Orange County NC Website
• City of Charlotte <br />• City of Fayetteville <br />• Greenville Utilities <br />• Shaw University <br />• NC DMV <br />2 <br />Although cost was a strong consideration, the recommendation for award is based on a variety of <br />critical elements such as: the configuration of the system proposed, hardware proposed, similar <br />experience, implementation approach, and the quality and completeness of actual response to the <br />proposal. <br />Of the system's many features, two in particular are expected to provide enhanced operational <br />efficiency: <br />• "Meet Me Conference Calling" allows up to fifty participants to join a conference call by dialing a <br />single phone number. This will enable staff to more easily utilize teleconferencing, thereby <br />cutting down on the need for travel to a central location. <br />• Contact Center will allow multiple call centers to be set up. This would allow users to "log into" <br />a call group to assist in answering calls during times of heavy call volumes. This would be <br />particularly helpful during times of emergency. <br />Implementation of the phone system will be done in phases to provide a smooth transition. <br />Hillsborough Commons, the new Office Building and the new Library would be the first installations of <br />the new system. Full implementation is anticipated by the end of the calendar year. The system will <br />replace the approximately 650 phone sets in Hillsborough offices. <br />Implementation of this system will also require upgrading networking equipment in each of the <br />buildings and providing new networking equipment for the Library, Hillsborough Commons and Office <br />Building. This equipment will be purchased through either the State Contract of North Carolina or a <br />GSA contract and will constitute about 30% of the estimated $575,000 acquisition cost. Staff will meet <br />with County departments and the proposed vendor to establish the final configuration and cost <br />following Board approval of the acquisition. <br />As a side note, at their June 16 meeting, the Board will consider a contract to lease/purchase phone <br />equipment from Cisco for the Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS). Both Orange County <br />Schools and CHCCS currently utilize Cisco systems throughout their Districts. Cisco also responded <br />to the County's RFP through their local providers with costs ranging from $850,000 to $1.1 million. <br />Given the cost differential and the strength of the Avaya proposal submitted by RTS, staff feels the <br />Avaya solution is the best overall response for the County. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: The County's 2009-10 Capital Investment Plan (CIP) allowed for debt financing <br />of up to $1 million in FY 2009-10 to replace the County's telephone system. The actual cost of the <br />phone system replacement will not exceed $575,000, $425,000 less than the original estimate. In <br />action to be discussed by the Board during a later agenda item, staff recommends the Board authorize <br />a total of $1 million debt financing in fall 2009 to cover costs of replacing the County telephone system <br />($575,000) and complete Link Center renovations to the extent funding is available ($425,000). Debt <br />capacity calculations presented to the Board during 2009-19 CIP discussions have anticipated <br />financing of $1 million. Payment for the phone system will be required before the financing is secured. <br />A Reimbursement Resolution is included to allow the necessary flexibility in the timing of the financing. <br />