RFP026-34 Emergency Alert System.pdf

For more information, please visit our online supplier portal, located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct

City of Meriden

Purchasing Department

142 East Main St. Room 210

Meriden, CT 06450

RFP026-34 BOE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM

Project ID: RFP026-34

RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2025

RESPONSE DEADLINE: December 15, 2025, 11:00 am

Please refer to the project timeline in this document for all important deadlines.

Request For Proposal #RFP026-34

Title: RFP026-34 BOE Emergency Alert System

Table Of Contents

1. LEGAL NOTICE

2. INFORMATION TO PROPOSERS

3. PROJECT DETAILS

4. QUALIFICATIONS

5. VENDOR SUBMISSION FORMS

Attachments:

A - Professional Services Agreement-Sample

LEGAL NOTICE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The City of Meriden is accepting sealed electronic proposals for:

RFP026-34 BOE Emergency Alert System

The City of Meriden, is soliciting sealed electronic proposals for a wearable emergency alert system to be implemented and integrated with the Meriden Public School's current public address system.

Proposals shall be submitted as sealed electronic responses per specifications obtained via the City eProcurement Portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct and on the State of Connecticut

Department of Administrative Services website (https://webprocure.proactiscloud.com).

Proposals may be received up to but not later than 11:00 am, Monday, December 15, 2025 via the City eProcurement Portal located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct. The City eProcurement

Portal Clock is the official clock for the determination of all deadline dates and times. Without exception, responses will not be accepted after the submission deadline regardless of any technical difficulties. Please submit electronic responses via the City eProcurement

Portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct by way of the eProcurement Portal, responses will be locked and digitally encrypted until the submission deadline passes.

The right is reserved to reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, to award any item, group of items, or total proposal, and to waive informality or technical defects, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the City of Meriden. No proposer may withdraw its proposal within sixty (60) days of the date of the opening.

The City of Meriden is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Disadvantaged, minority, small, and women business enterprises are encouraged to respond.

Rawle Dummett Purchasing Officer City of Meriden, CT 06450-8022 Dated: November 21, 2025 https://procurement.opengov.com/po1tal/meridenct https://webprocure.proactiscloud.com/

INFORMATION TO PROPOSERS

1. SUMMARY

Meriden Public Schools (MPS) is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit competitive proposals from qualified vendors for a comprehensive wearable emergency alert system to be implemented and integrated with our current public address system therefore strengthening our security posture and emergency response capabilities.

2. TIMELINE

Release Project Date: November 21, 2025

Question Submission Deadline: December 8, 2025, 4:00pm

Response Submission Deadline: December 15, 2025, 11:00am

3. PROPOSAL PROCEDURES

The City will only be accepting electronic submissions of bids and proposals. Please submit electronic responses via the City eProcurement Portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct. By way of the eProcurement Portal, responses will be locked and digitally encrypted until the submission deadline passes.

Proposals are due for submission no later than 11:00 am, Monday, December 15, 2025.

4. PROPOSALS/QUALIFICATIONS

A. Proposals shall be submitted in two sealed parts: Qualifications; Part A and Fees/Proposal; Part B.

B. Proposals must be made out and signed in the corporate, or other, name of Proposer, and must be fully and properly executed by an authorized person.

C. Proposals received later than the time and date specified will not be considered.

D. Amendments to or withdrawal of proposals received later than the date and time set forth in the bid opening will not be considered.

5. EXAMINATION OF DOCUMENTS

Proposers are to examine all documents and visit the site in order to make a thorough examination of the conditions so that they may familiarize itself with all of the existing requirements, conditions, and difficulties that will affect the execution of the work in order to determine the amount of work necessary to carry out the true intent of the specifications and work shown on the drawings.

The City of Meriden and its agents do not have any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or sufficiency of any proposal document obtained from any other source other than from the City eProcurement Portal:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct. Obtaining documents from any other source(s) may result in obtaining incomplete and inaccurate information. Obtaining documents from any other source may also result in failure to receive any addenda, corrections, or other revisions to the documents that may be issued.

No request shall be honored if such request is made less than seven (7) calendar days prior to the date fixed for the opening of bids. Any and all such interpretations, and any supplementary instructions, will be in the form of a written addenda to the specifications which, if issued, will be made available via the City eProcurement

Portal, located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct for addenda. Failure of any proposer to receive any such addenda shall not relieve any proposer from any obligations under its proposal as submitted.

Proposers shall submit all inquiries regarding this proposal via the City eProcurement Portal, located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct. Please note the deadline for submitting inquiries. All answers to inquiries will be posted on the City eProcurement Portal. Proposers may also click “Follow” on this document to receive an email notification when answers are posted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to check the website for answers to inquiries.

