To: Board of Supervisors
From: David O. Livingston, Sheriff-Coroner
Report Title: AT&T, Inc. for Cisco Systems, Inc.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
RESCIND prior Board action (24-2478) from August 13, 2024, which approved and authorized the Sheriff-Coroner, or designee, to execute a contract with Cisco Systems, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $368,862 for catalyst routers, switches and associated software and support, for the term August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2029; and
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent, or designee, to execute on behalf of the Sheriff-Coroner, a purchase order with AT&T, Inc, a third-party vendor of Cisco Systems, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $368,862, for catalyst routers, switches and associated software and support, for the term August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2029.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this request will result in a one-time expenditure of $368,862 and will be funded 96% by UASI Grant FY22 and 4% by the General Fund.
BACKGROUND:
The Office of the Sheriff’s wide-area network (WAN) is comprised of Cisco networking equipment (routers, switches, and SFPs) and is managed by the Cisco DNA software. There are more than 25 locations within the Sheriff’s Office (SO) that need to be connected to the SO network. Some of the smaller locations are operating on networking equipment that is over 20 years old. That equipment, specifically the Cisco 3000 series switches, is no longer manufactured, sold or supported by Cisco. The locations with outdated equipment need to be
upgraded to the current 9000 series switches to meet our present security, capacity, and performance needs. Cisco network products are the industry standard. All Contra Costa County departments, including the Office of the Sheriff, use Cisco equipment. For product and support consistency, the department prefers buying the latest Cisco network equipment.
On August 13, 2024 the Board of Supervisors approved the Sheriff’s Office to execute a purchase order with Cisco Systems, Inc. However, the department was later notified that the payment would need to be made to AT&T, Inc., as Cisco does not sell directly to consumers; they sell through third-party vendors. A request for proposal was sent out (RFP 2311-711) and the bid from AT&T was accepted. This board request is to correct the prior action to reflect the proper vendor for payment processing.
This purchase is made pursuant to the 2021 letter agreement between Cisco Systems, Inc. and Contra Costa County.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Board does not approve, the existing outdated hardware will not be supported, exposing the SO network to potential cybersecurity threats. In addition, the network could face significant downtime should any of this equipment fail, crippling our functionality and potentially endangering public safety.