L3 Harris Portable Radios

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, on behalf of the Department of Criminal Justice Training, issued Request for Bid (RFB) 758 2300000555 for the procurement of L3 Harris Portable Radios and related equipment. The solicitation, released on February 24, 2023, seeks to establish an award contract for 165 units across eleven line items, including 15 units each of L3 Harris portable radios (XK-PF78B model, 7/800 MHz, Phase 1, Gray), operational load software (XK-FW2X NIFOG Personality), P25 Phase 2 TDMA feature licenses, encryption capabilities (Encryption Lite and Single-Key AES Encryption), lithium-ion batteries, antennas, speaker microphones, belt clips, and USB programming cables—all with a strict "no substitutions" requirement. The equipment must be delivered to the Department of Criminal Justice Training at 4449 Kit Carson Drive, Richmond, Kentucky 40475, within 30 calendar days after receipt of order (ARO), with vendors responsible for all freight charges under F.O.B. Destination Freight Prepaid and Allowed terms. All bids were required to be submitted electronically through the Commonwealth's eProcurement system by March 14, 2023, at 1:30 PM ET, with vendor registration required 24-48 hours prior to submission. Written questions were due by March 3, 2023, at 10:00 AM ET, and an optional bid reading conference call was scheduled for March 14, 2023, at 3:30 PM ET. The Commonwealth evaluated bids using a best value approach, with pricing weighted at 90 points (lowest bidder receiving maximum points and subsequent bidders scored proportionally) and delivery weighted at 10 points, for a total of 100 points, with vendors failing to meet contracted delivery dates subject to a 1% daily deduction from invoices.

Kentucky resident bidders are eligible for reciprocal preference scoring, while qualified bidders receive preferential consideration, including Kentucky Correctional Industries (20 percent preference), Kentucky Industries for the Blind, and qualified nonprofit agencies employing individuals with severe disabilities for at least 75 percent of direct labor hours (15 percent preference). All bidders claiming resident status must submit the Required Annual Affidavit unless a valid affidavit is already on file, and the Commonwealth retains the right to request updated affidavits at any time during the contract term. Bidders must also comply with Kentucky campaign finance laws and provide appropriate certifications of authority if applicable. All quotations must exclude Federal Excise Tax and Kentucky Sales or Use Tax, and vendors are required to bid all line items on a "Group All" basis or face rejection as non-responsive. The solicitation documents do not specify unit pricing or total contract award values, as bidders are required to submit their best pricing; however, all proposed pricing must remain valid for a minimum of 60 calendar days after the bid due date. The solicitation was ultimately cancelled via modification issued on March 13, 2023, prior to the scheduled closing date.