Agenda Item # 8
Columbus Consolidated Government
Council Meeting
May 24, 2016
Agenda Report # 128
TO: Mayor and Councilors
SUBJECT: Purchase Authorizations
INITIATED BY: Finance Department
(A) PROCUREMENT CARD SERVICES (ANNUAL CONTRACT) ? RFP NO. 16-0008
It is requested that Council authorize the execution of an annual contract with
Synovus/Columbus Bank and Trust (Columbus, GA) for a credit card program for
small dollar procurements (under $1,000) and travel purposes. The services
will be provided on an as-needed basis.
The Procurement Card program will be a ?no-fee? program; the City will pay no
transaction fees, annual fees, monthly interest, late fees or any monthly
administration fees during the term of this contract. The City will receive
rebates from the Synovus/Columbus Bank and Trust, based on the City?s quarterly
purchase volume.
Synovus/Columbus Bank and Trust will provide the following:
? Credit cards upon request
? Monitoring services
? Reporting services
? On-line maintenance service
The initial term of the contract shall be for five (5) years, with the option
to renew for five (5) additional twelve-month periods. The contract renewal
will be contingent upon the mutual agreement of the City and the Contractor.
Annual Contract History:
The current ten-year contract was awarded on May 2, 2006 (Resolution No.
178-06) to Columbus Bank and Trust (Columbus, GA).
The City utilizes approximately 300 active procurement cards for small dollar
(under $1,000) purchases and for travel related expenditures. The cards are
issued to various City employees and some Departments have Departmental cards,
i.e. CPD Prisoner Transport. The average annual spend is $2,100,000.00
RFP Advertisement and Receipt of Proposals:
RFP specifications were posted on the web pages of the Purchasing Division and
the Georgia Procurement Registry on February 17, 2016. This RFP has been
advertised, opened and evaluated. Proposals were received on March 18, 2016
from the following vendors:
Synovus/Columbus Bank and Trust (Columbus, GA)
American Express (Atlanta, GA)
JPMorgan Chase Bank (Atlanta, GA)
SunTrust Bank (Warner Robins, GA)
The following events took place after receipt of proposals:
RFP MEETINGS/EVENTS
Description Date Agenda/Action
Pre-Evaluation Meeting 03/31/16 The Purchasing Manager advised evaluation committee
members of the RFP rules and process. Proposals were disbursed to each
committee member to review.
1st Evaluation Meeting 04/19/16 Discussed each of the four proposals received. The
Committee did not require clarification or additional information from any of
the vendors.
Evaluation forms completed 05/05/16 Evaluation forms were completed and returned to
Purchasing for compilation results.
Recommendation received 05/17/16 Via email, the committee member unanimously voted to
award to the highest ranked vendor.
Evaluation Committee:
Proposals were reviewed the Evaluation Committee, which consisted of two (2)
voting members from the Finance Department and one (1) voting member from the
Trade Center. A representative from the Police Department served as a
non-voting advisor.
Award Recommendation:
The evaluation committee deemed the proposal from Synovus/Columbus Bank and
Trust most responsive to the RFP specifications. Therefore, the Evaluation
Committee, as reflected by their comments provided below, recommends award of
the contract to Synovus/Columbus Bank and Trust for the following reasons:
? Synovus has been issuing Visa Purchasing Cards since 1997. They currently
have 689 purchasing card customers with 20,645 individual cards under those
accounts. Synovus offers the services that we would require for the Columbus
Consolidated Government?s Purchasing Card Program. The implementation schedule
provided by Synovus addresses the determination of any differing needs and
requirements from the current program.
? The firm has a proven record with Columbus Consolidated Government, as well
as an impressive history with other clients.
? The customer service with Synovus exceeds our expectations. They provide two
primary contacts for the administrator of the program, a 24/7 customer service
line, hand-delivered new/replacement cards, Visa Liability Waiver program, and
no fees or costs to the City to utilize the procurement card program. Another
benefit Synovus provides is the ability to activate all new/replacement cards
before they are delivered to the administrator.
