Primary Department: District Attorney
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Sean Teare, District Attorney
Managing Department: District Attorney
Managing Department Head/Elected Official: Sean Teare, District Attorney
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Investment Memo
Investment Memo Type: Final Investment Memo
Project Name: District Attorney’s Office Forensic Workstation Replenishment
Project ID (if applicable): TBD
Vendor Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Achievement (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Incremental Authorization Requested: $254,880
Total Estimated Project Cost: $254,880
Request Summary:
title
Request for approval of a Final Investment Memo for the District Attorney’s Office Forensic Workstation Replenishment project for an amount of $254,880 and commercial paper funding in the amount of $255,000.
end
Project Description:
This project involves the replacement of end-of-life hardware and equipment for a District Attorney's office, with a focus on specialized forensic workstations and Faraday boxes. These upgrades will enhance the office's ability to manage complex investigations, streamline data analysis, and improve security for sensitive information. The initial request will include 10 forensic workstations, but there will be a phased replacement plan every two years. By replacing two workstations annually, all Digital Forensics Investigation personnel will eventually have access to machines no older than three years, ensuring consistent performance and efficiency for forensic extractions. Forensic workstations are essential machines for the digital forensics team to operate.
Anticipated Project Expenditures and Timeline:
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Project Scope Breakdown |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Completion |
|
10 Incident Response Workstations |
$244,800 |
2026 |
|
Faraday Box |
$10,080 |
2026 |
|
Total |
$254,880 |
- |
Justification & Alternatives:
This project is crucial for ensuring that the Harris County District Attorney's office can continue to operate at its highest level of efficiency and security in handling digital forensics investigations. The replacement of end-of-life hardware, particularly specialized forensic workstations, directly addresses several critical needs, such as Enhanced Efficiency in Complex Investigations, as well as Scalability and Long-Term Planning.
The alternative to this project would result in the immediate expensing of costs related to equipment and hardware replacements in the year incurred. This will put us at greater risk of being unable to stay up to date with the changing technological landscape of evidence gathering, which is an integral part of our building and prosecuting our cases. This decreased efficiency will have a resonating impact across current operations, as well as, future strategic initiatives.
Anticipated Impact on Other Funds (If Applicable):
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Fund Code |
Description |
Estimated Cost |
Funding Method (Existing or Future Budget Request Required) |
Estimated Date of Needs |
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$- |
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County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Objective: E: Increase efficiency across the legal system.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): E1: Modernize data and technology architecture across the legal system.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Decision Analysis Matrix Score (rubric on last page): 14
Previous Court Action:
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Address:
Precinct(s): Choose an item.
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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Commercial Paper |
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Total Current Budget |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request |
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Commercial Paper |
$ |
$255,000 |
$255,000 |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$255,000 |
$255,000 |
$ |
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Total Funding Request |
$ |
$255,000 |
$255,000 |
$ |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
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Additional Positions Request |
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Total Personnel |
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Anticipated Court Date: 5/8/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Legal funding compliance confirmed by: Paige Abernathy, Assistant County Attorney, 4/15/2025
Department Approval by: Amiel Chen, CFO, DAO 04142025
OMB CIP Team Approval by: William McGuinness, Director-Capital Projects & Infrastructure, 4/21/2025
Commercial Paper Request (For OMB use only):
Receiving Department: District Attorney
Project PeopleSoft ID: TBD
CP Series Description: Commercial Paper Series D can be used for (1) construction of public works, (2) the purchase of automobiles, equipment and machinery, including computers, materials and supplies for the operation of the County’s precincts and departments (3) Professional services, including services provided by engineers, architects, attorneys, auditors, financial advisors, and fiscal agents, in connection with the contractual obligations described in (1) and (2).
Commercial Paper is being requested for the District Attorney’s Office Forensic Workstation Replenishment project and is expected to be repaid within the next three fiscal years either through bonds, budgetary means or pay-as-you-go sources.
Note: Commercial Paper is issued in increments of $5,000 and the excess is not available to be spent by the department.
OMB Financial Management contact: Amy Perez, Deputy Executive Director, Office of Management and Budget
Decision Analysis Matrix scoring tool - Commissioners Court has approved the rubric below for scoring capital projects. Please complete the last two rows for OMB review.
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Scoring option |
Strategic Plan alignment (3x weighting) |
Evidence base |
Impact on outcomes |
Cost effectiveness |
Ease of implementation |
Collaboration / partnerships |
Environmental sustainability |
Equity |
Total |
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-1 |
Antithetical to one or more aspects of the Strategic Plan |
Evidence shows net negative impact on the intended goal |
Impact is clearly negative |
Costs expected (or shown) to outweigh benefits |
County has no/limited existing capabilities and dependencies are likely to impede |
Could negatively impact relationships with partners |
Negatively impacts environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Inequitable |
n/a |
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0 |
Does not align to a Strategic Objective |
Evidence base is not well defined or measurable |
Size of impact on one or more strategic outcomes is negligible or unclear |
Net comparison is unclear |
County has no/limited existing capabilities or dependencies are likely to impede |
Does not involve collaboration with partners |
Net neutral impact on environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Does not consider equity to a meaningful degree |
n/a |
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1 |
Aligns to a Strategic Objective but not to a Strategic Initiative |
Limited evidence-based research on outcomes; may have qualitative/theoretical support |
Outcomes are defined but without target levels and/or expected impact is moderate |
Moderate direct/indirect benefit relative to costs |
County has existing capability to implement or dependencies are unlikely to impede |
Moderately expands County leverage through collaboration with partner(s) |
Marginally positive impact on environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Considers equity to a meaningful degree, but not comprehensively |
n/a |
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2 |
Aligns to a Strategic Objective and a Strategic Initiative |
Outcomes are directly supported by evidence base or credible research supports anticipated outcomes |
Outcomes are clearly defined and include target levels; expected impact on outcomes is high |
Significant direct/indirect benefit relative to costs |
County has existing capability to implement and dependencies are unlikely to impede |
Significantly expands County leverage through collaboration with partner(s) |
Positively impacts environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Considers equity meaningfully and comprehensively |
n/a |
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Score (-1,0,1,2) |
6 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
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Rationale |
It will increase efficiency and modernize technology. |
Output measures can be provided to justify impacts on intended goals. |
DFI division can provide evidence showing the integral need of these workstations, if needed. |
The entire DAO as well as other HC departments rely on the work performed on these workstations to build cases. |
The current workstations operate in a similar manner, aside from upcoming obsolescence. |
Other county departments have used DFI’s work to assist in their own operations. |
N/A |
N/A |
n/a |