REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR ELECTRONIC MONITORING SERVICES

Transcription

1 THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT OF ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY (ACCUG) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR ELECTRONIC MONITORING SERVICES SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE AT THE ADDRESS SHOWN BELOW NO LATER THAN: 4:00 P.M. ET, NOVEMBER 7, 2013 THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT OF ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY FINANCE DEPARTMENT, PURCHASING DIVISION 375 SATULA AVENUE ATHENS, GEORGIA RFI # ISSUE DATE: OCTOBER 8, 2013 F:\Purchasing\BIDS14\00661 RFI ELECTRONIC MONITORING SERVICES\00661 RFI ELECTRONIC MONITORING SERVICES jad.docx Page 1 of 8

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction. 3 II. Purpose. 5 III. IV. Background...5 Scope of Information Requested.6 V. Response Information and Deadline for Submission..7 Page 2 of 8

3 I. Introduction and General Discussion of Need The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County (ACC) is a unified city/county government located in the northeast section of the state of Georgia and is approximately sixty (60) miles northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County (the government s official name) was formed in 1991 by a referendum which required the combining of The City of Athens and Clarke County. ACC serves an area population of approximately 100,000 with annual growth projected at 1% per year. ACC provides a multitude of local and state funded services, which includes, but is not limited to, Public Safety, Utility, Courts, Corrections, Tax and Fire Services. ACC employs approximately 1,470 people. The Athens-Clarke County Probation Services (Probation Services) is seeking to solicit information concerning new technological advancements in Electronic Monitoring (EM) services. The Athens-Clarke County Probation Services is a division of the Superior Court. The division employs fifteen (15) sworn police officers and five (5) civilian employees. Probation Services has one (1) civilian case manager who is assigned operationally to the office via a vendor contract. The mission of Probation Services is to enhance public safety and promote offender reintegration in the community through proactive supervision and referral to community-based resources. The operational philosophy of the division is to provide a stable blend of accountability and compliance with evidence based rehabilitation and treatment in order to reduce recidivism. It is the intent of Probation Services to review the information from vendors who submit a response to this request for information and possibly invite interested vendors to do conduct an on-site demonstration of their equipment and programs. Your response is greatly appreciated. (See the last page for response information and instructions.) Questions: Technical questions may be directed to Dale Allen, Chief Probation Officer at Probation Services, via phone: (706) extension 226, fax: (706) , or dale.allen@athensclarkecounty.com. Questions regarding submission may be directed to Julie Ann Donahue, CPPB, Purchasing Administrator, or Toro Holt, Senior Buyer via phone: (706) , fax: (706) , or toro.holt@athensclarkecounty.com. Cost Incurred by Vendors: All expenses involved with the preparation and submission of submittals to the Athens-Clarke County Government, or any work performed in connection therewith shall be borne by the vendor(s). No payment will be made for any responses received, nor for any other effort required of or made by the vendor(s) prior to commencement of work as defined by a contract approved by the governing body of Athens-Clarke County. Submittals will not be opened or read aloud publicly. A list of names of firms providing submittals may be obtained from athensclarkecounty.com or via request to toro.holt@athensclarkecounty.com after the submittal due date and time stated herein. A qualified interpreter for the hearing impaired is available upon request at least 10 (ten) days in advance of the submittal due date. Please call (706) for more information. This service is in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Minority Business Enterprise Policy Statement: It is the policy of the Unified Government of Athens Clarke County, Georgia to provide fair and reasonable opportunities for participation by minority business enterprises (MBE). The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County encourages these firms to compete and encourages non-minority firms to provide for the Page 3 of 8

4 participation of MBE firms through partnerships, joint ventures, subcontracts, and other contractual opportunities. The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County reserves the right to reject any and all submittals, to waive any technicalities or irregularities, and to proceed with projects based on the highest and best interest of The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County. Page 4 of 8

