HomeMy WebLinkAboutContract 62537CSC No. 62537
COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AGREEMENT
This COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AGREEMENT (the "Agreement") is made and entered into
by and between the City of Fort Worth ("Fort Worth" or "CFW") acting herein by and through its
duly authorized Deputy City Manager, and Pat Deen, Parker County, acting herein by and through
its duly authorized Parker County Judge, individually referred to as a "party," collectively referred
to herein as the "parties." The CFW or Fort W01ih shall include all employees, directors, officers,
agents, and authorized representatives. USER shall include all employees, directors, officers,
agents, and authorized representatives.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, this Agreement 1s made under the authority of Section 791, Texas
Government Code; and
WHEREAS, each governing body, in performing governmental functions or in paying for
the performance of governmental functions hereunder, shall make that performance or those
payments from current revenues legally available to that party; and
WHEREAS, each governing body finds that the subject of this Agreement is necessary for
the benefit of the public and each has the legal authority to perform and to provide the
governmental function or service which is the subject matter of this Agreement; and
WHEREAS, Parker County and Fort Worth each owns, operates, and maintains Trunked
Voice Radio Systems for the purpose of providing Public Safety voice radio communications and
are the sole license holders of their respective Trunked Voice Radio Systems with all privileges
and responsibilities thereof; and
WHEREAS, Parker County, Fort Worth and their paiiner agencies may provide one another
with public safety support or other mutual aid or emergency assistance; and
WHEREAS, the paiiies wish to enter into this Agreement to establish the terms and
conditions pursuant to which Parker County and Fort Worth will connect their Trunked Voice
Radio Systems together to establish the North Texas Interoperable Radio Network (NTIRN), a
consolidated radio system for interoperable communications in connection with the provision of
mutual aid assistance among the parties and their partner agencies.
NOW THEREFORE, Parker County and Fort Worth agree as follows:
1, Grant of License. Parker County and Fort Worth hereby grant each other specific
permission to connect their respective Trunlced Voice Radio Systems (Parker Countv System and
Fort Worth System), operate as separate zones using a common System ID assigned to the Fort
Worth System by Motorola Solutions, Inc., in 2011, and establish the interoperable
communications system to be known as the North Texas Interoperable Radio Network (NTIRN),
provided, however, that such operation must comply with the specific details and requirements
for use as set forth in "Exhibit A, Terms of Use," which is attached hereto, incorporated herein,
and made a part of this Agreement for all purposes. Failure to comply with these specific details
and requirements may result in the immediate withdrawal of the specified permissions.
2. Tei•m, This Agi•eement shall begin upon the last day executed by all authorized
parties and shall continue in full force and effect unless terminated in accoi•dance with the
provisions set forth herein and in Exhibit A,
3. Liabilitv. With respect to the use and operation of the NTIRN, all parties agree to
be responsible each for their own negligent acts or omissions, or other tortious conduct in the
course of performance of this contract without waiving any sovereign immunity, governmental
imn�unity, or other defenses available to the parties under federal or state law. Nothing in this
paragraph shall be construed to create or grant any rights, contractual or otherwise, in or to any
third persons or entities. All parties agree that any such liability or damages occurring during the
performance of this contract caused by the joint or comparative negligence of the parties, or their
etnployees, agents or off'icers, shall be determined in accordance with comparative responsibility
laws of Te�:as. Fl�rther, this Agreenlent is not intended to affect the allocation of liability between
the parties in connection with the provision of mutual aid assistance; liability for such mutual aid
assistance shall be governed by the separ•ate mutual aid agreement or state law provisions under
which the assistance is being provided.
