5-2901 Specifications Final..pdf

DENTON COUNTY, TEXAS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Inmate Mail & Phone Services

RFP #26-2901

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. PROJECT DATES

II. OBJECTIVE AND INSTRUCTIONS

III. SCOPE OF WORK 1-INMATE MAIL SERVICES

IV. SCOPE OF WORK 2-INMATE TELEPHONE SERVICES

V. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SUBMITTALS

VI. GENERAL CONDITIONS

VII. SPECIAL CONDITIONS

Exhibit A – Electronic Submission Instructions

Exhibit B – Paper Submission Instructions

Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Form

Exhibit D – Vendor Acknowledgement Form

DENTON COUNTY, TEXAS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Inmate Mail & Phone Services

RFP #26-2901

I. PROJECT DATES

A. Contract Term The initial term of the contract shall be for a three (3) year period beginning upon a date identified in the contract, with an option to renew for two (2) additional one-year terms at the discretion of Denton County Commissioners Court. The County’s current Inmate Mail contract expires August 19, 2026 and Inmate Phone Services Expires on October 31, 2026.

This information is provided for planning purposes only.

B. Pre-proposal Conference will occur:

Wednesday, April 08, 2026 at 1:00 P.M. Central Standard Time (CST)

Denton County Law Enforcement Center, Lobby Training Room 127 N. Woodrow Denton, TX 76205

It is strongly recommended that all Proposers intent on submitting proposals for the project attend the Pre-proposal Conference.

Timely arrival is strongly suggested. Information missed due to tardiness will not be revisited.

Prospective proposers are encouraged to examine the facility prior to submitting the formal proposal. The following procedure will be followed:

Those proposers who indicate an interest in touring the jail may do so immediately following the Pre-Proposal Conference. The Sheriff reserves the right to limit the tour so that minimum disruption of the facility’s routing occurs.

Proposers should limit the size of the examining teams to not more than three (3) persons.

The persons so designated must be accompanied by an employee of the Sheriff’s Office and as such must comply with the procedures of the Denton County Jail during the visit.

Examination of the facility will be limited to those areas directly affected by the service to be provided.

Individual tours will not be allowed.

If for any reason Denton County determines that a second tour is required, other arrangements may be made and all proposers will be notified by addendum.

C. Question Deadline Monday, April 13, 2026 at 2:00 P.M. Central Standard Time (CST)

All questions must be submitted online at Denton County Bonfire Portal, powered by Euna Procurement. No additional questions may be submitted once the question deadline has passed. Denton County will address all questions as promptly as possible. Questions may be addressed out of order from receipt, depending on the complexity of the responses required.

D. Sealed Proposals will be received PRIOR to and publicly opened at:

2:00 P.M. Central Standard Time (CST) on THURSDAY, April 30, 2026

Denton County Purchasing 1 Courthouse Drive, Suite 2300 Denton, TX 76208

II. OBJECTIVE AND INSTRUCTIONS

A. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this solicitation is to obtain the services of a qualified firm with extensive experience in providing comprehensive inmate communication services for Denton County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) facilities. These services include an off-site inmate postal mailroom, an electronic inmate mail system, and inmate telephone services for all Denton County Jail Facilities and Juvenile Detention. The selected proposer will support the County’s goal of eliminating contraband while enhancing safety, security, and operational efficiency across all facilities.

B. FUNDING: Funds for payment have been provided through the Denton County budget approved by the Commissioners Court for this fiscal year only. State of Texas statutes prohibit the obligation and expenditure of public funds beyond the fiscal year for which a budget has been approved. Therefore, anticipated orders or other obligations that may arise past the end of the current Denton County fiscal year shall be subject to budget approval.

C. INFORMATION/QUESTIONS: All questions shall be posted by inquirers online at Denton County Bonfire Portal powered by Euna Procurement, https://dentoncounty.bonfirehub.com by the stated deadline. Answers will be posted online at Denton County Bonfire Portal.

1. Answers provided to posted questions address minor irregularities and are for clarification purposes only and do not revise or modify the specification requirements.

2. Answers to questions that result in revisions to the specifications will be addressed by Addendum.

3. No oral statement of any person shall modify or otherwise change or affect the specifications.

4. Proposers are responsible for ensuring all answers to questions are reviewed prior to proposal submittal.

D. ADDENDA: Addenda are written changes, additions, alterations, corrections or revisions to specifications which change the scope of work. Any addenda issued prior to the proposal submission deadline shall be acknowledged in the proposal and shall become a part of the executed contract.

1. Failure of a Proposer to receive any addendum shall not release the Proposer from any obligations under his proposal, provided said addendum was posted and distributed by Denton County Bonfire Portal, https://dentoncounty.bonfirehub.com.

2. Proposers are responsible for ensuring all addendums are reviewed prior to proposal submittal. All addenda can be reviewed at Denton County Bonfire Portal.

https://dentoncounty.bonfirehub.com/ https://dentoncounty.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities https://dentoncounty.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities

E. PROPOSER RESPONSIBILITY: It is the responsibility of each proposer before submitting a proposal:

1. To examine thoroughly the contract documents and other related data identified in the proposal documents, to visit the site to become familiar with and satisfy proposer as to the general, local, and site conditions that may affect cost, progress, performance, etc.

