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County moves to buy self-pay kiosks for Salt Creek and Dungeness campgrounds using federal GSA contract
Summary
Clallam County staff presented a plan to procure credit-card-only self-pay kiosks for two county campgrounds via the federal General Services Administration contract to reduce cash handling and operate more efficiently; purchase cost and operating fees were discussed and a formal resolution will go to the board next week.
Clallam County will seek a resolution next week to authorize a one-time procurement through the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) contract to buy self-pay kiosks for Salt Creek and Dungeness campgrounds.
Parks staff told the commissioners that the vendor under consideration is on a GSA contract, which allows the county to 'piggyback' on an existing federal procurement rather than run its own RFP. Staff said the county’s original internal estimate for equipment had been about $90,000 but that the GSA purchase price for the two kiosks is roughly $34,000 total. Installation requires county work (concrete foundations and conduit); the vendor will mount and configure the machines and provide training.
Staff said the kiosks will be set up to accept credit cards and that, after initial overlap, the county plans to phase out cash at the kiosks because cash handling has proven difficult in marine, humid environments. Staff reported the machines can accept cash in theory, but managers in Oregon advised against it because moisture and jams create high maintenance and staff time. Staff also said the county plans to run Starlink or other connectivity at the campgrounds so the kiosks have reliable Internet connectivity.
Ongoing costs were estimated at approximately $9,000 per year for subscription, supplies and merchant/processing fees. Commissioners asked whether the purchase and operating costs had been accounted for; staff said the purchase will come from the Parks Capital Repair and Improvements Fund (fees/carve-off from reservations), and the county has been seeking to replace labor costs with technology to realize net savings over time.
Staff said the vendor selection process prioritized solutions that avoid per-transaction gateway fees identified in other systems; the county visited Oregon sites that use the same model and described operational advantages and fewer merchant-surprise fees. County staff said they will proactively notify the public (starting around Memorial Day) about the change in payment method and will temporarily maintain existing cash iron ranger drop-boxes for a short transition period.
The board indicated it will consider a resolution authorizing the GSA procurement at its regular meeting next week.
