Title
Consider approving Resolution No. 2024-040 authorizing the purchase of audio-visual equipment and implementation services for the City Hall PEG Channel Broadcast System from Digital Resources, Inc. through the TIPS purchasing contract No. 230105 in the amount not to exceed $265,200; and take appropriate action.
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BACKGROUND:
The City currently produces, records, and broadcasts the City Council Meetings and the Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. The goal is to make these meetings available for community engagement through various platforms, including Cable TV Public Access, Granicus live web streaming, and YouTube.
Cable TV-based Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) channels provide significant benefits to communities, including transparency and accountability through access to local government meetings. They also act as a community hub, providing valuable information, educational programming, and more. PEG broadcasting and meeting virtualization technologies were increasingly important during the pandemic when citizens could not attend such meetings in person.
Since the City operates a public access channel (FBTV) through the local Cable TV providers, we receive approximately $50,000 annually in PEG funds. These funds account for one percent of the cable franchisee's gross revenue, and the FCC mandates that these funds be dedicated to capital assets associated with the operation of our PEG television channel.
Most of the broadcast equipment used to produce and broadcast these meetings was installed in 2011, with a few upgrades occurring over the years as needed. We do experience ongoing operating challenges and have suffered from recent system outages directly related to the age of the existing technology. Additionally, the room that currently houses the broadcast control room and associated equipment is space-constrained, with no room to expand to accommodate additional technologies.
In early 2023, City staff from both the IT and communications Departments worked together to determine the best approach to resolving the space constraints and addressing the aging broadcast technology. In the spring of 2023, a general project scope was developed, and the process of identifying qualified vendors was undertaken. The two teams then worked with the vendor to develop a preliminary design and budgetary costs for this project. That information was submitted for budget consideration, and the project was ultimately approved and represented in the FY 2023-2024 budget.
This proposed scope of work is considered in the second phase of a larger project, which included upgrading the audio and video systems in the council chambers and repairing the wall above the dais. The council approved Phase 1 of this project on October 24, 2023, and completed it in January 2024.
DISCUSSION:
As stated above, most of the existing broadcast technology is very dated, with much of the hardware beyond or approaching the end of life/end of support. To address this, the IT Department has determined the need to comprehensively upgrade and modernize the existing systems.
In evaluating local vendor capabilities for this project, City staff concluded that Digital Resources, Inc. was the most qualified vendor. This vendor has extensive experience with broadcast technologies and a lengthy list of government and educational customers that have successfully completed similar projects. City staff spent several months working with this vendor to design and engineer a solution that best meets the city's needs.
The overall scope for this phase of the project involves a complete overhaul of the broadcast technology and the relocation of the broadcast control room to a larger space. Below is a summary of the project scope for this particular vendor.
1. Purchase and implementation of:
a) New control room console furniture and task lighting
b) New equipment racks and patch panels
c) New production hardware (mixers, multiplexers, switchers, encoders, routers, etc.)
d) New broadcast/playback hardware
e) Web meeting presentation hardware and software
f) New video capture and storage hardware
2. Relocation of remaining existing hardware to new equipment racks
3. Removal of all the existing hardware, cabling, and equipment racks
4. Design, engineering, installation, and programming services.
5. Project contingency (only to be used if necessary and with prior approval).
The funding for this project was approved as part of the FY 2023-2024 budget process. It will be paid for using accrued PEG funds.
For this project, the City is taking advantage of The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS) contract pricing for Technology Solutions Products and Services. TIPS is a National Cooperative Purchasing Program for use by member schools, colleges, universities, cities, counties, and other government entities in all 50 states.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact of this proposed phase of the project is $265,200. Funding for the associated costs is budgeted and represented within the approved FY 2023-2024 budget in the PEG Fund Account.
DISTRICT:
Citywide
POSSIBLE COUNCIL ACTION:
1. I move to approve Resolution No. 2024-040 as presented.
2. I move to approve Resolution No. 2024-040, with modifications.
3. I move to table the issue for further study or take no action.
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Resolution No. 2024-040
2. DRI Quote and SOW
3. Presentation