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Franklin County approves $638,750 purchase of breath‑testing devices under ADECA highway‑safety grant
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Summary
The Franklin County Commission approved awarding purchase of Preliminary Breath Testing devices to CMI, Inc. for $638,750, to be paid through an ADECA/NHTSA highway‑safety grant after a regional review panel recommended CMI as the lowest responsible bidder.
The Franklin County Commission on Feb. 17 approved buying preliminary breath‑testing devices from CMI, Inc. for $638,750, the low responsive bid selected under a regional highway‑safety procurement paid with ADECA/NHTSA grant funds.
A nut graf: The North Central Alabama Highway Safety Office recommended CMI after a six‑member law‑enforcement review panel evaluated three submitted devices for performance and reliability; the commission voted unanimously to accept that recommendation and to use grant funding to cover the purchase.
County Commissioner Tracie Clark moved for approval and Commissioner Grayson Murray seconded; the motion passed unanimously. The purchase will be funded through the Highway Safety grant administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and NHTSA funds, per the bid recommendation.
Eddie Russell, project director for the North‑Central Alabama Highway Safety Office, summarized the procurement process in a written recommendation attached to the county packet. He wrote that the solicitation sought approximately 1,750 PBT instruments for each of four ADECA/LETS regional offices and that a three‑vendor field review found CMI’s Intoxilyzer 800 package met the panel’s criteria for performance, reliability and law‑enforcement suitability.
Bids received and submitted totals were: CMI, Inc. — $638,750; Intoximeters (ALCO‑SENSOR FST Alabama set) — $645,312.50; Lifeloc Technologies (FC10) — $651,000. The commission’s motion accepted the CMI recommendation as the lowest responsible bidder, per the NAHSO letter.
The county packet includes product brochures and a NHTSA letter confirming the Intoxilyzer 800 remains on the conforming products list for evidentiary breath testing devices. The county’s bid documents require delivery within 90 days of order and include one‑year warranties. The commission did not record individual vote tallies in the minutes; the action was recorded as approved unanimously.
Next steps: County staff will complete procurement paperwork and accept delivery as outlined in the grant and bid terms. Questions about ongoing training, calibration schedules and consumables were addressed in the bidders’ submissions but not discussed in depth at the meeting.