HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4.09 Telecom Eval Report ISCITY COUNCIL File #350-20
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DATE: June 5, 2012
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Joni Pattillo, City Manager("�2, 1
SUBJECT: Acceptance of Telecommunications Evaluation Report Recommendation for
Replacement of City Telephone Systems and Authorization to Proceed with RFP
and Project Management Services In Fiscal Year 2012-2013
Prepared by Steve Pappa, Information Systems Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
City Staff worked with an independent consultant (Communication Strategies, LLC.) to conduct
a Telephone Systems Needs Assessment. The City has received the Telecommunications
Evaluation Report and recommendation. Based on a detailed assessment of the City's needs
. and current telephone systems' capabilities, it is recommended that the City proceed with the
replacement of the telephone systems at City facilities and the Dublin Fire Stations in Fiscal
Year 2012-2013. The report also recommends that the City obtain professional services to
develop and • administer a process to procure the phone system and to manage the
• implementation.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Capital Improvement Project 930017 Telephone System is proposed as part of the Fiscal Year
2012-2013 Capital Projects. The costs to replace the telephone system are estimated to total
$304,890. Funding for this project will come from the City's General Fund ($50,000) and the
Equipment Replacement Internal Service Fund ($254,890). The cost of Consultant Services for
RFP development, proposal evaluation, system selection, and •implementation project
management is $49,673.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council: Adopt Resolution authorizing an exception to the
competitive bidding requirements for the selection of a replacement Telephone Systems; and
adopt Resolution authorizing a consulting services agreement with Communication Strategies,
LLC for telephone procurement and project management services.
• �L C
Submitted By Reviewed By
Administrative Services Director Assistant City Manager
•
Page 1 of 3 ITEM NO. 4.9 QY
DESCRIPTION:
The telephone system at the Civic Center provides service to the Civic Center, Shannon
Community Center, Senior Center, Swim Center, Heritage Center, Heritage Park, and the East
Dublin Inspection facility. The system was installed in January 2003 and was assigned a ten
year life for replacement funding. Separate from this telephone system are the telephone
systems at the three Dublin Fire Stations. The Fire Station telephone systems were installed in
2003 and 2004, and are no longer supported by the manufacturer. The City issued a Request
For Proposal (RFP) for assistance in reviewing the current systems and Communication
Strategies, LLC was selected from among three qualified respondents to conduct the needs
assessment.
Communication Strategies, LLC has completed a Telecommunication Evaluation Report
(Attachment 1) which recommends that the City replace the telephones systems at City facilities.
The Evaluation Report presented various options for the City to consider. Based on the needed
system features identified in the assessment, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone
system has been identified as the most suitable replacement option. VoIP systems are available
from many different manufacturers and offer centralized administration and features such as
Unified Communication integration with electronic mail, Follow Me /Find Me call routing from desk
phone to mobile phone, enhanced conference calling capabilities, enhanced telephone
connectivity between City facilities, enhanced disaster recovery options, and service redundancy
between City facilities.
The VoIP technology is widely used by both businesses and public agencies. The installation will
carry communications of the City Network. In order to have a successful deployment of the
updated system, it will also need to integrate improvements to the City Network. Provided the
system replacement is adopted as part of the Capital Improvement Program to be presented
June 19, 2012, the implementation work will start after July 1, 2012. A staged implementation
will include a refresh of network equipment required for VoIP technology and certification of
existing facility network cabling to be used by the VoIP system. Additional facility cabling may be
required and is accounted for in the project budget.
For technical systems it is not uncommon to use a Request for Proposal (RFP) process in lieu of
using a more formal sealed bid. Attachment 2 is a Resolution which identifies that the
procurement method will be conducted as an RFP. The City Council will award the telephone
system equipment contract after an evaluation of the proposals and presentation of a
recommendation by Staff. It is also expected that Staff will present a separate solution for the
Fire Station locations, based on their need to integrate with the Alameda County Fire Department
Network.
Consultant Services are needed to assist with the development of a RFP; evaluation of solution
proposals; recommended system selection; contract negotiation; and management of all
components of the system implementation. Communication Strategies, LLC has submitted a
scope of work to perform these services at a cost of $49,673. This cost is part of the proposed
project costs. Attachment 3 is a resolution which approves an agreement with Communication
Strategies, LLC for these services. All of the work will be undertaken and completed in Fiscal
Year 2012 -2013.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS /PUBLIC OUTREACH:
None.
Page 2 of 3
ATTACHMENTS: 1. Telecommunication Evaluation Report
2. Resolution authorizing an exception to the competitive bidding
requirements for the selection of a replacement telephone systems
3. Resolution authorizing a consulting services agreement with
Communication Strategies, LLC for telephone procurement and
project management services
Page 3 of 3
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TELECOMMUNICATIONS EVALUATION
REPORT
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 1
1. Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
a.
b.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Contents................................................................................................................. ............................... 2
ExecutiveSummary ................................................................................................. ..............................3
Background............................................................................................................ ...............................
6
EvaluationMethodology ......................................................................................... ..............................7
Overview of Current Environment .......................................................................... ..............................7
Key Findings and Recommendations ...................................................................... ..............................9
General Trends in Telecommunications Technology ........................................... ...............................
12
TelephoneUpgrade Options .................................................................................. .............................12
Understanding Converged IP Telephony ............................................................... .............................13
Traditional Voice /Data Backbone .......................................................................... .............................13
Converged Voice /Data Backbone .......................................................................... .............................13
IPTelephony ....................................................................................................... .............................15
LAN /WAN Architecture ...................................................................................... .............................15
Infrastructure..................................................................................................... .............................16
PublicSafety ....................................................................................................... .............................16
Unified Communications ( UC) ............................................................................ .............................16
CostSummary .................................................................................................... .............................18
ImplementationPlan ......................................................................................... .............................20
NextSteps ........................................................................................................ ...............................
20
Conclusion........................................................................................................ ...............................
