FROM: James D. Herberg, General Manager
Originator: Lorenzo Tyner, Assistant General Manager
SUBJECT:
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PLANT NO. 1 AND PLANT NO. 2 DATA CENTER NETWORK EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT
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GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: Recommend to the Board of Directors to:
A. Approve a Purchase Order Contract to ePlus Technology, Inc. for the Purchase of IT Hardware (Plant No. 1 and Plant No. 2 Data Center Network Equipment Replacement), Specification No. E-2022-1340BD, for a total amount not to exceed $643,261.90, plus applicable sales tax;
B. Approve a Purchase Order to ePlus Technology, Inc. using the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Schedule 84 Contract Number GS-35F-303DA for the purchase of professional services to implement and configure the Plant No. 1 and Plant No. 2 Data Center Network, for a total amount not to exceed $90,433.60, in accordance with Ordinance No. OC SAN-56, Section 2.03(B) Cooperative Purchases; and
C. Approve a contingency in the amount of $73,369.55 (10%) for both the Purchase Order Contract and Purchase Order.
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BACKGROUND
Orange County Sanitation District’s (OC San) data center network equipment at Plant Nos. 1 and 2 will reach the end of support in 2023. Staff recommends modernizing the data center equipment to accommodate today’s high network bandwidth and speed requirements. Data center network equipment provides connectivity to all storage networks, Wi-Fi networks, voice services, applications, communications, and user access to OC San resources when working remotely.
RELEVANT STANDARDS
• 24/7/365 treatment plant reliability
• Ensure the public’s money is wisely spent
• Maintain a culture of improving efficiency to reduce the cost to provide the current service level or standard
• Protect OC San assets
PROBLEM
The current data center network equipment capacity cannot be increased due to outdated hardware, and it will be reaching end of support in 2023. The Information Technology (IT) Division has recently completed several upgrades to the Plant Nos. 1 and 2 network equipment, firewalls, and routers. The current data center network equipment will be a congestion point, restricting the amount of data flow.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
The Cisco 9000 series was chosen for the next-generation data center equipment replacement. This platform provides a better network with scalability, availability, and security. The proposed Cisco 9000 series platform for core and distribution layers will be consistent with the requirements of OC San IT infrastructure.
TIMING CONCERNS
Proper maintenance and performance of the data center at both Plant Nos. 1 and 2 is imperative for the continued support and safety of plant operations.
RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION
Not replacing the data center network equipment at Plant Nos. 1 and 2 could result in equipment failure, thus restricting the amount of data flow and limiting capacity. Furthermore, if the network hardware fails after the manufacturer’s end of support period, OC San will not be able to replace hardware promptly (if available) which could result in a partial or total network outage.
PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS
N/A
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A Notice Inviting Bids was issued on August 8, 2022 via PlanetBids. Bids were due on September 7, 2022. OC San received nine (9) bids valid for 180 calendar days from the bid opening date. Two (2) bids received were considered as non-responsive as one bidder (SHI International Corp.) did not bid on all line items and one bidder (Mvation Worldwide Inc.) did not submit the required bid submittals.
The following is a list of the firms that submitted a bid. Based on these results, staff recommends awarding the Purchase Order Contract to ePlus Technology, Inc.
|
Company Name |
Bid |
Determination |
|
ePlus Technology, Inc. |
$643,261.90 |
Responsive |
|
SHI International Corp |
$677,186.60 |
Non-Responsive |
|
Axelelliant LLC |
$720,042.38 |
Responsive |
|
Saitech LLC |
$723,919.50 |
Responsive |
|
Impex Technologies |
$730,756.66 |
Responsive |
|
Thomas Gallaway Corporation |
$800,970.18 |
Responsive |
|
Zones, Inc. |
$880,299.40 |
Responsive |
|
Mvation Worldwide Inc. |
$892,419.24 |
Non-Responsive |
|
Joint Enterprise Technologies, LLC |
$971,304.74 |
Responsive |
A cooperative agreement using the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Schedule 84 Contract Number GS-35F-303DA will be used for the purchase of professional services to implement and configure the Plant Nos. 1 and 2 data center network in accordance with Ordinance No. OC SAN-56, Section 2.03(B), Cooperative Purchases.
CEQA
N/A
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
This request complies with authority levels of OC San’s Purchasing Ordinance. This item has been budgeted. (FY2022-23 & FY2023-24 Budget, Section 8, Page 49, Information Technology Capital Program (M-MC-IT)).
ATTACHMENT
The following attachment(s) may be viewed on-line at the OC San website (www.ocsan.gov) with the complete agenda package:
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