May seemed to be busy in terms of awarded contracts and a number of radio projects moving toward the planning stages. As the Federal Communications Commission radio rebanding deadline nears, more cities and counties are scrambling to upgrade their systems. With tight budgets across the country, state and local governments must find the most efficient ways to improve interoperability in their localities.

To get an idea of what projects are being planned and awarded across the country, we will take a snapshot of the various territories INPUT currently tracks.

In the East Coast, several Pennsylvania counties are moving forward with radio projects that would bring complete interoperability to their public safety agencies. Berks County which has been planning to build a radio system since 2006, has utilized both L. Robert Kimball & Associates and CTA Communications. L. Robert Kimball & Associates has presented its plan to the county and a request for proposals (RFP) could be issued by late July 2010.

Bucks County, Pennsylvania approved the second phase of its project, which would build out a full radio network. A solicitation should be released by the end of the year.

Monroe County, New York awarded a contract to Harris Corporation for a two-way radio communications system. The contract is expected to be valued between $30 and $40 million. In Maryland, bidding was closed for a statewide computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records management system (RMS) - a project nearly five years in the making. INPUT will report on the awarded contract when it is available.

Moving to the South, there were several projects worth noting. Harris County, Texas awarded a contract to AmCad for approximately $3.5 million. Louisiana awarded two large contracts. The state awarded ACS, Inc. the international registration plan for commercial vehicles contract for an undisclosed amount. Louisiana also awarded 3m a contract for its vehicle registration issuance, also for an undisclosed amount. INPUT is seeking additional contract details through a FOIA request. Louisiana can now move forward with two of its license programs.

In the Midwest, several large awards were made and a highly anticipated RFP was released. Nebraska made an award for its statewide Regional Interoperability Network (NRIN) to Communications Services, Inc. The contract duration is scheduled to be five years. Calumet County, Wisconsin awarded a contract to GeoComm Corp. for a consultant to assist in the development of its radio system and help develop a RFP that will likely be issued in August 2010. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety issued a RFP for its Minnesota Licensing and Registration System (MNLARS), in which proposals are due July 13, 2010.

Finally, in the West Coast, several RFPs were issued for projects INPUT has been tracking for some time. The first is in Peoria, Arizona for a computer-aided dispatch and records management system. Proposals are due June 29, 2010. In California, the Department of General Services issued a RFP for UHF radios and accessories. Proposals are due June 9, 2010. In addition to these recently released RFPs, INPUT is now tracking all California state term contracts for justice/public safety for any future rebid opportunities.

As we can see from these four regions, radio communications continue to be an area that every state works on to bring its region to full interoperability. I do not see this changing until all major localities have migrated to meet the new FCC guidelines. With regard to other technologies, such as CAD and RMS, we will continue to see smaller localities move toward fully computerized dispatch, and even to Next Generation 911 as the technology becomes more affordable and reliable.