2. To consider federal, state, and local laws and regulations that may affect costs, progress, performance or furnishing of the work.

3. To study and carefully correlate proposer’s knowledge and observations with the contract documents and such other related data.

4. To promptly notify the County Director of Purchasing of all conflicts, errors, ambiguities, or discrepancies which proposer has discovered in or between the contract documents and such other related documents.

F. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR RESPONSIBLE PROSPECTIVE PROPOSERS: Proposer shall submit information on its organization, experience and staff assigned to the project;

provide headquarters, nearest office and managing office for the projects stated herein;

and show level of organizational responsibility of key projects of staff members by submitting resumes of such. A prospective proposer must affirmatively demonstrate its responsibility by providing evidence of the following requirements:

1. Have adequate financial resources, or the ability to obtain such resources as required;

2. Be able to comply with the required or proposed delivery schedule;

3. Have a satisfactory record of performance;

4. Have a satisfactory record of integrity and ethics;

5. Have a satisfactory record of cybersecurity; and

6. Be otherwise qualified and eligible to receive an award.

Denton County may request representation and other information sufficient to determine proposer's ability to meet these minimum standards listed above.

G. DEBARMENT: Proposer certifies that at the time of submission of its proposal, Proposer was not on the federal government’s list of suspended, ineligible or debarred contractors and that Proposer has not been placed on this list between the time of its proposal submission and the time of execution of the Contract. If Proposer is placed on this list during the term of the Contract, Proposer shall notify the Denton County Director of Purchasing. False certification or failure to notify may result in termination of the Contract for default.

H. HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESS (HUB) CONTRACTING:

7. The goal of Denton County is to ensure all HUBs, as described in the Texas Government Code, Title 10 Subtitle D, Chapter 2161, have maximum opportunities to participate in the County’s procurement in awarding of contracts and subcontracts.

8. Denton County will make a good faith effort to increase contract awards for the purchase of goods or services from the HUBs. HUB proposers are encouraged to participate in the county’s purchasing and procurement process. While the County is oriented to adhere to good faith efforts, nothing in this effort shall be construed to establish set-asides or mandatory quotas.

9. The County and all prime contractors (if subcontractors are permitted) will take the affirmative steps listed below:

a. Placing qualified small and minority businesses and women’s business enterprises on solicitation lists.

b. Assuring that small and minority businesses, and women’s business enterprises are solicited whenever they are potential sources.

c. Dividing total requirements, when economically feasible, into smaller tasks or quantities to permit maximum participation by small and minority business, and women’s business.

d. Establishing delivery schedules, where the requirements permit, which encourage participation by small and minority business, and women’s business enterprises.

e. Using the services and assistance of the Small Business Administration, the

Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce and the Texas Procurement and Support Services (TPASS) Centralized Master Bidders List HUB Directory.

I. SUBMITTAL OF CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL: The Owner considers all Proposal information, documentation and supporting materials submitted in response to this Request for Proposal to be non-confidential and/or non-proprietary in nature, and therefore, shall be subject to public disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act (Texas Government Code, Sec. 552.001, et seq.) after the award of the contract except for trade secrets and confidential information which the Proposer identifies as proprietary. Any material that is to be considered as CONFIDENTIAL/PROPRIETARY in nature must be clearly marked on each applicable page as such by the proposer.

Marking your entire proposal CONFIDENTIAL/Proprietary is not in conformance with the Texas Public Information Act (Texas Government Code, Sec. 552.001, et seq.).

J. PROPOSALS WILL BE received and publicly acknowledged at the location, date, and time stated in Section I. Proposals shall be received and acknowledged only so as to avoid disclosure of the contents to competing proposers and kept confidential during the negotiation/evaluation process.

K. ALTERING PROPOSALS: Any interlineation, alteration, or erasure made before receiving time must be initialed by the signer of the proposal, guaranteeing authenticity.

L. LATE PROPOSALS: Proposals received in County Purchasing Office after submission deadline shall be returned unopened and will be considered void and unacceptable.

Denton County is not responsible for lateness of mail, carrier, etc., and time/date stamp clock in Purchasing Office shall be the official time of receipt.

M. Proposal Submission Instructions - PROPOSALS SHALL include all required submittal documents listed in Section IV, Evaluation Criteria and Submittals, and may be submitted in one of the following submission formats. If submitting in one format (e.g., paper), do not submit in another (e.g., electronically):

1. Electronically - Refer to Exhibit A for electronic submittal instructions.

a. Electronic proposals shall be submitted via Bonfire Portal, powered by Euna Procurement, at https://dentoncounty.bonfirehub.com following the instructions for electronic submittal included in Exhibit A.

2. Paper Submission - Refer to Exhibit B for paper submittal instructions. If submitting electronically, do not submit paper documents. If you choose to submit in hard copy, submit one original paper copy of your submittal to the office of the Director of Purchasing:

a. If submitting in hard copy, submittals shall take the form of a bound 8.5 inch by 11-inch proposal with a Table of Contents and all pages numbered. Each section shall be clearly identified and tabbed as instructed in Section IV. EVALUATION

CRITERIA AND SUBMITTALS.

b. Paper submittals shall be placed in a sealed envelope, manually signed in ink by a person having authority to bind the firm in a contract and marked clearly with the RFP number on the outside.

c. If the proposal is sent through the mail or other delivery system, the sealed envelope shall be enclosed in a separate envelope with the notation "PROPOSAL ENCLOSED" on the face of it.

N. IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT Denton County reserves the right to accept or reject any and/or all proposals, as deemed to be in the best interest of Denton County. Receipt of any proposal shall not, under any circumstances, obligate Denton County to accept the lowest proposal. The award of the contract shall be made to the responsible proposer whose proposal is determined to be the best evaluated offer resulting from negotiation, taking into consideration the relative importance of price and other evaluation factors set forth in the request for proposal (RFP). The County intends to award this contract to a single vendor.

O. WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSAL: A proposal may not be withdrawn or cancelled by the proposer for a period of ninety (90) days following the date designated for the receipt of proposal, and proposer so agrees upon submittal of their proposal.

P. PROPOSALS/PROPOSERS MUST COMPLY WITH federal, state, county, and local laws concerning the type(s) of product(s)/service(s)/equipment/project(s) contracted for, and the fulfillment of all ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements.

Q. DISCLOSURE OF CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS: Chapter 176 of the Texas Local Government Code requires that any proposer or person considering doing business with a local government entity disclose in the Questionnaire Form CIQ, the proposer or person's affiliation or business relationship that might cause a conflict of interest with a local government entity. By law, this questionnaire must be filed with the records administrator of Denton County no later than the 7th business day after the date the person becomes aware of facts that require the statement to be filed as defined in 176.006, Local Government Code. A person commits an offense if the person violates Section 176.006, Local Government Code. An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor. A copy of the law is available at:

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/LG/htm/LG.176.htm The forms for reporting are available online.

By submitting a response to this request, the proposer represents that it is in compliance with the requirements of Chapter 176 of the Texas Local Government Code.

If required, send completed forms to the Denton County Clerk's Office located at 1450 E. McKinney, Suite 1103, Denton, TX 76209-4524.

R. DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTED PARTIES: In compliance with Section 2252.908 of the Texas Government Code, Denton County Commissioners Court may not enter into a contract with a business entity as a result of acceptance or award of this solicitation unless the business entity submits a disclosure of interested parties form as required by this statute. Notification will be given to the business entity recommended for award upon which the business entity will be required to submit the completed form prior to award.

A copy of this law is available at http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2252.htm.

The on-line form is available at https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm.

The Definitions are included in Chapter 46, Ethics Commission Rules are available online.

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/LG/htm/LG.176.htm http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2252.htm https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm

S. PROHIBITION OF CONTRACT WITH CERTAIN COMPANIES:

Vendors/Contractors/Providers must be in compliance with the provisions of §2252.152 and §2252.153 of the Texas Government Code, which states in part, contracts with companies engaged in business with Iran, Sudan or Foreign Terrorist Organizations are prohibited. A governmental entity may not enter into a contract with any company listed on the Comptroller of the State of Texas website identified under Section 806.051, 807.051 or Section 2252.153, which do business with Iran, Sudan or any Foreign Terrorist Organization. By submitting a signed response to this solicitation, proposer verifies to Denton County that it is not on any such list.

Pursuant to Texas Government Code Chapter 2274, Contractor verifies the following:

(1) does not have a practice, policy, guidance, or directive that discriminates against a firearm entity or firearm trade association and (2) will not discriminate during the term of the contract against a firearm entity or firearm trade association. By submitting a signed response to this solicitation, proposer verifies to Denton County that currently and will uphold the aforementioned according to Texas Government Code Chapter 2274.

T. CHAPTER 2271 VERIFICATION: Denton County is legally prohibited from contracting for goods and services, unless the contract contains written verification from the proposer that it does not, and will not, during the term of the contract, boycott Israel as described in Texas Government Code §808.001(1). By submitting a response to this solicitation, the proposer is affirming compliance with Chapter 2271 of the Texas Government Code.

U. SALES TAX: Denton County is, by statute, exempt from the State Sales Tax and Federal Excise Tax; therefore, the proposal price shall not include taxes.

V. DEBT: Denton County reserves the right to reject any proposal submitted by a Proposer who owes a debt to the County. Debt includes delinquent taxes, fines, fees, and delinquencies arising from written agreements with the County.

W. CONE OF SILENCE: To ensure the integrity of the procurement process, a Cone of Silence is hereby imposed on this solicitation beginning with the advertisement date and ending upon the award recommendation being posted or the solicitation being canceled. The Cone of Silence prohibits any communication regarding this solicitation between:

a. Any potential bidder, vendor, service provider, respondent, or representative thereof, and

b. Any member of the County staff, evaluation committee, elected official, or any other person authorized to make or influence a procurement decision.

All questions and communication regarding this solicitation must be submitted through the Denton County Bonfire Portal. Any violation of this policy may be grounds for disqualification of the bidder from consideration for award. Exceptions to this Cone of Silence include:

https://dentoncounty.bonfirehub.com/portal

a. Communications at the pre-bid or pre-proposal conference;

b. Formal presentations/interviews scheduled by the Purchasing Department;

c. Contract negotiations as authorized by the Purchasing Department;

d. Communication with the Purchasing Department as expressly permitted by the solicitation documents.

