TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Meg Ragan, Chief Technology Officer - Information Technology Services
REPORT BY: Elena Guzmán, Staff Services Analyst II
SUBJECT: Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 230035B with AMS.NET for continued technical support services
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve and authorize Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 230035B with AMS.NET, Inc. increasing the contract amount from $70,000 to $100,000 for continued maintenance and support of the County’s critical Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone system and network infrastructure. (Fiscal Impact: $30,000 Expense; Information Technology Services; Budgeted; Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
The County’s Cisco Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone system has over 1,600 devices processing an average of 15,000 calls per business day. It has become a critical communications system and in certain departments operating 24-hours a day, seven days a week. AMS.NET was selected to implement the original VoIP system in 2003, 2017, and again in 2022. They have extensive knowledge of the County’s VoIP system and network infrastructure.
AMS.NET has provided the County with VoIP upgrades, support, network infrastructure assistance, software licensing, and security-camera integration services under several prior agreements. County ITS staff work with the vendor on complex configurations, repairs, reconfigurations, and troubleshooting involving both hardware and software, their support is vital to the County’s telephony system and infrastructure.
On June 21, 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved Agreement No. 230035B with AMS.NET for the term of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025, for VoIP telephone systems technical support services. This agreement allowed ITS to continue to utilize AMS.NET on an as-needed basis for maintenance and technical support covering both software and hardware vital to the County’s phone system.
On June 24, 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 230035B for continued utilization of AMS.NET for specific infrastructure and telephony related projects, as well as to continue to utilize them on an as-needed basis, and extending the term through June 30, 2028, and increasing the contact amount by $20,000 for a new maximum of $70,000.
Amendment No. 2 will increase the contract maximum by $30,000, allowing County staff to continue utilizing AMS.NET on an as-needed basis. This will help maintain the reliability of the County’s critical telephone system and avoid disruptions to essential County operations. Reducing potential for outages beyond the County’s ability to resolve in a timely manner and preventing delays in diagnosing more complex situations. The additional $30,000 is currently budgeted in the Information Technology Services budget.
Requested Action:
Approve and authorize Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 230035B with AMS.NET increasing the maximum compensation by $30,000 for a new maximum of $100,000.
FISCAL IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Information Technology Services, under the following subdivisions: Network Operations 4200002 and Telephony 4200012 |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Approval of this amendment will allow AMS.NET to provide continued maintenance and technical support on an as-needed basis. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
Ongoing and future expenses will continue to be budgeted in the Telephony and Network Operations subdivisions under ITS. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If not approved, County staff can lack timely assistance for particularly complex issues, increasing the risk of prolonged phone-system outages affecting internal and external County communications |
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Additional Information |
Strategic Initiative: Integrity & Collaboration |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.