? Synovus offers an incentive program that is above all others. Rebates are
received on a quarterly basis rather than annually. For the City?s level of
spending, we would receive approximately 1.00% to 1.05% of our monthly dollar
volume four times throughout the year.
? Synovus submitted the greatest rebate amount to CCG.
Vendor Experience/Qualifications:
? Columbus Bank and Trust is a division of Synovus Bank, a subsidiary of
Synovus Financial Corporation, which is a financial services company based in
Columbus, Georgia with approximately $29 billion in assets.
? Synovus provides commercial and retail bank, investment, and mortgage
services to customers through 28 locally-branded divisions, 257 branches and
336 ATMs in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee.
? Synovus Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Synovus, was recognized as one of
America?s Most Reputable Banks by American Banker and the Reputation Institute
in 2015.
? Synovus? card program was established in 1959 and was among the first in the
nation. With 56 years of experience, Synovus has proven their sustainability
in the industry and is a charter member of VISA.
? Synovus Bank partners with TSYS, who is the most advanced, most flexible and
most successful processing system in the marketplace today. TSYS is the
largest commercial card processor in the world, processing in 65 countries
around the globe.
? Three (3) most recent governmental, higher education, institutions and/or
large corporate customers:
o TSYS (Columbus, GA):
2,506 cardholders with an average monthly transaction volume of $1 million.
o Civil Air Patrol (Montgomery, AL)
225 cardholders with an average monthly transaction volume of $105,000.00.
o Morris Communication (Augusta, GA)
859 cardholders with an average monthly transaction volume of $803,000.00.
The City?s Procurement Ordinance Article 3-110, Competitive Sealed Proposals
for the procurement of Equipment, Supplies and Professional Services, governs
the RFP Process. During the RFP process, there is no formal opening due to the
possibility of negotiated components of the proposal. In the event City
Council does not approve the recommended offeror, no proposal responses or any
negotiated components are made public until after the award of the contract.
Therefore, the evaluation results and cost information has been submitted to
the City Manager in a separate memo for informational purposes.
Expenditures paid by credit card are ultimately deducted from the budgets of
the using Departments. The rebates received from the vendor will be deposited
as miscellaneous revenue in the General Fund.
* * * * * *
(B) INTERNET SERVICES (ANNUAL CONTRACT) ? RFP NO. 16-0013
It is requested that Council authorize the execution of an annual contract with
WOW! Business Solutions (Columbus, GA) for internet services on an as-needed
basis. The services are required to replace the existing 50Mbps circuit to a
minimum 1000Mbps circuit; this will give the City the ability to run complete
systems from a secure cloud environment and perform daily backup offsite for
better continuity of service. This will also improve general performance of
all web-based services and eliminate the need for some of the other internet
related services being procured by the City.
WOW! Business Solutions will provide equipment, delivery, installation, removal
of equipment, additional supporting installation work as required, training,
and support to the City for items within the scope of the following areas:
A. Deliver Internet services to the 100 Tenth Street Columbus, GA 31901
location (GC) and possibly at the 3111 Citizens Way Columbus, GA 31907 location
(CSC).
B. Rack space will be provided and must be used by vendor for a vendor-supplied
switch or router.
C. Connection should be capable of symmetrical upload and download.
D. Connection and speed to the City router should be provided via at least a
1000Mbps fiber feed.
E. Vendor will have adequate Internet bandwidth to allow the City to use the
minimum 1000Mbps allotted without contention from other customers.
F. Vendor will provide a method for the City to test upload and download
capacity up to the purchased bandwidth.
G. A contiguous block of IPv4 addresses containing at least 255 usable host
addresses shall be issued to the City.
H. Technical support will be offered at no additional fee to turn up the
connection.
I. Standard large business customer SLA?s shall be offered to the City.
J. A toll-free number for support shall be issued to the City to resolve any
technical difficulties after the installation.
K. Post installation technical support shall be provided at no additional cost.
The initial term of the contract shall be for five (5) years, with the option
to renew for five (5) additional twelve-month periods. The contract renewal
will be contingent upon the mutual agreement of the City and the Contractor.