Violation of this section by a respondent or any representative may result in rejection of the bid, proposal, or response.

III. SCOPE OF WORK 1-INMATE MAIL SERVICES

A. GENERAL: The following items outline the minimum general terms required.

Contractors are required to respond to each item, fully detailing and explaining how this system proposed will accomplish each item.

1. The awarded Contractor will provide Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail System for all of Denton County Jail Adult Facilities.

2. The Contractor will have a system designed solely for detention/corrections facilities.

3. The Contractor shall provide a plan for all legal privileged postal mail to still come to the Sheriff’s Office.

4. The Contractor shall maintain all permits and licenses required by Federal, State and local laws, rules and regulations for any implementation of work undertaken by the Contractor for the County. This shall be at the expense of the Contractor.

5. The Contractor shall give the County complete and unlimited rights to access all data maintained by the Contractor and make available all records or data requested by the County as needed.

6. The Contractor shall provide a system that allows for all non-privileged (non-legal) postal mail to be mailed to and scanned at an off-site secure central process center.

The processing of the non-privileged (non-legal) mail by the Contractor shall mirror the United States Postal Service operation schedule.

a. This scan shall be in an electronic format and sent to the inmate electronically.

b. This shall be done at the Contractors expense and at no charge to the County.

7. Mail received should be processed by the Contractor within 24 hours of receipt.

8. The Contractor will scan each piece of non-privileged mail and send electronically to the facility.

9. All original mail shall be retained by the contractor for a minimum of 30 days unless otherwise instructed by the County.

10. The Contractor will offer with the Postal Mail features an electronic messaging system at minimal cost to the inmate, friends and family. Each inmate will be allowed at least two free electronic messages each week in order to accommodate indigent inmates.

11. Administrative access shall include information for tracking inmate and senders activities and patterns by, at a minimum, the following:

a. Inmate ID Number

b. Inmate Name

c. Sender’s Name

d. Date and Time

e. Daily, weekly, and monthly statistics

f. Housing Unit Location

12. Contractor must provide DCSO personnel the ability to submit trouble tickets, preferably on-line via a web interface.

13. The Contractor shall provide a current Demo Web site access for evaluation and review.

14. The system will include a component that is capable of being accessed from a dedicated monitoring terminal(s) and/or through a provided secured internet connection from desktop, laptop or remote means by authorized County personnel.

15. The system shall have query and search capabilities allowing Sheriff Office Investigators to quickly access postal mail and email conversations by a specific inmate, general public, occurring during time periods, by a unit location, and keywords.

16. The system shall have the ability to allow Denton County designated personnel the option to reject the postal mail/emails received.

a. The system shall document when a letter or email has been rejected. Each valid reason for rejection that applies to a single piece of mail or email shall be documented.

b. The system shall notify the sending party when a letter, email or photo has been rejected and include reason(s) for the rejection.

c. The system shall notify the inmate when a letter, email or photo has been rejected and include reason(s) for the rejection.

d. The system shall have a means to print a report on all rejected email with the reasons of the rejection.

17. The system shall provide for the electronic storage of the inmates mail for the duration of the inmates incarceration and for a minimum of two (2) years after the inmate has been released from the facility.

18. The Contractor shall provide a toll-free help line and web site access, ticket system or equivalent for the Public to submit issues.

19. The Contractor must describe any other fees or surcharges that will be included in the cost of the Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail System, or, if applicable, any other fees charged to the public aside from normal taxes, including any potential additional fees or charges to the remote visitor from the contractor..

a. Submit thorough description of all rates, fees and surcharges proposed. All fees to be charged must be disclosed.

b. Include price for a 1000 character count email.

c. Include price for emails over 1000 characters.

d. Include price per photograph or attachment.

e. Denton County shall receive in writing from the Contractor, any increase in future Postal / Electronic Email rates 90 days in advance.

f. All increases must be approved in advance by the DCSO.

20. Software upgrades initiated by the Contractor are to be implemented throughout the contract term, with new and enhanced features being offered to the DCSO at no additional charge.

a. The DCSO shall be notified of any upgrades prior to installation. The notice shall provide information on possible service interruptions.

21. Provide a listing of all optional features and enhancements to the basic Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail System. Basic Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail System includes all listed in the Scope of Work (Excluding optional services) herein. List costs of each optional feature available with the proposed system.

NOTE: This additional information will not be included in the initial price evaluations as it is optional. This could include, but not limited to, things such as:

a. Electronic Grievances

b. Law Library

c. Inmate Request Forms

22. The Contractor shall provide administrator access to software with the capabilities of adding users at different security levels.

23. The Contractor must submit with their proposal a transition plan that indicates the time and activities required for installation, utility coordination, cutover and testing.

24. Denton County reserves the right to reassign functionality of existing and any future inmate related communications including but not limited to programs such as grievances, inmate request forms, video, and phones.

25. The Contractor shall conduct a third-party independent security/vulnerability assessment at its own expense on an annual basis and submit the results of such assessment to Denton County within six months of completion. The Contractor shall comply with Denton County directions/resolutions to remediate the results of the security/vulnerability assessment to align with the standards of Denton County and Texas Jail Standards.

26. The Contractor shall be responsible for installation of equipment and service of all equipment in a timely manner and at no cost to Denton County.

27. In the event expert testimony is needed in cases involving a court case or lawsuit; the vendor will provide certified personnel capable of testifying to the integrity of the system, the complete system process and any other subject related to the installation use, operation and the method by which mail is received and converted to an electronic document. This service shall be provided at no cost to the County.

B. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: The following items outline the minimum technical specifications required. Contractors are required to respond to each of them, fully detailing and explaining how the system proposed will accomplish each specification.

1. Maintenance:

a. Contractor shall develop procedures and schedules and conduct monthly Preventive Maintenance on all equipment. Contractor shall provide the schedule and procedures to the County’s designated Contact Manager.

b. Contractor shall prepare a monthly maintenance report that includes:

i. The nature and scope of Preventive maintenance performed.

ii. Identifying any unusual problems or indications of security risks.

2. Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail System network failure: Contractor shall be responsible for determining whether any network failure is the fault of the Contractor’s equipment or other party.

a. When the Contractor determines the responsible party for failure, the Contractor shall contact the responsible party for the failure and jointly resolve the failure at no cost to the County.

b. If the failure is determined to be the fault of the Contractor’s equipment, hardware, software, or wiring, the Contactor shall correct the problem at no cost to the County.

3. Notification: The Contractor shall notify the DCSO at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to any planned work that may result in failure of equipment.

4. Technical Support: Twenty-four (24) hour technical support service shall be required with personal contact and response time of two (2) hours for software service and with four (4) hours for hardware repair service.

5. All software must be compatible with a minimum of a Windows 10 operating system and must operate with Internet Explorer Version 11 or the latest version of Google Chrome at a minimum.

6. The DCSO will demonstrate reasonable care but will not be liable in the event of loss, destruction, or theft of contractor-owned equipment, software, or technical literature to be delivered or to be used in the installation of deliverable. The contractor is required to retain total liability for the system. At no time will Denton County be responsible or accept liability for any contractor-owned items.

7. Server software shall:

a. Allow authorized users to search for and select any specific Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail indexed by inmate, public, and date/time, keywords, and location.

b. Maintain an audit trail to track the identity of personnel that has viewed and/or burned/exported a copy of the Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail. Audit trail data shall include at a minimum a user ID and a date/time stamp.

c. Have a multi-lingual interface (English and Spanish at a minimum).

8. Equipment/Hardware:

Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail System kiosks that are installed shall include the following:

a. Suitable for inmate environment: The Contractor is to provide Inmate Postal

Mail/Electronic Mail System Kiosks that are suitable for an inmate environment meaning that units are equipped with durable housing.

I. Each unit is to be tamper-resistant II. Equipment must not contain any external removable parts.

III. Equipment must have no sharp corners.

IV. There must be no exposed cables or other hardware that can be used as a weapon.

V. All equipment should be detention grade.

b. Shall include Power over Ethernet (POE) capability as needed.

c. Shall include support for a Wi-Fi connection or suitable alternative on all mobile units/terminals.

9. Server Hardware and Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail System equipment shall:

a. Have server/storage hardware capable of being rack mounted.

b. Have enclosures that are detention grade metal with the ability to access the camera and other equipment. They must be 16 gauge or thicker steel with no sharp corners. Doors and panels must be locked and secured. There must be no exposed cables or other hardware that can be used as a weapon, such as exposed hinges.

c. Have opening sealed with material for a secure unit. The materials shall be scratch-resistant Lexan or equivalent. The material shall be 1/8” thickness or greater and break resistant.

d. Have access areas equipped with gaskets with closed-cell foam to prevent liquid spills from entering the enclosures.

e. Have a front face designed around the viewable area of the LCD monitor to eliminate the viewing of equipment contained in the enclosure.

f. Be desk-mounted, wall-mounted, or mounted on a mobile cart with a minimum of four (4) lag bolt locations.

g. Allow for replacement in the field without the need to remove the unit and return it to the manufacturer/vendor for repair.

h. Not have openings in the enclosure that would allow access to wiring and ventilation holes by an inmate.

i. Have heat syncs and heat-vents located in the back of the Inmate Postal

Mail/Electronic Mail System in order to allow for proper cooling.

10. Awarded contractor shall provide a 1 to 1 ratio of tablets to our inmate population

Additionally, the contractor shall provide any equipment associated with the increase in population throughout the term of the contract.

a. General Requirements:

I. The Contractor shall provide, implement, and maintain an inmate tablet solution for the County.

II. All equipment and services shall be turnkey and include all labor, materials, equipment, software, and support necessary for full operation.

III. The solution shall remain fully operational, secure, and compliant with all applicable County, State, and Federal regulations throughout the term of the contract.

b. Tablet Quantity and Allocation:

I. Contractor shall provide and maintain a minimum one-to-one (1:1) ratio of tablets to the inmate population, defined as one (1) fully functional tablet per assigned inmate.

II. Contractor shall maintain a minimum of two percent (2%) spare inventory to ensure uninterrupted availability during maintenance, repair, or replacement activities.