5 II. Purpose This Request for Information (RFI) is being published to solicit information regarding new technologies and advancements in electronic monitoring services used in the supervision and tracking of individuals released to pretrial conditions of bond, probation, accountability court, or as an alternative to incarceration by any governmental entity. Athens-Clarke County Probation Division seeks to compile information about the latest technological and systematic innovations, enhancements, and improvements to monitoring and tracking systems and services. Probation Services currently has an Intensive Supervision Program with electronic monitoring capability and desires to review and understand the advancements in technology and the current marketplace for electronic monitoring and any related services. The RFI solicited and acquired information may be used as information in the development of a Request for Proposal (RFP). III. Background The mission of the Athens-Clarke County Probation Services is to improve public safety by providing a continuity of appropriate level of supervision for offenders and to refer them to appropriate treatment and social services to facilitate a successful completion of their sentence. The Probation Services Division seeks to promote public safety, prevent and reduce criminal activity, and the prevent delinquency by improving community supervision practices and procedures. Probation Services Division is responsible for the supervision of offenders released via the discretionary authority of the court, statutory release, and in response to a court ordered period of strict and intensive community supervision, and the delivery of additional services through assessments, investigations, community resource interaction, crime reduction, diversion opportunity, referral to victim services, and the performance of other required release supervision functions. Electronic monitoring is an important supervision tool and a vital component of the Athens-Clarke County Probation Services overall supervision strategy that incorporates intensive supervision, risk and need assessment, case-specific supervision planning, service delivery, and compliance with the mandated conditions of release. Page 5 of 8

6 IV. Scope of Information Requested The following shall be the minimum requirements for purposes of this informational solicitation: 1. Ability to track a population of released offenders supervised in the community setting; 2. Track and monitor real time movement of offenders within the entire State of Georgia; 3. Use of GPS, Cellular and Landline telecommunication systems, or other comparable technology; 4. Optional and multi-function devices, monitoring, and tracking capabilities; 5. State of the art tampering, notification, alerts, battery indicators, and communication capabilities; 6. Real time messaging features and capabilities for photographing/digital imaging software and network capabilities; 7. Equipment and technology that provides the ability to locate any and all offenders in a specific zone or geographically defined area; 8. Training and support for program implementation, device training, tracking and monitoring training, and software and program familiarization; 9. Utilization of data, reports, certifications, and documentation in evidentiary hearings under the jurisdiction of Athens-Clarke County; 10. The program and monitoring system should provide for an unlimited number of designated users; 11. The system should provide centralized monitoring and technical support on a continuous basis, 7 days a week, 24 hours per day, and 365 days a year; 12. Command Center and Electronic Monitoring Center monitoring capabilities internally and externally; 13. Equipment and technology that provides the ability to locate any and all offenders in a specific zone or geographically defined area by specific date and time; 14. Training and methods that address distinct categories of employees including field staff, managers and supervisors, revocation and hearing officer staff, monitoring and command center staff, and information technology staff; 15. Technical, network, and software requirements that address inclusion and exclusion zones; 16. State of the art accuracy, tracking, and location point updating; 17. Inventory control system and on demand equipment replacement and activation; and 18. Software customization to Athens-Clarke County Probation Services specifications. Page 6 of 8

7 Respondents are requested to include information relating to all types of equipment available and how each piece of equipment would be utilized in an offender electronic monitoring program. Equipment information should describe in detail each of type of monitoring device, monitoring service, attachment devices, and software programs that track the movement of offenders in the community. Information about external monitoring services should be included in this section of the response. Respondents should include samples of electronic monitoring programs in place as well as processes and procedures involved in the operation of the program. V. Response Information and Deadline for Responding Anyone interested in this project should respond to the following no later than 4:00 P.M. ET, NOVEMBER 7, QUESTIONS: Technical questions may be directed to Dale Allen, Chief Probation Officer at Probation Services, via phone: (706) extension 226, fax: (706) , or Questions regarding submission may be directed to Julie Ann Donahue, CPPB, Purchasing Administrator, or Toro Holt, Senior Buyer via phone: (706) , fax: (706) , or Submittal responses should include completion of paragraphs A-E below, in the order outlined, and are to be sealed, marked with the offeror's name and address and labeled, RFI # ELECTRONIC MONITORING SERVICES and delivered to: The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County Finance Department, Purchasing Division 375 Satula Avenue Athens, Georgia A. Offeror Information: Company Name: Name of Contact for this Project: Telephone Number: Fax Number: Address: Address: Page 7 of 8

8 B. List of at least four customers who currently use your Electronic Monitoring related services. Please include contact information C. Include any sales literature about your Electronic Monitoring related services. D. Would you be willing to demo your product to a selection committee? Yes No (please check one) E. What operating system platform(s) does your software management system operate on? (e.g., Windows, UNIX etc.) F. Cost Estimate Page 8 of 8