Primary Department: Purchasing
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Paige McInnis
Secondary Department: District Clerk
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Marilyn Burgess
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Purchase Order
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): CDW Government LLC
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: Exempt - Interlocal/Cooperative Agreement
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Choose an item.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval of The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS) purchase on the basis of low quote from CDW Government LLC in the amount of $274,900 for battery backup replacement for the District Clerk's Office, Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: Exempt - Interlocal/Cooperative Agreement.
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Background and Discussion:
The Harris County District Clerk’s Office (DCO) identified the urgent need to replace the existing Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system supporting the Civil Courthouse Data Center following a routine lifecycle and risk review by the IT Disaster Recovery and Infrastructure teams. The current UPS system, installed in 2005, has reached end-of-life status and is no longer eligible for manufacturer support or guaranteed access to replacement parts. This poses a significant operational risk to the County’s justice system.
In the course of evaluating replacement options, extensive discussions were held internally and with vendors around modern UPS technologies, scalability, lifecycle cost, system redundancy, physical installation constraints, and compatibility with the courthouse’s electrical infrastructure. Considerations also included the system's ability to integrate with existing building emergency generators, support for battery management systems, real-time monitoring capabilities, and maintainability over time.
Vendors were assessed not only on price but also on technical specifications, warranty terms, installation logistics, ability to meet a tight implementation timeline, and long-term service support. Particular focus was placed on minimizing disruption to ongoing courthouse operations during the cutover process. Security, compliance, and vendor responsiveness were also key factors.
Stakeholders consulted included representatives from IT, Facilities, Legal, and Purchasing, along with courthouse operations staff. The decision to pursue this capital project reflects a consensus across departments that the County must proactively modernize its critical power infrastructure to protect judicial services and meet future demand.
Expected Impact:
The new UPS system will have a transformative impact on the operational resilience and disaster readiness of the Harris County Civil Courthouse Data Center. It will:
Ensure uninterrupted power delivery to servers, storage systems, and networking equipment that support essential court operations, preventing data loss and unplanned outages during power disruptions.
Enhance business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities, reinforcing the County’s ability to maintain justice services during grid failures, natural disasters, or building emergencies.
Extend support coverage through a new service agreement that includes maintenance, monitoring, and access to replacement parts and expert technical support.
Improve energy efficiency and reduce heat output compared to the legacy system, aligning with green IT goals.
Modernize monitoring capabilities, providing real-time system health analytics, proactive fault detection, and streamlined alerting that allows for faster response during critical incidents.
Reduce long-term operational risk by replacing unsupported legacy hardware with a system designed for today’s IT demands.
By securing the power backbone of the County’s justice systems, this project ensures continuity for courts, law enforcement, and legal professionals while strengthening public confidence in digital government services.
Alternative Options:
Several alternatives were considered and ultimately ruled out due to feasibility, cost, or risk exposure:
Extend the life of the current UPS system:
This was deemed too risky. The existing system is over 19 years old and has already exceeded its intended service life. Continued use would leave the data center vulnerable to unplanned outages, with no vendor support or reliable access to replacement parts.
Relocate the data center to a third-party facility (e.g., colocation or cloud-hosted solution):
While viable long-term, this option presents substantial near-term challenges, including legal constraints (e.g., Tex. Gov’t Code § 51.304(a)), high capital investment, and a multi-year migration effort. It would not address the immediate need to secure power continuity in the current facility.
Deploy distributed UPS units across server racks:
This solution was dismissed due to its lack of centralized management, limited capacity, inefficiencies in power distribution, and increased complexity in maintaining consistent coverage during large-scale power failures.
Lease a temporary UPS solution:
This was considered cost-inefficient and logistically unfit for long-term operation. Temporary solutions also carry risks related to integration, uptime guarantees, and limited feature sets.
Ultimately, the selected replacement project represents the most practical, scalable, and fiscally responsible option, addressing both short- and long-term continuity requirements while aligning with Harris County’s strategic IT and infrastructure goals.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 2. Connect our community with safe, reliable, equitably distributed, and well-maintained infrastructure.
County Strategic Plan Objective: R: Enhance disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resiliency.
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
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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5/22/2025 |
126 |
Final Investment Memo Approved |
Location:
Address (if applicable): Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline, Second Floor, Room 230, Houston, Texas, 77002
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
Information Technology |
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Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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Commercial Paper |
$ |
$274,900.00 |
$274,900.00 |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
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Total Existing Budget |
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$274,900.00 |
$274,900.00 |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
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Total Funding Sources |
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$274,900.00 |
$274,900.00 |
$ |
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Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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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: 8/26/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Disaster Recovery related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Wes McCoy, Chief Deputy of Administration; Judith Snively, Chief Deputy of Courts; Jason Cantu, Information Technology Manager; Araceli Carrizales, Financial Services Administrator; Matthew McGarrity, Sourcing Manager, Purchasing.
Attachments (if applicable): Letter