Finance & Administrative Committee
	TO:	Mayor and Members of Council
	FROM:	Don McClean, Fire Chief
		James Allen, Chief Information Officer
	PREPARED BY:	Shayne Mintz, Deputy Fire Chief
		Brian Ha, Manager Client Delivery, ITS
	DATE OF MEETING:	2004-June-14
	SUBJECT:	Acquisition of Fire Dispatch Mapping Module

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated June 14^th 2004 entitled “Acquisition of Fire Dispatch Mapping Module” be received;

AND that the acquisition of Fire Dispatch Mapping Module and related items and services be awarded to GEAC Computer Corporation Limited in an amount to be negotiated with the vendor to an upset limit of $132,518 including 8% PST, as authorized by Section 27 of the Purchasing By-Law 143-2000.

AND that funding be provided from the 2004 Capital Budget - Account Number 049-5350-6327-005.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to obtain approval from Council for the CIO to obtain the GEAC CAD Mapping software component for the Fire Department Dispatch system, and related implementation and maintenance services and items from the preferred supplier, GEAC (the supplier of the Fire Dispatch system), rather than to seek further proposals.

BACKGROUND:

The Town of Markham Fire Department has been operating the existing text-based GEAC Dispatch system since 1987. The system is reliable, but interaction is primarily through the keyboard and text-based display. When calls are received, the exact locations must be determined by using time-consuming text-based searches for street names and manual lookups on printed (paper) maps. The status and location of fire apparatus is displayed in a text format combined with colour codes that must be recognized by the dispatchers.

The manual nature of the current interface and the lack of readily available graphical mapping on the system is inefficient, adds complexity, and can significantly increase Fire Department response times to unfamiliar addresses. A solution to add graphical mapping capabilities is required to improve effectiveness, streamline the dispatch process, reduce response times and potentially save lives.

To identify an appropriate solution for the requirement to add computer based graphical mapping capabilities, a project team comprising staff from Fire Services and ITS conducted an extensive investigation. The team analyzed requirements, researched dispatch and mapping systems in use elsewhere, investigated alternatives, and analyzed the feasibility and appropriateness of available mapping solutions.

The team also looked into dispatch methods at the Region of York and the current 911 system to ensure that the chosen solution was the best option available at this time to meet the needs of the Town and leverage the technology currently available.

The team reviewed the performance over the years of the Town’s current vendor, GEAC, and determined that GEAC has maintained the reliability of the crucial Fire dispatch system, has consistently provided quality service, and has established an excellent working relationship with the Town.

OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:

The evaluation of alternatives for a mapping module focused on a solution that would provide the features, reliability and functional requirements identified by the project team. The solution needed to be easy to use and maintain, and it was imperative that it would easily integrate with the existing text-based dispatch system. A final key criterion was that the vendor must be guaranteed to be able to provide consistent, reliable support and top quality service.

The project team reviewed the performance record of GEAC with the Town and the features of the GEAC mapping solution. The review indicated that GEAC readily fulfilled the requirements and criteria that had been established. Among the alternatives, the GEAC solution provided the most benefit and was clearly the best fit and the most cost effective solution for the Fire Department’s needs.

The Town of Markham’s Purchasing By-Law 143-2000 Section 27 provides that, where the Chief Administration Officer and the appropriate Commissioner deem it necessary or in the best interests of the Town to acquire services from a preferred supplier or from a supplier who has a proven track record with the Town in terms of pricing, quality and service, Council approval must be obtained in order to acquire the services from the preferred supplier rather that to seek proposals.

Based on their performance since 1987 as the vendor of the Town’s Fire dispatch system, GEAC has established a proven track record with the Town in terms of pricing, quality and service. Their proven performance, the quality of their software mapping solution, and the additional considerations outlined below, support the selection of GEAC as the preferred supplier to provide the GEAC CAD Mapping component for the Fire Department Dispatch system.

The benefits for selecting GEAC’s solution include:

• The GEAC mapping module provides the features, reliability and functionality required, and strategically positions the dispatch software to take advantage of future advancements. It allows identification of caller location through Automatic Number and Location Identifiers in the 911 system, provides site-specific geographic data, supports cell phone positioning information, facilitates the future implementation of Automated Vehicle Location, and is configurable with tailored reporting capabilities.
• GEAC’s user interface is well designed and easy to use. Caller location and address information is shown clearly in a graphical map format. The display shows all data visually on screen, removing the requirement to interpret text-based data, and eliminating the reliance on paper maps. These factors will minimize the learning curve required for dispatch staff and allow benefits to be realized immediately;
• The GEAC solution will support the Town’s Corporate Growth Management initiatives. The reduced response times made possible by the mapping module will effectively increase the run area that can be reached from an individual Fire Station in an acceptable time. This could potentially delay the requirements for additional Fire Stations, resulting in significant cost savings for the Town.
• The GEAC mapping module will integrate easily with the existing text-based dispatch system, also from GEAC. Since GEAC produces both products, the mapping module has been designed specifically for use with the dispatch system, and is essentially an upgrade to the existing system. Use of the GEAC solution will ensure data consolidation is facilitated and conversion issues are minimized, leading to a seamless transition;
• Use of the GEAC solution will ensure that GEAC is the single support vendor for all aspects of the Fire dispatch system, averting the need to deal with multiple vendors. This will avoid coordination issues required when multiple vendors are involved in resolving a problem, and will minimize downtime. This is extremely important for a system as crucial as Fire dispatch.
• Use of the GEAC solution will enable the Town to continue to benefit from GEAC’s excellent service and support record, and the solid working relationship they have established with the Town. GEAC has demonstrated that they understand existing Town systems and the requirements of the Fire Department, and can deliver significant benefits. Discussion with other organizations using the GEAC mapping module have confirmed consistent satisfaction with GEAC’s software and service.

In light of GEAC’s proven track record with the Town, and the additional considerations discussed above, ITS recommends that the GEAC CAD Mapping component and related items and services for the Fire Department Dispatch system be obtained from GEAC.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Funding will be provided from the 2004 Capital Budget - Account Number 049-5350-6327-005, to an upset limit of $132,518 (including 8% PST).

Costs will be distributed as shown below:

Cost Item	Description	Amount
Software	GEAC Mapping Component Supporting Software Components (Third Party - supplied by GEAC)	$39,825 $19,805
Consulting	Project Management & Consulting	$10,800
Training	Application software, map & grid building	$28,080
Ongoing Maintenance/year	GEAC Mapping Third Party (supplied by GEAC)	$8,364 $4,555
Other	Travel Expenses & Shipping	$11,273
Estimated Project Cost		$122,702
PST (8%)		$9,816
Total Cost		$132,518

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

Through their participation on the Project team, Fire Services was consulted and provided input.

Don McClean Fire Chief

Jim Sales Commissioner of Community and Fire Services

James Allen Chief Information Officer

Andy Taylor Commissioner of Corporate Services

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