Annual Contract History:
AT&T has been the carrier since the City began using the internet.
RFP Advertisement and Receipt of Proposals:
RFP specifications were posted on the web pages of the Purchasing Division and
the Georgia Procurement Registry on March 10, 2016. This RFP has been
advertised, opened and evaluated. Proposals were received on April 8, 2016
from the following vendors:
WOW! Business Solutions (Columbus, GA)
AT&T (Atlanta, GA)
Granite Telecommunications, LLC (Quincy, MA)
Integrated Office Solutions, Inc. (Ellenwood, GA)
Mediacom Communications Corporation (Gulfbreeze, FL)
Network Services Solutions, LLC (Reno, NV)
Spectrum Business/Charter Communications (Duluth, GA)
Tower Cloud, Inc. (St. Petersburg, FL)
Windstream Services, LLC (Charlotte, NC)
The following events took place after receipt of proposals:
RFP MEETINGS/EVENTS
Description Date Agenda/Action
Pre-Evaluation Meeting 04/19/16 The Purchasing Manager advised evaluation committee
members of the RFP rules and process. Proposals were disbursed to each
committee member to review.
1st Evaluation Meeting 05/09/16 Discussed each of the nine proposals received. The
Committee did not require clarification or additional information from any of
the vendors.
Evaluation forms completed 05/17/16 Evaluation forms were completed and returned to
Purchasing for compilation results.
Recommendation received 05/18/16 Via email, the committee member unanimously voted to
award to the highest ranked vendor.
Evaluation Committee:
Proposals were reviewed the Evaluation Committee, which consisted of two (2)
voting members from the Information Technology Department and one (1) voting
member from the City Manager?s Office. One (1) representative from the Finance
Department and two (2) additional representatives from the Information
Technology Department served as a non-voting advisors.
Award Recommendation:
The evaluation committee deemed the proposal from WOW! Business Solutions most
responsive to the RFP specifications. Therefore, the Evaluation Committee, as
reflected by their comments provided below, recommends award of the contract to
WOW! Business Solutions for the following reasons:
? WOW! is providing all of the requested services in-house with qualified staff.
? The firm provided good references of similar fiber internet businesses.
? The firm has a well laid out service plan, even suggesting things in the plan
that could save the City money in the future.
? The firm agreed to provide all specified services and terms relating to
internet services.
Vendor Experience/Qualifications:
? WOW! is privately owned by Avista Capital Partners and Crestview Capital, and
started out in 1996 delivering cable television services in Illinois, Michigan,
Ohio, and Indiana. The company now offers high-speed internet, digital cable,
HDTV, DVRs and local and long distance telephone services.
? In 2012, WOW! acquired Knology, Inc. and began serving customers in
Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Kansas, South Dakota,
Minnesota and Iowa.
? WOW! recently received J.D. Power Award recognition for best phone, internet,
and cable company.
? Consumer Reports named WOW! the number one cable and internet providers in
2009m 2010, 2011 and 2012.
? With its annual revenues, WOW! is among one of the top 10 broadband providers
in the U.S.
? Client Work History:
o City of Auburn, AL
Fiber internet and telephone service
o Masterbuilt Manufacturing (Columbus, GA)
1 Gbps fiber internet
o Columbus Civic Center (Columbus, GA)
Fiber internet, TV and cable modem
o The RiverCenter for Performing Arts (Columbus, GA)
Fiber internet and hosted voice
o St. Francis Hospital (Columbus, GA)
Fiber internet, VLAN and video
o Auburn University (Auburn, AL)
1 GIG fiber internet and VLAN
The City?s Procurement Ordinance Article 3-110, Competitive Sealed Proposals
for the procurement of Equipment, Supplies and Professional Services, governs
the RFP Process. During the RFP process, there is no formal opening due to the
possibility of negotiated components of the proposal. In the event City
Council does not approve the recommended offeror, no proposal responses or any
negotiated components are made public until after the award of the contract.
Therefore, the evaluation results and cost information has been submitted to
the City Manager in a separate memo for informational purposes.
