PROPOSAL:

Authorize Purchase of Standard Office Software Upgrades

SYNOPSIS:

Last fiscal year AQMD upgraded staff desktop operating systems to Windows 95. To take full advantage of the capabilities and features of this upgrade and complete the enhancements begun last year, standard office software must also be upgraded. The standard office software currently in place works less efficiently with the new operating system and is being phased out by the industry. This action is to authorize purchase of Standard Office Software Upgrades. Funds for this purchase ($135,000) are included in the FY 1997-98 Budget.

COMMITTEE:

Administrative, August 22, 1997, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Authorize purchase of Standard Office Software Upgrades from Comp USA at a cost not to exceed $135,000 for 846 licenses.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Acting Executive Officer

Background

A primary goal for Information Management today is to enhance staff’s desktop computer performance. A key component toward reaching that goal was completed during the last fiscal year with migration to Windows 95, a 32-bit desktop operating system. Providing 32-bit office software to work with the new operating system is the next milestone toward achieving our goal. Staff has determined that Microsoft Office is the most appropriate Standard Office Software package to meet the word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and desktop information management needs of the AQMD.

Bid Evaluation

Bids for Microsoft Office 97 Standard upgrade licenses were solicited from the firms on the list of prequalified vendors for the Purchase of Personal Computer Hardware, Software, and Installation Services approved by the Board on May 9, 1997. The prequalified vendor list is in effect for a period ending June 30, 1999. Of the nineteen firms on the list (see attached), two are woman-owned business enterprises, four are minority-owned business enterprises (two Asian-owned, one Asian-Indian-owned, and one African-American-owned), and one is a minority-woman-owned business enterprise (Asian-Pacific). Six bids were received and evaluated. Comp USA submitted the lowest bid at $146.99 per license.

Proposition 209 Compliance

On August 28, 1997, Proposition 209 went into effect when a stay of enforcement was lifted. Proposition 209 prohibits granting of preferential treatment based upon race, ethnicity, color, sex or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. On September 19, 1997, the Administrative Committee considered options for amendment of the District’s contracting policies to conform with the Proposition. The matter will be further considered at the Committee’s next meeting. In the meantime to ensure compliance with the Proposition, the Committee recommended for adoption an Interim Contracting Policy. This policy will be considered for adoption as part of another agenda item at the October 10, 1997, Board Meeting. The proposed Interim Policy eliminates the granting of preference points based upon race or gender and only requires a good faith effort to subcontract with minority and women-owned businesses if subcontracts are to be let, when contracts are funded in whole or in part by EPA grant funds. (Proposition 209 does not prohibit actions necessary to maintain eligibility for federal funding.) In addition, in compliance with certain federal requirements, local preference points are allowed only if the contract does not involve federal funding. If the Interim Policy is adopted by the Board, this contract award will be based on that policy. The remainder of the District’s Contracting and Purchasing Policy and Consultant Selection Policy remains unchanged.

Resource Impacts

Sufficient funds are included in the FY 1997-98 Budget.

Attachments

Attachment 1 - Evaluation of Bids from Prequalified Vendor List

Attachment 2 - Current Status of Information Management Major Projects
for the Period July 1-December 31, 1997

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ATTACHMENT 1

Evaluation of Bids from Pre-Qualified Vendor List*

Vendor	Bid Amount	Meets Minimum Requirement/Score
1. Comp USA	$146.99	Yes
2. UNITEK Technology Inc.	$147.25	Yes
3. Innovative Micro Technologies International, Inc.	$147.45	Yes
4. Genesis Computer System, Inc.	$151.00	Yes
5. Zytec Network Services	$157.07	Yes
6. PC Systems Design	No Bid	Yes
7. New Technologies	No Bid	Yes
8. Computer Palace	No Bid	Yes
9. GST, Inc.	No Bid	Yes
10. IC Computer Inc.	No Bid	Yes
11. ARSYS Innotech	No Bid	Yes
12. Data Expert Corporation	No Bid	Yes
13. DTK Computer Inc.	No Bid	Yes
14. Integrated Systems Group, Inc.	No Bid	Yes
15. Longterm Technology Inc.	No Bid	Yes
16. MSM Consulting Group	No Bid	Yes
17. Microage Computermart	No Bid	Yes
18. Micro Source	No Bid	Yes
19. Mitsuba Corporation	No Bid	Yes

*Under the AQMD’s bid evaluation procedure that grants points to M/W/DVBE and local businesses, Bidder # 2 UNITEK Technology, Inc. would have received the award with the lowest weighted bid.

