20008-REQ-2201-2026-1.pdf

Office of the Mayor-President Purchasing Division

City of Baton Rouge Philip Gore Parish of East Baton Rouge Interim Director of Purchasing 222 Saint Louis Street, 8th Floor Room 826 P.O.Box 1471 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821

225/389-3259 FAX 225/389-4841 purchasinginfo@brgov.com

ADDENDUM NO. 1

April 17, 2026

Your reference is directed to REQ 2201 CRADLEPOINT MODEMS which is scheduled to open at 11:00 a.m. CST, on April 21, 2026

This Addendum is to:

Announce that the bid opening day is postponed and new bid opening day is April 28, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. CST

Answer queries related to this bid

Please find the answers of the queries on the on next page.

This addendum is hereby officially made a part of the referenced solicitation and should be attached to the bidder's proposal or otherwise acknowledged therein.

If you have already submitted your proposal and this addendum causes you to revise your original bid, please indicate changes herein and return to Purchasing prior to bid opening in an envelope marked with the file number, bid opening date, and time. If this addendum does not cause you to revise your bid, please acknowledge receipt of the addendum by signing your name and company below and returning it in accordance with the provisions above.

cc: Bid file 26-002201 shabnins@brla.gov 225-389-3259 x 3262

Signature Date Company mailto:purchasinginfo@brgov.com mailto:shabnins@brla.gov

Q&A

REQ 2201 CRADLEPOINT MODEMS

Question #1: The City of Baton Rouge has terms requiring procurement costs in the Terms and Conditions of the above mentioned RFP. Howard Technology Solutions, a division of Howard Industries, must take exception to any contractual terms that obligate us to cover reprocurement costs in the event of termination or alleged failure. Such provisions introduce disproportionate financial risk and liability that extend beyond standard commercial practices and are not reflective of a fair allocation of responsibility between parties. While we stand behind the quality and reliability of our products and services, assuming open-ended or consequential cost exposure tied to reprocurement is not something we can accept within our contractual framework.

That said, we remain committed to acting in good faith and working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure successful project outcomes. We are open to discussing alternative terms that more appropriately balance risk and align with standard business practices.

Would you be open to allowing us to take exception to this provision so we can move forward with the RFP?

Answer #1: I want to clarify that this solicitation is not an RFP. Rather it is an invitation to bid for one time purchase of the mentioned item(s) in the bid packet.

At this time, the City’s standard terms and conditions cannot be altered for this solicitation, and vendors are generally expected to either accept the terms as written or note exceptions within their bid response for consideration during evaluation.

You are welcome to formally list this provision as an exception in your submission. Please ensure the exception is clearly documented so it can be reviewed appropriately during the evaluation process.

Question #2: We are preparing to submit a bid for REQ 2201 to supply forty-three (43) wireless modem/routers.

As part of our evaluation, we are considering whether to propose an alternate solution to the R1900-5GB that may provide equal or enhanced functionality at a comparable or potentially lower per-unit cost.

To determine the most appropriate product to propose, clarification on the following items would be greatly appreciated:

1. SIM Configuration: Are dual SIM cards required for these units, or would an equivalent solution with a single SIM card slot be acceptable?

2. Network Technology: Is 5G capability a requirement, or may an LTE-based solution be proposed as an acceptable alternative?

3. Subscription Requirements: Is the 5-year subscription mandatory, or can an alternate solution without recurring subscription fees be considered?

4. Product Substitution: Would the Planet Technologies VCG-2406WP-NR be considered an acceptable substitute? Please refer to the comparison below outlining key features and advantages.

Technical Specification Comparison:

Feature Cradlepoint R1900-5GB (RFP Spec) VCG-2406WP-NR

Cellular Technology 5G NR, LTE, HSPA+, UMTS, WCDMA 5G NR (Sub-6GHz), 4G LTE Cat 20

Max Modem Rate 4.14 Gbps Up to 2.4 Gbps

Wired Interfaces 4 x 10/100/1000Base-T RJ-45 1 x 2.5G WAN, 4 x GbE LAN (with PoE+)

Wi-Fi Standard Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 2x2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 4x4 MU-MIMO

I/O & Serial 1 x GPIO, 1 x RS-232 (DB9) 2 x DI/DO, 1 x RS-232, 1 x RS-485

Security Standards WPA3-Enterprise, WPA3-Personal WPA3-Enterprise, WPA3-Personal

Operating Temp -22°F to 158°F (-30°C to 70°C) -40°C to 75°C (Industrial Grade)

Input Voltage DC 9-36V DC 9-54V

PoE Support Not specified in base unit IEEE 802.3at PoE+ (30W per port)

Management 5 Years NetCloud Mobile Performance Cloud Management / SNMP / Web UI

Certifications MIL-STD 810G, SAE J1455, IP64, E-Mark Industrial/Vehicle Grade (Check model certs)

IP Rating IP64 IP50 (Designed for In-Vehicle/Cabin)

Key Advantages of the VCG-2406WP-NR:

• Higher Throughput: While the R1900 is limited to GbE ports, the Planet unit features a 2.5G WAN port, fully unleashing the high-bandwidth potential of 5G.

• Integrated PoE+ Power: The VCG-2406WP-NR supports PoE+ directly, allowing it to power cameras or VoIP phones without needing an extra PoE switch. This saves both cost and space in vehicle installations.

• Superior Wi-Fi Performance: With 4x4 MU-MIMO, our unit provides better stability and capacity for high-density environments (e.g., public transit Wi-Fi) compared to the 2x2 MIMO on the R1900.

• Better Environmental Resilience: The VCG-2406WP-NR’s industrial design supports a wider temperature range (down to -40°C), ensuring reliability in more extreme conditions.

• Management Platform: Planet’s Cloud/SNMP management system does not require high reoccurring subscription fees reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

• Security: The VCG-2406WP-NR unit fully supports WPA3-Enterprise, meeting the security requirements listed in the specs.

Thank you in advance for your guidance. This information will help us ensure our proposal aligns fully with your technical and procurement requirements.

Answer #2: We currently maintain approximately 425 Cradlepoint modems within our fleet.

These devices are fully integrated with our in-car camera systems, body-worn camera offload processes, VPN connectivity, MDT operations, and asset tracking capabilities provided through CradleCare. This standardized platform is critical to our operations.

This purchase is intended to support direct replacement of existing units as well as deployment for new vehicle upfits.

Hence, the specifications outlined in the bid must be met as written. We can accept approved equals for consideration as mentioned in the bid. If bidding other than specified, sufficient information should be enclosed with the bid in order to determine quality, suitability, compatibility and compliance with the specifications.

Question #3: My company is a corporation. Unfortunately, I cannot get our Board of Directors to sign this. What would you accept in lieu of this?

Answer #3: In this case, you may submit your corporation's own corporate resolution or any other alternative form of authorization.