Coral Springs’ Shameful $8.7 Mil No-Bid Deal
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Not only is Coral Springs scheduled to hand out an $8.7 million no-bid contract for police radios this week.
Not only does the deal lock the city into buying from the same vendor for years because of the system’s proprietary technology.
But the Palm Beach County Inspector General criticized an almost identical no-bid purchase in Palm Beach County last year.
It is all very strange for Coral Springs, where city leaders brag they are fiscally responsible.
Here’s the story:
Coral Springs is scheduled to approve buying — without considering any other vendors — an upgraded police communications system.
The cost: $8.723 million over 12 years.
The purchase from Motorola Solutions is the brainchild of the city’s consultant, RCC of Tallahassee.
RCC is the same firm who recommended a no-bid deal in Palm Beach County a year ago.
In Palm Beach County, the $4.2 million purchase was condemned in an Office of the Inspector General November, 2012 report:
“Sound government procurement practices encourage the award of new contracts generally every five years, with some exceptions, through ‘full and open’ competition. The 2000 Model Procurement Code by the American Bar Association states ‘Fair and open competition is a basic tenet of public procurement. Such competition reduces the opportunity for favoritism and inspires public confidence that contracts are awarded equitably and economically’….(The) sole source procurement will result in a County expenditure of approximately $4.2 million… and will likely provide a continued sole source justification for future equipment based on its proprietary technology.”
In Coral Springs, RSS wrote the consultant’s report justifying the $8.7 million price. A no-bid price. A sole source purchase price.
Other companies would like a chance to bid on the contract, including Harris Communications, an international company that is based in Florida.
Seth Platt, a lobbyist who represents Harris, e-mailed:
“Other vendors have expressed an interest to compete for this contract, and have demonstrated capabilities and competitive rates when able to provide competitive proposals to municipalities. Such was the case in Fort Lauderdale when they were considering their own P25 system. Motorola came in at the highest price in Fort Lauderdale; however, the City determined it was in the best interest of the taxpayers not to duplicate the County P25 system.
“So why is Coral Springs moving forward without providing a competitive process to ensure the best value proposition for City taxpayers?”
Good question.
The police and fire chiefs in a memo say they must buy Motorola because it is used by other agencies. “If the city was required to implement a non-Motorola system, our police and firefighters would be required to carry two radios,” they wrote.
Who knows if that is true unless you ask other companies?
And does it make sense in the fast-moving world of technology to lock in with one vendor like Motorola for 12 years, which is what Coral Springs is about to do?
Not only that, but this will be financed through bonds. City taxpayers could be paying off these radios for years past their usefulness.
There are questions I would have liked to ask Mayor Vince Boccard or City Manager Erdal Donmez about the Motorola Solutions deal. They apparently didn’t want to talk. They ignored e-mails and phone calls to City Hall.
Boccard gave a campaign speech last year where he said: “The whole country is suffering economic tough times and Coral Springs is too…it is our duty to protect your investment.”
Hey, Boccard. No bid deals aren’t a way to protect taxpayers, especially when the city is facing “economic tough times.”
December 17th, 2013 at 5:27 pm
It has been my understanding that Motorola won a contract for radio transmission and equipment more than 25 years ago. All of the municipalities in Broward County must be on the same system, otherwise there cannot be radio interoperable communications between municipalities, the county and the school system.
A patchwork of mutually exclusive radio communications that cannot work together is extremely wasteful and totally unworkable in an urban environment.
A competitive bid would require the entire county, the school board and all 31 municipalities to completely change their entire radio communication system and all the equipment from scratch.
If I am incorrect in this assumption, I am sure my understanding will be quickly corrected.
December 17th, 2013 at 8:20 pm
It would have made sense to at least listen to other radio manufacturers. Just listening doesn’t mean you have to buy from anybody other than Motorola. This sole source buying stinks.
December 18th, 2013 at 7:33 am
This is not the only thing CS buys sole source. You would be amazed at how this City and Deerfield Beach spends six digit figures on sole sourced products without bidding, and the stewards of such purchases are not of a financial education. It is shameful.
