Department: District Courts
Department Head: Richard Woods
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Investment Memo
Investment Memo Type: Final Investment Memo
Project Name: Criminal Courthouse Audio/Video Systems Upgrade
Project ID (if applicable):
Vendor Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Achievement (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Managing Entity: (1) The Administrative Office of the District Courts and (2) the Harris County Office of Court Management
Incremental Authorization Requested: $7,161,000
Total Estimated Project Cost: $7,207,750
Request Summary:
title
Request for approval of the Final Investment Memo for the Criminal Courthouse Audio/Video Systems Upgrade project for an additional authorization of $7,161,000 for a total authorization of $7,207,750.
end
Project Description:
This project aims to upgrade the courtroom’s evidence presentation systems in the Harris County Criminal Courthouse. The upgrade will replace audio-visual technology that has been in use for thirteen years, which practitioners rely on daily. This upgrade will make the courtroom not only more reliable but also state-of-the-art. Additionally, the project will enable seamless integration with video conferencing platforms. This integration will facilitate exceptional audio quality, video hearings, remote testimonies, and manage overflow from the courtrooms, thereby offering greater access to the Courts.
This project is the second of two A/V system replacement projects proposed in a previously approved preliminary investment memo which funded the design for building-wide courtroom A/V system replacements in the Harris County Civil Courthouse and the Harris County Criminal Justice Center.
Project Scope:
This project will replace all existing courtroom audio/video systems in the Criminal Courthouse, which includes twenty-four (26) Criminal District Courts, three (3) hearing rooms, sixteen (16) County Criminal Courts, and one (1) Ceremonial Courtroom, for a total of forty-six (46) courtrooms.
Each courtroom will be under construction for between one and two weeks. Courts will schedule around project construction, the details of which will vary between courts and court divisions. No additional cost is expected in relation to this scheduling.
All systems will be identical in terms of design, components, and functionality, except for the Ceremonial Courtroom on the 20th floor and the three hearing rooms. The Ceremonial Courtroom will have a system very similar to the other courtrooms but adjusted for its larger size. This includes additional microphones, speakers, attorney table monitors, and longer audio and video cables. The hearing rooms will also have similar systems but scaled down to fit their smaller size, without jury boxes or the same number of displays.
The scope of this project will include the following core system components:
• System Control: Crestron touch panel control screens will allow the judge and attorneys to control the evidence presented to the system, which displays it is presented on, and the audio system for the room.
• Video: The system includes a 98” display located at the end of the jury box and one 65” display on each side of the courtroom for voir dire and the audience. There are Individual LCD displays for the judge’s bench, counsel tables, witness stand, and court reporter station. Annotation capabilities exist for the witness displays and the counsel tables. All displays can receive system output as a group, or with different content on each group of displays. Video inputs include several digital interfaces for laptops and other digital sources located at attorney tables, as well as a document camera.
• Audio: The backbone of the audio systems is the BiAmp Tesira audio platform, including a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and associated components. All existing speakers are being replaced with newer models and shielded cabling. Microphones will be installed at the judge’s bench, counsel tables, witness stand, sidebar location, and ceiling-mounted microphones above the audience, primarily for voir dire. The system can emit white noise for sidebar conferences. The court reporter station includes a headphone jack and USB digital audio output. Audio systems include assisted listening infrared transmitters and receivers. These infrared transmitters and receivers will also enhance the capability for language interpretation inside the courtroom.
• Remote Proceedings: Each system includes three cameras for virtual and hybrid proceedings. Two cameras are ceiling-mounted, together capturing the entire courtroom (except for the jury), and the third is bench-mounted and gallery-facing to capture bench proceedings.
Justification:
Two primary justifications exist for this project: (1) industry-standard technologies have changed from analog to digital equipment, and (2) the age of the existing system. The original installation of the system was completed in 1999 when the Criminal Courthouse building construction was completed. The existing systems were upgraded in 2011.
(1) Changing Technology: Legal practitioners and jurors in the courts have come to rely on the availability of evidence presentation systems to conduct trials and hearings. Increasingly, the high-definition content and laptops brought into the courts are incompatible with the current display systems. Implementing this project would result in lower long-term equipment support costs; currently, repair costs are rising, and analog video components are increasingly difficult to procure. The current systems are based on outdated analog video technology and will not support newer laptops and other devices designed to present only digital video (HDMI or Display port).
Harris County courts pioneered virtual appearance capabilities early in the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an opportunity to enhance access to courts for any purpose, and for many years to come. These systems will include permanent virtual appearance capabilities to the benefit of both normal and emergency operations.
(2) State of Disrepair: Existing systems are in varying states of disrepair caused by the age of current analog and obsolete technologies. Finding replacement parts for the current technologies is very difficult and repair costs are exorbitant. Many courtrooms have inoperable audio or video components. A system-wide replacement will result in cost savings in terms of supportability, and improved system reliability.
Alternatives and Engagement:
There are no alternatives to this project as proposed. It has been deemed necessary by District Courts, County Courts, and county officials both inside and outside of the justice environment. This project has already been delayed multiple times due to funding challenges, Hurricane Harvey, and the COVID19 pandemic. Any further delay is not an option and puts the courts at high risk of having a significant interruption in court operations and backlog reduction efforts, all of which depend on reliable technology needed for evidence presentation.
Anticipated Project Expenditures and Timeline:
|
Scope of Work |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Completion |
|
Design, build bid package, advertise project, RFP process, and award contract |
$46,750 |
Already CIP Funded |
|
Equipment cost |
$5,203,000 |
FY2025 |
|
Contracted labor cost (first half of project) |
$649,000 |
FY2025 |
|
Contracted labor cost (project completion) |
$649,000 |
FY2025 |
|
Contingency |
$660,000 |
|
|
Total |
$7,207,750 |
|
Alignment with Goal(s):
X Justice and Safety
X Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
_ Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
_ Environment
X Governance and Customer Service
Previous Court Action:
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
May 11, 2021 |
168 |
Vote in favor (unanimous) of “Request by the Harris County District Courts, Harris County Courts at Law, Administrative Office of the District Courts, and Office of Court Management for approval of funding for the estimated cost for final design work for Audio/Video systems in the Civil and Criminal Courthouses: $35,000 for system design and specification for Audio/Video systems in the Harris County Civil Courthouse and $35,000 for system design and specifications for Audio/Video systems in the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, for a total Preliminary Investment of $70,000 for both projects.” |
Address: 201 Caroline St, Houston, TX 77002
Precinct(s): Precinct 1
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
|
|
|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
Existing Budget |
|
|
|
|
|
Other |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request |
|
|
Commercial Paper |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Commercial Paper |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Funding Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Court Date: August 27, 2024
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date):
Legal funding compliance confirmed by: Paige Abernathy, Assistant County Attorney, 8/15/2024
Department Approval by: Richard Woods, District Courts Administrator
OMB CIP Team Approval by: William McGuinness, Director - Capital Projects and Infrastructure, 8/15/2024
Commercial Paper Request (For OMB use only):
Receiving Department: Choose an item.
Project PeopleSoft ID:
CP Series Description:
OMB Financial Management contact: