Access Control System Upgrade

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) is requesting proposals for a complete access control system upgrade and migration across seven Cincinnati-area facilities under RFP #072-2026, with proposals due August 3, 2026 at 2:00 PM. The awardee must be a Certified Genetec Channel Partner—a decision-filtering capability requirement.

SORTA is funded by Federal Transit Administration assistance, triggering mandatory Davis-Bacon prevailing wage compliance, Buy America certification, and DBE participation expectations (no specific DBE goal is established, but bidders must make reasonable efforts to support small and disadvantaged business participation through subcontracting).

The scope encompasses migration of the existing AMAG/Symmetry system into Genetec Security Center version 5.12, replacement of door controllers with Genetec-compatible networked controllers across 112 existing access-controlled doors and 4 new doors, replacement of card readers at all locations except Huntington Center, pre-testing and documentation of all existing access-controlled portals with a detailed pre-testing report submitted to the SORTA Project Manager for written approval before proceeding, database export and migration, installation of badging workstations with cameras and printers at each facility, and comprehensive staff training across five modules. Existing sensors and cabling shall be reused to the greatest extent possible. The contractor must hold minimum five years of access control systems integration experience, maintain continuous equipment installer certification for the proposed manufacturer for at least two years, assign a Project Manager with minimum two years of similar systems management experience, and provide trainers with minimum 40 hours of manufacturer training and two years of installation experience.

The contract term is five years with mandatory maintenance and support including preventative maintenance per manufacturer recommendations, periodic firmware updates, and tiered response times from 15 minutes for critical system outages to one business day for minor issues. The contractor must furnish a 10 percent bid bond, 100 percent performance and payment bond, and maintain workers' compensation, general liability ($1,000,000 minimum per occurrence), automobile ($1,000,000), crime, and professional liability ($1,000,000) insurance. A one-year warranty from substantial completion is required, with manufacturer extended warranties conveyed to SORTA at final acceptance.

A pre-proposal meeting is scheduled July 1, 2026. Questions are due July 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM. Pricing must remain valid for 120 days from the proposal deadline.