REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 05/17/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Fire Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Service Agreement between the City of Corona and Tablet Command, INC. FOR THE CORONA FIRE DEPARTMENT
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve the agreement with Tablet Command, Inc., a mobile incident command and response software solution for the Corona Fire Department. This agreement is $46,300 for year one and $34,800 annually each subsequent year.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Approve the Service Agreement between the City of Corona and Tablet Command, Inc.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Service Agreement between the City of Corona and Tablet Command, Inc.
c. Make a determination under Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.140(B) that there is no competitive market based upon the reasons provided in the “Basis for Determination of Competitive Bidding” section of this report.
d. Authorize an appropriation of $34,800 from the Measure X Fund 120 to the Fire Department’s operating budget in Fiscal Year 2024.
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Corona Fire Department released the results of a Standards of Coverage study conducted by Citygate Associates on November 22, 2019. The study revealed that 9-1-1 call processing in the City of Corona took longer than the recommended nationwide best practices. Since then, the Fire Department has addressed the finding by contracting with the Ontario Fire Department for 9-1-1 call processing and dispatch services. The City Council approved the contract with the Ontario Fire Department for 9-1-1 call processing and dispatch services in February of 2022. The final dispatch cutover to Ontario is anticipated in July 2023. Tablet Command is an essential software solution that will make migrating to Ontario Fire dispatch possible.
Tablet Command is a cloud-based incident and emergency management software platform designed for public safety agencies, such as fire departments, police departments, and EMS organizations. It allows first responders to receive and respond to real-time dispatch information, track and manage resources, and communicate with team members and other agencies. With Tablet Command, emergency personnel can access critical information such as maps, building layouts, and hazardous materials data from their mobile devices, enabling them to make more informed decisions in the field. Overall, Tablet Command aims to streamline emergency response, improve communication and coordination, and ultimately enhance public safety.
ANALYSIS:
The transition to Ontario Fire Department dispatch began with Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) services in March 2022. In the first year of EMD services, Ontario Fire Dispatch spent 429 hours providing emergency medical directions to Corona’s residents (7,579 calls in total). Full transition of dispatch services is anticipated for July 2023.
While working towards the transition of dispatch services, staff discovered the Tablet Command software and its associated technology would improve the fire department's efficiency and capabilities of the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) programs. Table Command is a widely used software solution throughout the industry as a mechanism to enhance interoperability. All of the functionality offered by Tablet Command and its enhancements will transition seamlessly from the legacy CAD to the future CAD, allowing access by fire department personnel. By adding this software solution, the fire department can more quickly transition to a more cost-effective iOS and Android tablet based system rather than the traditional ruggedized laptop computers.
Tablet Command also supports situational awareness by displaying a list of active incidents and providing push notifications to fire department users. Users can receive navigation instructions for routing to the incident and critical notes about the incident from the CAD incident view, further enhancing public safety services and emergency response. These capabilities will improve public safety service and reduce emergency response for our residents.
BASIS FOR DETERMINATION OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING
Staff believes that no competitive market exists and that an exception to competitive bidding is warranted pursuant to Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 3.08.140 (B), which states as follows:
“No competitive market. When the purchasing agent and the authorized contracting party, with the approval of the City Manager, determines in accordance with applicable law, that a competitive market does not exist and that no competitive advantage will be gained by the public bidding process.”
Tablet Command, Inc. is the sole provider in the market space providing an iOS application used as a mobile incident command, resource management, and accountability solution that integrates through a direct interface with CAD systems. Tablet Command is the only solution provider that supports automatic vehicle location sharing across jurisdictional boundaries. They are also the only provider that supports shared incident management view and transfer of command between authenticated users. There are no other comparable products to Tablet Command in the marketplace.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the initial start-up costs of $46,300 is available in the Fire Department’s Fiscal Year 2023 operating budget. This one-time start-up fee covers onboarding, licensing, administrative access, updates, and support for the first year of service. Approval of the recommended actions will result in an appropriation of $34,800 from the Measure X Fund 120 to the Fire Department’s Fiscal Year 2024 operating budget for annual service fees. Future recurring annual costs will be requested during the City’s budget process.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061 (b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the action is not subject to CEQA. This action is to approve a software service agreement, and there is no possibility that approving this project will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: JUSTIN MCGOUGH, DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF
REVIEWED BY: BRIAN YOUNG, FIRE CHIEF
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Tablet Command Service Agreement
2. Exhibit 2 - Tablet Command Service Level Agreement
3. Exhibit 3 - Tablet Command Quote
4. Exhibit 4 - Tablet Command Sole Source Status letter