22
Appendices....................................................................................................... ...............................
23
Executive Summary for Alameda County Fire ................................................. ...............................
24
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 2
2. Executive Summary
The City's stated objectives for this report are:
To prepare a feasibility study and needs analysis of the City's telephone and voicemail systems to
determine the direction the City should pursue for an upgrade, in which specific ways, and at what
estimated costs.
This report is an independent evaluation of City of Dublin's: telephone and telecommunications
infrastructure, current communications needs, long -term requirements, and overall system reliability.
Communication Strategies (an independent technology consulting firm) has performed the necessary
discovery, which we believe has provided the information and guidance to accomplish these goals and
objectives. We have examined the current telephone and IT environment, and have collaborated with
City's telecom and IT staff as to the overall telephone system and IT infrastructure objectives. Upon
completion of this evaluation, Communication Strategies has presented a recommendation and budget
for a long -term strategy and platform that will support City of Dublin for many years to come.
City of Dublin maintains 5 Toshiba CTX /CIX telephone systems that service 7 locations including the Civic
Center complex (City Hall, Police Department and Library). As noted, 2 locations have VoIP telephones
without any additional requisite system. In addition, 3 Fire Stations are serviced by standalone 3Com
NBX telephone systems that have reached end of life and end of support from the manufacturer. These
phone systems are currently maintained by 240 service level agreements for about $15,000 /year,
however it is anticipated that maintenance costs will either rise dramatically or be unavailable due to
the age of the systems and lack of replacement parts.
Accordingly, Communication Strategies has identified multiple design scenarios which include upgrading
the existing platform to a TDM /VoIP Hybrid design, replacing it with a Tier 1 or Tier 2 premise -based
VoIP solution, installing open source telecommunications solutions, as well as evaluating a Hosted
(Cloud- based) VoIP platform. The associated first -year costs for the evaluated solutions range between
$330,000 and $500,000. This includes all telephony equipment, installation, one -year warranty,
infrastructure upgrades and project management. The lower range costs are for an upgrade of the
existing PBX system to current hardware and software, including an upgrade of the existing phones.
This solution re -uses many components and licensing of the current system. The higher first -year costs
are for a Tier 1 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) platform. Our findings were that the 5 -year cost of
ownership of a Hosted solution would be nearly double that of the premise -based models and is not
reflected in the budget range above.
The City needs to upgrade aging LAN /WAN components regardless of whether a new voice
communications platform is installed. On average, most companies refresh their PBX and LAN
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 3
architecture every 4 -5 years. It is not uncommon for municipalities to increase the refresh cycle to 8 -10
years. The architecture at the City is 8 -10 years old.
The proposed solution includes a refresh of aging LAN /WAN hardware, upgrades of inside station wiring
and re- certification of existing data cabling. The annual support costs for both telephone system and IT
Infrastructure range between $15,000 and $20,000 depending on the level of desired services, which is
in line with current operating expenses allocated for maintenance of the current system. Leasing is also
an option, where the costs could be spread out over 5 -7 years.
City of Dublin outsources operation of its 3 fire stations to Alameda County Fire Department; and the
installed telephone and data network systems must integrate with existing ACFD network, and is not
joined to the City network. ACFD currently standardizes on Cisco network equipment and ShoreTel
telephone systems, through their managed services provider Definitive Networks (DNI). City can pursue
a sole source /brand specification in order to meet the requirements of integration with ACFD, can put
the acquisition out to public bid, or can add this equipment through ACFD's pre- negotiated purchasing
contract. In all cases Communication Strategies and City staff will review the quotes provided to ensure
that pricing is at market rates and installation will minimize risk and cost to the City. However, the
replacement of the phone system at the fire stations is not dependent on the replacement for the rest
of the City, and can happen before or after the rest of the City, and does not need to be on the same
platform as the City.
RECOMMENDATION:
Communication Strategies recommends upgrading to a Tier 1 VoIP platform as the best long term
strategy for the City of Dublin. It is also the most economical over the long run, as VoIP systems are
easier to manage, software upgradeable without "rip and replace ", more reliable, and geographically
redundant. The existing telephony platform has served the City well for over about 11 years. A modern
VolP platform has the potential to serve the City's needs for 10 years and quite possibly well beyond.
Key benefits of the recommended strategy include:
1. Interim and short -term strategy for the maintaining telephone service at the Fire Stations, while
reducing long term risk and costs.
2. Redundancy of incoming dial tone lines.
3. Improved caller service and satisfaction measurement.
4. Replacement of failing voicemail system.
5. Improve geo- redundancy of the system.
6. Move to "Enterprise grade" Tier 1 equipment for better support and reliability.
7. Improve reliability and sound quality issues experience with current system.
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 4
8. Implementing a single system image and database for easier system administration and internal
support.
9. Improve call handling within the City.
10. Facilitate mobility and first attempt call completion for remote and travelling staff.
11. Replace telephone handsets with better sounding and easier to manage telephones.
12. Improve the reliability and security of both the phone and data networks.
Communication Strategies recommends allocating a budget of $550,000 for the Telecommunications
and Infrastructure Upgrade project, which will cover all expected expenses for hardware, installation,
sales tax, project management and a 10% contingency. Of this budget $50,000- 60,000 should be
allocated for the upgrade of the 3 fire stations as discussed in the report and summarized above.
The next steps after obtaining approval for this project will be the development of a formal RFP process
for the various components. As the discovery process has been completed, the RFP document could be
prepared in 8 -12 weeks. Final installation of the new telecommunications platform can be expected to
be complete within 9 months of funding approval.
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 5
3. Background
The City of Dublin is currently operating a number of Toshiba telephone systems at various locations.
The remote CTX 100 systems are networked to a central Toshiba CTX 670 system at the Civic Center for
centralized trunking, common dial plan, and Busy Lamp Field across the network. The city also
maintains 3Com NBX 100 systems at 3 city owned fire stations that are manned by Alameda County Fire
through a contracting arrangement. The telephone system equipment and supporting software is 9
years old and much of the equipment has reached its end of life status with the manufacturers.
