Posting Language
Title
Approve an ordinance amending the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Austin Technology Services Department Capital Budget (Ordinance No. 20250813-005) to increase appropriations by $27,600,000 for the Austin Public Safety handheld radio modernization project. Funding: Funding is available from the future issuance of tax-exempt general obligation bonds.
Body
Lead Department
Austin Technology Services.
Fiscal Note
Funding is available from the future issuance of tax-exempt general obligation bonds. A fiscal note is attached.
Procurement Language:
Sole Source.
MBE/WBE:
Sole source contracts are exempt from the City Code Chapter 2-9 B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program); therefore, no subcontracting goals were established.
For More Information:
Kerrica Laake, Chief Information Officer, Kerrica.Laake@austintexas.gov <mailto:Kerrica.Laake@austintexas.gov>.
Additional Backup Information:
One of the mission essential functions of Austin Technology Services is to operate and maintain the Greater Austin-Travis Regional Radio System (GATRRS).
This item supports the purchase of 2,700 Public Safety handheld radios to transition from the APX 8000 model to the APX NEXT model. The Motorola APX NEXT portable radio will allow Public Safety first responders to communicate on radio sites connected to GATRRS core and interoperate with state and national interop channels. The APX NEXT portable radios will also allow the user to access GATRRS channels via Long Term Evolution or Wi-Fi connection, if GATRRS radio coverage is unavailable. When City Public Safety first responders are deployed outside of the City of Austin and the Travis County area to provide mutual aid, if equipped with the APX Next, the user will have communication back to the Austin core via the SmartConnect feature that relies on Long Term Evolution or Wi-Fi backhaul, allowing the City’s first responders to communicate without impacting tower capacity in these outlying areas.