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Commission considers bid award for inmate phones and video visitation; sheriff cites lower call costs and added learning features
Summary
The commission reviewed a bid award to Inmate Calling Solutions LLC (DBA ICS Solutions) to provide inmate telephone and video visitation services; the sheriff said rates fell after FCC changes and the vendor offers tablets and learning features for inmates.
The Montgomery County Commission reviewed a bid award to Inmate Calling Solutions LLC, doing business as ICS Solutions, to install and operate telephone and video visitation services at the Montgomery County detention facility.
Sheriff Derek Cunningham described the tabulation as confusing because vendors format bids differently but said the recommended company provided the required services and concessions. "We had a lot of discussion about how much phone calls cost for inmates. You see it went down 4¢," the sheriff said, referencing changes the Federal Communications Commission made on allowable rates the counties may charge or recover.
The sheriff said the winning vendor is the same company that previously provided services to the jail but had submitted an updated bid that offers "more amenities" including support for in-facility tablets used for classroom and learning programs. Commissioners discussed a possible three-year contract but the transcript records no formal vote and no contract start date was presented.
The sheriff and staff emphasized that the chosen vendor supplied the features the county requested, including lower per-call costs, video visitation, and educational tablet functionality for inmates. No contract value or revenue-sharing terms were provided during the discussion in the meeting transcript.