III. Contractors ensure all tablets are issued, tracked, and managed in accordance with County policies and facility requirements.

c. Population Adjustments:

I. Contractor shall adjust tablet inventory to accommodate increases in inmate population within sixty (60) calendar days of notification by the County.

II. All additional tablets and associated equipment required due to population increases shall be provided at no additional cost to the County, unless otherwise expressly defined in the contract pricing structure.

III. Contractor shall proactively monitor usage and inventory levels to prevent shortages.

d. Equipment and Infrastructure:

I. Contractor shall furnish all associated equipment, including but not limited to:

a. Charging stations

b. Docking or kiosk units

c. Protective cases

d. Network and connectivity components (if applicable)

II. All equipment shall be compatible with facility infrastructure and meet all applicable security and detention facility standards.

III. Contractor shall be responsible for installation, configuration, and testing of all equipment.

e. Maintenance and Support:

I. Contractor shall be responsible for all maintenance, repair, and replacement of tablets and associated equipment due to normal wear and tear at no additional cost to the County.

II. Contractor shall repair or replace any malfunctioning or damaged equipment within seven (7) days of notification.

III. Contractor shall provide technical support services with a response time of twenty-four (24) hours or less.

IV. Contractor shall ensure no disruption of service during maintenance, upgrades, or replacements.

f. Inventory and Accountability:

I. Contractor shall maintain a comprehensive inventory tracking system for all tablets and associated equipment.

II. Contractor shall provide inventory reports to the County upon request and no less than quarterly.

III. Contractor shall establish and document procedures for lost, stolen, or intentionally damaged equipment, subject to County approval.

g. Performance Standard:

I. Contractor shall maintain a minimum device availability rate of ninety percent (90%) at all times.

II. Contractor shall ensure all tablets remain current, supported, and fully functional, including performing upgrades or replacements as necessary to maintain compatibility with required software, network, and security requirements.

III. Contractor shall ensure continuous system functionality and reliability in a correctional environment.

h. Implementation:

I. Contractor shall complete initial deployment sufficient to meet the 1:1 ratio requirement within ninety (90) calendar days of contract award or Notice to Proceed.

II. Contractor shall coordinate deployment activities with County staff to minimize operational disruption.

i. Transition and Contract Closure:

I. Upon contract expiration or termination, Contractor shall provide for secure removal of all equipment.

II. Contractor shall perform data wiping in accordance with CJIS (Criminal

Justice Information Services) standards or equivalent.

III. Contractor shall provide transition support to the County or a replacement vendor to ensure continuity of services.

IV. All closeout activities shall be completed at no additional cost to the

County.

11. The Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail System shall provide remote access by the DCSO at no additional cost to Denton County or the DCSO. The provision of remote access shall allow the DCSO the same features and functionalities, permitted by the user’s level of access, available on the control workstation.

12. At least once every six (6) months as needed, the Contractor shall provide a training session for the DCSO personnel that addresses how to use the system, advances and upgrades to technology, and any other matters that have created issues in the effective use of the system. The Contractor shall provide user PDF electronic manuals as needed and each time they are updated.

13. Any writing or cabling needed with the walls, floors, or ceilings, or the facility structures shall be installed/replaced by Denton County Technology Services’ Contractor of choice. The cost of this installation shall be paid for by the successful bidder, but will remain the property of Denton County.

14. The system shall be a stand-alone system and not need to be integrated with the current IT cabling in the facility.

15. All equipment brand software provided by the Contractor shall remain the responsibility of the Contractor for maintenance purposes.

16. The Contractor shall use industry best practices to protect access to the system with a firewall and firewall rules to prevent access by non-authorized users and block all improper and unauthorized access attempts.

17. The Contractor shall use industry best practices to provide system intrusion detection and prevention in order to detect intrusions in a timely manner.

18. The Contractor shall use industry best practices to provide virus protection on all servers and network components.

19. The Contractor shall limit access to the system and servers and provide access only to those staff that must have access to provide services proposed.

20. The Contractor will provide all services, using security technologies and techniques in accordance with industry best practices and Denton County’s security policies, procedures, and requirements, including those relating to the prevention and detection of fraud and any other inappropriate use or access of systems and networks.

21. Contractor shall comply with all applicable data protection, data security, data privacy and data breach notification laws.

22. For Data and Confidential Information in the possession, custody and control of the

Contractor or its employees, agents and subcontractors:

a. The Contractor shall report unauthorized access, use, release, loss, destruction or disclosure of data or confidential information (“Incident”) to Denton County within two (2) hours of when the Contractor knows of or reasonably suspects such Incident, and the Contractor must immediately take all reasonable steps to mitigate any potential harm or further access, use, release, loss, destruction or disclosure of such data or confidential information.

b. Contractor shall provide timely notice to all individuals that may require notice under any applicable law or regulation as a result of an Incident. The notice must be pre-approved by Denton County. At Denton County’s request, Contractor shall, at its sole expense, provide credit monitoring services to all individuals that may be impacted by any Incident requiring notice.

c. Contractor shall be solely responsible for any costs, losses, fines, or actual damages incurred by Denton County due to Incidents.

23. All Data must be stored within the United States.

24. The Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining the privacy, security and integrity of Data in the Contractor’s or its subcontractors’ possession.

