title
APPROVE MOTION TO ENTER INTO A PARTICIPATING AGREEMENT WITH CDW GOVERNMENT, LLC, TO UTILIZE THE NATIONAL IPA COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE A TECHNOLOGY BACKUP SOLUTION
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council approve a motion:
1. Authorizing the City Manager to enter into a participating agreement with CDW Government LLC, to utilize the National IPA cooperative agreement, contract number 2018011-01, to purchase technology backup infrastructure hardware and maintenance services from CDW Government LLC in the amount of $384,057 (Attachment A and B); and
2. Approving findings which support and justify an exception to the competitive bid process; and
3. Authorizing the City Manager to take appropriate and necessary actions to carry out the purpose and intent of this motion.
body
Summary
Information Technology (IT) supports all City of Stockton departments for technology solutions. Recognizing this participating agreement which allows the City to participate in the National IPA cooperative agreement with CDW Government LLC, is an exception to the competitive bid process. Utilizing this National IPA cooperative agreement will allow the City to continue to invest in technology solutions at very competitive pricing. National IPA is able to get highly competitive pricing through their large pool of 48,000 public agencies that combine their purchasing power. National IPA ensures that contracts follow industry best practices, are competitively solicited and publicly awarded by a government entity. If approved, the City will use this agreement to purchase a replacement of our aging backup infrastructure with a current backup solution for $384,057. CDW Government LLC (CDW-G) is a company recognized as a premier reseller for software, hardware, and services which are utilized by the City of Stockton.
DISCUSSION
Background
The City’s backup solution was designed around traditional standards that were practiced many years ago. However, only small improvements were introduced as technology changed. The City’s goal is to eliminate an outdated backup process by introducing cloud technology and moving the backups directly to off-site cloud storage in Microsoft Azure. As solutions or equipment ages past its useful life, the risk of failure increases and the cost to maintain goes up. The City seeks replacement solutions that enhance capabilities and create operational efficiencies through the use of modern technology. The implementation of the new Rubrik backup system will provide the City with a solution that better meets the business needs, is easier to manage and will integrate new functionality that supports our data center strategy. In addition to providing the primary backup services, this solution will also provide us with the capabilities to provide near real-time recovery of failed data services and the ability to establish a disaster recovery site in the Microsoft Azure Cloud.
Present Situation
Today, the City utilizes a backup solution that consists of using products from many different manufacturers. The solution includes contracts with 3 separate vendors (HP, Computer Associates, and ExaGrid) for several different hardware appliances and software. This aging solution was developed many years ago and does not take advantage of current technologies. The hardware in use today is between 4.5 and 9 years old.
The new equipment is an all-in-one server appliance and software suite from Rubrik that takes care of all aspects of the data backup process. In one view the team can ascertain that the backup was successful. The new solution fully automates the process of collecting the data that needs to be backed up, de-duplicating and compressing that data before it uploads the data to a cloud storage location. Included are 5 years of maintenance that allow the city to benefit from software improvements and warranties against any hardware failures.
Currently, the City has active membership status in the National IPA cooperative.
Staff recommends authorizing the use of the National IPA agreement to acquire the Rubrik backup solution from CDW-G. The City has a positive relationship with CDW-G and CDW-G has proven to be a reliable business partner.
FINDINGS
Stockton Municipal Code Section 3.68.070(A)(5) authorizes the City Council to award contracts without competitive bidding in cases where the City Council has approved findings which support and justify exceptions to the competitive bidding process. The following proposed findings are recommended to support such an exception to the competitive bidding process.
1. The City’s Procurement Office recommends and approves the use of this participating agreement and cooperative purchase agreement as it meets the criteria as an exception to the competitive bidding process.
2. Procurement determines that the process that was used to establish this cooperative agreement was awarded through a competitive process and meets the City’s procurement requirements.
3. This cooperative agreement allows for other agencies such as the City of Stockton the ability to utilize and participate in this agreement.
4. The City has an ongoing business relationship with CDW-G that has benefited the City both with discounted pricing and with reliable timeliness of deliveries.
5. The purchase and implementation of this backup solution will establish the foundation for implementing a hosted recovery site using Cloud technology.
6. The recommended motion will approve a participating agreement for technology solutions and services for the purchase of a new backup solution.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
The purchase of backup infrastructure hardware and five years of maintenance and support services is quoted from CDW-G in the amount of $384,057. Appropriation is available in the Computer Equipment Internal Service Fund, account numbers 502-5101-571 and 502-5101-670. The backup infrastructure project is a planned project and funds have been approved in the 2018-2019 budget as ‘Data Center Hardware Infrastructure’ (Page N-10 in the Annual Budget book).
Attachment A - City of Mesa National IPA Cooperative Agreement
Attachment B - CDW-G Quote for Backup Infrastructure Hardware and Services