Automated Speed Detection for School Zone Safety

The Columbus Consolidated Government, Finance Department Purchasing Division, issued Request for Proposal No. 23-0036 for automated speed detection systems designed to enhance school zone safety enforcement across Muscogee County and Columbus City, Georgia. The procurement seeks a qualified vendor to provide LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology with Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) functions that integrates with the existing Flock Safety system used by the Columbus Police Department. The vendor must conduct traffic studies for optimal location selection, procure and install four detection systems across designated school zones, maintain all equipment, process traffic citations, provide comprehensive training to Columbus Police Department and court personnel, and manage complete back-office operations. Enforcement hours are specified as 0700-0900 and 1400-1600 aligned with the school calendar, and the vendor must ensure equipment installation commences within fourteen days of obtaining Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and Muscogee County permits, with full operational capability achieved within thirty days of installation commencement. The evaluation criteria include Qualifications & Experience (40%), Client Work History (30%), Approach & Service Plan (25%), and Cost Proposal (5%), and the vendor must submit a notarized E-Verify Affidavit, proof of business license, insurance documentation with minimum coverage of $1 million for general and auto liability, and compliance certifications for federal nondiscrimination and drug-free workplace requirements. The original proposal due date of May 5, 2023, was extended multiple times through six addenda, with the final submission deadline established as September 22, 2023, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time via the DemandStar electronic portal; however, Addendum No. 5, issued August 11, 2023, placed the entire RFP on hold indefinitely.

The procurement documents do not identify specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to particular categories of organizations, though all vendors must comply with federal nondiscrimination requirements and Georgia's E-Verify employment verification statute. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available documentation. The contract is structured as an annual agreement for two years with three optional twelve-month renewal periods contingent upon mutual agreement, funding appropriations, and approval by Columbus City Council, and operates under a revenue-sharing model wherein the vendor retains a percentage of collected violation revenues while sharing the remainder with the City and County according to vendor-proposed percentages rather than a fixed contract cost. The vendor assumes all financial responsibility for site selection testing, equipment procurement, installation, maintenance, support, public information programs, training, system upgrades, and citation processing operations. The procurement specifies that equipment must be LiDAR-based exclusively (radar systems are not acceptable), may utilize either single-device or dual-unit configurations mounted on standard breakaway poles, and should preferably incorporate solar power, though solar capability is not mandatory. No specific budget range or award value is provided in the solicitation documents, as compensation is based entirely on the revenue-sharing percentages proposed by the selected vendor.