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Henderson County approves $1.3 million P25 upgrade and amended 10-year maintenance contract with L3 Harris
Summary
Henderson County Commissioners unanimously approved a $1.3 million backend upgrade to its P25 Phase 2 emergency communications system and an amended 10-year maintenance agreement with L3 Harris Technologies, including a contract change to permit subcontractors and a payment structure that flattens costs for the first seven years.
Henderson County Commissioners on a unanimous vote approved a $1.3 million agreement with L3 Harris Technologies Incorporated to upgrade the county's P25 Phase 2 emergency communications backend and separately approved an amended 10-year maintenance and service agreement related to that upgrade.
The upgrade, presented to the court by county technical staff, covers servers, consoles, switches and cybersecurity equipment that staff said have reached end-of-life and must be modernized. "This agreement is for 1.3 — $1.3 million," the presenter stated, and added that the work will not affect end-user radios or RF functions. The presenter told the court, "No, sir. None of this will take effect until January 1." (presenter: Jody, staff member).
County Attorney Mr. Strong described prolonged negotiations aimed at protecting taxpayers and noted a specific contractual amendment the court approved. "We were actually haggling still this morning on the contract and it just finished about an hour ago," Mr. Strong said. He asked the court to amend section 27A to strike the phrase "shall not" so the contract would allow L3 Harris the option to use subcontractors where necessary; he explained the change was negotiated to preserve flexibility while protecting local legal requirements.
The maintenance agreement ties to the upgrade and covers updates, security patches, service calls and on-site repairs. Mr. Strong told the court the contract is structured to keep payments flat for the first seven years and lower during the final three years, a design the county negotiated to protect the "future taxpayer." He said the seven-year pricing locks the cost of the next scheduled upgrade at the same price as the initial upgrade.
Commissioners asked about compatibility and spare parts; staff said some existing spare parts may not be usable after the upgrade and that a spares list was added to the contract to minimize downtime. The Sheriff confirmed improved communications and noted the system has changed response operations.
The court approved both the upgrade agreement and the amended 10-year maintenance contract, with the county judge authorized to sign.
