Title
Information Technologies, Clerk of the Board, and Planning and Building Department recommending the Board:
1) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Agreement 5337 with Marin IT, in an amount not to exceed $127,222, for hardware, software, and services necessary for audio and video improvements for reliable virtual meetings in Board Chambers and the Planning Commission Room;
2) Make findings, in accordance with County Ordinance 3.12.160 A, that competitive bidding for these projects would not be in public’s interest because of the current public health emergency and the urgent need for reliable virtual meetings; and
3) Approve the addition of meeting room improvement projects to the FY 2020-21 Fixed Asset list in the amount of $56,868 for the Board Chambers and $70,354 for the Planning Commission Room.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Since March 2020, the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors have been hosting public meetings through zoom due to the public health emergency. The Board of Supervisors room has experienced audio and visual problems as the system is not set up for zoom streaming, and the patches put in place have caused audio and video problems disrupting meetings. The Planning Commission has not been able to run meetings at all in the planning commission room as the current equipment does not support zoom meetings. As it is unknown how long the meetings will need to be hosted through zoom with physical distancing, an Information Technologies company, Marin IT, was contacted as they have successfully helped other governmental organizations transition public meetings rooms to virtual meetings.
The upgrades to the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission rooms will result in better citizen engagement, as well as operational efficiencies simplifying the ability to control all audio and video on a tablet with one touch. This one-time cost will eliminate the need for a videographer onsite, which is an ongoing cost of $20,000 a year. Information Technologies (IT) has been in contact with Granicus to remove some of the Granicus features related to streaming video, which will result in approximately $6,000 a year savings. The upgrades will improve the experience for those participating remotely and will allow for in-person meeting with physical distancing. The solution will also position the County to change and grow with the County's needs in the future, such as more streaming to the social media sites, such as FaceBook and YouTube as examples.
Information Technologies, the Clerk of the Planning Commission, and the Clerk of the Board have been actively participating in the process of selecting a vendor and defining the necessary improvements to the Board Chamber and Planning Commission Room. The IT department is working with the chosen vendor to schedule the installations when the Board and Planning Commission do not have meetings scheduled to minimize conflict or inconvenience. Other County departments and agencies will also benefit by having the ability to utilize the Board and Planning Commission rooms without requiring a videographer to operate the system.
The system will continue to utilize Zoom, however if it is decided to return to using Granicus or something different, the new system is designed with flexibility to accommodate these types of changes. The upgrade for the Board of Supervisors room comes at a one-time cost of approximately $56,868 and for the Planning Commission room at a one-time cost of approximately $70,354, which includes labor, hardware and training on using the system. Even though the contracts are exempt from competitive bidding as part of the CARES act purchases, staff negotiated with the vendor to secure prices that comply with U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) schedule contracts pricing.
El Dorado County IT will maintain the system once installed and if a major issue arises, the vendor offers an hourly maintenance option, which is only paid if used.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could decide not to approve the upgrades.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
20-1013 & 20-1158 - Previous CARES Act Board Items approving the initial spending plan, waiving requirements in Procurement Policy C-17 to expedite purchases, and delegating authority to the CAO to approve CARES Act related purchases.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel, Chief Administrative Office
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The project will be funded with General Fund savings that resulted from CARES Act funding being utilized for General Fund staff that are substantially dedicated to Coronavirus response. The $127,222 approximate total cost is available in the remaining allocations for the CARES Act County Operations budget as approved on August 4, 2020 with Legistar item 20-1013.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Clerk of the Board to obtain Board Chair signature on Agreement 5337 with Marin IT and forward the signed copy to Procurement & Contracts, Attn: Kristen Germond.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Good Governance, Infrastructure, & Public Safety
CONTACT
Tonya Digiorno, Director of Information Technologies
Kim Dawson, Clerk of the Board
Tiffany Schmid, Director of Planning and Building