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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Michael R Pegues, Chief Information Officer
Jeff Anderson, Deputy Chief Information Officer
Tracy Van Hook, Telecommunications Engineer
Tony Ferrell, Radio Communications Specialist
DATE: September 12, 2024
SUBJECT:
A Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to purchase a 60-month subscription for telephony services and equipment from Avaya LLC, Morristown, NJ for $775,748.40 plus a 3% contingency.
PURPOSE:
This contract will move the City's telephony services from traditional T-1 circuits to more cost-effective and resilient Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services.
BACKGROUND:
Currently City telephony services are provided by two T-1 circuits from AT&T that terminate at APD, City Hall and two AT&T locations within the Aurora city limits. These circuits provide access to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). T-1 circuits continue to rise in cost and are capable of handling only 24 concurrent calls per circuit. With two T-1 lines, the City can accept a maximum of 48 concurrent calls at any one time. As the City continues to increase and improve resident services and moves more services to Interactive voice response (IVR) systems, additional inbound calls are expected. Scaling up the existing legacy T-1 lines will require significant infrastructure changes and additional installations of physical circuits.
Additionally city staff utilize legacy handsets and voice mail systems provided by Cisco that are expensive to maintain and face steep upgrade costs.
DISCUSSION:
Nationwide, cities have moved to VOIP solutions for several compelling reasons, including:
1. Cost Savings: VoIP often reduces communication costs compared to traditional phone lines. This is particularly beneficial for cities with extensive communication needs, as VoIP can offer lower per-minute rates, reduced long-distance charges, and lower infrastructure costs.
2. Unified Communication: VoIP can integrate with other communication tools such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. This creates a unified communication platform that simplifies interactions and improves efficiency across city departments.
3. Scalability: VoIP systems are highly scalable, allowing cities to easily add or remove lines as needed without significant infrastructure changes. This flexibility is ideal for accommodating fluctuating communication needs and growth.
4. Improved Flexibility: VoIP enables communication from anywhere with an internet connection. This is beneficial for city employees who may need to work remotely, travel, or operate from various locations, allowing for greater flexibility and continuity.
5. Enhanced Features: VoIP systems often come with advanced features such as call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, call recording, and real-time analytics. These features can improve efficiency and provide better service for residents.
6. Disaster Recovery and Continuity: VoIP systems can offer better disaster recovery options compared to traditional phone systems. Calls can be rerouted to alternative locations or devices, ensuring that city communications remain operational during emergencies or disruptions.
7. Integration with Other Systems: VoIP can integrate with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, emergency management systems, and other city applications, streamlining workflows and improving service delivery.
VOIP solutions allow the City to utilize its existing Internet bandwidth for inbound and outbound calls. VOIP solutions also provides no hard limit for concurrent calls as it allows for burstable call paths during busy times.
Over the course of several months, City IT staff evaluated VOIP solutions from AT&T, Fortinet and Avaya. The Avaya Cloud Office solution was chosen for the reasons below:
- the included Device as a Service solution which will provide city staff with new desk phones
- soft phone integration with existing Microsoft products including Teams
- interoperability with recently implemented Fortinet network solutions
The City's current telephony solution consists of AT&T T-1 circuits and Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM). The Cisco solution provides desktop phones as well as voice mail for city staff. Both of these solutions would be replaced by the Avaya Cloud Office solution.
Current annual costs for the AT&T plus Cisco solution are below
|
AT&T Circuit Costs |
$269,640.00 |
|
Cisco Equipment Consulting (3rd party) |
$317,000.00 |
|
Total |
$585,640.00 |
Including the third-party Cisco costs above, the existing AT&T solution would cost $2,928,200.
For discussion purposes, removing the third party costs above, the existing AT&T solution would still cost $1,348,200 over the 60-month period and not provide the VOIP services listed above.
Annual costs for the Avaya Cloud Office solution are below:
|
Avaya Cloud Office Subscription$155,149.68 |
|
Over the 60-month period the Avaya solution would cost $775,748.40
Excluding the third-party Cisco Equipment Consulting shown above, the cost savings for recurring charges over the 60-month period of the contract is $572,451.60.
The one-time cost for implementing the Avaya Cloud Office Solution is $62,166.80. A budget transfer will be entered to cover
The Avaya Cloud Office solution is being purchased using the OMNIA Partners (formerly NCPA) contract #14, Software and SaaS Solutions - Contract Number 01-114.
Funds are available in 101-1280-419.44-01 - Telephone - for the recurring fees. Funds from 101-1280-419.32-80 - Professional Fees / Consulting Fees - will be utilized for the one-time costs.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
The legacy telephony system is expensive to maintain and not easily scalable. Costs will continue to rise at a greater pace than VOIP solutions.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Request the proposed resolution be adopted.
cc: Finance Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
title
A Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to purchase a 60-month subscription for telephony services and equipment from Avaya LLC, Morristown, NJ for $652,092.00 plus a 3% contingency.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, as part of its Technology Strategic Plan, the City of Aurora is identifying and replacing its outdated and underperforming systems; and
WHEREAS, the City's existing T-1 telephony infrastructure is expensive to maintain provides limited scalability; and
WHEREAS, a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) solution will be more cost-effective, resilient and scalable; and
WHEREAS, the Avaya Cloud Office Solution was selected for interoperability with existing Microsoft software and Fortinet network solutions; and
WHEREAS, the Avaya Cloud Office Solution significantly less expensive than the current AT&T solution; and
WHERAS, funding is available in account 101-1280-419.44-01.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: the Director of Purchasing is hereby authorized to issue purchase orders for services described in this resolution and as more fully set forth in the contract attached hereto.