Additionally, maintenance support for both systems is limited in the local area from manufacturer
certified vendors. City of Dublin has been able to find vendors that will offer contracted maintenance
and repair contracts with 7x24 Service Level Agreements, however there is no guarantee that the City
will continue to find satisfactory maintenance providers in the local area in the coming years due to the
age of the systems and lack of parts availability. City of Dublin currently pays $11,000 per year for
maintenance of the Toshiba systems and $5,000 per year for maintenance of the NBX systems.
City of Dublin is interested in investigating and developing a replacement strategy to upgrade the
telephony system to current technology. Dublin has hired Communication Strategies, an independent
technology consulting company, to evaluate its needs and provide a strategic direction for technology
purchases and upgrades that will support the City's long -term best interest. Communication Strategies
has prepared this recommendation in concert with City of Dublin's IT staff and City Management, to
ensure that the recommendations fit within the overall City of Dublin long -term strategic considerations
and constraints.
Phone system technology has changed significantly in recent years and almost all systems installed
today use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) based technology. This technology has allowed many
different systems (phones, data, audio visual, security, etc...) to be converged and share common
infrastructure and networking resources. This is a major shift from a legacy Time Division Multiplexing
(TDM) type design, and VoIP systems have become well accepted and are proven reliable.
While the City of Dublin has attempted deployments and Proof of Concept of VoIP in its network, the
lack of a VoIP "core" to the phone system, older network equipment, lack of Quality of Service (QoS),
and unreliable WAN connections have resulted in poor sound quality and reliability. A core component
of this report will be the recommendation of underlying infrastructure upgrades that will support VoIP
(if that is the recommended solution) to current industry best practices, which will result in a reliable,
robust telephone system.
The current IT infrastructure is also aging (7 -8 years old) and is due for replacement in the coming
budget cycle. In keeping with today's standards for Unified Communications, converged technologies
increase the need for a reliable infrastructure including adequate LAN /WAN components, structured
cabling, cooling, conditioned power and physical space. As a critical step, the infrastructure must be
evaluated and properly prepared before new equipment can be deployed.
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 6
Prior to embarking on a formal procurement process the City is looking to develop a strategic plan that
would include a summary of all available potential solutions. This summary would include a description
of opportunities and risks and a solution budget broken down into base requirements and options. The
technologies included in the strategic plan would include:
Telephone systems
Voice Mail systems
LAN /WAN equipment and transport
Physical infrastructure
Cable
Power /cooling
Room sizing
4. Evaluation Methodology
The following methodology was used in conducting this evaluation:
A. Multiple discussions and interviews with department managers, key users, and members of City
Information Technology staff
B. Review of Discovery Workbook, assembled by Com -Strat and completed by City staff.
C. A review of the City's available telecommunications and Information technology topologies and
equipment inventory records
D. User survey distributed to all city staff asking for feedback and input.
E. Discussions with current service providers and manufacturers.
F. Budgetary quotes and discussions with 4 suppliers of telecommunications equipment, and validation
against Communication Strategies own experience of project managing over 15 telephone system
installations per year, for over 20 years.
S. Overview of Current Environment
The City's landscape is wide with 278 telephones and 39 analog devices spread over 10 facility locations.
Following are the key locations in the current Telephone System Network:
• Civic Center, the Police Department and Library are in separate but connected buildings on a
single campus with shared infrastructure and telephone system
o It should be noted that the Police Department is contracted to the Alameda Sherriff and
is therefore connected primarily to the Alameda County Sherriff's data network NOT to
the City of Dublin network
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 7
o City of Dublin does have the ability to connect printers and secondary connections at
each office to the City network for potential VoIP deployment
• Shannon Community Center answers the bulk of city calls for facility rentals, program
registration, and general information requests
• Senior Center
• Swim Center
• East Dublin Inspection Trailer
• Heritage Center and Heritage Park
o These facilities have basic telephone requirements and are serviced by Toshiba Voice
Over IP (VoIP) telephones that connect to the Toshiba phone system at Civic Center over
the City of Dublin data network
o Analog lines are connected to fax machines or single line telephones for emergency calls
if the VoIP phones fail for any reason
• Fire Stations #16, #17 and #18
o Are stand -alone telephone systems and are not networked to the City of Dublin data
network.
o Further, City of Dublin does not have Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity to these
facilities and it would be cost prohibitive to provide WAN connections to these facilities
for a centralized, single image telephone system
o Fire Station #17 is the backup Emergency Operations Center (EOC) facility that key
personnel would go to in case of an emergency or crisis which prevents use of the
primary EOC at the Police Department
Following are additional key components in the current Telephone System Network:
• Calls are received through centralized Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) lines at the
Civic Center which are provided by TelePacific Primary Rate Interface (PRI).
o All buildings and facilities (except the fire stations) make and receive calls through this
centralized trunk which has the ability to land 23 digital quality calls over 4 copper wires.
o Outbound calls are identified by custom Caller ID based on the user or department, and
send custom Emergency Line Identification Numbers (ELIN) based on facility to e911
answering points.
o Inbound calls are received with Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) or Direct
Inward Dialing (DID) which allows every city employee to have their own direct number.
o Each building has 1 -4 analog PSTN trunks in case there is a disruption of service of the
PRI or the WAN
• City of Dublin does not provide utility services (power, gas, sewer, garbage, etc.) and therefore
does not require advanced Call Center or Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) functionality.
