Handheld Radios for Wildland Firefighting

The State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Resource Conservation awarded a contract to Voceon Chicago under an Open Market Small Purchase procurement mechanism for portable two-way radio equipment and related accessories. The contract, valued at $26,276.56, was awarded on April 21, 2026, with a completion date of June 30, 2026. The primary place of performance is the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Fire Program facility located at 11731 State Highway 37, Benton, Illinois 62812, with Wade Bloemer serving as the primary contact.

The deliverables consist of six BK BKR9000-T3.5BS portable handheld radios equipped with Tier 3.5 all-band capable hardware, 5000 channels, and full-keypad configuration. The radios feature base frequency capability in VHF 136-174 MHz at 6W output with optional 700/800 MHz coverage at 3W output, and include factory-installed P25 FDMA and P25 TDMA trunking capabilities with five-year warranties. The accessory package includes twelve SURPASS ultra-high-capacity lithium-ion battery packs rated IP68, six two-bay desktop chargers, six all-band antennas covering 136-174 MHz through 763-870 MHz, and one cloning cable. This procurement was approved under a Small Business Set-Aside Program waiver due to substantially lower pricing offered by the non-small business designated vendor compared to small business set-aside alternatives.