Vehicle Movement Area Transponders

The City of Lubbock, Texas is requesting bids for purchase, installation, programming, and testing of 27 Vehicle Movement Area Transponders (VMATs) for airport ground vehicle tracking under ITB 26-19895-TF, with sealed bids due October 15, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. The scope includes all necessary components for complete operational installation, 24/7/365 support services, coordination of planning and data collection meetings, and facilitation of FAA, ICAO, and FCC license applications and airfield mapping.

All equipment and services must comply with the latest editions of FAA guidance, including Advisory Circular 150/5220-26, FAA Cert Alert 25-01, FAA Program Guidance Letter 24-01, and FAA Surface Awareness Initiative requirements. The awardee must integrate all VMATs into the FAA Surface Awareness Initiative environment and obtain required FAA, ICAO, and FCC approvals prior to deployment.

Bids must be submitted as firm pricing for a minimum of 60 days and include a detailed price breakdown by total project cost, per-unit VMAT cost, and separate line items for installation, programming, and testing. The City of Lubbock is exempt from federal excise, state sales, and transportation taxes, which the bidder must exclude from pricing.

The contract term continues until service completion or either party provides 30 days' written notice of termination. The project is expected to be funded through the Federal Aviation Administration and must support FAA review and grant eligibility. Project completion requires installation, registration, activation, testing, integration into the FAA Surface Awareness Initiative, full documentation, and acceptance by the Airport.

A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting is scheduled for October 6, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. via teleconference. Bids may be submitted electronically through the Bonfire portal or in hard copy to the City's Purchasing and Contract Management Department.