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On March 29, 1999, confirmation was received from Inter -Tel, the State Contract Provider of the Courthouse telephone systems, that there were no more planned upgrades for 1999 to the software that would be needed for the voice mail systems at the Courthouse. In a memorandum from the Telecommunications Division to the Budget Office, dated that same day, the cost of the upgrade of the three individual systems, the time frames for the upgrade, and the ongoing investigation of a solution for the call handling problems at the Courthouse were discussed. As discussions continued with Inter -Tel on what could be done to fix the problem with call handling at the Courthouse, price quotes for a new telephone system were requested from BellSouth. The quotes from BellSouth, received April 6, 1999, put the cost of a new NEC system between $150,000 and $200,000. What drove the price of the system so high was the need to change all the telephone sets since the existing telephone sets are proprietary Inter -Tel instruments. Inter -Tel indicated th-V it m-- , be bible to vtnusee the P-"—ct!%a tPt setg with R LrWW Inter -Tel A7OCESS system, but m order to properly quote a new system, a user survey would have to be completed The user survey was completed and repand to Inter -Tel on May 4, 1999 and a field visit with representatives from Inter Tel took place on May 17, 1999. As a result of the field visit, Inter -Tel reported that there was no reasonable way to significantly improve the calling patterns at the Courthouse using the existing systems and that they would proceed with the design of one new system. The price quote of $111,181 for that system was received July 6, 1999. This system was sized only to match the current system capacities; a final system configuration would likely cost approximately $130,000. With a valid complaint on the functionality of the Courthouse telephone system, to put more money into that inadequate system may seem foolish. However, to spend $130,000 to replace a system that is working, although not the way we wish it would, is a costly step in light of some changes on the horizon Although it is not a practical solution for the Courthouse today, IP (Internet Protocol) telephony is becoming more popular and practical. Many industry analysts believe IP telephony will become the norm in a couple of years and will be a more economical solution than what is offered with the traditional circuit switched technology. Although not confirmed, more competitive pricing on NEC products may be available in the future to government agencies through a contract being negotiated with Broward County. An NEC switch in the Courthouse with CCIS (Common Channel Interface Signaling) would be a step toward a countywide numbering plan with increased redundancy, greater configuration flexibility, and improved i true- icy connectivity. RECOMMENDATION: Although the best solution for the commuunicatiions problems at the Courthouse would be one new system, staff recommends spending $11,610 to have Inter -Tel upgrade the three existing individual voice mail/au to -attendant systems. Funds to accomplish this upgrade were a part of Budget Amendment 014 which was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on April 20, 1999. This will fix the Y2K problem but not the call handling problems. Staff plans to monitor industry trends and evaluate possible solutions with the goal of proposing a fix for the Courthouse communications system in the future. JULY 209 1999 ON MOTION by Commissioner Adams,- SECONDED dams,SECONDED by Commissioner Ginn, the Board unanimously approved the expenditure of $11,610 to have Inter -Tel upgrade the 3 existing individual voice mail/auto-attendant systems, as recommended by staff. -11- BOOK PAGE /:Li