(May 6)  The board of supervisors this week transferred further spending authority with regard to the county’s  $95.6 million upgrading of its public safety radio system from information services director Jennifer Hilber to county chief executive officer Greg Devereaux.
Last December 17, the board approved contract amendments with Motorola Solutions, Inc. (formerly Motorola, Inc.) and Aviat U.S., Inc. in an amount not to exceed $77,864,106 for equipment and $17,780,680 for implementation for a total of $95,644,786 to upgrade the County’s Public Safety Radio System to the digital Project 25 standard and to extend the agreement from the current term of January 27, 2009 through January 26, 2016, to the new term of January 27, 2009 to December 31, 2020.
At that time, the board designated authority to Hilber, as the chief information officer, to approve and sign change orders to the Motorola/Aviat U.S., Inc. agreements as they pertain to minor changes of the scope of work and timing of the project as needed, subject to review and approval by County Counsel.
This week, at Hilber’s recommendation, the board  designated chief county executive officer Greg Devereaux as the authorized representative to approve and sign change orders as they pertain to the reallocation of project funding, subject to review by county counsel.
The total contract amount remains unchanged.
Hilber did not explain why she wanted the authority transferred to Devereaux other than to state that it will “ensure project efficiency” and “will streamline the complex radio upgrade project, which is expected to undergo various changes to the scope of work throughout the contract term, including the reallocation of project funding, and timing of the project. Such designation of authority will avoid delays to critical project timelines and ensure funds are reallocated efficiently and timely to maintain the project’s budget.”