[Scan-DC] Key parts left out of D.C. radio upgrade

[Alan Henney]

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20021202-963847.htm

The Washington Times

Key parts left out of D.C. radio upgrade

Jim Keary
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Published 12/2/2002

     The District's new public safety radio system, already delayed in being
built, faces more delays because a money-saving move cut three key parts of
the system from the contractor's bid, said city officials involved in the
project.
     The contract change and likely delay could force the District to lose
some of the $46 million it has received in federal homeland security funds
to build new transmitters, antennas and other radio systems for the police
and fire departments by Sept. 30. The Washington Times first reported Nov.
19 that the new system is behind schedule.
     Meanwhile, firefighters continue to use a system riddled with dozens of
dead spots and police officers use a different system that is so old that
replacement parts are no longer available.
     The D.C. Office of Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), which has a $31
million budget to build the radio system, cut from its recently approved
contract with Motorola Inc. three components that will be bid separately
from the contract, said Linda Argo, chief of staff for the agency.
     Mrs. Argo said the components - about 1,200 portable radios for the
Metropolitan Police Department, a backup microwave antenna system, and
automatic diagnostic and alarm systems for failing transmitters and
antennas - were cut from the contract to save money.
     She said the Motorola contract will be about $17 million without the
components, adding that the city should get a better price for the
components among competitive bids.
     "We successfully reduced the amount of the contract," Mrs. Argo said.
"There will be future procurement efforts for future system components."
     Mrs. Argo said she did not know when OCTO will advertise for bids - a
process that could take months because system specifications must be
written - or accept proposals from companies to provide specifications and
equipment.
     "It is important to note that those actually have to be bid separately;
they are not sole-source products," she said, adding that her agency will
meet its Sept. 30 deadline for completing the system. OCTO originally said
the system would be completed in June.
     The new radio system is designed to put police and fire department
radios on the same frequencies to allow personnel to communicate with one
another and other agencies throughout the city. Currently, public safety
radios operate independently within each agency.
     OCTO has contracted to spend $5 million for engineering and consultant
fees since January, but city officials said they have not seen a
program-development plan for the radio system.
     Some officials involved in the radio project criticized OCTO's decision
to cut the components from the Motorola contract.
     "They say they have reduced the amount of the contract, but all they
did was eliminate some of the equipment," said one official who asked not to
be identified. "These are essential components. They can't be cut."
     "We need the new [police] portable radios since the old one will be
useless with the new system," another official said.
     What's more, mixing equipment from different radio makers could create
problems in system compatibility and service, said a city official who asked
not to be identified. The city will need to set up service contracts with
the different manufacturers, who could blame each other for system failures.
     "When you buy Motorola equipment, you want Motorola support systems,"
the official said. "They can get bids from other companies, but I don't know
if it will be compatible. It will get ugly."
     Mrs. Argo blamed the officials from the Metropolitan Police Department
and the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department for complaints about
the new system. She said OCTO has tried to keep them abreast of changes but
that they have not attended all of the meetings.
     "The leadership of the Fire and EMS and the union have been invited to
over 30 meetings to discuss all of the plans. They have elected to attend
these meetings irregularly," Mrs. Argo said. "They need to come to all of
these meetings. The key to success is their involvement, and we continue to
invite them in."
     Police and fire officials said they have regularly attended the
meetings but rarely have been given all the information they have requested.
They said they have tried to provide insight and information but have been
ignored by OCTO and its consultants.
     One city official said OCTO had canceled regular meetings and did not
begin rescheduling them until after The Times reported delays in the system.
     "We show up at meetings that they cancel," the official said. "We had a
weekly meeting, but they canceled them and said it wasn't important that we
attend. There were some meetings they wouldn't let us attend."
     The system's backup microwave antennas and its diagnostic and alarm
systems are critical amid the threat of terrorism, the official said.
     Without the microwave system, OCTO would have to rely on telephone
lines to back up antennas that are destroyed or malfunctioning. A source
familiar with the system said a telephone switching station could be
destroyed at the same time and would make communications between public
safety personnel impossible.
     "They [telephone lines] are not that reliable. If you were to lose the
central office, you might lose a couple of transmitters," the source said.
"They will have no backup, especially when you throw the police system in
there."
     The diagnostic system is designed to provide immediate information to
technicians if a transmitter or antenna is malfunctioning. Technicians can
determine immediately whether a component has been destroyed or is
malfunctioning.
     The source said there will be about 300 transmitters in the system. "It
is to provide a constant monitoring. It is a complex animal," the source
said. "It sounds an alarm and automatically shuts down to avoid damaging the
system."