Funds are budgeted each fiscal year for this ongoing service: General Fund ?
Information Technology - Telephone; 0101-210-1000-6621 and other departmental
budgets as needed.
* * * * * *
(C) POOL CHEMICALS - (ANNUAL CONTRACT) - RFB NO. 16-0032
It is requested that Council approve the annual contract to purchase pool
chemicals, on an ?as needed basis?, from Club Care, Inc. dba Knockout Chemicals
(Roswell, GA), Chemrite, Inc. (Buford, GA), and Leslie?s Poolmart, Inc.
(Phoenix, AZ), for the estimated annual contract value of $148,647.00. The
Parks and Recreation Department will utilize the pool chemicals for water
treatment in the Columbus Aquatic Center and the City?s outdoor swimming pools.
The contract term shall be for two years, with the option to renew for three
additional twelve-month periods, contingent upon the mutual agreement of the
City and the Contractor.
Bid specifications were posted on the City?s website and the Georgia
Procurement Registry. Bid responses were received on May 4, 2016 from four
bidders. This bid has been advertised, opened and reviewed. The successful
bidders per line item were:
VENDOR SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE LIQUID CHLORINE
(BLEACH 12% - 15%) HTH GRANULAR CHLORINE 65% HTH GRANULAR ACID 31.45% 20 Dg 3? Silk Tabs
1. Hawkins, Inc.
(Apopka, FL) $70,000 NB NB NB
2. Club Care, Inc. dba Knockout Chemicals
(Roswell, GA) $48,000 NB $2,728 NB
3. Chemrite Inc.
(Buford, GA) NB $86,400 NB NB
4. Leslie?s Poolmart Inc.
(Phoenix, AZ) $84,000 $97,192.80 NB $11,519.00
Funds are budgeted each fiscal year for this ongoing expense: General Fund -
Parks and Recreation, Aquatics ?Operating Materials; 0101-270-4413-AQUT-6728.
* * * * * *
(D) BUILDING ETHERNET WIRING SERVICES (ANNUAL CONTRACT) - RFB NO. 16-0031
It is requested that Council approve the annual contract, for Building Ethernet
Wiring services, with Innovative Services (Covington, GA) as the Primary
Contractor, and NetPlanner Systems, Inc. (Columbus, GA) as the Secondary
Contractor. The Information Technology Department estimates that approximately
$50,000 may be expended for wiring services. The contractors will provide all
tools and labor required to perform electrical services for Ethernet wiring at
City locations on an ?as needed basis?.
The Information Technology Department will utilize this contract for wiring
required in various City locations to accommodate high-speed connections for
computers and other devices. As wiring projects arise, the department will
contact the Primary contractor first. If the primary contractor is not
available, then the Secondary contractor will be contacted.
The initial term of the contrast will be for two (2) years with the option to
renew for three (3) additional twelve-month periods. Contract renewal will be
contingent upon the mutual agreement of the City and the Contractor(s).
Bid specifications were posted on the web page of the Purchasing Division, and
the Georgia Procurement Registry. Six (6) bids were received on April 29,
2016. This bid has been advertised, opened and reviewed. The bidders were:
Innovative Services, LLC
(Covington, GA) Jordan Electric Co., Inc.
(Columbus, GA) GMS Business Communications
(Lake City, GA) Integrated Office Solutions
(Forest Park, GA) Netplanner Systems, Inc.
(Columbus, GA) Wright Electric Co.
(Americus, GA)
Labor Rate Per Technician
Monday through Friday 8:00-5:00
Hourly Rate $25.00 $50.00 $50.00 $55.00 $45.00 1st Tech $85.00
2nd Tech $50.00
Daily Rate $200.00 $400.00 $400.00 $440.00 $360.00 1st Tech $680.00
2nd Tech $1080.00
After 5:00 p.m., weekends, holidays
Hourly Rate $37.50 $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 $67.50 1st Tech $127.50
2nd Tech $75.00
Daily Rate $300.00 $600.00 $600.00 $600.00 $540.00 1st Tech $1020.00
2nd Tech $1620.00
Additional charges
(if any) Scissor lift charge of $750.00
Funds will be budgeted as needed, for this ongoing expense, in various
department and project budgets.
