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Richland County weighs competing radio-system bids as deadline nears
Summary
The county reviewed two bids to upgrade emergency radio communications: Global Tech proposed a P25-heavy, higher-cost plan while VEI Communications offered a lower-cost DMR option. Officials said $650,000 is currently earmarked and a vendor decision is needed by June 30.
County officials on June 1 debated two competing proposals to upgrade Richland County's emergency radio system, weighing a higher-cost plan from the current vendor against a lower-cost alternative that would use DMR digital voice technology.
Sheriff Andy outlined the project and said the county received two proposals: one from Global Tech, the county's current vendor, and one from VEI Communications. Global's proposal would include a mix of P25 and DMR capabilities across nine repeater sites and a quoted total in the roughly $700,000 range; VEI proposed four sites and a substantially lower bid, which the sheriff characterized as around $328,000.
The discrepancy reflects both technical differences and pricing. According to county presenters, P25 systems are considerably more expensive than DMR; the sheriff said P25 could be roughly 10 times the cost of a DMR option. VEI's systems engineer, David Holt, told the board his frequency coordinator had indicated the Federal Communications Commission does not "play favorites" among waveform standards and that VEI did not expect regulatory barriers to using DMR for public-safety applications. "The FCC doesn't play favorites toward any particular... P25 [or] DMR," Holt said, adding that VEI had not seen regulatory changes that would prevent DMR use for public safety.
Board members and staff stressed that the county requested 95% portable radio coverage and that both vendors claim to meet that standard. The sheriff described the county's current coverage as limited: a single repeater at Ludlow provides usable portable radio range only within a few miles of town, forcing crews to use cell phones outside that area.
Funding remains a key issue. The sheriff said about $650,000 is currently earmarked for the project'roughly $350,000 from seizure funds and $300,000 from 9-1-1 board contributions'but that the higher Global Tech figure would require additional funding if the county selects that solution. He said the county applied for an external grant but was not awarded funds.
The board has set an internal decision deadline of June 30. Sheriff Andy said the board could either call a special meeting to choose a vendor or delegate authority to the sheriff to finalize procurement once the board has reviewed the contracts.
Next steps: the board asked members to review both proposals and indicated the 9-1-1 board will also review the bids at its upcoming meeting; a vendor must be chosen by June 30 or the county must pursue additional funding.
