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Home My WebLink AboutCS 14-20Cf� ei? DICKERING Report to Council Report Number: CS 14-20 Date: May 25, 2020 From: Marisa Carpino Director, Community Services & Deputy CAO Subject: Systems Furniture Standardization of Tayco Panelink Ltd. - File: A-1440 Recommendation: 1. That systems furniture and related accessories supplied by Tayco Panelink Ltd. be established as an approved City-wide standard for all future furniture installations; 2. That Patrick Cassidy & Associates Inc. be established as an approved broker for Tayco Panelink Ltd. systems furniture; 3. That the term for this systems furniture standard be limited to a maximum of five years, subject to annual renewal as per the established renewal process; 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 City requires formal standardization of systems furniture for workstations and related accessories in order to provide consistency of appearance, ergonomic and practical functionality, quality and durability, have interchangeability of components, and ensure ready availability and prompt delivery to maintain existing operations. Most of the City's inventory of systems furniture is located at the Civic Complex and was procured during the original construction of the building. Over time, smaller quantities were purchased to match the furniture from the Civic Complex and can now be found at all other staffed facilities. The existing furniture has passed it's useful life expectancy and is no longer being manufactured, requiring the salvage of components from some workstations in order to keep others in service, further depleting the available stock in the process. Lack of consistency in the purchase of newer systems furniture in recent years has resulted in a mismatch of incompatible pieces that are more difficult to adapt, repurpose, or consolidate, creating additional challenges as more staff need to be fit into limited space. The purpose of this report is to recommend that Council approve a systems furniture standard, in accordance with Section 9.04 (c) of the Purchasing Policy, and as selected through award of Q-5- 2019 for the supply and installation of systems furniture for the New Operations Centre, using systems furniture products manufactured by Tayco Panelink Ltd., including related accessories to be supplied and installed by Patrick Cassidy & Associates Inc., for a period of up to five years, subject to annual review and recommendation of renewal by staff. Should individual purchases exceed $250,000, the purchase will be reported to Council for information only. CS 14-20 May 25, 2020 Subject: Systems Furniture Standard Page 2 In accordance with clause 09.09 of the City's Purchasing Policy (PUR-010), a single source or sole source purchase exceeding $125,000.00 is subject to Council approval. It is anticipated, given approved budgets, that furniture purchases over the next five years will exceed this amount. Financial Implications: N/A Discussion: Most of the systems furniture at City Hall was purchased when the building opened in 1990 and has not been manufactured in over a decade. Components have been stripped and salvaged from broken workstations and used to repair others, but the available stock of spare parts is dwindling and most of the inventory is reaching end of life. Starting in 2015, annual Capital Budgets have included an allowance of $25,000 for the replacement of aging workstations, partitions, tables and shelving at City Hall. This was increased to $100,000 in 2019 and repeated again in the 2020 Capital Budget. In addition to the increasing pace of replacement due to age and wear, Facilities staff completed a space use study in 2019 that projected the need for an additional 60 workstations over the next five years to accommodate staff growth at City Hall alone, or in satellite locations if required. Attempts have been made to order a variety of other products with similar appearance from other suppliers, but the results have been inconsistent and the level of service provided by vendors has been poor due to the limited value and small quantities spread over time and as multiple purchases. The new systems furniture is also typically mechanically incompatible with the old furniture. Quotation Q-5-2019 was issued on February 19, 2019 and awarded to Patrick Cassidy & Associates Inc. on April 29, 2019, for the supply and installation of new systems furniture for the new Operations Centre. The products supplied were manufactured by Tayco Panelink Ltd. They have proven to be durable, resilient, functional and well-suited for the intended purpose since their original installation with minimal deficiencies or repairs required. Tayco Panelink Ltd. is a Canadian company with manufacturing facilities located in the west end of Toronto. Founded in 1976, they have an established foothold in the industry. They have consistently demonstrated better delivery times than industry average for all products ordered over the past year, typically achieving 4 to 6 week timelines where other vendors the City has worked with in the past have commonly struggled to achieve an 8 to 12 week timeline. The proximity of their manufacturing facilities is an asset, and makes support services and replacement parts easy to access. Systems furniture products include many interlinking components that are proprietary to each manufacturer, and therefore cannot be adapted to fit existing furniture without standardization. A typical workstation will include a systems -furniture desk with built-in partitions, storage, be pre- wired for the concealed routing of data and power, include versatile and adaptable features and accessories such a keyboard trays, pin -board, sit -stand surfaces, etc. Chairs, bookshelves, monitor arms and filing cabinets are also typically required but are not included as part of this standardization request. The intent of a furniture systems standard is to be able to readily order CS 14-20 May 25, 2020 Subject: Systems Furniture Standard Page 3 these additional accessories through the specified vendors at listed prices, ordering one or more whole workstations and ensuring prompt and consistent delivery. The City reserves the right to order individual accessories from other vendors for smaller orders or where not linked to an entire workstation, at its sole discretion. Major manufacturers of systems furniture are also at the forefront of ergonomic furniture design, incorporating key features and components essential to addressing workplace health and safety. Cheaper products are available from other vendors, but typically lack the required customization options, durability and functionality included in true, commercial -grade system furniture products. The systems furniture industry is structured such that manufacturers typically align themselves with preferred brokers within a given territory. This makes it difficult to obtain competitive bids for products from a particular manufacturer as the preferred broker will inevitably obtain better pricing than any others within the given territory. Patrick Cassidy & Associates Inc. are the current preferred broker for Tayco Panelink Ltd. furniture in the GTA and have proven themselves competent, responsive and responsible when coordinating design, delivery, installation and correction of any deficiencies for all product ordered by the City, to date. The City will review and confirm the current preferred broker with Tayco Panelink Ltd. prior to the recommended annual renewal of the systems furniture standard, and may source or select an alternative broker upon confirmation from both the manufacturer and the broker that their business relationship has changed. Both parties are required to honour the terms and pricing of the agreement until its next scheduled renewal, unless agreed upon otherwise by City. Sole source procurement of systems furniture and related accessories is recommended to ensure consistent quality, compatibility, durability and appearance to upgrade and maintain the professional character of the City's public service areas and office spaces. Most systems furniture purchases made by the City are for individual or small groups of workstations. An open bidding process for each such purchase would impair the City's ability to make efficient use of increasingly limited office space and impair the City's ability to portray a uniform, professional environment to visiting members of the public, business community and dignitaries. The purpose of this report is to recommend that Council approve a systems furniture standard, in accordance with Section 9.04 (c) of the Purchasing Policy, and as selected through award of Q-5- 2019 for the supply and installation of systems furniture for the new Operations Centre, using systems furniture products manufactured by Tayco Panelink Ltd., including related accessories, to be supplied and installed by Patrick Cassidy & Associated Inc. in accordance with specified prices attached to this report, for a period of up to five years, subject to annual review and recommendation of renewal by staff. Attachments: 1. None CS 14-20 Subject: Systems Furniture Standard Prepared By: Vince Plouffe Manager, Facilities Capital Projects Marisa Carpino, M. }' Director, Community Services & Deputy CAO MC:vp May 25, 2020 Approved/Endorsed By: Ray Rod'igues, CPPB Manager, Supply & Services Page 4 Stan Karwowski, MBA, CPA, CMA Director, Finance & Treasurer Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Tony Prevedel, P.Eng. Chief Administrative Officer 1-41 6, 20,0