6. AWARD OF CONTRACT

The Purchasing Officer reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or parts thereof for any reason, to negotiate changes to proposal terms and to waive minor inconsistencies with the RFP. The Purchasing Officer reserves the right to make a selection on the basis of qualifications, experience in providing similar services elsewhere, the proposal’s responsiveness to the Request For Proposal requirements; and to negotiate a contract with the Consultant(s).

The contract will not be awarded to any corporation, firm, or individual which/who is in arrears to the City of

Meriden by debt or contract, or who is in default as security or otherwise by any obligation to the City of

Meriden.

The right is reserved to reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, to award any item, group of items, or total proposal, and to waive informality or technical defects, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the City of Meriden.

7. TAXES

The City of Meriden is exempt under Connecticut General Statutes from the payment of the excise taxes imposed by the federal government and the Sales and Use Tax of the State of Connecticut; such taxes should not be included in the proposal price. Upon request, exemption certificates will be furnished to the successful proposal.

8. FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES

The Contractor shall agree that neither it or its subcontractors, except in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification or need, to refuse to hire or employ or to bar or to discharge from employment any individual or to discriminate against such individual in compensation or in terms, conditions or privileges of employment because of the individual's race, color, religious creed, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, present or past history of mental disability, intellectual disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness or status as a veteran. The aforementioned terms are obtained from Connecticut General Statutes Section 46a-60, et seq., entitled “Discriminatory employment practices prohibited,” as amended.

9. NON-COLLUSION STATEMENT

Each proposer submitting a proposal to the City of Meriden for any portion of the work contemplated by the documents on which bidding is based shall execute and attach thereto the sworn Non-Collusive Statement, to the effect that the proposal has not colluded with any other person, firm, or corporation in the submission of the proposal/qualifications.

10. FORM OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF MERIDEN AND CONSULTANT

The Agreement for the work will be via Purchase Order and Standard Professional Services Agreement.

11. CITY OF MERIDEN CODE OF ETHICS

The City of Meriden has adopted a Code of Ethics located in Chapter 21 of the Code of the City of Meriden, sections 21-1 through 21-15, inclusive, which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. The terms of the

Code of Ethics shall constitute a part of any contract or agreement entered into by the City of Meriden as a result of this bid as if those terms were fully set forth in such contract or agreement.

Proposers are specifically advised that the Code of Ethics prohibits public officers and employees, as well as their immediate families and businesses, with which they are associated from participating in any transaction which is incompatible with the proper discharge of official duties or responsibilities. Proposers are also advised that the Code of Ethics contain provisions with respect to paid contractors and former employees and officials.

PROPOSERS SHOULD NOTE THAT PROPOSALS, CONTRACTS, AND AGREEMENTS ENTERED

INTO OR AWARDED IN VIOLATION OF THE CODE OF ETHICS ARE VOIDABLE BY

RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MERIDEN.

Copies of the Code of Ethics may be obtained from the office of the City Clerk or may be found online on the

City of Meriden’s website.

12. ASSIGNMENT OF CONTRACT

No contract may be assigned without the written consent of the Purchasing Officer or designee.

13. PERMITS

The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining any and all necessary permits required by the City of Meriden prior to the commencement of work. The Contractor may contact the City of Meriden Building Department for permit information at (203) 630-4091. For all other required permits, contact the City of Meriden Engineering

Department at (203) 630-4018.

14. PRICE AND PAYMENT

The City of Meriden is exempt from the payment of the excise taxes imposed by the Federal government and the Sales and Use Tax of the State of Connecticut under Connecticut General Statutes; accordingly, such taxes shall not be included in the pricing.

The City of Meriden, unless stated otherwise in the documents or Contract, will make payment to the

Contractor not less than thirty (30) days following completion of services.

15. INSURANCE

The successful consultant shall be required to provide a Certificate of Insurance denoting general liability, automobile liability, workers compensation liability, and other coverage required by the City’s Risk Manager.

16. LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

The successful firm(s) shall ensure that any appropriate licenses or certifications required by the State of

Connecticut are maintained for the duration of the project. The firm must meet all municipal, state and federal affirmative action and equal employment opportunity practices.

17. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The selected consultants must have the capability to provide the City of Meriden with expertise in performing other functions, such as, but not limited to, preparation of permit applications, liaison functions and clerical assistance. The following are some potential services which the selected Consultant may be required to provide.

It is also understood that the selected consultant will be required to complete all direct or indirect responsibilities associated with the assigned task so that the intent and desired goal of the City can be achieved.

These services may include, without limitation, reviewing drawings and specifications, providing individuals or sub-consultants with specialized knowledge, assisting in the preparation of legal proceedings, appearance before

Courts or Commissions, providing expert opinions, or conclusions as well as performing investigations of technical matters.