4. Inde�endent Contractors. It is expressly understood and agreed that the parties shall
operate as independent contractors as to all rights and privileges granted herein, and not as agents,
representatives or employees of the other party. Subject to and in accordance with the conditions
and provisions of this A�reement, eaeh party shall have the exclusive right to control the detaiis of
its operations and activities with respect to the use of the its portion of the NTIRN and shall be
solely responsible for the acts and omissions of its employees, directors, officers, agents,
authorized representatives, subcontractors, and consultants, Each party acknowledges that the
doctrine of r•espo�dent sztperior� shall not apply as between Parlcer Col�ntv, its employees, directors,
officers, agents, and atiithorized representatives, and Fort Worth and its employees, directors,
officers, a�ents, authorized representatives, subcontractors, and consultants. This Agreement is
not intended to affect the roles of the parties in connection with providing mutual aid assistance;
coordination of mLitual aid activities and chain-of-command issues shall be governed by the
separate mutual aid agreement or state law provisions under which assistance is being p�•ovided,
5. Non-A�propriation of Funds. Parkel• County and Fort Worth wiil use best efforts
to appropriate sufficient funds to support obligations under this Agreement. However, in the event
that sufficient funds are not appropriated by either party's governing body, and as a resuit, that
party is unable to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement, that party (i) shall promptly notify
the other party in writing and (ii) may terminate this Agreement, effective as of the last day for
which suffcient funds have been appropriated.
6, Ri�ht to Audit. Parker County and Fort Worth agree that the parties shall during
and until the expiration of three (3) years after termination of this Agreement, have access to and
the right to examine at reasonable times, atld at no additional cost, any directly pertinent books,
documents, papei•s, records, and communications of the other party involving transactions
relating to this Agreement, Parties agrees that each party sha11 have access during nornlal
working hours to all necessaiy facilities and shall be provided adequate and appropriate
worlcspace in order to conduct audits in compliance with the provisions of this section. The
parties shall give the other pai•ty reasonable advance notice of intended audits.
7. Assi ng ment. Neither Parker Countv nor Fort Worth shall have the right to assign
or subcontract any of its duties, obligations oi• rights under this Agreement without the prior
written consent of the other party, which such righ� shall not be uilreasonably withheld. Any
assignment in violation of this provision shall be void.
8. No Waiver. The failure of either party to insist upon the performance of any
provision or condition of this Agreetnent or to exercise any right granted herein shall not
constitute a waiver of that party's right to insist upon appropriate performance or to assert any
such right on any future occasion.
9. Governmental Powers/Immunities. It is understood and agreed �hat by execution
of this Agreement, neither Parlcer County nor Fort Worth waives or surrender any of its
governmental powers or iinmunities.
10. Amendments. No amendment to this Ag�•eement shall be binding upon either party
hereto unless such amendment is set forth in writing, dated subsequent to the date of this
Agreement, and signed by both parties.
11. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held by a court of competent
jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the
remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired.
12. Coniideniiai Information. To the extent permitted by law, Parker County and Fort
Worth for themselves and their officeis, agents and employees, agree that each pai�ty shall treat
all information provided to it by the other party as confidential ("City Information") and shall not
disclose any such inf'ormation to a third pai-ty without the prior ���ritten approval of the other
pai•ty, unless such disclosure is required by law, rule, regulation, court oi•dei•, in which event the
party shall notify the other party in writing of such requirement in sufticient time to allow the
other pai•ty to seek injunctive or other relief to prevent such disclosui•e. The pat-ties shall store
and maintain the other party's information in a secure manner and shall not allow tmauthorized
usei•s to access, modify, delete or otherwise corrupt that Information in any way. The parties shall
notify the other immediately if the security or integrity of any Information has been
compromised or is believed to have been compromised.
13. Force Maieure. The parties shall exercise their best efforts to meet their
respective duties and obligations hereunder, but shall not be held liable for any delay in or
omission of performance due to force majeure or other causes beyond their reasonable control.