?ITEM A?
A RESOLUTION
No. _______
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF AN ANNUAL CONTRACT
SYNOVUS/COLUMBUS BANK AND TRUST (COLUMBUS, GA) FOR A CREDIT CARD PROGRAM FOR
SMALL DOLLAR PROCUREMENTS (UNDER $1,000) AND TRAVEL PURPOSES. THE SERVICES
WILL BE PROVIDED ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS.
WHEREAS, an RFP was administered (RFP No. 16-0008) and four proposals
were received; and,
WHEREAS, the proposal submitted by Synovus/Columbus Bank and Trust met
all proposal requirements and were evaluated most responsive to the RFP; and,
WHEREAS, the initial term of the contrast will be for five (5) years
with the option to renew for five (5) additional twelve-month periods.
Contract renewal will be contingent upon the mutual agreement of the City and
the Contractor.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, HEREBY RESOLVES AS
FOLLOWS:
That the City Manager is hereby authorized to execute an annual
contract with Synovus/Columbus Bank and Trust (Columbus, GA) for a credit card
program for small dollar procurements (under $1,000) and travel purposes.
Expenditures paid by credit card are ultimately deducted from the budgets of
the using departments. The rebates received from the vendor will be deposited
as miscellaneous revenue in the General Fund.
______________________________
Introduced at a regular meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia,
held the _________ day of _________________, 2016 and adopted at said meeting
by the affirmative vote of _________ members of said Council.
Councilor Allen voting __________.
Councilor Baker voting __________.
Councilor Barnes voting __________.
Councilor Buck voting __________.
Councilor Davis voting __________.
Councilor Henderson voting __________.
Councilor Huff voting __________.
Councilor Thomas voting __________.
Councilor Turner Pugh voting __________.
Councilor Woodson voting __________.
_______________________________ __________________________
Tiny B. Washington, Clerk of Council Teresa Pike Tomlinson, Mayor
?ITEM B?
A RESOLUTION
No._______
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF AN ANNUAL CONTRACT WITH WOW!
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS (COLUMBUS, GA) FOR INTERNET SERVICES ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS.
WHEREAS, an RFP was administered (RFP No. 16-0013) and nine proposals
were received; and,
WHEREAS, the proposal submitted by WOW! Business Solutions met all
proposal requirements and were evaluated most responsive to the RFP; and,
WHEREAS, the initial term of the contrast will be for five (5) years
with the option to renew for five (5) additional twelve-month periods.
Contract renewal will be contingent upon the mutual agreement of the City and
the Contractor.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, HEREBY RESOLVES AS
FOLLOWS:
That the City Manager is hereby authorized to execute an annual contract with
WOW! Business Solutions for internet services on an as-needed basis. Funds are
budgeted each fiscal year for this ongoing service: General Fund ? Information
Technology - Telephone; 0101-210-1000-662,1 and other departmental budgets as
needed.
______________
Introduced at a regular meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia, held the
_________ day of _________________, 2016 and adopted at said meeting by the
affirmative vote of _________ members of said Council.
Councilor Allen voting __________.
Councilor Baker voting __________.
Councilor Barnes voting __________.
Councilor Buck voting __________.
Councilor Davis voting __________.
Councilor Henderson voting __________.
Councilor Huff voting __________.
Councilor Thomas voting __________.
Councilor Turner Pugh voting __________.
Councilor Woodson voting __________.
_______________________________ _________________________
Tiny B. Washington, Clerk of Council Teresa Pike Tomlinson, Mayor
?ITEM C?
A RESOLUTION
No. _______
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ANNUAL CONTRACT FOR THE PURCHASE OF POOL
CHEMICALS, ON AN ?AS NEEDED BASIS?, FROM CLUB CARE, INC. DBA KNOCKOUT CHEMICALS
(ROSWELL, GA), CHEMRITE, INC. (BUFORD, GA), AND LESLIE'S POOLMART, INC.
