NPSS1 RBAA 2027-0080 SS.pdf

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Sole Source Request § 24-103-205, C.R.S.

A sole source procurement is justified when there is only one good or service that can reasonably meet the need and there is only one vendor who can provide the good or service. A requirement for a particular proprietary item (i.e., a brand name specification) does not justify a sole source procurement if there is more than one potential bidder or offeror for that item. Note: All sole source requests will be posted on an electronic procurement system in accordance with §24-106-103(5) C.R.S.

Instructions:

1. Complete all fields below. Failure to provide all information may delay the processing of your request.

2. Include any documentation to support your request as attachments with the form.

3. Submit the complete form, with attachments to tammy.lichvar@state.co.us

SECTION A – Agency Information

1. Division / Office: CDPS, CSP

2. Name of Requester: Captain Matthew Lubbes

3. Name of Program Manager: Jordan Wescott

SECTION B – Vendor Information

1. Vendor Name: Axon Enterprise

2. Vendor Contact: Ben Rubke

3. Vendor Phone Number: (415) 314 9573

4. Vendor Email: brubke@axon.com

5. Have you procured goods and/or services from this vendor in the past 2 years?

Choose: Yes No

If yes, please explain:

Yes, the Colorado State Patrol has procured goods and services from Axon within the past two years.

Recent transactions and agreements include:

• July 2026 Purchase: Ordered 3 units of Axon Body Worn Camera Certification (Order #00389513 /

Invoice INUS466030) for a total of $1,275.00.

• August 2026 Equipment & Software Contracts: Finalized major quotes and contract amendments mailto:tammy.lichvar@state.co.us

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• Quote Q-879156 ($741,817.65): Encompassing Axon Body 4 cameras, mounts, vehicle chargers, Fleet 3 ALPR licenses, third-party video support, and a complete virtual reality (VR) training system with VR hardware kits and instructor certifications.

• Quote Q-853520 ($251,930.00): Axon Body 4 camera bundles, multi-bay and single-bay docks, storage, and pro licenses for Port of Entry.

• Quote Q-844439 ($32,272.00): CBI software bundles, auto-transcribe, community request licenses, and basic/pro licenses. This vendor is the Agencies current Digital Video Evidence Management program.

SECTION C – Description of Good/Services

1. Describe in detail the goods and/or services to be procured and how they meet your needs i.e., special features, compatibility, etc.:

This procurement covers the following CSP, POE, and CBI Digital Video Evidence System (DVES) goods and services:

• Body-Worn Camera Systems: Axon Body 4 bundles and mounts.

• Taser 10: tasers, cartages, holsters, and training packages.

• Vehicle Systems: Axon Fleet 3 with dual-view panoramic cameras, backseat/rear facing cameras, and integrated ALPR.

• Digital Video Evidence Management: Unlimited CJIS and ISO 27001 compliant Axon

Evidence (Evidence.com) storage, auto-tagging, third-party video support, and chain of custody tracking.

• Interview Room Systems: Specialized hardware, streaming servers, and unlimited storage.

• Software & Training: User licenses, live streaming, real-time vehicle tracking, Axon

Assistant AI, and Virtual Reality (VR) training packages.

• Infrastructure & Support: Multi- and single-bay docks, Cradlepoint modems, cellular antennas, and Technology Assurance Plan (TAP) warranty and refresh coverage.

How They Meet Agency Needs:

• Operational Continuity: Avoids migrating over 1 PB of evidentiary data to a new platform, preventing operational risk and workflow disruptions.

• Interoperability & Compliance: Ensures CJIS-compliant evidence sharing across CSP, CBI, POE, local law enforcement, and prosecutor

2. Are there other goods or services that can meet the state’s needs? Choose

• If yes, please explain:

SECTION D – Approval Period and Estimated Dollar Amount

Yes No

1. Is this purchase a one-time purchase? Yes

• If no, identify approval period being requested:

Start Date (MM/DD/YY): 12/17/26

End Date (MM/DD/YY): 12/17/31

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2. Provide estimated cost breakdown of goods and/or services covered by this procurement:

Goods: $5,288,571.95

Services: $19,745,866.08

TOTAL DOLLARS for this procurement: $ 25,034,438.03

SECTION E – Price Reasonableness

1. Were the prices or rates compared to established catalog or market prices? Yes No

2. Were the prices or rates compared to historical prices or rates for similar goods or services procured by in the past? Yes No

3. Was a cost or price analysis conducted: Yes No

4. If you answered 'YES' to 1-3 above, attach documentation of how you determined Price Reasonableness. If you answered ‘NO’ to 1-3 above, describe how the agency determined the prices were fair and reasonable, as required by §24-103-403 C.R.S. and §24-30- 202 C.R.S. for this sole source:

The agency determined that the pricing provided by Axon Enterprise, Inc. is fair and reasonable through a comprehensive cost analysis and multi-tiered price comparison. Specifically:

Catalog & Cooperative Pricing: Quoted rates were validated against Axon’s standard catalog and established cooperative purchasing agreements, such as the NASPO ValuePoint contract (NASPO OK-MA-145-21-100 / PA-Colorado CMS # 191032).

Historical Comparison: Rates and pricing were compared against historical pricing from the State's existing master contract and previous amendments to ensure consistency and value.

Total Cost of Ownership & Avoided Costs: A total cost of ownership analysis confirmed that the pricing is heavily offset by administrative time savings, eliminated external data transfer fees, and the mitigation of cybersecurity risks. Furthermore, because the services and hardware integrate seamlessly into the State's heavily invested, existing ecosystem, the pricing is highly reasonable when factoring in the avoided costs of independent system integration, custom API development, and extensive personnel retraining that any third-party alternative would require.

