O2019 – 0811 ORDINANCE appropriating $300,000.00 from the FY2020 Equipment Acquisition Consolidated Fund to purchase various types of Computer Equipment for the Houston Police Department

The Chief of Police for the Houston Police Department recommends that City Council approve an ordinance to appropriate $300,000 from the Equipment Acquisition Consolidated Fund (Fund 1800).  Purchases will be made to Go-Direct vendor Centre Technologies, Inc through the Texas Department of Information (DIR) cooperative agreement, and to Epic Business Apps, LLC through the City’s three-bid process.

1. Operational Refresh                      WBS X-100007                                 $250,000

   This project will refresh systems to maintain records retention requirements, update data storage and servers required to accommodate normal operations and growth. This will impact HPD’s ability to store critical data, and store/backup user and system files on network shares. This will improve the overall reliability of the HPD servers managed by Technology Services. Without these purchases, Technology Services will have to start limiting data storage and the size of folders where users store their files on the network. This purchase will replace the failing tape back-up system with a modern back-up solution, increasing speed and reliability.   HPD will make purchases through the DIR Go-Direct Vendor Centre Technologies for $250,000.  
        

2. Smartphone Application for Citizens             WBS X-100013              $50,000

   This purchase will enable HPD to provide citizens with real-time news alerts, information that is requested from the public such as web-based links and contact numbers and on-line sites where they can report crime. The app will be designed to integrate social media and HPD’s web-based applications and provide critical Information to help solve crimes and increase public safety. It helps build citizen/police confidence and provide information flow to/from the Houston communities.  HPD conducted a three-bid process and selected Epics Business to develop the application.

    

   Fiscal Note

   Funding for this item is included in the FY2020 Capital Improvement Plan budget. No significant Fiscal Operating impact is anticipated as a result of this project.

_______________________________________

Art Acevedo

Chief of Police

$300,000.00

Equipment Acquisition Consolidated Fund

Fund 1800

Rhonda Smith, CFO and Deputy Director   (713) 308-1770

Sonja D. ODat, Sr. Staff Analyst (713) 308-1728