PRESENTER: Presenter
Dr. Robert Lee, Airport Director
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SUBJECT: Title
Approval of a contract with DBT Transportation Services, LLC for upgrade to the Voice Communication Control System for the Control Tower at the New Braunfels Regional Airport in the amount of $128,213.
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DEPARTMENT: Airport
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: [Enter Text Here]
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
New Braunfels Regional Airport (NBRA) is a Class D controlled airfield. Silver State Helicopters (SS) constructed the Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) in 2007 for its training operations, and the City acquired the facility upon SS’s bankruptcy in 2008.
The voice communication control system is the original equipment installed in 2007 and has reached obsolescence. The equipment is subject to increasing need for repairs and maintenance with the risk of having a complete system failure likely in the near future. Ongoing maintenance and repairs are hampered by the lack of parts availability due to the age of the equipment. The voice communication control system (VCCS) requires upgrading the existing Liberty Star system to avoid a total replacement, (hardware, software, displays, wiring, infrastructure) of the entire VCCS throughout the Control Tower. A total replacement would result in a much more costly alternative and severely impact ATCT operations. Replacing the VCCS will update the ATCT to state-of-the-art equipment with a parts inventory capable of sustaining the functionality of the ATCT into the next decade.
The VCCS Processors, hardware and software of existing system can only be upgraded by Harris ATC. Harris ATC is the only source for approved compatible parts for the VCCS and DBT Transportation Services is Harris ATC’s only certified distributor and installer which qualifies this purchase is a sole source purchase. The total cost of the upgrade, installation and support services is $128,213.
ISSUE:
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FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost of the upgrade, installation and support services is $128,213. In the FY 2021 Adopted Budget, the 2011 Certificates of Obligation Fund includes funding for Airport Improvements. Within that project budget, there is sufficient funding to support the purchase as described above.
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the purchase.