Template revised April 12, 2018.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
8l
ACTION ITEM
Date of Meeting
March 8, 2022
DATE: February 28, 2022
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Krista Sadler, Director Technology Delivery
SUBJECT: Text Messaging Archive Contract Authorization
Contract Value:
$2,000,000
ACTION REQUESTED
Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to execute a contract for a system
to archive text messages for a period not-to-exceed ten years in an amount not-to-exceed
$2,000,000 over the ten-year period. There is no funding request associated with this
authorization.
SUMMARY
Text messages about the work of the Port of Seattle are considered public records and we are
legally obligated to preserve (RCW 40.14) and disclose (RCW 42.56) them for legal discovery or
public disclosure requests. The current method of producing text messages is challenging and
burdensome; it is difficult to identify applicable messages. The effort for Port employees to save
text messages for records management is also manual and cumbersome.
This project will automatically archive all text messages sent and received on Port Apple iPhones
and potentially Port-issued Android phones in a centralized location that is accessible by
designated members of the records team for purposes of disclosure. Due to technology
limitations, Apple iMessage protocol will be disabled on all Port iPhones.
Authorization of this contract, procured per Port of Seattle policy, will include vendor
interception and archiving of in-scope text messages from Port-issued phones. Annual costs will
be budgeted in the Port of Seattle Legal Department’s operating budget.
There are no attachments to this memo.
