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Council Meet~ng July 22,19971Santa Monica, California
TO. Mayor and City C~unc~l
FROM City Staff
SUB,~ECT Recommendation to Award Bjd #2637 to Furnish and De{~~er one
hundred twenty-three (123} desktop computers/accessor~es to Data Impressions,
Inc , Award Bid #2636 to Furr~~sh and Deliver two (2) cvmputer Servers ta
Hewlett-Packard, Inc , and, Authorize the City Manager to Negotiate and
Execute a Contract for the Purchase of L~brary Automation System Software with
fhe S~rsr Corparatron
INTRODUCTIQN
This repart concerns replacing the ~ardware and software components of the I~brary
automation system it recommends to award the bid to fumish and deli~er ~ne hundred
twenty-three (123) desktop computerslaccessones to Data Impressions, lnc , far the
amount ofi $1g0,326 97 and to award the bid to furnish and deliver twa (2) computer
servers to Hewlett-Packard, Inc , for the amount of $68,955 53 It fur~her recommends
that the City Manager be authorized to negotEate and execute a contracf w~ti~ the Sirsi
Corporation for mtegrated library automatEOn system software, at a cast not to exceed
$259,5&5 75 The new system will rep[ace #he exrst~ng i~brary automatron system
Backqround
The current iibrary automation system, Inlex, has b~en in use since 1987 1t is a first
generat~on system which manages the Library's cataiog and the arculatian of materials
Inlex has been sign~ficanfly behinc! ot~er vendars m adding new system features, and
there ha~e been difficulties in implemenfing some of the features they pro~ide The
Inlex system operates on an older type of computer equipment wh~ch is expensi~e and
difficult to mamta~n
J U L 2 2~9`f
Some system features v+rhich are cr~tical for Library operati~ns are not a~ailable or
possible with the current inlex system It does not haWe a graphical interFace for
Windows. does r~ot have a module for managing the periodicals callection and does not
allow access #o or fram th~ Intemet The CD-ROM network now installed is not
accessible through the Inlex system At this t~me the Inlex system is na longer being
ofFered for sale
DISCUSSIQN
A~rbrary Tec~nology commrttee was created to research options for the replaeemEnt of
the current library automation system The committee ~ncluded seven Library sfaff
members and a liaison from the lnformation Systems Division They conducted a
thorough search of the rnarketplace, de~eloped detaifed system parameters, and
reviewed system specif~cations Three ~endors repiied to a request for information and
provided system demonstrations ~or the committee and other Library staff SirsE
Corporatian (the Unicorn system), Ameritecn (the Horizon system}, and Cantec Narth
America (the C2 system} However, Gontec Nort~ America's C2 system was still under
development and had no ex~sting clients An e~aluat~on of the three c~uestionnai~es and
a survey af t~eir current custamers led ta the concius~on that aniy the Sirsr system was
respans~ve ta all of the ~ibrary's needs
Sjrsi Corporation's integrated library automat~on system {called Unicarn} runs und~r the
UNIX operatmg system on a w~de ~ariety af equipment, usmg the latest d~entlserver
technolog~es Users can operate the system wi#h a number of text a~d graph~cal client
interfaces Modul~s can be canfigured as separate systems or integrated as or~e
system It is ~n use at over 600 sites, and is the only cl~entlserver system ofFered in t~e
United States w~th a large n~mber af pu~lic library customers By implementmg the
Unicorn system the Library will imprave the management of prant resources and expand
ser~rce to the comrrzunrty by provrd~ng greater access to the growing world of electranrc
resou rces
One of the reasons #or selectir~g this saftware is ta take ad~antage of new hardware
technalogy The hardware required for the system includes a centra! server, a number
o# client wark stations and the components ta cannect the hardware to the existing
nefinrork Sirsi's software will opErate on a ~anety af computer platforms, including
Hewfett Packard Use of Hewfett Packard equipment is preferred due to the sxtensive
staff experience accumulated w~th this equipment and the cansiderable costs m~ol~ed
m suppo~trng any aafditianai p~atfarm Likewise, Unrcorn operates rn the Wrndows
