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Home My WebLink AboutFIR 04-24Report to Executive Committee Report Number: FIR 04-24 Date: September 3, 2024 From: Steve Boyd Fire Chief Subject: Funding Request for Fire Station Alerting - Quotation No LL-072224 - File: A-1440-001-24 Recommendation: 1. That Quotation LL-072224 for the sole source supply and installation under the Canoe Cooperative Purchasing of Fire Station alerting (Zetron™) services for Fire Stations 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, submitted by Williams Communications in the amount of $189,475.00 (HST included) be accepted; 2. That the total gross project cost of $189,475.00 (HST included) and the total net project cost of $170,628.00 (net of HST rebate) be approved; 3. That Council authorize that the budget shortfall of $136,628.00 be approved with funding to be provided at the discretion of the Director Finance & Treasurer; and 4. That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take the necessary actions as indicated in this report. Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to obtain Council’s authority to fund the sole source supply and installation of the Fire Station Alerting communications system totaling $189,475.00 (HST included), and to obtain authorization to award Quotation LL-072224. Fire Services budgeted $350,000.00 in the 2023 Capital Budget as its share for Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Software project lead by Oshawa Fire Services. The current CAD system has reached end of life and requires replacing. In May 2024, Oshawa Fire Services took over fire dispatch for all of Durham Region, and at the time opted to cover the total capital costs of the CAD software, NG911. As a result, the $350,000.00 for the City’s capital project was cancelled at the end of 2023. In July 2024, users were advised that each municipality was required to supply and install the necessary station alerting components to meet the new CAD systems requirements. These components include IT switches, speakers, relays and other associated equipment. The total cost for the supply and installation is $189,475.00 (HST included). Unfortunately, Pickering Fire Services was not made aware of this cost until July 2024 after an audit by Oshawa’s vendor. Although the $350,000.00 original project budget was cancelled, we are expecting to incur $170,628.00 (net of HST rebate) in 2024 for the alerting system. In addition, the consolidation of fire dispatch centres results in annual operating savings to the City of around $250,000.00. FIR 04-24 September 3, 2024 Subject: Funding Request for Fire Station Alerting Page 2 Relationship to the Pickering Strategic Plan: The recommendations in this report respond to the Pickering Strategic Plan Priorities to Advocate for an Inclusive, Welcoming, Safe & Healthy Community; and Advance Innovation & Responsible Planning to Support a Connected, Well-Serviced Community. Financial Implications: 1. Quote Amount Quotation No. LL-072224 $167,677.45 HST (13%) 21,798.07 Total $189,475.52 2. Estimated Project Costing Summary Quotation No. LL-072224 $167,677.00 Total Project Cost $167,677.00 HST (13%) 21,798.00 Total Gross Project Costs $189,475.00 HST Rebate (11.24%) (18,847.00) Total Net Project Cost $170,628.00 3. Approved Source of Funds Expense Code Source of Funds Budget Required 502060.10700 Property Taxes (Current) $34,000.00 $170,628.00 Net Project Cost under (over) Approved Funds ($136,628.00) There is approximately $34,000.00 available in the Current Budget under the Fire Protection dispatch communications account related to this project. It is recommended that the funding shortfall for this project of $136,628.00 be financed at the discretion of the Director, Finance & Treasurer. Discussion: The purpose of this report is to obtain Council’s authority to fund the sole source supply and installation of the Fire Station Alerting communications system at a cost of $189,475.00 (HST included), and to obtain authorization to award Quotation LL-072224. FIR 04-24 September 3, 2024 Subject: Funding Request for Fire Station Alerting Page 3 In 2023, Fire Services included within the Fire Services Capital Budget C10700.2306, $350,000.00 for Pickering’s anticipated share of a new CAD software (Hexagon™) to replace the current CriSys software in Q4 of 2024 which is approaching end of life after 24 years. At the time, the Regional fire dispatch agreement was not yet in place and a CAD software solution was being designed for the Ajax and the Oshawa dispatch centres. The $350,000.00 in capital funds was earmarked for Pickering’s share of the Ajax dispatch centres CAD upgrade at the time; however, when the dispatch amalgamation took place, Oshawa Fire Services opted to assume the total costs for the Hexagon™ software and advised Ajax and Pickering that they would include their respective share of the costs in their yearly service fee. Due to this decision, the $350,000.00 budget amount for this project (C10700.2306) was cancelled at year-end 2023. One requirement of the new CAD (Hexagon) software was the need to upgrade the existing alerting functions in all Pickering Fire Stations which includes any associated speakers, wiring, IT interfaces, and software. Pickering was provided information in December 2022 on the estimated cost of the station alerting and the documents provided by Oshawa at the time indicated that the cost was approximately $34,000.00. It was determined that Pickering Fire could cover these costs within the annual communications budget. In July 2024, Fire Services received a solution proposal from Williams Communications for the Fire Station alerting (Zetron™) for the amount of $189,475.00 (HST included). As this was a far greater amount then what Oshawa had provided, Fire Services set out to investigate, and were advised that the original quote provided to Oshawa did not include Ajax and Pickering at the time as communications amalgamation had not occurred yet. It was explained that due to the amalgamation, the core of the system had to be upgraded to accommodate the additional partners and this change had added significant cost to the project. Although this is an unexpected cost, it is important to note that the $350,000.00 originally earmarked for this project was cancelled from the 2023 Capital Budget, and we are only expecting to incur approximately $170,628.00 (net of HST rebate), resulting in a net savings of approximately $179,372.00. In addition, operationally, City has reduced the annual cost for dispatch services by $250,000.00 as a result of transitioning to Oshawa for fire dispatch. Attachment: None FIR 04-24 September 3, 2024 Subject: Funding Request for Fire Station Alerting Page 4 Prepared By: Approved/Endorsed By: Original Signed By Original Signed By Jason Yoshida Steve Boyd Deputy Fire Chief Fire Chief Original Signed By Original Signed By Cathy Bazinet, CPPB, NIGP-CPP Stan Karwowski, MBA, CPA, CMA Manager, Procurement Director, Finance & Treasurer JY:jm Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Original Signed By Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer