Item - 2025.GG23.13

The General Government Committee recommends that:

1. City Council, in accordance with Section 71-11.1C of the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 71 (Financial Control By-law) grant authority to the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management to amend Blanket Contract Number 47024834 with Graham Alarm Monitoring Ltd., for the non-exclusive supply of all labour, equipment, material, supervision, and any associated equipment required by CAN/ULC-S561 to monitor fire alarm systems service for the City of Toronto in the amount of $800,000 net of all taxes and charges ($814,080 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), increasing the contract value from $689,850 to $1,489,850 net of all taxes and charges ($1,516,071 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries).

2. City Council grant authority to Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management  to enter into a non-competitive contract with Fire Monitoring of Canada Inc., for the non-exclusive supply of all labour, equipment, material, supervision, and any associated equipment required by CAN/ULC-S561 to monitor fire alarm systems service for the City of Toronto in the amount of $1,000,000 net of all taxes and charges ($1,017,600 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

The purpose of this report is to request authority to amend blanket contract 47024834, issued to Graham Alarm Ltd, for the non-exclusive supply of all labour, material, supervision, and any associated equipment required by the CAN/ULC-S561 standard, covering the installation and services for fire signal receiving centres and systems. This amendment is necessary to bring the contract into financial controls compliance and proceed with its closure.

Over the past several years, Corporate Real Estate Management has successfully standardized and consolidated all fire monitoring for all City of Toronto Divisions. The centralization initiative has progressed ahead of schedule and has consumed the full fire alarm monitoring contract value prematurely. Contract resources were also required to carryout the unplanned replacement of over 140 remote fire monitoring panels that relied on 3G technology in City facilities. The replacement was necessary due to the nation-wide phase out of the 3G network by Rogers Communication and Bell Canada.

In 2024, the CAN/ULC-S561 standard was updated to include additional requirements which Graham Alarm Monitoring Ltd. was unable to meet. As a result, the City will be ending its contract with Graham Alarm Monitoring Ltd. and will be initiating a new competitive procurement process for the supply of labour, materials, supervision and associated equipment required by the updated CAN/ULC-S561 standard.

This report additionally requests authority to enter into a new non-competitive contract with Fire Monitoring of Canada Inc. for the sum of $1,000,000 to sustain the City of Toronto's fire and life safety monitoring service until a new competitive Request for Proposal can be prepared, issued for bidding, and awarded, which is anticipated to occur in the third quarter of 2026.

City Council approval is required in accordance with Municipal Code Chapter 195, Purchasing, where the current request exceeds the Chief Procurement Officer's authority of the cumulative five-year commitment limit for each supplier under Article 7, Section 195-7.3(D) of the Purchasing By-law, or exceeds the threshold of $500,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax allowed under staff authority as per the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 71, Financial Control, Section 71-11.1.