A special investigation into DeKalb corruption last fall questioned whether the county had gotten the best deal on police equipment installations. Officials responded by canceling the contract and opening up the bidding process.
The result: The same company won the contract to install police car radios for a similar price.
DeKalb’s government may save a little money, but the cost for most services covered by the contract didn’t change much.
The police radio contract was highlighted in the Sept. 30 report by special investigators Mike Bowers and Richard Hyde, who wrote that other companies could have performed the same work for less money. The contract covered installation, repair and removal off two-way radios and other equipment.
But it turns out that putting the contract up for competitive bids didn’t make much of a difference because Mobile Communications of DeKalb was the only company that met the county’s requirements to be certified by the radio manufacturer, Motorola, and have a repair facility located in the county.
DeKalb’s government solicited bids from four other companies, but they declined to submit offers because of those criteria.
Rebidding the contract helped ensure the county government was keeping costs low, said DeKalb spokesman Burke Brennan.
“The public deserved to know that we were making every effort possible to ensure that we were getting the most competitive rates in all our contracting processes, especially those that were called into question,” Brennan said.
It’s difficult to determine how much money — if any — the county will save under the new contract. The itemized cost of police vehicle radio installation, removal and programming is close to what the county was paying under the previous contract.
The county government estimates it will spend less on police radios because of lower projected repair costs and usage, Brennan said.
When DeKalb rebid the police equipment contract, it split it into two pieces.
The two-way radio installation and maintenance portion is valued at $73,000, and it was awarded Feb. 23 to Mobile Communications of DeKalb. A second contract for installing other vehicle equipment — like police lights, sirens and laptop mounts — is worth $800,000, and the DeKalb Commission is scheduled to vote on awarding it to Mobile Communications on Tuesday.
The previous Mobile Communications contract was valued at up to $2.4 million a year, but county documents indicate only $961,539 was actually spent.
“We are doing our due diligence to get the best vendor for the least amount of money,” said DeKalb Police Chief James Conroy.
The company’s general manager didn’t return a phone call and email seeking comment.
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