14. Notices. Notices required pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement shall be
conclusively detei•mined to have been delivei•ed when (1) hand-delivered to the othei• party, its
agents, employees, servants or i•epresentatives, (2) delivered by facsimile with electi•onic
confirmation of the transmission, or (3) received by the other party by United States Mail,
registered, return receipt requested, addi•essed as follo���s:
City of Fort Worth
Attn: IT Solutions Director
100 Fort Worth Trail
Fort Worth TX 76102
Facsimile: (817) 392-8654
Parker Countv
Attn: Pat Deen
One Courthouse Squai•e
Weatherfoi•d, Texas 76086
Facsimile: (817) 598-6199
With Copy to the City Attorney
At same address
At same addi•ess
15. Governin� Law / Venue. This Agi•eement shall be construed in accoi•dance with
the laws of the State of Texas. Venue for any action brought on the basis of this Agreement shall
lie exclusively in state courts located in Tarrant County, Texas, or Parker Countv County, Texas.
In any such action, each pai•ty shall pay its o�vn attoi•neys' fees, court costs and othei• expenses
incut•i•ed as a i•esult of the action.
16. Si�nature Authoritv. The person signing this Agreement hereby warrants that
he/she has the legal authority to execute this �lgreement on behalf of his or her respective party,
and that such binding authoi•ity has been gi•anted by propei• ordei•, resolution, oi•dinance oi• othei•
authorization of the entity. The other party is fully entitled to rely on this wai-�anty and
representation in entering into this Agreemei�t.
17. Entirety of A�reement. This written insh•ument, including all Exhibits attached
hereto, contains the entire understanding and agreement between Paricer• County and Fort Worth
as to the matters contained herein. Any prior or contemporaneous oral or written agreement is
hereby declared null and void to the extent in conflict with this Agreement. Any previously
executed Communication System Agreement between the parties shall be terminated
simultaneously with the finai execution of this Agreement by both pai�ties.
18. Counterpai�ts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts and
each counterpart shall, for all purposes, be deemed an original, but all such counterparts shall
together constitute one and the same instrument.
(Signature Page Follows)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement in multiples.
CFW:
By:
Name: Mark McDaniel
Title: Deputy City Manager
Date: 12/23/2024
USER:
By:
Name:
rntle:
Date:
Pat Defn
County Judge
FOR CITY OF FORT WORTH INTERNAL PROCESSES:
Approval Recommended:
By:
Name: Kevin Gunn
Title: Director, IT Solutions Department
Approved as to Form and Legality:
By:
Name: Taylor Paris
Title: Assistant City Attorney
Contract Authorization:
M&C: NIA
Form 1295: NIA
Contract Compliance Manager:
By signing I acknowledge that I am the person
responsible for the monitoring and administration of
this contract, including ensuring all performance and
reporting requirements.
By: Lawrence Crockett (Dec 17, 2024 14:24 CST)
Name: Lawrence Crockett
Title: Senior IT Solutions Manager
City Secretary:
By: Name: Jannette Goodall
Title: City Secretary
EXHIBIT A
CATEGORY 1, TERMS OF USE
The following definitions shall have the meanings set forth below and apply to this Agreement and
the Terms of Use set forth herein;
DEFINITIONS
"Interoperable Communications Governance Committee" shall mean that group of individuals
tasked with maintaining and administering the Interoperable Communications Plan. The
Governance Committee shall determine and may periodically adjust the number of inembers and
the method for selecting members for each classification of users with a goal of ensut•ing that the
Governance Committee reflects the full range of user types.
"Interoperable Communications Plan" (the "Plan") means the plan developed and established by
Foi-t Worth and the Governance Committee to facilitate, enhance and simplify radio
communications among all agencies utilizing the Radio Systems. The Plan is available upon
request fi�om CFW or can be found on the CFW Worth website at
lit(��:,�Ifc�rt��t�t tl�texas,�;o� �itsolulic�ns/�f��r�<ldl��,�:i.
