ATTACHMENT 1 - Draft Contract with Motorola Solutions, Inc.