Background:

DA-2025-0050 – Approve spending authority in an amount not to exceed $600,000.00 and adoption of the Texas Local Government Purchasing Cooperative (BuyBoard) Contract No. 742-24 with supplier Everbridge, Inc. for the purchase of mass notification system services for the Office of Emergency Management.

Specific Explanation:

The Director of the Office of Emergency Management and the Chief Procurement Officer recommend that City Council approve spending authority in an amount not to exceed $600,000.00 and adoption of the Texas Local Government Purchasing Cooperative (BuyBoard) Contract No. 742-24 with supplier Everbridge, Inc. for a term through September 30, 2027, for the purchase of mass notification system services through the for the Office of Emergency Management. This spending authority includes per-award services beginning October 25, 2025.

The scope of work requires Everbridge, Inc. to provide a mass notification system with the flexibility to accommodate subscriber preferences and the refinement to meet the unique needs of specific populations. Such related services shall include, but may not be limited to:

· Web-based application with remote access and mobile device responsiveness for system users.

· Secure and encrypted connection and contact encryption, protecting sensitive documents and contact information.

· System supports high volume (>200,000 contacts) and high-frequency notifications.

· Ability to customize contact groups for targeted messages based on specific form fields (ex., zip code, department, organization, building number).

· The ability to customize messages based on the alert mode (ex., short message for SMS or Twitter, paragraph format with images for email).

· Platform integration with FEMA iPAWS.

· Real-time language translation services for Houston’s primary Limited English Proficiency (LEP) populations to include Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, and French.

This recommendation is made pursuant to subsection 271.102(c) of the Texas Local Government Code, which provides that “a local government that purchases goods or services from a cooperative purchasing program or organization satisfies any state law requiring the local government to seek competitive bids for the purchase of the goods or services.

M/WBE Subcontracting:

M/WBE Zero Percentage Goal Document approved by the Office of Business Opportunity.

Hire Houston First:

This procurement is exempt from the City's Hire Houston First Ordinance. Bids/proposals were not solicited because the department is utilizing a Cooperative Purchasing Agreement for this purchase.

Fiscal Note:

Funding for this item is included in the FY26 Adopted Budget. Therefore, no Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policies.