Contracts: December 2005
The Minneapolis, MN, Fire Department chose ESRI’s ArcGIS 9 software to meet the growing challenges facing firefighters and to help them make better, faster, more informed decisions. Innovative geographic information system (GIS) applications allow digital modeling of fire responses and provide enhanced pre-incident preparedness.
“Once we started working with GIS, we recognized the ability of GIS to carry out tasks faster and with greater accuracy,” says Todd Steinhiber, Deputy Chief, Minneapolis Fire Department. “GIS gives us a powerful means to store and view all types of information, organize it efficiently, and utilize a rich array of modeling and analysis tools. We are better equipped to prepare for events before they happen and to respond to emergencies when they occur.”
Flagler County, FL, has awarded a $10 million contract to Communications International, Inc. (CII), to install an 800-MHz. public safety radio communications system. The new system will provide the county’s public safety first responders with a five-site, seven-channel 800-MHz. Digital Trunked Radio Communications System. The system will be interoperable with the State of Florida’s Statewide Law Enforcement Radio (SLERS), which provides direct interoperability with adjoining counties, including Volusia and Palm Coast. The project began in August, 2005 and is scheduled for completion at the end of June, 2006.
“As the catastrophic events around the nation of the past year have proven, the proper design, installation and maintenance of a public safety radio communications system is crucial for first responders around the country and especially in Flagler County,” says Doug Wright Emergency Services Director for Flagler County. “We are enthusiastic to embark on this project with the experienced designers, technicians, and service personal of CII as we work together to provide the residents of Flagler County with the best radio communications tools and services available—and in time for the next hurricane season.”
American Science and Engineering, Inc., a provider of X-ray detection technology, announced the receipt of a $5.4 million phased contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for its OmniView Gantry Inspection System. The first phase of the contract is valued at $1.9 million. The relocatable OmniView System, a comprehensive cargo and vehicle inspection system for detecting security threats and contraband, will be deployed by the DoD for force protection applications.
The multi-view system combines high-energy transmission inspection with X-ray views for left, right, and top-side imaging of cargo.
AlphaCorp, Inc., announces that the Salt Lake County, UT, Recorder’s Office has implemented a disaster recovery program using SIRE Solution to guard against records and data losses and to help ensure business continuation in the event of natural or man-made disasters in Utah.
The Salt Lake County Recorder is responsible for the land record—nearly ten million documents that tell the history and establish ownership of more than 300,000 parcels of land in Salt Lake County. If a natural or man-made disaster were to strike Utah, and even if a portion of these records was lost, the results to Salt Lake County property owners could be catastrophic.
To implement this disaster recovery program, Gary Ott, Salt Lake Recorder, partnered with AlphaCorp, a Utah-based document management company that has been handling the county’s document management needs for nearly a decade. Using AlphaCorp’s SIRE, electronic copies of every document in the Recorder’s office are automatically backed up nightly to a redundant system stored in a facility located elsewhere.
“Our disaster recovery plans were on paper even before hurricane Katrina,” Ott says. “However, this year’s hurricane season punctuated the need to implement our plan expeditiously. Too much is at stake to risk being caught unprepared.”
The National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) has awarded Staples a national office products and classroom supplies contract. NJPA is a member-owned buying cooperative serving public and private schools, state and local governments, and non-profit organizations. Staples’ Contract Division will provide office products and classroom supplies to all qualified organizations, including more than 8,000 NJPA members nationwide.
“We awarded Staples because in their bid response they demonstrated that they share NJPA’s commitment to products and services with exceptional value and great customer service,” says Mike Hajek, Director of Business Development and Marketing of NJPA. “Through Staples, we’ll help our member organizations operate at an efficiency level they would not be able to achieve on their own.”
National Housing Group, Inc. (NHG), a real estate management and consulting firm, announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the firm property management contracts for the professional administration of South Pointe, located in Chicago, IL, and Good Shepherd East and Good Shepherd West, located in Tempe and Glendale, AZ, respectively.
An 8(a) certified firm, NHG is HUD’s prime contractor for Property Management Services for the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs. In this capacity, NHG provides traditional property management services to the government. The firm is responsible for management controls over performance and fiscal accountability while improving services and the quality of life for the residents of the communities in its portfolio.