Title
Enter into an Agreement with T-Mobile USA, Inc. for Tablets and Wi-Fi Access for City Senior Public Housing Residents and Experience Corps Phoenix Senior Volunteers (Ordinance S-46972)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to enter into an agreement with T-Mobile USA, Inc. for the purchase of 950 tablets with built-in Wi-Fi hotspots and two years of unlimited data and support for City Senior Public Housing residents through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) ConnectHome program and City Senior volunteers and students for the Experience Corps Phoenix tutoring program. Further request authorization for the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item. The aggregate value will not exceed $990,000. There is no impact to the General Fund, as Coronavirus Relief Funds are being utilized.
Report
Summary
The Housing Department and Youth and Education Office are requesting to purchase 950 tablets and corresponding service to support Senior residents and volunteers within each of their designated programs. The Housing Department will utilize 800 tablets for Senior Public Housing residents to provide the means for digital access to telemedicine, on-line services and social media. This activity aligns with the HUD ConnectHome USA community that a cohort of nationwide Public Housing Authorities implements. The Housing Department's experience working with Senior residents and with industry experts in this program has led the Housing Department to identify Wi-Fi hotspots as the best method in providing connectivity by distributing 800 of these tablets to Senior residents in Public Housing to help bridge the digital divide in low-income households.
The Youth and Education Office will utilize 150 tablets for the Experience Corps Phoenix (ECPhx) tutoring program to shift the current one-on-one service delivery model to virtual tutoring in order to continue providing essential intervention services to struggling readers. Research has shown that when children are matched with well-trained, committed and caring adult tutors who meet with them on a weekly basis, students will demonstrate improved rates in reading proficiency, school attendance and behavior. The program’s primary goal is to increase academic achievement in 3rd grade reading through well-designed, consistent, one-to-one tutoring sessions by matching students who are strategic (Tier 2) students with adult volunteers who are 50 and older. The volunteers, who are in the senior population, are considered vulnerable and high risk for COVID-19. To mitigate their exposure, ECPhx is pivoting to a virtual format to continue assisting Phoenix schools with providing reading interventions for students who are not reading at grade level.
T-Mobile USA, Inc. will coordinate the deliveries of tablets based on the Housing Department's distribution plan and provide implementation teams with on-going training and help desk assistance.
Procurement Information
A Request for Proposals was sent to three vendors under the State of Arizona Wireless Communication Services, Accessories, and Equipment agreements. Two proposals were received by Housing Management Services Division on Aug. 26, 2020. Proposals were evaluated for award recommendation based on specifications for the equipment, training and services for the Senior residents. The offer submitted by T-Mobile USA, Inc. is deemed to be fair and reasonable for this type of service, training and equipment.
The Housing Department Director recommends that the partnership with T-Mobile USA, Inc. be accepted as the responsive and responsible offer.
Financial Impact
The aggregate value will not exceed $990,000 (including applicable taxes). There is no impact to the General Fund. Funds will come from federal grant resources (Coronavirus Relief Funds).
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The contract was approved by City Council on Feb. 19, 2014 under the Western State Contracting Alliance through a competitive bidding process. The City can utilize the cooperative agreements with the State of Arizona through Dec. 31, 2020 and uses these agreements when it is beneficial to do so.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Inger Erickson, the Housing Department, and Youth and Education Office.