CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of Cooperative Procurement 18-534, Cellular Phone Services, to Verizon Wireless for an amount not to exceed $318,000 and for a one-year term
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DEPARTMENT: Information Technology
SUBMITTED BY: Jeff Anderson, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Cellular phone services include the purchase of regular cell phones, smartphone devices and monthly service fees. These services include immediate communications between City staff and the Mayor and City Council as well as:
• Immediate communications between City staff and staff working in the field;
• Phones that help our ambulance personnel transmit data to the hospital as they are transporting patients;
• Smartphones that allow personnel to interact with our computer systems to monitor our water, sewer or electric service to our residents.
The City has been using the State of Illinois contract with Verizon for these services since 2014.
DISCUSSION:
As the current provider of wireless data services for all of Naperville cell phones, Verizon has provided exceptional service with minimal outages, dropped signals or disconnects. Verizon Wireless has been awarded a State of Illinois Joint Purchase Contract, #CMS793372P.
Staff works with the individual departments to monitor monthly cell phone usage and terminates lines with little or no usage. Staff will continue to reduce device inventory based on usage reports. Staff will continue to evaluate new pricing plans offered by Verizon Wireless and monitor our account activity to look for methods of reducing costs.
The cost for cellular service has increased $20,500 compared to last year. The increase in annual fees is due to several improvements in service to citizens and employee efficiency, including:
• All 90 members of the Police Department’s patrol division were issued a phone at the beginning of 2018 to provide more effective communications with Naperville citizens.
• The Police Department’s command staff and investigators have moved to non-ruggedized laptops that allow them to more effectively and efficiently perform their duties in the field. In place of the more costly, ruggedized laptop with a Verizon data card, each investigator has a non-ruggedized laptop and been instructed to use their cell phone as a wireless hot spot. This solution, although an increase to this contract cost, provides roughly a $2,500 saving per investigator over the ruggedized laptop with wireless capability.
• The Fire Department replaced 10 flip phones with smartphones that are used with the e-Bridge Telemedicine App, which allows Firefighter/Paramedics to send patient picture, video and 12-lead cardiac monitor data direct to the hospital while in route.
• City-wide, flip phones have been upgraded to smartphones to increase productivity of field personnel.
The term of this contract is one year from October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP #: N/A
Cellular Phone Services are expensed to the telephone accounts below. A total of $314,000 has been budgeted for cellular phone charges in 2018. The term of this contract will primarily occur in 2019, and funding will be made available for the remainder of that period.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
16101100-542415 |
General Fund |
$737,000 |
|
21103400-542415 |
State Drug Forfeiture Fund |
$25,000 |