Primary Department: Universal Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Sindhu Menon, Executive Director and CIO
Managing Department: Universal Services
Managing Department Head/Elected Official: Sindhu Menon, Executive Director and CIO
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Investment Memo
Investment Memo Type: Final Investment Memo
Project Name: Networking Repair and Replace
Project ID (if applicable): NI009
Vendor Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
5MWBE 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): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Incremental Authorization Requested: $2,253,000
Total Estimated Project Cost: $11,513,000 (FY26 & FY27)
Request Summary:
title
Request for approval of the Final Investment Memo for the Networking Repair and Replace project for an incremental authorization of $2,253,000 for a total authorization of $5,233,000 for FY 2026.
end
Project Description:
This project replaces end-of-life network equipment including routers, switches, firewalls, load-balancers, remote-access VPN, wireless access points, IP Television, Video Conferencing and related solutions within the data centers and across 200+ locations. Network equipment is replaced on an approximate 7-year cycle requiring replacement of approximately 400 switches and 500 wireless access points per year. Data center network systems would continuously need to be expanded in capacity due to the constant increase of the County’s needs.
Anticipated Project Expenditures and Timeline:
|
Project Scope Breakdown |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Completion |
|
Infoblox Refresh |
$125,000 |
03/31/2026 |
|
Aruba Wireless to Aruba Central – In the Cloud |
$1,800,000 |
09/30/2026 |
|
Replace branch office Uninterruptible Power Supplies (approx. 50)
|
$120,000 |
09/30/2026 |
|
Replace branch office wireless Access Points (approx. 1400)
|
$973,000 |
09/30/2026 |
|
Network Segmentation Switches/Refresh -Buildings |
$1,115,000 |
09/30/2026 |
|
Network Segmentation Firewalls |
$1,100,000 |
09/30/2026 |
|
FY26 Total Authorization |
$5,233,000 |
|
|
Unencumbered existing project balance to carry into FY26 |
($2,980,000) |
|
|
Total |
$2,253,000 |
|
Justification & Alternatives:
Harris County has a significant amount of network equipment including but not limited to switches, wireless access points, and microwave infrastructure. These items need to be refreshed periodically to minimize equipment no longer supported by the vendor. Most of this equipment is located in sites outside the data center and some is already unsupported. Some refresh and capacity increases are required in the data centers to support the branch office refresh described.
Having a lifecycle-based repair and replace strategy will keep us from having unsupported equipment as well as ensure security and software updates continue to be provided as technology evolves. This in turn helps ensure scalability, reliability, and network security that supports access to all internal and external Harris County applications, the Internet, and connectivity to non-County agencies sharing data with the County.
Maintaining vendor supportability of the network equipment is essential for cybersecurity best practices, and Texas DPS compliance for law enforcement.
Alternatives
Failure to refresh the network equipment and services will lead to loss of compliance, increased mean time to recover from failures, degraded performance, and decreased availability of Information Technology systems including JWeb, CAD/RMS, STARs, etc.
Anticipated Impact on Other Funds (If Applicable):
|
Fund Code |
Description |
Estimated Cost |
Funding Method
(Existing or Future Budget Request Required) |
Estimated Date of Needs |
|
|
|
$- |
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- |
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$- |
|
- |
|
Total |
|
$- |
|
- |
County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Objective: N/A
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Decision Analysis Matrix Score (rubric on last page): 18
Previous Court Action:
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
1/5/2016 |
2.e.2 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $2,532,000 |
|
5/9/2017 |
4.e.2 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $2,100,000 |
|
7/10/2018 |
6.b.4 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $2,100,000 |
|
11/12/2019 |
4.g.5 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $3,285,000 |
|
11/9/2021 |
21-6074 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $1,905,000 |
|
2/22/2022 |
22-1280 |
Request for an additional incremental authorization of $2,720,000 for a SFY 2022 authorization of $3,700,000. |
|
3/8/2022 |
22-1759 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $800,000 |
|
6/14/2022 |
22-3513 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $1,920,000 |
|
8/23/2022 |
22-4957 |
Request for an additional incremental authorization of $3,900,000, FY23 total authorization of $6,918,419 |
|
10/18/2022 |
22-6320 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $1,950,000 |
|
7/18/2023 |
23-3952 |
Request for an additional incremental authorization of $3,400,000 for FY24 |
|
10/10/2023 |
23-5836 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding $500,000 for a total of $14,560,000 |
|
2/27/2024 |
24-0862 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding $1,400,000 |
|
8/6/2024 |
3.b.5 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $1,140,000 |
Address:
Precinct(s): Choose an item.
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
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Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request |
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Commercial Paper |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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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: 8/26/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 10/1/2025
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Legal funding compliance confirmed by: Paige Abernathy, Special Assistant County Attorney, 7/22/2025
Department Approval by:
OMB CIP Team Approval by: William McGuinness, Director—Capital Projects & Infrastructure, 8/6/2025
________________________________________
Commercial Paper Request (For OMB use only):
Receiving Department: N/A
Project PeopleSoft ID: N/A
CP Series Description: N/A
OMB Financial Management contact: N/A
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.
|
Scoring option |
Strategic Plan alignment (3x weighting) |
Evidence base |
Impact on outcomes |
Cost effectiveness |
Ease of implementation |
Collaboration /
partnerships |
Environmental
sustainability |
Equity |
Total |
|
-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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
Score (-1,0,1,2) |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
|
Rationale |
Enhance operational efficiency and reliability.
Modernize IT infrastructure to support business continuity and scalability.
|
Improved Reliability and Uptime
Enhanced Security Posture
Scalability and Future-Proofing
Operational Efficiency |
Increased Network uptime, improved data throughput, reduced latency, enhanced security Posture and scalability for growth |
Direct benefits: Reduced downtime cost, lower maintenance expense, Energy efficiency, improved performance
Indirect Benefits:
Enhanced security, scalability, competitive advantage, employee satisfaction |
The county possesses the technical expertise, staffing, and infrastructure to implement the network upgrade without requiring significant external support. Existing IT teams are experienced in managing similar projects and are equipped with the necessary tools and protocols.
|
The County is actively collaborating with key partners—including regional ISPs, and public-sector consortia—to co-develop and implement the network upgrade. These partnerships bring specialized expertise, shared infrastructure, and access to cutting-edge technologies. |
Lower Energy Consumption, Reduced Colling Requirements, Longer equipment lifespan, support for smart & sustainable systems, and in Alignment with Green IT strategies. |
Digital equity, community engagement, equitable resource allocation, workforce equity, accessibility and usability, and policy and accountability. |
n/a |