• Centralized Voice System at Civic Center through a Toshiba Stratagy 8 port voicemail
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 8
• Facilities are connected through Point to Point T1 circuits which provide 1.544Mbps data
connectivity over 4 wires
o Currently most of the facilities have Kentrox DSU /CSU devices attached to the T1 that is
able to multiplex the circuit and provide clear channel data connectivity as well as
channelized voice connections
o Heritage Center and Heritage Park do not have DSU /CSU devices as they are not
required
• Station cabling throughout the City is primarily CAT3 for voice and CAT5 and CAT 5e for data
o However, data cabling has not been certified recently and may have issues providing
reliable connection for high speed data and VoIP applications
• All IDF closets have a rack, with sufficient cooling and battery backup
See Attached Appendixes for detailed inventories and Telecom configurations
6. Key Findings and Recommendations
Below is a summary of the key findings, requirements, issues and recommendations from the
Telecommunications System evaluation.
1. Maintaining and troubleshooting the NBX systems at the Fire Stations is problematic for the City
as these systems do not match the hardware for the rest of the City, cannot be accessed
remotely, are reliant on lines provided by other providers (Alameda County and AT &T), run on a
separate LAN from the Fire Stations' data network, and is End of Life and End of Support for the
manufacturer.
• City of Dublin would like to replace the telephone systems at these locations as soon as
possible with a system that could be owned by City of Dublin but maintained by the
Alameda County Fire Department.
• City of Dublin outsources operation of its 3 fire stations to Alameda County Fire
Department; and the installed telephone and data network systems must integrate with
existing ACFD network, and is not joined to the City network.
• ACFD currently standardizes on Cisco network equipment and ShoreTel telephone
systems, through their managed services provider Definitive Networks Incorporated
(DNI).
• City of Dublin has 3 options regarding the Fire Stations:
i. Replace the Fire Stations ASAP and independent of the rest of the City network.
This will resolve potential reliability issues, and would allow for operation and
maintenance of the system to move to ACFD personnel and procedures.
Equipment would be sourced under existing ACFD contract with DNI.
ii. Wait to see if the City would choose the same telephone system vendor
(ShoreTel) and use the overall contract and public bid process to source the
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 9
equipment. It should be noted that installation of the system would still likely
need to be contracted to DNI as they are the network providers for ACFD.
iii. Generate a separate Request for Quotation (RFP would not be needed as the
manufacturer /system is already decided) for the equipment, and then have DNI
install it. Due to synergies of having the same company source and install the
system, as well the low overall cost of the system — this solution is unlikely to
provide a financial benefit to the City.
• Communications Strategies recommends option above (i.) for the reasons stated.
2. Inbound calls to the city are reliant on a single PRI trunk at Civic Center. If this trunk were to fail,
it would be a manual process to direct calls to another location, and there really isn't any city
facility that can accommodate the number of calls expected.
• Recommend installing a 2nd PRI trunk at Shannon Community Center where city staff
could be directed to in case of emergency for call answering duties.
3. The City of Dublin places a high importance on all calls being answered by a live person during
business hours. However, the current system has limited reporting available to gauge the
number of inbound calls being received or the level of service being provided to callers.
• Recommend using Uniform Call Distribution (UCD) groups to distribute calls to various
departments. UCD functionality is offered free of charge on most modern phone
system and provides basic reporting, as well as enhanced overflow options.
4. The City's current voicemail system is experiencing significant performance issues. Voicemails
are recorded by the system, but the user is not notified there are messages for hours, and
messages will occasionally be lost completely. Additionally, the voicemail system is considered
end of support by the manufacturer and no additional software troubleshooting is available to
resolve the issues.
• This situation is untenable and will require remediation whether the phone system is
replaced in 2012 or not.
• Recommend installing business class voicemail system that is currently supported by the
manufacturer.
5. The current telephone system hardware is decentralized, however all incoming calls rely on the
PRI, phone system, and voicemail at Civic Center being operational.
• Recommend implementing a system that has either a decentralized or geographically
redundant call processing core.
6. Much of City of Dublin's critical infrastructure is serviced by Tier 2 equipment and hardware.
While this equipment is less expensive, Tier 2 equipment tends to be less easily programmable,
has shorter expected lifespan, has limited future R &D, has limited customization and upgrade
possibilities, and is not as widely supported by leading Value Added Resellers (VAR).
• Recommend installing "Enterprise grade" Tier 1 equipment for telecommunications and
LAN /WAN infrastructure. While Tier 1 equipment used to command a substantial
premium over lower quality equipment, the modularity and openness of new Ethernet
standards have allowed Enterprise grade solutions to be offered to SMB and small
enterprises at reasonable and comparative pricing.
7. There have been significant issues with the reliability of communications over the current
system (although the systems themselves have remained reliable). City of Dublin has extended
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 10
its telecommunications network over non - optimized hardware and circuits which has resulted in
service disruptions and poor sound quality.
• Recommend installing Best Practice recommendations for Quality of Service, Power
over Ethernet, LAN segmentation, automatic security, and contention policies.
8. City of Dublin's current telephone network represents eight separate telephone systems — each
with its own database and programming. This makes standardization of programming nearly
impossible, and requires programming multiple systems every time a user is added or deleted
from the system.
• Recommend installing a single image system that would operate as a single large
telephone system, with branch survivable elements at the remote locations. This would
decrease the system administration work for City staff.
9. Parks and Rec answers the bulk of City calls and transfers calls to five different facilities;
however they have limited visibility as to the status of the users that they are transferring to.
• Recommend installing a system that provides Busy Lamp Field and Presence information
across the entire network.
10. The City has a number of mobile staff members that are not available at their desk phones, and
communications are delayed while they are in the field.
• Recommend installing some sort of Find Me /Follow Me functionality where calls to an
user's deskphone will automatically attempt to locate them at other locations or their
cell phones.
11. Current telephones are old and require manual re- labeling whenever a feature is changed.
• Recommend new telephones with superior speakerphone quality, display screen for
enhanced call processing, and self - labeling buttons.
12. City voice and data architectures are separate systems that require different dedicated skillsets
to manage and limits the amount of cross - training possible.
• Collapsing the voice and data architecture into a system allows the City to have better
troubleshooting methodologies in- house. Additionally, on a converged network any
work or money spent making the data network more reliable and secure automatically
makes the voice network more reliable, and vice versa.
