Door Access Control System Watervliet Public Schools

Watervliet Public Schools, a Michigan K-12 school district located in Berrien County, issued a Request for Proposal for the purchase, installation, and configuration of a cloud-based door access control system across three campus buildings: South Elementary School, North Elementary School, and Watervliet High School/Middle School. The procurement encompasses cloud-managed access controllers in 1-door, 4-door, and 16-door configurations; door readers supporting multiple credential types; Cat6 cabling infrastructure; comprehensive labor for installation and configuration; and a 10-year software license with unlimited administrator and user accounts and over-the-air updates. The system must improve building safety, enable emergency lockdown capabilities, and reduce administrative burden through a unified platform. Vendors must submit complete pricing breakdowns for individual components with unit costs and extended totals, with all pricing remaining firm for 90 days from the proposal due date. Evaluation will be weighted as follows: total cost of ownership over 10 years (25%), technical capability and platform requirements (25%), K-12 school district experience and references (15%), installation timeline and minimal disruption (15%), warranty and ongoing support (10%), and compliance with all RFP requirements (10%). A mandatory pre-bid site walk was originally scheduled for March 30, 2026 at 10:00 AM; written questions were originally due April 3, 2026, but have been extended to April 10, 2026; sealed proposals were originally due April 8, 2026 by 2:00 PM EST but have been extended to April 17, 2026; and the public bid opening is scheduled for Monday, April 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time.

The RFP contains no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, though the District reserves the right to pursue federal or state funding if applicable. All vendor and subcontractor personnel must pass background checks prior to site access at the vendor's expense, and the selected vendor must comply with Michigan prevailing wage requirements under Public Act 10 of 2023 and maintain current Berrien County prevailing wage rates. Required insurance includes general liability with a $1,000,000 minimum, workers' compensation, and automobile liability, with the District named as additional insured. No incumbent vendor or existing infrastructure requiring integration is referenced in the RFP documents. The District reserves the right to award by building, line item, or total package and may reject any or all proposals. No specific budget range or award value is provided in the available documentation, though all access control data, event logs, and system configurations remain the exclusive property of the District and must be provided in industry-standard format upon contract termination.