"Master Switch" shall mean the primary processing and network infi�ash�ucture to which ail
Console Systems and Site Repeater Systems must connect in ordet• to operate on the Radio
Systems,
"Partner Agency" shall mean any government or private entity that executes an agreeinent with
one or both of the parties to access their respective Radio Systems,
"Radio ID" shall mean the unique identifier assigned to each subscriber radio,
"Radio System" shall mean all the facilities, hardware, software, infi�astructure and associated
licensing that comprise the infi,ash�ucture of a trunl<ed voice radio system,
"Site Repeater System" shall mean the base stations, shelter, tower and all site-specific hardware
and software infrastructure associated with the provision of a i•adio site connected to a Master
Switch.
"Subscriber Radio" shall mean a radio that has a unique identification number and is programined
to operate on the Radio System. The term shall include, but not be limited to, control stations
(desk top radios), mobile radios, and portable radios.
"Talkgroup" shall mean a speciiic group of Subscriber Radios allowed to communicate privately
within that group over shared infrastructure resources.
"Talkgroup ID" shall mean the unique identifier assigned to each tallcgroup.
TERMS OF USE
1. Pai•ker Countv and Fort Worth shall each maintain responsibility for the installation
and maintenance of their respective Radio Systems. Where the Parker County System and Fort
Woi-th System inter•connect, clear mutually agreed demarcation points will be established and
documented.
2, Parker Countv and Fort Worth will each be the Licensee of the Federal
Cotnmunications Commission (FCC) license(s) that their respective Radio Systems use for
operation, This Agreement shall not be constilied or interpreted to grant, convey, or otherwise
provide either party with any rights whatsoever to the other's FCC license(s) or to the Radio
Frequency spectrum used by their respective Radio Systems.
3. Parker Countv and Fort Worth will each be responsible for managing infrastructure
loading and demand for their respective Radio Systems. Either party may take actions appropriate
to protect their respective Radio Systems without the consent of the other party. Parties agree to
notify each other if actions taken could be reasonably expected to impact the operations of the
other party or its Partner Agencies.
4. Each party agrees to comply with standards established by the Statewide
Interoperability Communications (SWIC) office of the Texas Deparrinent of Public Safety
regardin� the assignment of radio IDs. Parties will assign radio IDs for its subscriber units oniy
fi•om the radio ID blocks assigned by the SWIC to the respective systems.
5. Parties agree to coordinate the assignment of tallcgroup IDs to ensure each assigns
unique IDs to their respective talk groups.
6. Parlcer Countv agl•ees to utilize the naming conventions established by Fort Worth
foi• 1•adio tallc groups and subscriber aliases. Fort Worth shall contimie to employ the same standard
for naming convention. Standards may not be modified without the mutual consent of both parties.
7. Par•ties will be responsible for administering the encryption key systems for their
respective systems. Each will maintain its own Key Management Facility. Parties will comply
with the standards established by the SWIC for the assignment of the Common Key References to
subscriber units within their respective systems.
8. Parl<er Countv and Fort Worth agree to restrict the availability of system softkeys
to their respective support oiganizations. Parties shall not provide system softiceys to agencies or
organizations external to their own support oz•ganizations. Advanced System Keys (ASK) may be
distributed to external agencies as required. Each party will be responsible for the administration
of the ASKs, including the establishment of ASK expirations.
9. Each party agrees to implement reasonable measures to minimize risks associated
with cybersecurity, and to conform to accepted cybeisecurity practice. Monthiy and quarterly
security updates to hardware, software, operating systems and other systern components will be
applied on an established schedule. Each pai�ty shall ensure a cybersecurity assessment is
performed at least every two years. Parties shall not be required to provide detailed assessment
findings to each other.
10. Parties shall execute with Motorola Solutions, Inc., System Upgrade Agreements
for their respective Radio Systems. Uniess the parties mutually agree otherwise, the upgrade of
the Radio Systems to the same current levei wili occur every two yeais. The parties agree to
coor•dinate the timing of the upgrades to oceur as close to each other as possible. Each party will
be responsible for cooi•dination of upgrade activities with their respective Partner Agencies.