SECTION F – Sole Source Justification

1. Provide a detailed explanation of the vendor's Sole Source Status. WHY we MUST buy this particular good and/or service from this Vendor.

To justify this sole source procurement under state standards, Axon Enterprise, Inc.'s single-supplier status is established across several key technical, operational, and statutory areas:

1. Proprietary Exclusivity & Lack of Competition: Axon sells directly to government agencies and does not authorize third-party distributors for core hardware (body cameras, TASER devices, in-car cameras) or Axon Evidence subscriptions. No alternative vendors manufacture or service TASER equipment or the Axon ecosystem, which requires proprietary software and accessories to operate.

2. Hardware Interoperability & Axon Signal: Patented Axon Signal triggers (Sidearm holsters, Power Modules, Vehicle units) automatically prompt nearby body and in-car cameras to record when weapons are drawn or emergency lights activate. Mixed-vendor systems would disable this feature, increase operational risk and create documentation gaps.

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3. Data Security & Chain of Custody: Axon Evidence meets ISO 27001, FedRAMP, and CJIS standards while maintaining immutable audit logs. Colorado prosecutors and judicial partners rely on this ecosystem for secure file sharing; switching to an unverified third party creates compliance and evidentiary risks.

4. Data Scale & Migration Risks: CSP and CDPS maintain over 1 PB of historical evidence in Evidence.com. Data migration risks, metadata corruption, high extraction costs, and severe disruptions to law enforcement, court discovery, and public record requests.

5. Closed Architecture & IP Protection: Axon licensing prohibits third-party modifications.

Integrated tools—including Axon Assistant AI, ALPR, Fusus streaming, and VR training—are engineered exclusively for Axon Cloud and cannot be lawfully duplicated.

6. Standardization & Training: Uniform gear ensures critical field safety. Replacing hardware and software would mandate costly, disruptive retraining on new equipment, mounting, and protocols for all active personnel.

2. If this request is NOT approved, what method of source selection would the agency/IHE use to satisfy the requirements of the Procurement Code?

If this application is denied, the agency must follow standard statutory guidelines under § 24- 103-201 et seq., C.R.S., by executing a formal competitive bidding process.

Specifically, the department would issue a Request for Proposals - RFP as authorized by § 24- 103-203, C.R.S.

Consequences and Administrative Impact of Sole Source Non-Approval:

Although an RFP represents the primary mechanism for standard procurements, requiring an open solicitation for this technology presents significant operational hazards, fiscal burdens, and legal exposure:

1. Proprietary Monopolization: Because Axon retains exclusive rights and sole-source ownership over its hardware technology, Evidence.com cloud infrastructure, and Axon Signal activation triggers, issuing an RFP would result in a single viable offeror (Axon), creating unnecessary administrative overhead and procurement delays without fostering actual marketplace competition.

2. Capital Waste & Equipment Replacement: Selecting an alternate provider via competitive bidding would require CDPS to abandon millions of dollars in fully functional deployed hardware, including body-worn units, vehicle systems, and TASER devices—and expend substantial funds to purchase entirely new agency-wide infrastructure.

3. Evidence Integrity & System Disruption: Transferring more than 1 PB of active evidentiary files to an unverified third-party vendor risk compromised chain of custody, data corruption, and workflow interruptions that directly threaten judicial discovery mandates and active court prosecutions.

3. Is there any additional information that you’d like to provide in order for this request to be considered?

• National Cooperative Contract & Pre-Vetted Pricing: This procurement leverages the established NASPO ValuePoint master agreement (NASPO OK-MA-145-21-100 / PA- Colorado CMS # 191032), confirming that baseline pricing has already undergone rigorous competitive evaluation at the national level.

• Demonstrated Cost Savings ($3.6M+): The negotiated multi-year bundled agreement yields approximately $3,627,616.49 in direct cost savings across CDPS divisions (CSP, CBI, and POE) compared to standard unbundled list pricing and annual renewal rates, ensuring long-term price stability for the State.

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• Scale of Evidence & Data Migration Risk: CDPS currently maintains over 1 Petabyte (1 PB+) of active digital video evidence within the CJIS-compliant Axon Evidence cloud platform. Exporting and migrating this massive repository to an unproven external vendor presents severe risks of data corruption, metadata loss, broken chains of custody, and prohibitive transfer costs that would disrupt active criminal prosecutions statewide.

• Operational Continuity & Officer Safety: Retaining a fully integrated ecosystem preserves vital automated safety features, such as Axon Signal cross-activation (where unholstering a weapon or turning on emergency lights triggers nearby cameras to record). Replacing this ecosystem would require extensive officer retraining, create equipment downtime, and introduce severe operational liabilities.

• Statutory Authority: This multi-year sole source request complies directly with the Colorado Procurement Code under C.R.S. § 24-103-205 (Sole Source Procurement) and C.R.S. § 24-103-503 (Multiyear Contracts).

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FOR PROCUREMENT USE ONLY:

By signing below, you are certifying that the information submitted on this form is accurate.

The CDPS Purchasing Director will make the final determination of Sole Source.

Signature Date

Printed Name and Title

NPSS1 Number Posted on VSS and

Related Comments (responses received, quantity, etc):

NPSS1 RBAA 2027- 0080

MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY PROCUREMENT STAFF:

Purchasing Agent: Matthew Erskine

DETERMINATION:

Sole Source approved – purchase as requested.

Sole Source not approved – issue bid using performance specifications.

Director of Purchasing (or delegate) Signature

This approval is valid until:

10/29/2026

Captain Matthew Lubbes