Title
Fire Department Computer-Aided Dispatch Transition Consultant (Ordinance S-45950)
Description
Request authorization for the City Manager, or his designee, to enter into a contract with a Fire Department computer-aided dispatch (CAD) transition consultant to oversee and manage the existing 26-year old CAD system while staff implements a new, regional CAD system. Further request authorization for the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item.
Report
Summary
Phoenix Fire Department is currently procuring a CAD system to replace the “old” regional CAD (Cobol-based) system that was implemented in 1993. Fire Department technology staff and an ITS consultant are prepared to implement the new CAD system that will serve Phoenix and all regional Automatic Aid partners. Because of the unusual nature of the highly-modified CAD system, the age of the system itself, and the lack of individuals skilled in the antiquated programming language, Cobol, Fire is requesting to contract with a consultant who has 23 years of experience managing a Cobol-based CAD system, Mr. Ron Burch.
Both city staff and city ITS external consultants believe it would take a minimum of 16 months to orient someone who is unfamiliar with a Cobol-based CAD system to the antiquated Cobol language, as Cobol is a computer-coding language that is no longer taught in most schools. This 16-month orientation period would put the Fire Department’s currently existing CAD system at risk because necessary maintenance and upkeep would not be possible.
Mr. Burch is skilled as a software engineer and possesses a unique knowledge of Cobol-based CAD system network interfaces (transmissions and inter-application communications) and would require little to no orientation.
Procurement Information
Because of the antiquated, highly-specialized nature of the Phoenix CAD system, and in order to meet the Department’s and the regional Automatic Aid partners’ business needs, a determination memo - “Special Circumstance - Without Competition” was reviewed and approved by the Finance Department.
Contract Term
This contract will begin on or around Sept. 29, 2019, for a maximum term of five years.
Financial Impact
The contract will not exceed an aggregate amount of $875,000 over the life of the five-year contract, equating to approximately $175,000 annually.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr. and the Fire Department.