Title
Information Technologies Department recommending the Board:
1) Make findings in accordance with Section 3.13.030 (B) of the El Dorado County Ordinance Chapter 3.13, Contracting Out, that telephone and network support services requires specialty skills and qualifications not expressly identified in County classifications;
2) Make findings in accordance with Procurement Policy C-17, Section 3.4.2 (f), exempting the competitive bidding process, that it is in the best interest of the County to amend contract 7116 with ConvergeOne, Inc. for as-needed consulting services for the Avaya telephone and network system, as continuity of providers will provide efficiency or critical knowledge that couldn’t be provided by other vendors;
3) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Amendment III to Agreement 7116 with ConvergeOne, Inc., amending the Compensation for Services section, increasing the total compensation by $160,000 for a new compensation amount not to exceed $240,000, and extending the term of the agreement by one additional year for a new expiration date of June 8, 2027; and
4) Authorize the Purchasing Agent to execute any necessary amendments relating to Agreement 7116, excluding term extensions and increases in compensation, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
AdvanTel began providing telephone system support to the County Information Technologies (IT) Department in 2013. AdvanTel was purchased by ConvergeOne in 2018. AdvanTel and ConvergeOne have handled multiple smaller projects for County IT via Purchase Orders through 2023. On June 9, 2023, El Dorado County IT entered into Agreement 7116 with ConvergeOne, Inc. for as-needed telephone and network system consulting services. ConvergeOne has local service engineers, technicians, consultants, developers, and project managers who are experts in Avaya telecom systems and are available to provide remote or on-site specialized phone system support for maintenance, updates, adding features, enhancing softphone capabilities, resolving software bugs, and remediation of system vulnerabilities. ConvergeOne has experience working on the details of the Avaya system, including configuration and interfacing with the Sheriff's 911 Dispatch and vital non-emergency numbers, as well as other vital 24/7 services, such as required Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) after-hours services.
The County's current contract was originally created for ongoing support needs but is now being modified to handle Phase II of the telephone system upgrade and subsequent projects that are scheduled once the County's platform has been migrated. The contract extension allows for the planned telephone projects through Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 to be completed, while allowing enough funding for as-needed technical support for when smaller projects or issues arise. ConvergeOne has already completed Phase I of the telephone system upgrade under Contract 7116. Phase II of the project will move the phone system platform from version 8.x to version 10.x. ConvergeOne services are needed to perform the installation and configuration of new equipment and to perform the migration/cut-over services. Once the phone system platform upgrade is completed, additional projects are slated to provide enhancements and deployments of new features to the system that were not available in version 8.x. The Board has previously approved the purchase of the necessary hardware for the upgrade projects on Legistar items 24-0357 and 25-0505. The current Avaya phone system is considered end-of-life, and this upgrade is needed to continue receiving system updates, security patches, and support, which keeps our system secure, reduces security risk, and improves the County's support of the Countywide telephone system.
ConvergeOne has been working with the County's phone system for over a decade. Their deep understanding and knowledge of the County's needs gains efficiencies for project support. They have been involved in our upgrade project for the past year and have developed our system requirements in conjunction with County staff. As a support partner with Avaya, they provide synergies in maintaining our Customer Services Agreement with Avaya. ConvergeOne is not requesting to increase any billing rates with the signing of Amendment III. Amendment III adds two additional classifications to the billing rate table for a Registration Specialist and a Solution Technician and increases the total compensation amount by $160,000 for services provided under the agreement, increasing the total to $240,000. The term is also extended one year, through June 8, 2027, to allow for planned projects for Fiscal Years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to be completed.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose not to approve or request changes to the amendment, which would delay the planned Countywide telephone system upgrade and leave us vulnerable to issues on version 8.x
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
Legistar file 25-0505 - April 1, 2025 - Hardware for Version 10.x Upgrade and Budget Transfer for Hardware and Installation Services.
Legistar file 24-0357 - March 19, 2024 - Upgrade to Avaya G450 Media Gateways
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
Procurement & Contracts
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no change to Net County Cost. The IT Department FY 2024-25 Budget includes sufficient appropriations for this project, and future year projects will be budgeted as needed.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Clerk of the Board to return fully executed copy of Amendment III to the Chief Administrative Office, Central Fiscal Division, Attention: Audra Anderson.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
N/A
CONTACT
Amanda Earnshaw, Interim Director of Information Technologies