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 11
7. General Trends in Telecommunications Technology
(Excerpted from a Bay Area City's "Telecommunications Policy" 2005/2006.
"... Rapid development of advanced telecommunications resources carries the promise
of new economic prosperity, new tools for streamlining the delivery of both public and
private services, and new opportunities to improve the quality of life of citizens. While
cities can anticipate these benefits in the near future, local governments must be
mindful of the impact of this emerging industry on them and on the citizens they
serve."
In keeping with the foregoing statement, it is important to note that the global PBX industry is in the
throes of revolutionary change. Driven by advances in technology and changing customer needs, its
vendors have to find new direction — most commonly toward the realm traditionally inhabited by
computer vendors. PBX vendors' evolution will need to more closely mimic that of the computer world
in order to compete, including heightened attention to service and support, the unbundling of
architectures, intensive software development, and greater involvement in activities such as systems
integration and IP Telephony.
IP Telephony has already begun changing the face of the traditional PBX industry. With more demand
for integration between the computer and the telephone, telephony platforms are rapidly expanding
into the data side of networks. The intelligence and processing power is clearly moving out of the PBX
and towards a more distributed architecture based on PC's and on -line servers.
Forward - thinking business and governmental enterprises must be prepared to view PBX systems in
place today as a last generation platform. The transition from PBX to IP Telephony will see a gradual
collaboration of PBX and data processing /IS vendors. PBX functionality will no longer be proprietary, but
instead will be transformed into telephony- featured software, operating on industry- standard
computer- based, and network platforms.
8. Telephone Upgrade Options
The costs indicated in this report represent an average of the responses to an anonymous Request for
Information submitted to four major telecom /IT equipment vendors as well as a Hosted VoIP solution
provider. In addition to telephony costs, which were addressed in the RFI' included are estimates to
upgrade LAN /WAN equipment and cabling infrastructure where applicable to support VoIP. Com -Strat
did not perform a physical survey of all LAN equipment. The costs estimates are based on a schedule of
equipment provided by the City's IT department. The costs that were obtained via this RFI process is
less thorough and binding than a formal RFP.
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 12
9. Understanding Converged IP Telephony
a. Traditional Voice /Data Backbone
A traditional PBX /TDM architecture consists of large PBX equipment footprint at a central site
(MDF). Telephones connect back to the MDF via a single pair of copper wires ultimately terminating
onto a dedicated terminal port programmed specifically for each device. The voice and data
infrastructures are entirely separate from one another.
Traditional TDM Architecture
Ext. 51234
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LAMMAN
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manhole
Voice & Data completely separate
ip
Switch
b. Converged Voice /Data Backbone
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------------------------
PC
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When considering a converged voice and data architecture, the user's desktop computer
workstation and telephone would share the same Telephone Service Outlet (TSO) outlet port. IP
telephones are equipped with a built -in Ethernet Switch designed to extend a LAN connection out to
a local desktop PC workstation. The computer workstation is actually tethered to the telephone and
the telephone in turn connects to the data port outlet of the TSO. Ultimately, both devices would
also share the same physical Ethernet port of the access layer switch positioned within the IDF
closet.
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 13
Example of a
Converged Network
Telephone r Voice & Data share
System same switch port.
LAN /VVAN — —
.... ............................;TS 44444�
- Switch . Phone connects to TSO
PC connects to phone
Voice & Data share Knowledge base � " " "'""---••- - - -... same TSO port IP
Telephone 11
Voice and data signals are transmitted separately using a common protocol known as virtual LAN
(VLAN) segmentation. In short, a VLAN allows multiple types of network devices (IP telephone, PC,
etc.) to be connected to the same physical network equipment, however each can be provisioned to
recognize and communicate only with other devices programmed to communicate within the same
virtual LAN.
City of Dublin would simply leverage the use of the same access layer switching components that
support the data network. In the long -term, this configuration will prove to be the most cost
effective arrangement for deploying IP Telephony.
This option, (Client Server -VoIP) is based on the implementation of approximately 80% IP, 20%
analog telephone stations and includes voicemail, auto attendant and current telephony
requirements.
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 14
10. IP Telephony
Advantages of VoIP technology include:
• Ability to utilize data connectivity between locations for voice services. This will allow the
city to eliminate voice only WAN services and achieve more efficient bandwidth
utilization with a voice /data converged network
• Improve communications and productivity
• Integrated Messaging — managing voice mails in e-mail client
• "Find Me /Follow Me — Users can direct calls to any outside number from a secure
desktop client
• Hot- desking — the ability to log into to any telephone with the users "home"
extension, with features and line appearances
• Built in user telephone directory with call log
o "Click to dial" from Outlook
o Easier to manage ad hoc conference calling
• Centralized administration of a single telephone system database
• Enhanced Disaster Recovery capabilities for telecommunications and data network
• Intuitive interface for global adds, moves and changes
Requirements of VoIP technology include:
• Cat 5 or better cabling at locations requiring telephones
• Upgrade all LAN components to support Quality of Service (QoS) and Power over Ethernet
(PoE).
• Potential need for additional UPS equipment
• VoIP readiness assessment
11. LAN /WAN Architecture
The LAN /WAN architecture in place at the City of Dublin is between 7 -8 years old and will not support
VoIP technology. It is recommended that the City upgrade this infrastructure regardless of the
technology solution chosen in order to obtain current security and performance functionality. The costs
to upgrade LAN /WAN equipment were developed from the following table. Pricing was obtained from
Tier 1 (Cisco) and Tier 2 (Adtran) providers for comparison sake.