25. All Data shall be provided to Denton County upon request, in a form acceptable to the Denton County and at no cost.

26. Any Data shall be destroyed by the Contractor at Denton County’s request.

27. Any Data shall be held for litigation or public records purposes by the Contractor at Denton County’s request, and in accordance with the security, privacy and accessibility requirements of this Contract.

28. Denton County will handle all networking at the expense of the vendor.

C. PERTINENT DATA – DCSO ADULT JAIL FACILITY: The locations and number of individual units initially required are listed below but are subject to being adjusted during the course of the contract to accommodate significant changes in inmate population.

Respondents must agree to adjust the number of individual units or to relocate existing units as needed at no cost to the County. Additionally, individual unit requirements may vary based on the individual units’ ability to perform multiple functions.

a. Unit 1 Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail System Kiosks (Main Jail/Pod Jail) – minimum of 31 kiosks.

A-1 (24 beds) A-2 Medical (5 beds) A-3-A through A-3-P (14 beds) A-4-1 (8 beds) A-4-2 (8 beds) A-4-3 (8 beds) A-4-4-1 through A-4-4 (4 beds) A-5-A through A-5-F (6 beds) A-6 (24 beds) B-1 (16 beds) B-2 (16 beds) B-3 (12 beds) B-4 (12 beds) B-5 (16 beds) B-6 (16 beds) B-7 (16 beds) B-8 (12 beds) B-9 (24 beds) B-10 (16 beds) P-1 (48 beds) P-2 (48 beds) P-3 (48 beds) P-4 (48 beds) P-5 (48 beds) P-6 (48 beds) P-7 (48 beds) P-8 (48 beds)

b. Unit 2 Inmate Postal Mail/Electronic Mail System Kiosks (Pre Trial Jail/Tower Jail) – Minimum of 38 Kiosks.

P-11 (48 beds) P-12 (48 beds) P-13 (48 beds) P-14 (48 beds) P-15 (48 beds) P-16 (48 beds) P-17 (48 beds) P-18 (48 beds) Tower Medical (5) P-21 (24 beds) P-23 (48 beds) P-24 (72 Beds) P-25 (72 Beds) P-26 (72 Beds) P-27 (48 beds) P-28 (48 beds) S-1-A through S-1-Y (25 beds) S-2 (8 beds) S-2-I through S-2-L (4 beds) S-3 (8 beds) S-4 (8 beds) S-5 (8 beds) S-6 (8 beds) S-7 (8 beds)

2. The current Jail Management System is through Smart Communications.

a. It shall be the responsibility of the successful Contractor to work with Tyler

Technologies to write an enhancement for the Contractor to receive exported files with needed inmate information from Tyler Technologies Jail Management System.

b. The Contractor shall pay all costs associated with this enhancement and any additional upgrades or enhancements needed to maintain proper performance.

3. The current average daily population for inmates is 1,309.

4. The current provider for Inmate Commissary is through Lone Star.

a. Contractor as an option, if the County desires, may allow for Lone Star to interface on the Contractors kiosks for inmate Commissary orders. Interface would be at expense of Contractor.

b. Currently most of Lone Star interfaces and resides on the video visitation kiosks of HomeWAV.

IV. SCOPE OF WORK 2-INMATE TELEPHONE SERVICES

A. BACKGROUND:

1. The current provider for Inmate Telephone Services is Smart Communications. Smart Communications provide an on-site technician 5 days per week for a minimum of 40 hours. The current contract expires October 31, 2026.

3. The number of units listed below are currently in use. The current Vendor has the site broken down into four (4) categories; Denton County Jail, Pre Trial Jail Facility, Tower Jail, and the Juvenile Detention Center. Denton County prefers that all Sheriff’s Office inmate phones be in one category or, at the most, two categories;

Unit 1 (Main Jail and Pod Jail as well as Barracks if being used) and Unit 2 (Pre Trial and Tower Jail). The locations and number of individual units initially required are listed below, but may need to be adjusted during the course of the contract to accommodate significant changes in inmate population.

Old Main Jail (Unit 1), includes Medical beds and old Holding

Cells

Pod Jail (Unit 1)

Tower Jail (Unit 2), includes Medical beds

Pre Trial Jail (Unit2) includes Book In, old Medical cell beds, and Lobby

Phone

Juvenile Barracks (Not in service at this time)

# of installed Phones

43 + 12 portable ports for 2 mobile phones

32 33 +2 portable jacks for a mobile phone

55 + 8 portable jacks for 2 mobile phones

10 8

TDD Phones 1 0 0 0-currently uses a video TDD connection

1 0

Capacity 257 Beds 384 Beds

388 Beds 470 Beds 128 Beds

96 Beds

4. The County Jail total average population based on information from January 2025 was 1,280. The total average population for Juvenile is 90.

