Pam Swerd, director of service for Communications International, told the Harrison County Board of Supervisors she and her team had complied with the county's request-for-proposal process for a public-safety communications project and asked for an opportunity to present to the board after local evaluation moved to a different consultant.

Swerd said Communications International submitted a point-by-point technical response and was vetted by the county's technical reviewers, by the Emergency Communications Commission and by other local engineering reviewers. She said subsequent documents she obtained after the county's August meeting were heavily redacted and that Federal Engineering had been retained to advise the county. Swerd asked the board to allow her team, including her CFO and engineers, to return to the table and walk the board through their proposal and the technical details it contains.

Board members questioned projected tower-count and budget figures raised during the earlier discussion. At one point a supervisor asked whether a vendor's proposal would require an additional $6 million in new towers; Swerd rejected the $6 million number and said the proposal referenced three additional sites and that additional site costs would likely be needed but that the $6 million figure was inaccurate. Other supervisors pressed for clarity about whether the procurement was an RFP rather than a sealed bid; Swerd and other speakers agreed the solicitation was an RFP and discussed differences in how technical and pricing materials were handled under that process.

Swerd said Communications International is local, responds to alarms for county systems, maintains certified technicians and has attempted multiple times to secure a return appearance before the board. She urged the board to bring the engineering staff and the county's decision-makers together with her team to examine the vendor comparisons and any redactions in competitor documents.

The board did not take immediate action to reopen the procurement but asked staff and counsel to note Swerd's concerns. No vote to reverse or alter the Federal Engineering engagement occurred during the meeting.