Addendum I FINAL.pdf

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

ADDENDUM I

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) # PWDE-2627,

“PORTABLE WEAPONS DETECTION EQUIPMENT”

OPENING DATE AND TIME: August 19, 2026, 2 P.M., LOCAL TIME

This Addendum consists of one (1) page and this signature acknowledgment page. Please incorporate the attached information into your response.

This Addendum cover page must be signed and returned with your submission before the opening date and time shown above. Failure to fully execute all RFI documents may be cause for rejection of your Bid.

CHARLES COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (CCPS) RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY OR

ALL BIDS AND TO ACCEPT THE BID(S) WHICH IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF CCPS.

EXCEPT AS MODIFIED HEREIN, ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ITB #

ADSST-2627 REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT.

Nelson E. Sample, CPPO Date

Procurement Manager

COMPANY NAME: ____________________________________________________

(print or type)

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE: ___________________________________________________

Date

NAME AND TITLE: ___________________________________________________________

(print or type)

TELEPHONE NUMBER: (_______) ____________________________

MOBILE NUMBER: (________) _______________________________

EMAIL ADDRESS: __________________________________________

Docusign Envelope ID: 3A7D7001-257E-85E6-81D6-ACB10316DEE7

8/10/2026

September 2025 Charles County Public Schools

Addendum I RFI # PWDE-2627, Portable Weapons Detection Equipment

ADDENDUM I

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) # PWDE-2627

“PORTABLE WEAPONS DETECTION EQUIPMENT”

Q1. Does the school district has an idea of how many weapons detection units they are looking at deploying?

A1. This will be based on funding and equipment costs.

Q2. Is there a specific brand/equipment you are looking at procuring?

A2. No.

Q3. Definition and scope of “non-AI technology”

The RFI repeatedly specifies that the proposed solution must use “non-AI technology.” Please clarify the intended scope of this restriction. Is CCPS excluding any solution that uses machine learning, artificial intelligence, or algorithmic classification anywhere within the detection process, or is the restriction principally intended to address concerns such as facial recognition, biometric identification, collection or retention of student or employee personally identifiable information, automated identity-based decision-making, data sharing, or unacceptable false-positive performance?

Would a weapons-detection system that uses algorithmic threat-object classification—but does not identify individuals, perform facial recognition, create biometric profiles, or retain personally identifiable information—be considered responsive?

A3. No.

Q4. Mandatory versus preferred portability and battery requirements

Please clarify whether the following requirements are mandatory pass/fail conditions or preferred operational objectives:

• Deployment by one trained person within five minutes;

• No individual transport or deployment component exceeding 50 pounds; and

• At least ten consecutive hours of battery-powered operation.

Would CCPS consider functionally equivalent configurations—such as wheeled or assisted transport, modular components, two-person deployment, hot-swappable batteries, or external portable power systems—when the proposed configuration otherwise satisfies CCPS’s operational, safety, and portability objectives?

A4. All are mandatory pass/fail conditions.

Q5. Acceptable equivalent testing standards and evidence

Section VII.A.1 permits compliance with NIJ Standard 0601.01 “or an equivalent nationally recognized testing standard.” Please identify the standards, testing protocols, independent laboratories, certifications, or other third-party evidence that CCPS will recognize as equivalent.

Would independently-conducted or independently-witnessed testing—that documents the test articles, testing methodology, sensitivity configuration, detection rates, false-alarm performance, and throughput results—satisfy this requirement even when the equipment does not hold a formal NIJ 0601.01 certification?

September 2025 Charles County Public Schools

Addendum I

A5. No.

Q6. Acceptability of separate people-and-bag screening workflows

The RFI states that individuals should generally be screened without removing backpacks, purses, laptops, Chromebooks, or other belongings unless secondary screening is required.

Please clarify whether CCPS requires those belongings to remain with the individual while passing through the primary walk-through detector.

Would CCPS accept an integrated screening configuration in which individuals and their bags are screened simultaneously through separate but coordinated screening lanes or devices, provided the overall configuration meets CCPS’s threat-detection, throughput, staffing, and operational-efficiency requirements?

A6. No.

Q7. Testing methodology for throughput and secondary-screening performance

Please clarify the methodology CCPS intends to use to evaluate the requirement for at least 1,200 individuals per hour and a secondary-screening rate below 10%.

Specifically, will CCPS establish a standardized evaluation protocol identifying the number and type of participants, typical student belongings, laptops and Chromebooks, medical devices, threat objects, sensitivity settings, operator staffing levels, test duration, and definition of a secondary-screening event? Please also clarify whether the stated throughput and secondary-screening thresholds are absolute pass/fail requirements or factors that will be evaluated in relation to overall detection performance and operational suitability.

A7. This will be discussed with those selected to move forward to demonstration.

Q8. Section III (Purpose) and Section VII.E reference "non-AI technology" portable walk-through weapons detection systems. Will CCPS consider walk-through systems that utilize multi-sensor detection (e.g., radar and electromagnetic sensing) supported by AI-based threat classification, or are systems incorporating artificial intelligence categorically excluded from this procurement?

A8. They are excluded.

Q9. Sections VII.A.2 and VII.B require screening of individuals without divesting backpacks, bags, or laptops. Would CCPS consider a checkpoint design in which individuals walk through the portal at a normal pace while bags are screened separately and simultaneously by a companion

X-ray bag scanner at the same checkpoint, provided overall throughput and detection requirements are met?

A9. No.

Q10. Section VII.E states that no individual component required for transportation, assembly, or deployment shall exceed fifty (50) pounds. Would a freestanding unit that folds into its own integrated hand truck and can be tipped, rolled, and deployed by a single trained individual within five (5) minutes without any lifting of components over 50 pounds be considered compliant?

A10. Equipment will be loaded and unloaded into vehicles daily. Hand trucks will not be sufficient.

September 2025 Charles County Public Schools

Addendum I

Q11. Section VII.F requires a minimum of ten (10) consecutive hours of battery operation. Please confirm that a supplied external battery configuration providing ten (10) or more consecutive hours of operation satisfies this requirement.

A11. Yes external battery will satisfy this requirement.

Q12. Section VII.A.1 references NIJ Standard 0601.01 for walk-through systems, "or an equivalent nationally recognized testing standard." Will CCPS accept independent third-party documentation such as U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act designation and

NCS4 operational evaluation as demonstrating compliance with an equivalent nationally recognized standard?

A12. No.

Q13. Section VII.D.1 requires redundant connectivity. Will a Wi-Fi-enabled system that remains fully operational for all screening and threat-detection functions during network outages, paired with a customer-provided or vendor-supplied cellular hotspot for backup connectivity, satisfy the redundancy requirement?

A13. Yes