Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Security Cameras topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ely picks Pavion for federally funded security-camera system after council interview
Summary
After interviewing two finalists, Ely City Council selected Pavion Connect and Protect to install a Motorola/Avigilon ALTA cloud-based security camera system for city facilities and parks, approving the federally funded project and accepting a related CDBG award; Pavion’s $394,977 estimate was roughly half the cost of the alternative proposal.
The Ely City Council on July 10 selected Pavion Connect and Protect to install a federally funded security-camera system across municipal facilities and parks, after hearing presentations from Pavion and an alternate bidder, Ford AV.
Council members emphasized remote-site reliability and ease of maintenance when choosing a cloud-based Motorola/Avigilon ALTA system proposed by Pavion. Pavion Account Executive Hyong Cho told the council the plan relies on hardened cameras with local SD backup and 5G industrial routers for sites that lack wired network connections: "Most of the sites do not have any internet or access to the internet ... so, we are going to put in wireless cell routers," he said.
The procurement followed the technical review team's scoring and identical interviews for both finalists. Councilmember interview tallies presented by the clerk showed Pavion scored higher across interview averages; Councilman Terrill Trask moved to select Pavion and the motion carried unanimously.
Cost and approach were central points of comparison. Pavion proposed a total estimated project cost of $394,977, broken down in the proposal as roughly $25,000 for system design, $151,900 for equipment, $146,398 for installation and integration, $24,277 for testing/training/documentation, plus a five-year ALTA subscription priced at $47,402. Pavion emphasized cloud hosting to reduce on-site equipment and ongoing local IT maintenance. Ford AV presented an alternate Avigilon-based, largely on-premises approach and said its all-in, labor-and-materials price came to about $844,000, citing labor, travel and associated contingency and overhead.
Pavion's technical lead, Hudson Sherr, described license-plate-reader (LPR) functionality the system would provide: searchable plate matches, partial-plate searches and "hot list" alerts that can push notifications to mobile devices or email. He added the system can be configured to provide web-based access for the White Pine County Sheriff's Office and push alerts via supported channels.
Ford AV representatives noted typical installation issues — safe mounting, power coordination and electrical work — that require coordination with electricians and the city’s IT team. Ford AV Corporate Service Manager Phillip Pappadakes said those are normal coordination points and not unique risks: "There are two main factors ... outside the direct scope of our proposal: electrical and the City's network connection," he said.
City staff said final contract terms will be adjusted to meet federal grant requirements for the Department of Justice-funded project and that the selected vendor has agreed to modify its proposal as required. The council’s vote to select Pavion was taken after the technical interviews and score averaging process described in the RFP procedures.
Next steps include finalizing the contract and confirming grant compliance documents and project milestones; staff also noted that some installations will require coordination for electrical service or pole-mounting prior to camera activation.