operat~ng system, ti~e City's standard for ciient work stations Staff have worked w~th
Sirsi to de~elop specifications ~ar the requ~red hardware which will be acquired from ane
or more d~fferent ~endors through competitive bids The selection cnteria for the library
autamation system and the process used is se~ forth in Attachment A
The City sol~cited separate bids for hardware and software related to the Library's new
autamated I~brary system The hardware bidd~ng was separated ~nto two categor~es
Bid #263fi for Central M~n~computer Systems and Bid #2fi37 for Desktop PC's
In response to published Notices In~iting Bids (published June 9 and 10, 1997) to
furnish, deliver and install m~scellaneo~s corr~puter equipment (Bid #2636 - Central
Min~computer Systems, Bid #2637 fvr Desktop PG's) in accordance w~th City
specifications bids were receive~ and publicly opened and read on July 1, 1997
Proposals for the Central Minicomputer Systems (ServerlUnipracessor) were mailed ta
e~even vendors, and fourteen ~endors for the Desktop PCs In addition, notices were
advert~sed m accordance witn C~ty Charter and M~n~cipal provis+or~s Proposals were
received ~s fQllows
A Bici #2636-Central Minicomputer Systems
VENDOR
1 Gomputech Systems
2 Worksta#ions Internatianal
3 Hewlett Packard Co
4 5ystems Technology Associates
TOTAL AMOUNT~INCL TAX}
$55,482 ~l6
$62,800 16
S6$,955 53
$69,202 05
The brds submrtted by Compc~tech Systems and Workstat~ans intematrc~nal are nort-
responsi~e Computech Systems bid remanufactured, not new. ~roducts as specified
1Norks#ations Internat~anai bid a different configuratifln o# system memory using two
rnemory boards rather than one as specified They also bid a substitute on the specified
uninterruptable power supply which does not meet specifications
Staff has e~aluated the bid submitted by Hewlett Packard and finds that it rneets City
spec~fications
B Bid #2637-Desktop PC's
1 Dataexpert Corporation ~ 188.82fi 69
2 Data lmpress~ons $'f9Q,326 97
3 Sys Tect~nology Inc ~202.185 00
4 PC Systems D~sign ~208,834 72
5 Azarat Marketing Graup $246,877 40
6 Creative Computers ~302,452 42
The low bid submitted by Dataexpert Corporatian is non responsi~e They bid lower
quality monitors City specifications requested 2fi dot pitch manitars and they bid 2$
dot pitch The resoiution is better with a lower dot pitch, especially for multimed~a use
StafF has evaluated the bid submitted by Data Impress~ons ar~d finds that if ineets Ci~y
specifrcations
BUDGETIFINANCIAL IMPACT
Funcfing far this purchase t~as been appropriated ~n the Capital Impravement Pragram
in fiscal years 1995l96 through 1997/98, ~244,795 at account numbers
a1-71Q-613-20096-89~Q-9954~, $~2~,897 at 09-710-673-20097-89D0-99545, and
~125,040 at 0~-71a-6'f3-20098-8900-9954~ Ofthese funds, $390,692 34 will be used
for purchase of the system and the rema~nder wiil be used for system ~mplernentation
costs The remainder of the $518,848 2~ required for this pro~ect, or ~128.155 91,
needs ta be appropriated to account number Q1-710-613-20098-89Q0-99545 fram the
Ge~era~ Fund unabl~gatedlundes~gr~ated fur~d balance
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that Council re~ect the bids submitted by Computech Systems and
Workstations lnternational and award bid #2fi36 to Hewlett Packard Co, re~ect the bid
submitted by Dataexpert Gorporatfon, award B~d #2637 to Data lmpressiorts, appro~e
#he budget increase set fnrth abo~e, and authQrize the City Manager to negot~ate and
execute a contract f~r the pu~chase of library automation system software w~th the S~rsi
Corporation
Prepared by Winona Aliard, City L~brarian
Pam Wot#ham, Purchas~ng Agent
Jory Wolf, Ir~forrnation Systems
ATTACHMENT A
Praduct Selection Criteria
The Library Technology Cammittee e~aluated each vendor's response to the City's
Request for Information based on their product's ability ta meet the City's needs for an
integrated clientlser~er library automation system. #he City's specifications, th~ City's
standard of the W~ndows operat~ng system for client work stations, the hardware and
soffware platforms proposed, customer service, o~era~l stabifify of the cor~pany and
price For the following reasons the Unicorn software is the only product v+rhich meets all
of the cnteria established by the Library and Information 5ystems Division No other
