It is requested that Council approve the purchase of replacement playground equipment from Miracle Recreation Company d/b/a Hasley Recreation, Inc., (Flowery Branch, GA), in the amount of $299,904.93. The purchase will be accomplished by Cooperative Purchase, via National Joint Powers Alliance, NJPA, Contract #022113-LTS. The replacement playground equipment will be installed at the following playground locations: Pop Austin, Benning Park, Britt David, and Theo McGee. The vendor has designed equipment concepts for each location to include: various climbers, slides, activity decks and skill stations. The four playgrounds were selected because the current equipment is out of date and Parks and Recreation can no longer purchase replacement parts from the manufacturer. These playgrounds are on the City’s priority list for replacement due to the aged equipment located in the low to-moderate income areas in Columbus, GA. The design concept for each location is attached below: CONCEPT 1 - Theo McGee-1140 Martin Luther King Blvd.pdfCONCEPT 2 - Benning Park-1441 Benning Drive.pdfCONCEPT 3 - Britt David - 5660 Armour Road.pdfCONCEPT 4 - Pop Austin-1301 Alexander Street.pdf The purchase will be accomplished by cooperative purchase via Request for Proposal (RFP) Contract #022113, initiated by the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA), whereby PlayPower, Inc., was one of the successful vendors contracted to provide Playground and Recreation Related Equipment, Supplies Accessories and Supplies. The contract, which commenced April 23, 2013 is good through April 23, 2017. The National Joint Powers Alliance is a Service Cooperative created by Minnesota Statute 123A.21. This statute was created in 1978 and revised in 1995 to allow participating governmental and municipal agencies to reduce the cost of purchased goods by leveraging their combined purchasing power. The RFP process utilized by National Joint Powers Alliance meets the requirements of the City’s Procurement Ordinance; additionally, cooperative purchasing is authorized per Article 9-101 of the Procurement Ordinance. The purchase will be made through Miracle/Hasley Recreation, who is a division of PlayPower. After analyzing HUD's financial system it was determined there was CDBG funding from Fiscal Year 2014 that had not been utilized, with a portion expended by May 2, 2016. Park improvements are eligible CDBG expenditures and the four parks identified are in need of major upgrades. Therefore, the purchase will be funded by Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.
The current version of software available from the vendor is 3.10. In the past, budget constraints have hindered the City from upgrading when new versions of the software were released. However, we have reached a point where it is imperative that the system is upgraded for the following reason: 1) the server housing the Finance system is well beyond its useful life; 2) a new server would require an upgrade to the latest version of the software (version 3.10). The current version (3.7) would not be compatible with a new server; 3) various functions within the current system are not integrated; 4) the Information Technology Department’s plan to move all programs off of the mainframe, namely Payroll and Human Resources; and 5) The version of the software under which Human Resources, Payroll and Budgeting operate are no longer supported for upgrade.
Upgrading to CGI Advantage 360 (SaaS Solution – Software as a Service) will involve a 10-year commitment with overall cost savings and will provide enhancements, such as: -The system will be hosted and managed by the vendor. -The upgrade will bring all functions up to the current version
Funding in the amount of $459,126 is available in the FY16 Budget for the Annual SaaS Subscription fee in the Information Technology Budget. Funding in the amount of $60,000 is available in the FY16 Budget, for the Implementation cost, in Special Project/Capital Project Fund – LGFS/GHRS Conversion/Implement Project; Fund 0508 – Project # 22187. The project will be further funded as follows: The Annual SaaS Subscription fee of $459,126 will be budgeted annually, for the remaining nine (9) years, in the appropriate fiscal year in the Information Technology Budget. The remaining Implementation cost will be budgeted as follows: FY17-$764,067, FY18-$764,067 and FY19-$764,067 in OLOST-Technology and Special Project/Capital Project Fund – LGFS/GHRS Conversion/Implement Project; Fund 0508 – Project # 22187.
· The firm and its personnel have a fair amount of experience in aquatic facility management.
· The firm has a good staffing plan; their Lifeguard Safety Monitor plan is great.
· The upper management of the firm seems to be well established in the aquatic industry. The additional staff resumes show a lengthy history of work experience in the aquatics industry.
· The programming aspect of their business plan looks great. The marketing plan and sample marketing were well thought out and detailed.
· The firm’s cost proposal is realistic and is in line with costs associated with managing the Columbus Aquatic Center.
· Currently, American Pool Service of Georgia manages over 200 aquatic facilities and employs 600 pool managers, instructors, head lifeguards, lifeguards, supervisors, gate attendants and pool technicians.
· Certifications for American Pool Service of Georgia are taught in-house with Red Cross instructors and Certified Pool Operator instructors.
· Auditing and in-service is performed in-house with Red Cross instructors employed by American Pool Service of Georgia.
· Client History includes:
o Corvias (formerly Picerne Military Housing)
§ Fort Sill, OK
§ Fort Polk, LA
§ Fort Rucker, AL