New Equipment Type
Speed
Quantity Required
# Fiber GBICs
48 Port PoE Access Switch
10/100
7
4
24 Port PoE Access Switch
10/100
5
12 Port PoE Access Switch
10/100
4
48 Port PoE Server Core Routing (OSPF) Switch
GigE
1
4
Branch Routers (2 Ethernet, 1 T1, OSPF)
5
Core Router (4xT1, 4 Ethernet, BGP, OSPF)
1
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 15
12. Infrastructure
Cable
Most of the jack locations are currently equipped for CAT 5 or better cable. The Police Department does
not have a data network cable available to connect a VoIP telephone to. 158 new cables will need to be
installed to support VoIP or a network device that connects to the City data network. It is also
recommended that any locations with cabling that is over 3 years old be certified for CAT 5 capability.
The budget also includes an allowance for cable certification of 312 data jacks.
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
Based upon information provided by the City, most of the sites have battery backup to electric utility
power and are supported by UPS and /or UPS /generator. Some budget was included for miscellaneous as
yet unforeseen UPS /electrical work that may be required.
Space /Cooling
No costs were included for any space or cooling improvements, based on feedback from IT and limited
site surveys.
13. Public Safety
With any of the solutions, attention should be given to any telephones that are involved in public safety.
The 911 system is a separate system provided by the County and will not be affected by any of these
solutions. The ability to transfer calls from the City's system into the 911 system will be retained. Any
ultimate design will allow for redundancy, where required, for critical areas.
14. Unified Communications (UC)
The introduction of an IP Telephony platform also brings many new and exciting possibilities. Following
is an excerpt written by a leading telecom industry consultant, Marty Parker, outlining those
opportunities.
Unified Communications Major Opportunities
Unified Communications is a "sea change" for enterprise communications the likes of which we have not
seen for decades, perhaps rivaled only by the emergence of the mobile smart phone. This means that
over a period of time, say about 15 years, the 'mainframe' model of the PBX and IP PBX will be replaced
by distributed software oriented architecture (SOA) models of IP end points (PCs, Netbooks, tablets,
smart phones and all their successors) connected to application - relevant servers, on- premise or in the
cloud. Andy Grove's great book, Only The Paranoid Survive, describes how this happened in the
computing industry, we can now see the some patterns in communications solutions, known as UC.
The scope of this change is the reason that UC can be described as, "Communications integrated to
optimize business processes." The emphasis is on how the new communications tools of UC will change
business processes and results, not on the cleverness of the technology itself. Some powerful changes
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 16
occur simply by providing powerful new tools to the users, who naturally find the best ways to work.
Examples of this are the massive shifts away from PBX -based telephone calls (down to 3 billion per day in
North America in 2009) to cell phone calls (4 billion) to e-mail (50 billion) and instant messaging /IM (46
billion) or to Facebook chats (1 billion). We call this type of change UC -U, for User productivity. These
examples also show that the scope of UC goes for beyond Vo1P (Voice over Internet Protocol, the new
function of an IP PBX).
A much more valuable shift occurs when businesses realize that UC can be built into their business
processes to change the workflows, revenues, margins and profits. These process improvements, which
we call UC -B for Business process changes, usually proceed one process at a time, in a series of 6 -month
to 9 -month projects, continuing over a number of years' time, not just one purchase each 10 years as is
typical of the PBX market. The most relevant analogy is the growth of call centers to contact and
business centers over the past 15+ years, almost one -third of the PBX market is now driven by contact
center requirements. UC -B applications use many of the some concepts (workflows, contact
management, call routing with presence, etc.) and similar tools (software integration to data bases and
business applications) but reach across a much broader number of processes and employees in the
enterprise. There are now hundreds of UC case studies to prove this is possible, and the top UC
applications and the related justifications and ROI are well defined.
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 17
15. Cost Summary
Option 1. Initial estimated costs to upgrade existing Toshiba PBX systems to current model Hybrid
TDM /VoIP PBX. but re -using hardware and licensing wherever possible
Upgrade Civic Center and Shannon Community Center, Replacement of all
other systems with current model systems, reusing cards and cabinets
wherever possible, and implementation upgrade costs
$70,000
Optional, but not recommended — reuse existing telephones
Option 1a: $0
Optional, but recommended — replacement of existing telephones with
new TDM telephones
Option 1b: $100,000
Refresh of all IT switching equipment (not required as this is not a VoIP
system, but still recommended)
$70,000 - $95,000
UPS and additional power requirements for access switches
$10,000
Misc. Feeder cable /Fiber /IDF work
$5,000
Project Management Costs (RFP /Evaluation /Project Management)
$50,000
TOTAL
$305,000- 330,000
Annual Support (after year 1)
$6,000- $17,000
Option 2. Initial estimated costs to upgrade all PBX systems to a Hosted (Cloud - based) VoIP
Basic annual (ongoing) costs of all Hosted IP Telephony Call Processing
features and functionality
$95,000
Purchase of telephone instruments required to support Hosted IP Tel
Platform. Customer to self install telephone instruments
$70,000
Refresh of all IT switching equipment
$70,000 - $95,000
UPS and additional power requirements for access switches
$10,000
Misc. Feeder cable /Fiber /IDF work
$5,000
Cable certification and new Cat6 cable installation
$50,000
Project Management Costs (RFP /Evaluation /Project Management)
$70,000
TOTAL FIRST YEAR COSTS
$370,000 - $395,000
Annual Support, and services
$116,000 1year
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 18
Option 3. Estimated costs to upgrade all PBX systems to Customer Premise Voice over IP (VoIPI
Low -end estimate: Basic or Open Source IP Telephony Call Processing
hardware, software, and implementation costs. Limited
Redundancy /Resiliency
Option 3a: $150,000
High -end estimate: Tier 1 IP Telephony Call Processing hardware,
software, and implementation costs. Redundancy /Resiliency and failover
is included
Option 3b: $280,000
Refresh of all IT switching equipment
$70,000 - $95,000
UPS and additional power requirements for access switches
$10,000
Misc. Feeder cable /Fiber /IDF work
$5,000
Cable certification and new Cat6 cable installation
$50,000
Project Management Costs (RFP /Evaluation /Project Management)
$50,000
TOTAL
$335,000 - $490,000
Annual Support (after year 1)
$17,000
5 -year estimated Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Includes recommended options, initial costs, onoin
monthly service costs, and ongoing maintenance for years 2. 3. 4. 5
Option
1. Upgrade
existing system to TDM /VoIP Hybrid
398 000
Option
2. Replace
with a 100% VoIP hosted solution
859 000
Option
3. Replace
with a 100% VoIP CPL platform
558 000
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 19
16. Implementation Plan
The challenges networking a VoIP system to the older PBX platform will likely require that the
installation be performed at one time. We would envision the timetable as follows:
1. Develop, distribute and receive required Request for Proposals (8 -12 weeks)
2. Evaluate RFP responses and negotiate Terms and Conditions (4 -8 weeks)
3. Upgrade and /or re -cable and /or re- certify station wiring, as required (4 -6 weeks concurrent)
4. Install core telephony equipment (6 -8 weeks)
5. Perform LAN upgrades (6 -8 weeks concurrent)
6. Perform VoIP readiness assessment & remediate (1 -2 weeks)
7. Perform system testing (2 -4 weeks)
8. Cutover System (2 weeks)
Total project duration is expected to be 6 -9 months (some tasks would be performed in parallel).