system meets the ~~brary's needs or satist~es all of these requ~remer~ts The Unrcorr~
software, a proprietary praduct from the Sirsi Corpora#ion, cannof be made available. or
be ~nstalled by, or be ser~~ced by any other software pra~ider
~ Publ~c I~brariss represent a d~stinct market for software, with un~que needs and
requirements due ta the Waried cfientele they senre W~th Unicorn, Sirsi, unlike the
other vendars, has a substantia! public I~brary clien~ base. demonstrating success#ul
and reliable implementations af a fully mtegrated client/server IEbrary automation
system Contec North America had no installatjons of C2 and Ameritech had only
one ar two mstaliations of Harizon
2 A basic requirement #or the system is ~hat it must operate m a clien~lserver
en~ironment with a user-friendly graphical interface S~rsi's Unicorn system was
desigr~ed for this env~ronmen# and ~ts graphical mtertace facrl+tates staff and patron
access to the systern T~e mtertace operates in the Microsoft WEndows
en~ironment, an en~iranment already fam~liar to a ma~arity of Library staff and many
LGbrary users The G2 product fram Contec North Amer~ca operated on the
Windows NT platFarm and Ameritech's Horizon sys#em operated on the OSl2
platFarm for staff warkstations Neither Windows NT or OS12 are famil~ar to Library
staff
3 Suppo~t for character rnode access from dumi~ terminals and dtat access is ne~ded
on the new system to accommodate existing equipment in the Library and in the
community This support is built into the S~rsi system The C2 system from Cantec
did not support character mode access
4 Software ~endors often sell t~eir concepts privr to the fuil product de~elopment,
therefore existmg implementation of a{l critical software modules and features are
required Sirsi meets th~s requireme~t Much af the C2 product was still under
development.
5 Demonstrated ongoing support and de~elopment of the software is requ~red The
Unicorn chen#fserver system from Sirsi has been in exrstence for over fien years
with new ma~or and mmor software releases issued regularly Both Horizon and C2
were newer products for which a history of de~elopment support had not been
established
6 Support for In#~rnet access usmg standard world wide web software is a highfy
d~sired feature which will greatly enhance public access to the system without the
need #o jssue or sell software The Sirsi system has a module which allows this
access, allow~ng users to access and use the same system features ~hey access
from within the ~ibrary To achieve full functionality from remote locations with C2
and Horizon it was necessary fo distribute special client software which remote
users would need to ~nstall on their computers
7 Gus#omer support for large system software is critical Strong, pos~ti~e
recommendatians were received from existing clients regarding S~rsi's performance
during system implementa#ion and for ongoing support Cantec North America had
no C2 installat~ons to ask about support ser~ice Far Ameritech, staff heard se~eral
negative rep~rts regarding installation and an~o~ng support
8 A stable corporate environment is cons~ster~t w+th a stable and reNable product
Sirsi has grown ~n recent years but reports indicate consistent product de~elopment
and customer support Gontec North Arnenca was a brand new aff~l~ate of a New
Zeaiand corporatian, the~efore it did not yet have a track record fvr stab~iity
Amerifech was a farge corporat~on with relati~ely new acquisit~ons in the fibrary
automatEOn field The Ameritech Library Services division was being restructured
during our evaluation period and staff from other ~urisdictior~s commented on
problems related to the corporate structure
9 Compliance with mdustry sfandards is a requirement and Sirsi does support fhem
10 The City and the Library ha~e ma~e considerabfe in~estments in de~eloping
computer networks to support staff and public access to inforrr~atton Compatibili#y
w~t~ t~e existrng net~ruork environrrrent Es essential The S~rs~ systems could be
merged efficiently w~thin fhis en~ironment Contec's C2 would ha~e required the
use af Windows NT and Harizon would have required the use of OS/2, both
softvvare pfatforms which vusre not supporte~ by the City Information Systsms
~iv~sion