Getting cold feet on a Motorola radio contract
In Loudoun County, Virginia the Board of Supervisor is today taking up a $36.8 million radio system they already approved. Here are excerpts from an article in The Washington Post by Jonathan Mummolo:
The proposed contract with Motorola would replace a six-year-old Motorola system used by the county sheriff’s office, the animal control department and various fire and rescue agencies. The county’s current contract with Motorola expires at the end of next year, and the company needs a year’s lead time to complete an upgraded system, county staff members wrote in a memo to the board.
The memo said that the system must be replaced by Dec. 31, 2009, to ensure uninterrupted service and that if the deal is not signed by the end of this year, Motorola’s offer of a discount of about $5 million will expire.
Supervisors, who were presented with the deal last month, expressed dismay over the cost of the new system, especially during a recession. Some said they have not had enough time to review whether a full replacement of the county’s equipment is necessary or whether other vendors might offer a better deal.
On Dec. 2, the board approved the proposed new contract with Motorola. But after comments at a public hearing Monday — in which industry professionals and residents said that other companies could provide the necessary equipment and should be invited to bid on the job — the board delayed voting on a budget amendment to fund the project.
“Everyone was uncomfortable, is uncomfortable, with the proposal,” said Supervisor James Burton (I-Blue Ridge), who added that he has not decided how he will vote on the amendment. “The system that’s in place went into operation in March of 2002. It’s only been in operation for six-and-a-half years. The idea we have to replace it so soon, I have a problem with that.”
In their memo to supervisors, staff members wrote that the proposed upgrade “incorporates technology changes mandated by the Federal Communications Commission to maximize available radio spectrum, and will require an additional tower site to maintain” current coverage.
Supervisors said they were also told by staff members that only a Motorola system would be fully operational for radio communications with neighboring jurisdictions and that retaining the company would ensure continuous maintenance of the current system.