5. Data for a typical month, for all types of calls is listed below. The data is from

January 2025 for both Unit 1 and 2 Jails as well as Booking and the Juvenile Facility:

Completed Calls 105,438

Completed Free Calls 21,952

Calls to the AIS system

Number of local calls (Commission paid) 52,583

Number of minutes for local calls 446,424

Number of Intralata (Intralata/Intrastate) calls 23,457

Number of minutes for Intralata (Intralata/Instrastate) calls

200,543

Number of Interlata (Intralata/Intrastate) calls 11,172

Number of minutes for Interlata calls 100,432

Number of Interstate (Interlata) calls 15,118

Number of minutes for Interstate (Interlata) calls

138,596

Number of International calls

3,108

Number of International Minutes 31,094

Number of Prepaid Debit calls (Includes local, intralata, interlata, interstate and international)

61,469

Number of minutes for Prepaid Debit calls (Includes local, intralata, interlata, interstate and international)

522,136

Number of Prepaid Collect calls (includes local, intralata, interlata, interstate and international)

43,969

Number of minutes of Prepaid Collect calls (Includes local, intralata, interlata, interstate and international)

394,363

Number of Direct Billed Calls(Includes local, intralata, interlata, interstate and international)

30,310

Number of minutes of Direct Billed Calls(Includes local, intralata, interlata, interstate and international)

97,259

Number of Juvenile Facility calls 1,331

Number of minutes of all Juvenile Facility calls 16,517

6. Denton County currently averages 1,110 bookings per month.

a. All phones in the Book-In area allow free calls at this time.

b. The inmates are not always placed in the jail management system prior to making calls at the Book In area.

7. Denton County currently uses a Personal Identification Number (PIN) system that is utilized in making/tracking calls.

a. Current PIN numbers are eight digits long and are a combination of the inmate’s Jail ID and last two digits of either their social security number or date of birth year.

b. The current system is automated through Denton County’s jail management system, Tyler Technologies Odyssey.

c. Book-In phones do not require the use of a PIN to make a call at this time.

8. Currently the County has a Personal Allowed Number List (PAN) in place for up to ten numbers per inmate. The first ten numbers that an inmate calls become their PAN list. The inmate may request a reset every 90 days. Attorney and bail bond numbers or other numbers deemed appropriate by the County do not count towards this ten number limit.

9. Current call rates for the Law Enforcement Facility are listed below. International call rates vary per country.

Collect Calls: Per Minute

Local $ .06

Intralata/Intratstate $. .06

Interlata/Intrastate $. .06

Interlata/Interstate $. .06

Debit Time/Prepaid Account:

Local $. .06

Intralata/Intrastate $. .06

Interlata/Intrastate $. .06

Interlata/Interstate $. .06

International Calls $. .06

Voice Mail Calls $. .06

10. Current fees for all inmate phone transactions are listed below:

Funding Method Transaction fee

Funding Fee – Fee to use credit or debit card to fund an Inmate Account

$0

Live Agent – Agent assistance fee to use a credit or debit card to fund an inmate Account

$0

Single Call Program $0

Voice Mail Option $1.00

11. The current Vendor sells debit time through the Commissary Vendor, Lone Star

Commissary, 3664 TX-19, Huntsville, TX 77320 . Debit time is currently sold to inmates in $1.00 increments. Debit Time sold through the commissary and purchases made on commissary go back into the inmate Commissary account. The cost of debit time to the commissary is between the Commissary Vendor and the Inmate Phone Vendor. Currently the Commissary Vendor Lone Star sells debit time as a courtesy with no fees to the phone Vendor.

a. All debit calls are $.06 per minute.

b. A total of $361,664.18 of debit time was purchased for FY2025. Debit time purchased from Commissary was $147,886.00. Debit time purchased directly through the current Vendor was $213,778.18. These amounts do not take into consideration any refunds, chargebacks, etc.

c. The current Commissary Vendor uses the Video Visitation kiosks throughout the jail. The current total number of those kiosks is 101.

12. Deposits to inmate commissary are currently made through a lobby kiosk or through the Correct Pay website. Denton County does not accept cash or money orders.

There is one kiosk available to the public at this time.

13. The current Vendor allows a call to be connected immediately prior to an account being set up. The called party must provide a credit card to connect a call. This allows inmates to contact someone that may be using a cell phone and cannot accept a collect call. The current Vendor charges a $1.99 connect fee for this service.

a. For FY2025, records show the following data:

Total Completed Phone Calls

Advanced Connect Calls/Friends and Family set up an account

Debit Calls/Purchase d from Commissary and/or Current Vendor

Free Calls/Boo k In

Voice Mail Calls

Direct Bill Calls/Mainly for Bail Bond Companies

AIS

Calls/Inmate Information System

Third Party IVR Calls

Pre-paid Calling Card Calls

1,182,854 445,130 737,724 234,283 0 324,283 0 37,177 737,724

B. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

1. General

a. Performance Bond: The successful proposer will be required to submit a

Performance Bond in the amount of $200,000 within ten days of award, to include coverage for service and commission payments incurred. The successful proposer is responsible for purchase of Performance Bond at no cost to Denton County to be effective through contract end.

b. The proposed system must be capable of providing local, inter-LATA, intra- LATA, and international telephone service to inmates.

c. Restricted Incoming Calls: The system shall restrict incoming calls, allowing outgoing calls only.

d. Local calls shall be a maximum of 15 minutes with automatic cut-off.

e. Local calls shall include all surrounding towns and cities within Denton County as well as the Metroplex area. Counties that are included in the Metroplex include Denton, Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise.

f. Free Calls: The system shall allow inmates to place free calls to numbers specified by the…