December 18th, 2013 at 9:02 am
The point about competition is well grounded but face it. Nobody can compete with Motorola when it comes to police and fire use which explains why they have so strong a corner on the market. Motorola is about as close to sole source as their is in the market. It is probably the worst example to use when trying to make the point about not looking for competition.
FROM BUDDY:
Six years ago, Blackberry had almost the entire smart phone market. Today, they are an afterthought.
Can anybody say that 12 years from now what Motorola’s role will be in communications? No. But the city is signing a 12-year no bid contract. Why not a shorter contract?
December 18th, 2013 at 9:19 am
Seth’s rules of lobbying
1) Use all of Daddy’s rules
2) When you dont get your way, leak stories to blogs against the electeds that didnt go your way. So all of the other electeds now know how you handle losing. Good luck with that.
December 18th, 2013 at 9:21 am
@ comment 1
P25 is an interoperable open standard. While much of the county does use Motorola currently, the County is getting ready to also procure a countywide P25 system, with no guarantee who that vendor might be.
December 18th, 2013 at 2:18 pm
@Plain Language
Harris Communications provides radio communications for Miami-Dade County and many other venues across the Country often times at more competitive rates.
@Huey
I did not leak anything, and I did not attack any electeds I sent an email with my name signed to it, AND the CS Commission has the opportunity to do the right thing still. This was not driven by them but rather the consultant and perhaps staff.
It’s not my way, but rather the law I am asking for the Commission to follow. Its working great so far BTW thanks. 😛
December 18th, 2013 at 3:36 pm
Actually there is another company that can do it. Harris Corp. who handles all of the DoD for the US Govt. Locally, they have the entire Miami-Dade County radio system countywide, as well as several others across the State of FL. including the Statewide LE System used by Florida State Agencies and many other. So there is no reason they couldn’t do the same for Coral Springs, unless people are in Motorola’s pocket, just like they are at Broward County. Motorola sells on their name and seldom earn the business and we the taxpayers pay the price for it, to the tune of literally millions of dollars. I guarantee if they considered other options by RFP, they may still award the business to Motorola but will pay 2/3 to 1/2 the price due to them having to compete. If you live in the City of Coral Springs, call your Mayor and Commissioners and demand an open bid process to ensure the best price, value, best product. Biggest is not always best!!
December 18th, 2013 at 3:40 pm
And P-25 radio interoperability system also allows anyones’ radios (regardless of brand) to be used on anyone else’s system (i.e. Moto, Harris, Tait, EFJ, etc.). So, that is a BS line also!
December 18th, 2013 at 4:58 pm
1. @NoToCorruption
absolutely correct
Coral Springs has plenty of company
fort lauderdale has had the same sweetheart sole source deal for years with them
literally millions of dollars every year for years even w/outdated transponders, technology,etc all justified by how only Motorola can get parts, fix it, maintain it
December 18th, 2013 at 5:22 pm
Sure thing Seth, your letter just happened to end up in the hands of Tamarac Talk and Browardbeat. I am sure Buddy and Sharon just happenened to be at city hall when it fell into their laps.
I guess the City and County officials around Broward can decide for themselves if you will out them on blogs when you dont get your way.
Glad to hear the rules are working well for you. Were they amended to not getting yourself and your wife personally sued on a 2 million dollar note which both of you personally guaranteed?
http://coralspringstalk.com/eight-million-dollar-no-bid-contract-disputed-6573.
December 18th, 2013 at 9:35 pm
Buddy, on the same MHz frequencies? Have you spoken to police or fire people who know these details? What I don’t like is you did not get an answer from the city to your question. They should be able to explain their justify any purchase to some reasonable degree of satisfaction.
December 19th, 2013 at 9:39 am
@cowardly Huey
I released a public statement on a public agenda item for a client I am publically registered to advocate for. The bloggers you mentioned already knew of the situation. Who are you and who do you work for?
BTW
Making anonymous libelous statements in blogs about my wife and I shows demonstrates your level of courage and lack of transparency and intelligence. Your IP address is not a mystery and can be acquired through legal means…
December 19th, 2013 at 11:36 am
The comment was in our back and forth about your fathers rules of lobbying which you said “were working great so far”. So the question was did your father amend the rules since he and his wife were being sued and if so were you following them. I have no knowledge of an lawsuits regarding you and your spouse and that was clearly not the intent of the comment.