PROJECT DETAILS

PROJECT INFORMATION AND EXPECTATIONS

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

MPS is committed to providing a safe and secure school environment and seeks to implement a discreet, highly reliable, wearable panic button system that allows staff to immediately initiate emergency protocols and notify administrators and first responders during a crisis. The notification solution must integrate with the school's public address system and should trigger both audio and visual alerts in the event of an emergency. MPS is an urban district serving approximately 8,600 students and 1,500 staff members. The district is comprised of 13 schools - 2 high schools, 3 middle schools, and 8 elementary schools.

This solution will be implemented at Washington Middle School, with the potential to expand to other sites in the future. Wearable devices are needed for approximately 50 staff members.

Currently, Washington Middle School uses the Mutualink Emergency Response system. This system notifies and connects the Meriden Police Department, central office staff, and school-based safety team members in the event of an emergency. The Mutualink system also leverages Raptor Technologies to allow select staff to initiate a “panic button” incident through a computer or mobile app. However, individual teachers and the majority of school staff do not have the ability to initiate an emergency response directly. The current system also does not directly tie into the school’s existing Bogen public address and speaker system, lighting system, or digital display systems to alert staff and students to an emergency situation.

To address these challenges, MPS seeks a solution that offers:

• Wearable emergency alert system for school staff

• Audible and visual notifications within the building that a “panic button” event has been initiated

• Integration with the existing Mutualink system to trigger and notify team members of an incident

2. PROJECT NEEDS

• Wearable device that is small, lightweight, and discreet (e.g., badge-style, lanyard clip, or other easily worn accessory)

• Must have a mechanism to prevent accidental activation (e.g., requiring a hold time, double-tap, or countersunk button design).

• The system must provide reliable, always-on connectivity across the entire campus footprint (indoors and outdoors).

• Must provide precise, indoor location tracking upon activation.

• Ability to initiate different alert levels (e.g., Staff Assist/Medical vs. Lockdown/Active Emergency) with distinct notifications and escalation paths.

• The system must seamlessly integrate with our existing Mutualink Emergency Response system to automatically create an incident, and bridge voice/video/data with first responders upon alert activation.

• Ability to automatically trigger pre-recorded or live public address announcements school-wide based on the type of alert initiated.

• Ability to integrate with or trigger existing/new lighting systems (e.g., strobe lights, colored lights in hallways/classrooms) to provide an immediate, building-wide visual indication that a crisis is in progress.

• The audio solution should include daily bells in accordance with the school schedule, as well as emergency notifications.

• Option to initiate visual alerts through lighting and/or digital display systems.

• Option to implement in stages by launching in one location and then expanding to other sites.

• Preferably, the system will enable real-time, two-way communication (voice/chat) between the user, administrators, and first responders during an active incident.

• The vendor should have experience working with K-12 School Districts of a similar size.

• The solution must be compliant with applicable state and federal laws and demonstrate adherence to all

K-12 data privacy and security best practices.

3. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

• A detailed project plan including infrastructure requirements at each location, such as gateways, network devices, and lighting fixtures.

• Comprehensive training for all users and system administrators

• System maintenance specifications, including the warranty, battery replacement/maintenance plan, and ongoing software/firmware upgrades

• Level of Customer Service Support and descriptions of tiers, if applicable.

• Initial implementation costs, as well as an estimate of recurring annual costs.

• Any additional costs associated with integrating with existing systems

QUALIFICATIONS

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Price-Implementation Costs

Price of hardware and software needed to implement the wearable badge and enhanced communications solution (primary factor)

Points Based 30 (30% of Total)

2. Price-Recurring Costs

Annual recurring costs associated with the proposed solution

Points Based 10 (10% of Total)

3. Prior Experience

Experience with Meriden Public Schools and similar projects and references (5 points)

Points Based 5 (5% of Total)

4. Interoperability

Compatibility with Mutualink Incident

Response System (10 points)

Compatibility with Bogen Intercom and

Speaker system (10 points)

Points Based 20 (20% of Total)

5. Expandability

Ability to add-on to the system at initial site, as well as additional school sites

Points Based 5 (5% of Total)

6. Responsiveness

Responsiveness of the offeror-replied promptly to emails, attended optional on-site walk through if applicable (5 points)

Proximity of sales and service offices, Assigned representative is available locally (5 points)

Points Based 10 (10% of Total)

7. Technical Merit

Quality / technical merit of the proposed solution to meet needs of the applicant. Service level agreement if applicable (10 points)

Compliance with listed requirements of the project scope and proposal requirements, whether the proposal includes all information requested or not; timelines met, services will commence as requested by applicant (10 points)

Points Based 20 (20% of Total)

VENDOR SUBMISSION FORMS

1. NON-COLLUSIVE BID STATEMENT/AFFIDAVIT*

Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Non-Collusive_Bid_Statement...

*Response required

2. PROPOSAL*

Do NOT provide pricing information here!

*Response required

3. PRICE PROPOSAL*

*Response required https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/185261/2b03e8dc-d8b5-4042-ba95-941f22f50926_Non-Collusive_Bid_Statement.pdf