1 l. Parties may establish partneiships with external agencies and organizations for the
pulpose of providing radio services, allowing external agencies' Site Repeater Systems to connect
to the parties' respectiva master switches, establishing connectivity to other master switches, or
pt•oviding other services. Each party shall notify the other party when agreements are established
with new Partner Agencies. �
12. The parties agree to talce all 1•easonable actions to prevent competing with each
other to establish agreements with new Pai�tner Agencies. Parlcer Countv shall restrict its activity
to Parker County and areas to its west. Fort Worth shall resti•iet its activity to Tarrant County and
areas to its north and south. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Fort Worth shall be authorized to
maintain its existing agreements with Partner Agencies in Parker County. Partner Agencies with
existin� agreements with Fort Worth shail not be prevented from expanding seivices to adjoining
jui•isdictions,
13. Each party shall agree to recognize the other's autonomy in the management and
administration of their respective Radio Systems, but shall coordinate activities that could
potentially impact the other's operations. Activities that could result in higher costs, or could result
in a requirement to upgrade e�isting systems or subsci�iber units, or could significantly impact
operations shall be coordinated with the other party and its Partner Agencies with reasonably
sufticient notice. Neither party is authorized to invoice or cause a third party to invoice the other
party for materials or services without written approval.
14, Each party shall establish their own governance methods and o�ganizations in
accordance with its unique requirements, The parties will provide representatives to participate in
each other's governance organization meetings. In addition, Parker Countv and Fort Worth agree
to establish an annual meeting of their representatives and representatives of Partner Agencies to
review overall policy, procedures and issues.
15, Parker Countv and Fort Worth will establish a joint interoperable eommunieations
plan and will encourage its useis and Partner Agencies to comply with the plan. The plan shall be
documented and posted on each party's public website. Both parties will malce reasonable efforts
to encourage users of their respective Radio Systems to comply with the plan. The plan will be
developed and administered by an Interoperable Communications Governance Committee
comprised of representatives of Partner Agencies fi•om both Radio Systems. In addition, both
parties may establish and maintain interoperable communications plans unique to their respective
Radio Systems and Partner Agencies.
16. Cominon interoperable communications talk groups will be estabiished between
the two Radio Systems. The common talk groups will be able to roam across both Radio Systems,
and be accessible by authorized users. Unless written authorization has been obtained, talk groups
specific to Parlcer County, Fort Worth or a Partner Agency may not roam fi•om one party's Radio
Systeln to the other party's Radio Systein.
17. Parl<er County and Fort Worth wiii each provide three (3) encrypted tallc groups on
their respective Radio Systems for use by Parl<er County and Fort Worth.
18. Eithel• Parl<er County or Fort Worth may terminate this Agreement for any reasoll,
witl� or without cause, upon one hundred eighty (180) days written notice to the other party. Both
parties further reserve the right to terminate this Agreement immediately, or deny access to the
other party, upon notice of other party's misuse of their Radio Systems. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, each party, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to immediately deny access to the
other party if such action is required to prevent the spread of a security breach or threatened
security breach or due fo an emergency, operational issue, or other critical incident between the
parties' Radio Systems. Fach party will use best efforts to resto�•e access to the other patiy as soon
as possible once the security breach, emergency, operational issue, or critical incident is resolved.
COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS
20. Each party shall comply with all current and future Federai, State, and Local laws,
Ordinances, and Mandates, incltiding Federal Communications Commission rules and regulations
regarding proper use of radio communications equipment. The parties will also comply with the
gLiidelines, or procedw�es set out in this Agreement. Furthermore, each party is responsible for
enforcing such compliance by its employees, directors, officers, agents, authorized representatives,
subcontractors, and consultants for its Radio System. Furthermore, each pai•ty will be responsible
for payment of any fines and penalties levied against the other party (as the license holder) as a
result of improper or unlawful use of the Radio System, including subscriber units, owned or leased
by the party.
[End of Document]