Title
Two-way Pager Equipment and Service (Ordinance S-45255)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to enter into a contract with SPOK, Inc. to continue to supply pagers and related software and data services used Citywide in an amount not to exceed $126,000 over a five-year period. Pagers are used primarily by the Fire, Planning and Development, Water Services, and Aviation departments. Further request authorization for the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item.
Report
Summary
Over the last decade, the use of pagers as a communications tool for City departments has decreased significantly, being replaced by mobile phones and other devices offering more features. However, multiple departments rely on two-way pagers as a low-cost notification tool, often with the pager number integrated into long-standing process control, emergency protocol, and business processes within these departments. SPOK, Inc. provides the pagers and the monthly service associated with the City's current fleet of approximately 350 pagers. The Information Technology Services Department regularly audits the use of pagers and works with departments to cancel service when they are no longer needed.
In accordance with Administrative Regulation 3.10, normal competition was waived as the result of a Determination Memo citing the operational impact and risk of changing pager numbers hard-programmed into process control and emergency protocols. Unlike cell phone numbers, pager phone numbers are not subject to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wireless local number portability requirements, and are typically owned by the paging company and cannot be ported away from them.
Contract Term
The term of the contract will be for five years, beginning on or about Jan. 1, 2019, and ending Dec. 31, 2023.
Financial Impact
This request is for a five-year amount not to exceed $126,000, based on a monthly total cost of Citywide pagers of approximately $2,100.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Acting Deputy City Manager Toni Maccarone and the Information Technology Services Department.