FYI go check out the definitions for Public Figrue or Limited Purpose Public Figure as it relates to libel. Hattip to Chaz Stevens on teaching us about these things.
December 19th, 2013 at 11:44 am
I attend most of the Coral Springs Commission meetings if they are held in the evenings as I write for Coral Springs Talk. I knew this was on the agenda and printed Seth’s letter. The website is open for all differing points of view.
Bottom line, after several people spoke and asked the commission to look at other options besides Motorola, the commission went with their consultant’s recommendation which was motorola and voted 4-0. (one commissioner was on vacation).
December 19th, 2013 at 12:40 pm
Tamarac Talk you may be correct but for anyone who read it on your blog it’s hard to believe Seth was not writing an op-ed piece. There is nothing on the web page that distinguishes what he wrote was a letter addressed to the City as opposed to being an op-ed by Platt
On Wednesday night, the Mayor and City Commissioners may vote to hand over an $8 million dollar contract to a single vendor without opening up the bidding process.
“By: Seth Platt – LSN Partners
A year ago the Palm Beach Office of the Inspector General released a report critical of the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners for the sole source purchase for radio system replacement from Motorola on the recommendation from their consultant RCC Consultants. Now Coral Springs stands ready to make this same mistake on the advice of the same consultant who has not heeded the warning of the PB OIG. On Wednesday Coral Springs is poised to vote to waive its procurement code and award a sole source contract to Motorola for a P25 radio system at a price of $8,732,900. Broward County is also preparing to replace its aging system with a consolidated County-wide P25 system which would make Coral Springs’ purchase not only duplicative, but without open market competition.
The PB OIG stated in its report:
Sound government procurement practices encourage the award of new contracts generally every five years, with some exceptions, through “full and open” competition. The 2000 Model Procurement Code by the American Bar Association states “Fair and open competition is a basic tenet of public procurement. Such competition reduces the opportunity for favoritism and inspires public confidence that contracts are awarded equitably and economically.”
Other vendors have expressed an interest to compete for this contract, and have demonstrated capabilities and competitive rates when able to provide competitive proposals to municipalities. Such was the case in Fort Lauderdale when they were considering their own P25 system. Motorola came in at the highest price in Fort Lauderdale; however, the City determined it was in the best interest of the taxpayers not to duplicate the County P25 system.
So why is Coral Springs moving forward without providing a competitive process to ensure the best value proposition for City taxpayers? The City’s consultant (also a former Motorola employee) has advised them a procurement is not necessary and that other vendors cannot provide the same level of capabilities as Motorola, yet the consultant has never met with the competing vendors to get a proposal from them. Resources, capabilities, cost, and experience should be evaluated by a non-biased committee through a competitive procurement process as outlined by City Codes and State law. Consultants who advise their clients to skirt laws that are designed to uphold the integrity of the government and ensure fiduciary responsibility and safety of its citizens are not doing their clients or the taxpayers a just service.
The City Commission should provide fair competition for all purchases made with taxpayer dollars and properly bid this system, or follow the lead of the County and join the regional system.
Seth Platt represents Harris Communications, an international communications and information technology company headquartered in Florida, serving government and commercial markets in more than 125 countries.”
December 19th, 2013 at 1:39 pm
Want to know why Chaz can say what he wants and can put a Penis on someone’s face…
a public figure, either a public official or any other person pervasively involved in public affairs, or
a limited purpose public figure, meaning those who have “thrust themselves to the forefront of particular public controversies in order to influence the resolution of the issues involved.”
December 19th, 2013 at 5:56 pm
Do not confuse the facts, Palm Beach County did not replace its entire system. It only replaced the central processing equipment, or called in the report, the Master Site. The rest of the analog system is still in place and is supported to at least 2018.
The Springs is doing a complete system replacement and could have gone out for bid, but decided not to.
Apples and oranges comparison for those are using the Palm Beach IG Report.
January 28th, 2014 at 9:39 am
How would you compare the 9m spent by Coral Springs to the 24m spent in St John’s County.I beleive the P25 was a standard system with common components. Did the city Manager do such a great job? I get the feeling that there is more to find somewhere.