• The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
• The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition
• The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition

Of the countless technologies police officers use on a daily basis, speed-measuring devices and Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) are two of the most visible to those outside of law enforcement. These are the devices drivers see officers holding while parked on the side of the road. License plate readers, which can be either handheld or mounted, have a myriad uses including access control and assessing traffic and security. The readers use infrared illumination to scan the plate, and the system then captures and stores the image. Mounted readers can be connected to a computer system and security gates to note whether the license plate on the car approaching is approved to enter the facility; the gate can open or close depending on the plate scanned. Handheld readers are more often used by police officers to ensure cars are not stolen and that registration and inspections are current.

Speed-measuring devices also come in many forms including RADAR (radio detection and ranging), speed computers, LIDAR (light detection and ranging), and speedometer clocks. As discussed by Deltek Analyst Evan Halperin, newer technologies to help officers determine the speed of a vehicle include drone aircrafts. While the use of aircraft to monitor speed is likely to increase, particularly along border states, standard handheld devices are still the norm.

Earlier this week, South Carolina awarded five contracts for its statewide handheld down-the-road and LIDAR speed measuring devices project, at a total value exceeding $3 million. These devices play a huge role in officers’ day-to-day duties, as nearly every traffic stop is based on evidence captured and stored by the speed-measuring devices, which can later be used as evidence in court.

Below is a visual representation of the number of public procurements that have been released for these technologies since 2011 according to the GovWinIQ Database.

Analyst’s Take:

Vendors should continue to focus on more traditional handheld and mounted technologies while cautiously considering looking into drone and aircraft-based options. The bread and butter of the industry is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future as police officers continue to use handheld devices to apprehend reckless drivers and more hardened criminals. Vendors who have not done so should consider expanding into other sectors, particularly vendors who focus on license plate technology that can monitor private sector parking lots, toll plazas, and even city zones to capture congestion and traffic violations.

• Request for proposals (RFP) - Most commonly used with large-scale, high-dollar projects such as radio communications, dispatch software, and field reporting.
• Request for quotes (RFQ) - Most commonly used for commodity-based purchases such as laptops, fingerprint readers, and handheld radios.
• Request for information (RFI) - Most commonly used to gather information on a new technology and the options available from vendors (non-binding pricing).

As Deltek analysts have been crunching state budget numbers, the health care team has been posting in-depth analysis on Medicaid spending and its impact on budgets. To pay for the rise in Medicaid costs, states are scrambling to shift funding, overhaul programs, and produce creative solutions to close budget gaps. Alabama recently restored $184 million in Medicaid funding by transferring money from the state’s prison system. Like most states in the nation, West Virginia is looking to expand Medicaid managed care; the shift of patients is expected to start in December 2012. The rising cost of health care is the major driver behind the change in tactics, as the legislature budgeted an additional $132 million for next year’s Medicaid spending plan.

Oregon recently received nearly $2 billion from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to begin implementing a coordinated care system. Governor Kitzhaber estimates that if every state Medicaid program implements Oregon’s model, the nation could save $1.5 trillion over 10 years. One thing’s for sure: States facing multimillion dollar Medicaid deficits are faced with an uphill battle, pitting cost savings against quality of care. There will be no easy solution to Medicaid sustainability, but states need to ensure measured, careful system planning before rushing into overhauls and coverage changes that could hurt the very citizens they’re trying to protect.

Inmate telephone systems, which allow inmates to make phone calls to friends and family, are installed in every correctional facility in the country. Inmates pay for these phone systems through funds deposited into their trust-fund accounts. This money can be deposited by friends or family via check, money order or through Western Union transfers; some facilities even allow online and phone deposits, or deposits made through a machine in the actual facility. Funds deposited into these accounts can also be used to purchase food and other items from the facility’s commissary, and when an item is purchased or a phone call is made, the cost is automatically deducted from the inmate’s account.

Due to the fact that the cost of phone use depends on the number of calls made by inmates as well as the length of the calls, pricing for inmate telephone contracts is always difficult to predict. These contracts usually award a percentage of the gross revenue from the calls made by the inmates to the winning vendor. Requirements for these types of systems can vary depending on the agency issuing the solicitation, but there are notable similarities in specifications. For most projects, vendors are required to provide the telephones, network services and the call recording and monitoring systems, as well as any verification systems that might be needed. As previously mentioned, phone systems are also often required to be linked to an inmate’s trust-fund account.

Analyst's Take:

Given the pervasive nature of the American prison system and the fact that inmate populations continue to rise, vendors will likely have ample opportunity to win large contracts for inmate phone systems. Corrections spending is up .03 percent since 2010 and is expected to rise even further. Due to the nature of the corrections market, inmate phone systems are usually procured on a county and state level, not city level. While many agencies require similar systems and options, Vendors should keep in mind that it is still important to read the requirements carefully and ensure their proposals address each of the individual requirements. 

For more information on inmate telephone systems, go here.