Report Prepared by: Michael R. Beltran II, PE, City Engineer
Title
SUBJECT: Award of Bid and Approval of Contract with Total Online Protection, LLC., for the Replacement of Data Center HVAC and Uninterruptable Power Supply Systems, Project No. 120066, in the Amount of $330,370.00
REPORT IN BRIEF
Considers awarding a contract in the amount of $333,370.00 to Total Online Protection, LLC., for the Replacement of Data Center HVAC and Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) Systems.
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion:
A. Awarding bid and approving the Professional Services Agreement with Total Online Protection, LLC., for the Replacement of Data Center HVAC and UPS Systems, Project No. 120066, in the amount of $333,370.00; and,
B. Approving a Supplemental Appropriation to 672-0403-617.65-00 Project #120066 from the unencumbered, unreserved fund balance in Fund 672-Support Services in the amount of $145,000; and,
C. Authorizing the City Manager or Deputy City Manager to execute the necessary documents and to approve change orders not to exceed 10% of the total contract.
Body
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve, as recommended by Staff; or,
2. Approve, subject to conditions outlined by Council; or,
3. Deny or,
4. Refer to staff for reconsideration of specific items; or,
5. Continue to a future meeting.
AUTHORITY
Charter of the City of Merced, Section 200.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
As provided for in the 2020-21 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION
The City has an on-premises data center located at City Hall. This data center houses most of the City servers and data infrastructure. Server data centers require dedicated specialty HVAC and UPS backup systems to maintain constant operations required for the services provided to the community, including public safety services. The current HVAC and UPS systems are failing and need to be replaced.
The current HVAC system was installed approximately 13 years ago. When installed, the system was designed with two identical units to provide continual operations. If one of the two units failed, the data center could continue to operate on one unit until the repairs were complete. As more technology was put into the data center over the years the HVAC system could not keep up with heat demand of the new technology. Now, if either HVAC unit fails the data center will overheat and the shutdown of critical services will be required unless immediate action is taken. There have been several failures of the HVAC system over the last 2 years. These failures required several portable HVAC units to be temporarily installed in the data center to prevent overheating. The new proposed replacement HVAC system are re-sized to allow for continued operation if a single unit fails. It will also allow for a 30% expansion of HVAC services in the data center to account for new technology services the City may wish to offer in the future.
The current UPS systems are also failing. The data center UPS systems are also designed like the HVAC system and installed in a pair to provide redundancy if one should fail. One of the two current UPS units has completely failed and will no longer provide battery backup or power surge protection. The data center currently relies upon one active UPS, street power, and the backup generator. The new proposed UPS will replace the aging and failing UPS systems. This will again put the UPS system back to normal operations to allow for two redundant UPS systems.
The City published a Request for Proposal (RFP) for equipment and professional services to install and replace the HVAC and UPS systems on November 12, 2021. There were two responses to the RFP. The table below shows a summary of the proposals.
|
Vendor |
Cost |
|
Total Online Protection |
$333,370.00 |
|
Modern Air Mechanical Contractors |
$407,911.00 |
Both vendors proposed identical HVAC units. Each vendor proposed a different manufacture for UPS systems. The City currently has Vertiv installed HVAC and UPS systems. Although the systems are currently failing, they have exceeded their expected useful lifetime of operations.
The City recommends awarding the contract to Total Online Protection, LLC. The HVAC will require construction to complete the installation of the units in the ceiling and roof of the data center. It would be prudent to provide for a 10% contingency ($33,370.00) to the project should unforeseen obstacles arise.
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
This project was originally established as a Capital Improvement Project to be funded by Support Services, Information Technology, Internal Service Fund. There is currently $193,000 available in the project. An additional $28,740 is available within Fiscal Year 2021-22 approved budget. In order to complete the project funding needed a Supplemental Appropriation in the amount of $145,000 from the unencumbered, unreserved fund balance of Fund 672 Support Services is required. Funding for the project totals $366,740 which will cover the cost of the agreement and 10% contingency.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Professional Services Agreement