Item	Brief Description	Budgeted Funds ($)	Schedule of Board Actions	Status
Purchase Replacement Banyan Servers	Replace/upgrade older file servers to provide better network access, improve performance, and stabilize the network through reduced downtime.	$150,000	Issue RFQ 8/8/97; Execute contract 11/14/97	RFQ approved and released; proposals due 9/16/97
Purchase Replacement Network Laser Printers	Upgrade or replace network laser printers that have reached the end of their useful life. The printer upgrades and replacements will ensure compatibility of both hardware and software throughout the AQMD.	$50,000	Execute contract 10/10/97	Requesting Board approval as scheduled
Purchase Centralized System Management Software	Obtain system management software that will provide administration of desktop computer systems from a central network server.	$125,000	Approve purchase 8/8/97	Purchase approved 8/8/97
Purchase Laboratory Information Management System	Replace the current Laboratory Information Management System which is becoming obsolete. Originally planned for completion FY 1996-97 but, following a competitive bid, the allocated funding was found to be insufficient and neither bidder was fully qualified.	$75,000	Issue RFP and reappropriate funds 8/8/97; Execute contract 11/14/97	RFQ approved and released; proposals due 9/9/97
System Development Outsourcing	Add funding to the four system development outsource contracts to cover new task orders for FY 1997-98. Tasks include the following: • Cut Smog Compliance System ($50,000 from SSC) - Recommend award to Sierra Cybernetics	$630,000	Amend contracts 9/12/97	Contract amendment approval requested on September Board agenda

Item	Brief Description	Budgeted Funds ($)	Schedule of Board Actions	Status
	• Contracts Tracking System - Recommend award to COMSYS Technical Services
	• Permit Application Tracking System (PATS) - Recommend award to Majesco Software, Inc.
	• CLASS-Finance System Conversion to 32-bit Architecture - Recommend award to COMSYS Technical Services
	• CLASS-Compliance System Enhancements ($85,000 from SSC) - Recommend award to Majesco Software, Inc.
	• CLASS-Permit System Enhancements ($50,000 from SSC) - Recommend award to Majesco Software Inc.
	• STIMS Enhancements ($75,000 from AST)			Task order under dev.
	• Further Development of AIRNet			Task order under dev.
	• Migrate CAPPS to CLASS - Recommend award to Majesco Software Inc.
	• Migrate Board Agenda Tracking System to New Workflow System - Recommend award to COMSYS Technical Services
	• CAR Conversion			Task order under dev.
	• Records Tracking System			Task order under dev.

Item	Brief Description	Budgeted Funds ($)	Schedule of Board Actions	Status
Facility Permit Processing System	Approve amendment of the FPPS contract to allow funding allocated for Phase I to be used for Phase II so that targeted system modules can be fully developed.	None ($650,000 previously allocated)	Amend contract 9/12/97	Contract amendment approval requested on September Board agenda
Emission Reporting System	Obtain public data network services in support of the RECLAIM Emission Reporting System. This service agreement will include an option for annual renewal in the future. Recommend contract with Global Payment Systems, Modular Data Inc.	$49,000	Execute contract 9/12/97	Contract approval requested on September Board agenda
Purchase Standard Office Software Upgrades	Upgrade standard office software products (word processing, spreadsheet, graphics and presentation, and database management system) to 32-bit versions to take advantage of the capabilities and features of the upgraded 32-bit desktop operating system. Recommend authorize purchase from CompUSA Corp.	$135,000	Approve purchase 10/10/97	Originally planned for September action; submitted for approval on October Board agenda
New Finance Accounting System	Acquire an integrated accounting system (including an accounting software package to replace Bi-Tech, a new computer that combines a UNIX operating system with a relational database management system to replace the HP935, and migration/ conversion of the current system functionality and addition of new functionality needed to achieve an efficient unified accounting system) for Finance.	$420,000 ($270,000 in contracts and $150,000 in fixed assets)	Issue RFP 11/14/97; Execute contract 4/10/98	Requesting approval for release of RFP

Item	Brief Description	Budgeted Funds ($)	Schedule of Board Actions	Status
Network Bandwidth Upgrade	Upgrade network cabling from the computer room to the desktop to achieve higher information transmittal speed (100 million bps). This solicitation will be based on an analysis of AQMD’s current network architecture (RFP released in August 1997, bids due 9/16/97, $25,000 budgeted).	$350,000*	Issue RFQ 12/12/97; Execute contract 5/8/98	Information gathering in process

* Pending further technical and financial analysis.

Shaded Columns - Activities completed

Double-lined Columns - Current Board letter topic

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