(PHOENIX, AZ) FOR THE ESTIMATED ANNUAL CONTRACT VALUE OF $148,647.00.
WHEREAS, these chemicals will be utilized by the Parks and Recreation
Department for water treatment at the Columbus Aquatic Center and the City?s
outdoor swimming pools; and,
WHEREAS, the term of contract shall be for two years, with the option to renew
for three additional twelve month periods, contingent upon the mutual agreement
of the City and the Contractor.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, HEREBY RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
That the City Manager is hereby authorized to enter into an annual contract to
purchase pool chemicals, on an ?as needed basis?, from Club Care, Inc. dba
Knockout Chemicals (Roswell, GA), Chemrite, Inc. (Buford, GA) and Leslie?s
Poolmart, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ) for the estimated annual contract value of
$148,647.00. Funds are budgeted each fiscal year for this ongoing expense:
General Fund - Parks and Recreation, Aquatics, Operating Materials;
0101-270-4413-AQUT-6728.
________________
Introduced at a regular meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia, held
the _________ day of ____________, 2016 and adopted at said meeting by the
affirmative vote of _________ members of said Council.
Councilor Allen voting __________.
Councilor Baker voting __________.
Councilor Barnes voting __________.
Councilor Buck voting __________.
Councilor Davis voting __________.
Councilor Henderson voting __________.
Councilor Huff voting __________.
Councilor Thomas voting __________.
Councilor Turner Pugh voting __________.
Councilor Woodson voting __________.
_______________________________ _____________________________
Tiny B. Washington, Clerk of Council Teresa Pike Tomlinson, Mayor
?ITEM D?
A RESOLUTION
No. __________
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ANNUAL CONTRACT, FOR BUILDING ETHERNET WIRING
SERVICES, WITH INNOVATIVE SERVICES (COVINGTON, GA) AS THE PRIMARY CONTRACTOR,
AND NETPLANNER SYSTEMS, INC. (COLUMBUS, GA) AS THE SECONDARY CONTRACTOR. THE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT ESTIMATES THAT APPROXIMATELY $50,000 MAY BE
EXPENDED FOR WIRING SERVICES. THE CONTRACTORS WILL PROVIDE ALL TOOLS AND LABOR
REQUIRED TO PERFORM ELECTRICAL SERVICES FOR ETHERNET WIRING AT CITY LOCATIONS
ON AN ?AS NEEDED BASIS?.
WHEREAS, the Information Technology Department will utilize this contract for
wiring required in various City locations to accommodate high-speed connections
for computers and other devices. As wiring projects arise, the department will
contact the Primary contractor first. If the Primary contractor is not
available, then the Secondary contractor will be contacted; and,
WHEREAS, the initial term of the contrast will be for two (2) years with the
option to renew for three (3) additional twelve-month periods. Contract
renewal will be contingent upon the mutual agreement of the City and the
Contractor(s).
NOW, THEREFORE, THE COUNCIL OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, HEREBY RESOLVES AS
FOLLOWS:
That the City Manager is hereby authorized to enter into an annual contract,
for Building Ethernet Wiring services, with Innovative Services (Covington, GA)
as the Primary Contractor, and NetPlanner Systems, Inc. (Columbus, GA) as the
Secondary Contractor. The Information Technology Department estimates that
approximately $50,000 may be expended for wiring services. Funds will be
budgeted as needed, for this ongoing expense, in various department and project
budgets.
______________
Introduced at a regular meeting of the Council of Columbus, Georgia, held the
_____ day of____________________, 2016 and adopted at said meeting by the
affirmative vote of ______ members of said Council.
Councilor Allen voting __________.
Councilor Baker voting __________.
Councilor Barnes voting __________.
Councilor Buck voting __________.
Councilor Davis voting __________.
Councilor Henderson voting __________.
Councilor Huff voting __________.
Councilor Thomas voting __________.
Councilor Turner Pugh voting __________.
Councilor Woodson voting __________.
_______________________________ __________________________
Tiny B. Washington, Clerk of Council Teresa Pike Tomlinson, Mayor
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