17. Next Steps
The next step is presenting the recommendations contained in this report to an executive committee,
and from there to City Council for approval. It is anticipated that multiple RFP's will need to be
generated for telephony, LAN, cabling, UPS and potential electrical and construction work. For the
telephony and IT infrastructure pieces, the future tasks would include:
• Finalize design criteria (LAN /WAN /infrastructure /Handset options, etc.)
• Prepare scoring /weighting system for proposal evaluation
• Prepare formal Request for Proposal
• Participate in RFP process (bidders conference, vendor Q &A)
• Evaluate and score proposals
• Participate in vendor short list presentations
• Prepare final evaluation summary and recommendation
• Negotiate terms and conditions with selected vendor
• Project manage system implementation
The RFP phase will include the following tasks
• Identify applicable potential bidders
• Create and distribute Request for Proposals to qualified vendors
• Host bidders conference
• Act as primary contact point for vendor Q &A.
The Proposal Evaluation phase would consist of the following tasks
• Review each proposal and prepare evaluation report with a detailed cost and capability
comparison
• Generate follow up questions for each vendor to ensure that RFP response is compliant,
inclusive of all costs, complete and "apples to apples" comparable to other vendors.
• Provide recommendations, as appropriate, on vendor /solution suitability.
• Participate in vendor presentations
• Prepare proposal Evaluation Summary
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 20
The System Implementation phase would include the following:
• Negotiate pricing and terms with selected vendor for initial and subsequent pricing issues (add-
ons, maintenance, future offices).
• Review contract documentation
• Place all Telco orders for new services
• Manage collection of all system database issues
• Provide system environmental requirements to appropriate parties
• Develop PBX room layout
• Develop toll fraud protection plan
• Conduct periodic vendor status meetings (weekly as a minimum)
• Coordinate user training
• Supervise system installation
• Develop system testing program
• Supervise cutover coverage
• Prepare and follow up on vendor punch list
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 21
18. Conclusion
Communication Strategies views VoIP as the best long term solution for the City of Dublin. VoIP
technology is well proven and considered mainstream technology. Most of the telephone system
manufacturers have abandoned their older PBX digital system and are channeling 100% of their R &D
into new VoIP platforms. Furthermore, VoIP systems tend to be software upgradeable for new features
and functionality as needed and are expected to have a longer useful life. Being able to upgrade
modular software and hardware prevents the requirement for complete "rip and replace" upgrades
associated with older PBX systems every 7 -10 years. Moving to a new VoIP system from a Tier 1
manufacturer will allow City of Dublin to implement a system that its IT staff can more easily support
and manage, and for which there is better vendor support and maintenance options. This platform will
allow the City to upgrade to the latest technology and establish a telephony platform that should serve
the City for a minimum of 10 years. The recommended VoIP platform will also allow City of Dublin to
implement all of the recommendations found in Section 6 — Key Findings and Recommendations.
Based on our analysis, Communication Strategies believes that a LAN /WAN upgrade will be required at
some point in the very near future. On average, most companies refresh LAN architecture every 4 -5
years. With public sector it could be up to twice that long (8 -10 years). The LAN architecture at the City
is 8 years old and the City of Dublin should take this opportunity to refresh its data infrastructure
concurrently with the phone system upgrade. This will ensure that the network will be engineered end
to end at current best industry practice.
For budget purposes, we believe that City of Dublin should expect to pay $490,000 in the first year and
should allocate a 10% contingency for any unforeseen developments for a total budget of $550,000. Of
this total, $50,000 (depending on solution and architecture) would be allocated or can be reserved for
the Fire Station upgrades. Maintenance for years 2 and forward is estimated at $17,000, but is already
included for year 1 in the total budget above.
Communication Strategies will continue to be available to further assist the City of Dublin in developing
the City's long -term telecommunications strategies and ultimately carrying out its goals and objectives.
Respectfully submitted,
Nicolas Olivares
Communication Strategies
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 22
19. Appendices
APPENDIX Al —EXISTING CITY OF DUBLIN TELECOM INVENTORIES
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20. Executive Summary for Alameda County Fire
This report is an independent evaluation of City of Dublin's: telephone and telecommunications
infrastructure, current communications needs, long -term requirements, and overall system reliability.
This section is included as a convenience for Alameda County Fire personnel to review the key findings
of the larger report as it relates to the Fire Department.
City of Dublin maintains 5 Toshiba CTX /CIX telephone systems that service 7 locations including the Civic
Center complex (City Hall, Police Department and Library). In addition, 3 Fire Stations are serviced by
standalone 3Com NBX telephone systems that have reached end of life and end of support from the
manufacturer. These 3 NBX phone systems are currently maintained by 240 service level agreements
for about $5,000 /year, however it is anticipated that maintenance costs will either rise dramatically or
be unavailable due to the age of the systems and lack of replacement parts.
