Washington state law (RCW 39.26.140(1)) requires the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to make sole source contracts available for public inspection for a period of not less than ten working days before the proposed starting date of the contract. Please refer to the Washington Department of Enterprise Services (DES Policy POL-DES-140-00) for additional information.

 

Sole source contracts that DNR contemplates awarding are listed below. For more information, or to receive a copy of the contract, please refer to the contact listed under each project.

 

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May 20, 2024

 

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources contemplates awarding a sole source contract to DPS Telecom to provide 72 NetGuardian 16A G6 W/ Expansion Shelf and 7 NetGuardian DX 16A.

 

DNR requires these systems for the reasons stated below:

 

DNR’s Radio Operations program has over 60 remote sites that serve as the backbone of the DNR’s communications network. The network is essential for the safe execution of day-to-day agency field operations and provides coverage in areas unserved by any other communications medium. Agency policy requires employees working in the field alone to check-in with dispatch and the radio network is often the only available means of communication. The radio network is also frequently used during wildfire response as a primary communication system. Radio network reliability is crucial to safe execution of core DNR missions. Due to the nature of radio coverage, sites are often located on extremely remote mountain tops that require 3 or more hours, often driving on difficult terrain. It is not unusual for radio sites to be completely inaccessible during winter due to excessive snowfall and poor road conditions. The critical nature of the radio network means uptime is essential and outages must be minimized to protect employee safety. An outage could potentially mean that a DNR employee working in the field would have no means of requesting emergency support. Currently, DNR relies on field reports as the primary method for discovering outages and equipment failure leading to unnecessary downtime and costly site visits. A remote monitoring system will provide instant alerts of outages and reduce the number of trips necessary to solve problems. Currently an initial visit to a site to assess the problem and determine a cause is necessary, consuming considerable technician time. A follow-up visit with the necessary tools and parts is often required. A modern monitoring solution like the one DPS Telecom provides will reduce the need for assessment visits and site visits. In some instances, remote problem solving will be possible to avoid some site visits completely, freeing precious time up for other critical projects. This contract is for a site monitoring system that includes remote telemetry units that gather real-time system health information and environmental data. 

 

DPS Telecom is the only vendor that meets DNR’s needs. This vendor has experience in providing custom site monitoring solutions and high-quality long-term support. DPS Telecom is unique due to their commitment to fully designing and manufacturing their equipment in house at their factory in California. This in house manufacturing and programming ensures responsive development, full customization, and security piece of mind. DNR has investigated telecommunications site monitoring systems from a variety of companies, including a fully custom self-designed solution among others, and determined that DPS Telecoms’ solution uniquely provides a system carefully tailored to the specific needs of DNR.  The responsiveness to DNR’s business needs set DPS Telecom apart from the competition. 

 

 

No other company that DNR found while conducting research into potential contractors offered the same level of hardware, software, firmware, and support customization to meet the very specific needs of DNR. This level of customization will allow DNR to eschew unnecessary hardware and software features that would add to the cost and complexity of the system. DPS Telecom specializes in monitoring applications for radio sites and has a proven track record of delivering industry specific solutions tailored to customer needs. DPS Telecom also provides in person factory training to customers at no additional cost which is a major value-add and reduces the time and training costs associated with adopting a new system.

 

DNR will enter a one (1) year contract with DPS Telecom. The    contract will be issued on or after June 5, 2024 and will continue for a 1 year initial term. The cost of this one year contract is $198,713.60 plus tax. DNR may opt to extend the contract for an additional one (1) time in (1) year increments if required. DNR determines that each optional additional 1 year extension would result in equal (and/or slightly higher) consideration being added to the total purchase value.

 

Offerors contemplating the above requirements are   required   to   submit   capability statements detailing their ability to meet the state’s requirements within five (5) working days of this announcement.

 

Capability statements should address the following state requirements:

 

• Scalable remote site monitoring solution including remote telemetry units (RTUs) capable of monitoring at least 16 analog channel and 4 relays in a 1u form factor; running off -48 VDC.

• RTU should be capable of expanding to accommodate at least 16 additional analog inputs and 4 additional relays via external expansion chassis.

• System must offer centralized data collection from RTUs to a self-managed server without the need for cloud infrastructure while providing robust notification capabilities; and

• Hardware, software, and firmware must be capable of seamlessly integrating into a wide range of existing DNR radio network equipment to be monitored including, but not limited to, dbSpectra RF power sensors, Codan base stations, Cradlepoint wireless gateways, uninterruptible power supplies, modbus equipment, legacy equipment, and networking equipment from a variety of manufactures.

 

In the absence of other qualified sources, it is the state’s intent to make a sole source award of the contract. To submit capability statements or for questions, contact:

 

Name: Albert Frias

Phone: 360-902-1174

Email: Albert.Frias@dnr.wa.gov

 

 

Washington state law (RCW 39.26.130(2)) requires that DNR make emergency contracts available for public inspection within three working days following the commencement of work or execution of the contract, whichever comes first. Please refer to DES Policy DES-130-00 for additional requirements related to emergency procurement and purchases.

 

Emergency procurement and purchases available for public inspection include the following. For more information, or to receive a copy of the procurement/purchase, please refer to the contact listed under each project.

 

 

For a complete list of state contracts and related rules and policies, please visit the Department of Enterprise Services procurement webpage. 

 

Per RCW 39.34.040, Interlocal Cooperation Act regarding the filing of agreements, a complete list of known DNR agreements is electronically retrievable on the Department of Enterprise Services procurement webpage.

 

 

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources Sample Purchase Order and General Terms and Conditions can be found here: www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/em_obe_contract_terms.pdf. 

 

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources Sample Services Contract and General Terms and Conditions can be found here: www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/em_obe_contracting_template.pdf.  

 

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources Sample Services Contract (work order based) and General Terms and Conditions can be found here:
www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/em_obe_services_contract_work_order_template_contract_23_02_23_withexhibits.pdf

 

Agency contractors hereby have access to DNR's policy documents listed in the DNR General Terms and Conditions:

 

 

 

DNR’s Policy PO01-051 Safe and Respectful Workplace, linked below, outlines DNR’s commitment and the expectations for contractors: www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/em_safe_respectful_workplace_policy.pdf 

 

DNR’s Policy PO01-037 Harassment Prevention outlines DNR’s commitment and the expectations for contractors: www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/em_harassment_prevention_policy_037.pdf

 

 
DNR Timber Cruising Handbook

 

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For information about contracting for goods and services with the Department of Natural Resources, please contact Lislie Sayers, contracts and procurement manager, at 360-999-8009, or by email at lislie.sayers@dnr.wa.gov.