INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE- RONCO

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDOC) has issued an Intent to Sole Source procurement for Ronco's ELPAS/RTLS Man-Down Duress System, specifically targeting wireless monitoring and tracking technology for correctional facilities. The solicitation (number 5400025349) seeks a comprehensive hardware and software solution that enables wireless tracking of correctional officers, provides emergency response capabilities, and interfaces with multiple security systems including intrusion detection, CCTV, access control, and patient call systems. The system will utilize 433 MHz radio frequency infrastructure and include wireless temperature monitoring capabilities. The contract will have an initial one-year term from 06/02/2023 to 06/01/2024, with four potential automatic one-year renewals, creating a potential total contract period of five years through 06/01/2028. Responses must be submitted by 06/02/2023 at 10:00 a.m. to the SC Department of Corrections Purchasing Branch at 4530 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC 29210, with electronic submissions accepted at bidsubmissions@doc.sc.gov.

Ronco is being recommended as the sole source vendor due to being the sole certified partner of ELPAS/Centrak in South Carolina with specific technical certifications for correctional projects and maintaining statewide local support offices. No specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations were mentioned in the documentation. The procurement appears to be open to qualified vendors, with Ronco being the recommended sole source based on unique technical capabilities. Interested parties have the right to protest the intended award, with a five-business-day window for initial protests from the notice posting date and a fifteen-day window for formal protests to the Chief Procurement Officer at the Materials Management Office. While no specific budget range was explicitly stated, the comprehensive nature of the system suggests a significant technological investment for correctional facility security infrastructure. The system's ability to integrate with multiple existing security platforms indicates a potentially complex and valuable technological solution for correctional facility monitoring and emergency response.