Following are excerpts from the larger report that deal with key findings regarding the Fire Stations:
• Fire Stations #16, #17 and #18
o Are stand -alone telephone systems and are not networked to the City of Dublin data
network.
o Further, City of Dublin does not have Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity to these
facilities and it would be cost prohibitive to provide WAN connections to these facilities
for a centralized, single image telephone system
o Fire Station #17 is the backup Emergency Operations Center (EOC) facility that key
personnel would go to in case of an emergency or crisis which prevents use of the
primary EOC at the Police Department
13. Maintaining and troubleshooting the NBX systems at the Fire Stations is problematic for the City
as these systems do not match the hardware for the rest of the City, cannot be accessed
remotely, are reliant on lines provided by other providers (Alameda County and AT &T), run on a
separate LAN from the Fire Stations' data network, and is End of Life and End of Support for the
manufacturer.
• City of Dublin would like to replace the telephone systems at these locations as soon as
possible with a system that could be owned by City of Dublin but maintained by the
Alameda County Fire Department.
• City of Dublin outsources operation of its 3 fire stations to Alameda County Fire
Department; and the installed telephone and data network systems must integrate with
existing ACFD network, and is not joined to the City network.
• ACFD currently standardizes on Cisco network equipment and ShoreTel telephone
systems, through their managed services provider Definitive Networks (DNI).
• City of Dublin has 3 options regarding the Fire Stations:
i. Replace the Fire Stations ASAP and independent of the rest of the City network.
This will resolve potential reliability issues, and would allow for operation and
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 24
maintenance of the system to move to ACFD personnel and procedures.
Equipment would be sourced under existing ACFD contract with DNI.
ii. Wait to see if the City would choose the same telephone system vendor
(ShoreTel) and use the overall contract and public bid process to source the
equipment. It should be noted that installation of the system would still likely
need to be contracted to DNI as they are the network providers for ACFD.
iii. Generate a separate Request for Quotation (RFP would not be needed as the
manufacturer /system is already decided) for the equipment, and then have DNI
install it. Due to synergies of having the same company source and install the
system, as well the low overall cost of the system — this solution is unlikely to
provide a financial benefit to the City.
• Communications Strategies recommends option above (i.) for the reasons stated.
Communication Strategies has identified multiple design scenarios which include upgrading the existing
platform to a TDM /VoIP Hybrid design, replacing it with a Tier 1 or Tier 2 premise -based VoIP solution,
installing open source telecommunications solutions, as well as evaluating a Hosted (Cloud- based) VoIP
platform. Based on an analysis of costs and key benefits, City of Dublin recommends upgrading to a Tier
1 VoIP platform as the best long term strategy. It is estimated that replacing the telephone systems at
the 3 Fire Department Stations will be $50,000- 60,000. It is recommended that this amount be
allocated from the larger fund approved for replacement of the City telephone systems, and procured as
a separate project.
City of Dublin Telecommunications Evaluation Page 25
RESOLUTION NO. xx — 12
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN
AUTHORIZING AN EXCEPTION TO THE COMPETITIVE BIDDING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
SELECTION OF REPLACEMENT TELEPHONE SYSTEMS
WHEREAS, the telephone systems at City Facilities, including the three Fire Stations, are in
need of replacement and updating; and
WHEREAS, the cost of each of these systems is expected to exceed $20,000; and
WHEREAS, the Fire Station systems are connected to Alameda County Networks and may
benefit from a separate procurement process; and
WHEREAS, Section 2.36.050(A)(6) of the Dublin Municipal Code allows for exceptions to the
typical public bidding process when the City is procuring items of a technical nature that would be
difficult for a vendor to bid on a standard set of specifications; and
WHEREAS, the municipal code requires that the Purchasing Agent undertake a thorough
review of products and compare features that would most closely meet the needs of the City; and
WHEREAS, the City has engaged Communication Strategies, LLC, an independent consulting
firm, and they have prepared an assessment of the current City systems; and
WHEREAS, in order to use the exception to the competitive bid process, if the purchase
exceeds $20,000, the City Council must authorize the exception.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Dublin hereby
authorize the exception provided for in Section 2.36.050(A)(6) of the Municipal Code to select
telephone systems through means other than a sealed competitive bid.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the award of an agreement for telephone systems shall be
presented to the City Council for their approval.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 5th day of June 2012, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
ATTEST:
City Clerk
Mayor
G:AAgenda Items For City Council \2012 \Information Systems \phone sys 6- 5\Attachment 2 reso- waivecompettive_ bid _phones.docx
RESOLUTION NO. xx - 12
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN
AUTHORIZING A CONSULTING SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH
COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES, LLC FOR TELEPHONE SYSTEM
PROCUREMENT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
WHEREAS, the telephone systems at City Facilities including the three Fire Stations within the
City are in need of replacement and updating; and
WHEREAS, the City has engaged Communication Strategies, LLC, an independent consulting
firm, and they have prepared an assessment of the current City systems; and
WHEREAS, the City has agreed with the Communication Strategies, LLC recommendation to
replace City telephone systems and requires consulting services to assist in the selection and
implementation of replacement telephone systems; and
WHEREAS, Communication Strategies, LLC is experienced in managing selection and
implementation of telephone systems and has presented a proposal at a cost not to exceed $49,673.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that City Manager is authorized to execute an
agreement for Consultant Services with Communication Strategies, LLC in an amount not to exceed
$49,673 to provide project management and implementation services, as attached hereto and made
a part hereof.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 5th day of June 2012, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
ATTEST:
City Clerk
Mayor
G:AAgenda Items For City Council \2012 \Information Systems \phone sys 6- 5\Attachment 3 reso -Comm Strat Agmt.docx