Inmate Telephone System & Services - Jail

Request for Qualifications with Price Proposals

RFQ/P #46-009

For the provision of

Inmate Telephone System & Services - Jail

Purpose: Hall County, Georgia, (herein “County”) a municipal entity of the State of Georgia, Sheriff’s Office – Jail Bureau, located at 1700 Barber Road, Gainesville, GA 30507, is seeking qualified Contractors to provide Inmate Telephone System & Services (herein “Services”).

Schedule of Events:

Bid Post Date: April 11, 2025

Bidder’s Questions Due Date: April 24, 2025

Bid Due Date: May 8, 2025, 2:00 pm EST

Bidding Process: Hall County (herein “County”) is now accepting sealed bid proposals from qualified Contractors (herein “Bidder” or “Contractor”) for Inmate Telephone System & Services for the Jail (herein ‘Services’). The County will accept sealed bids in the Purchasing Division on the fourth (4th) floor of the Hall County Government Center, located at 2875 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA 30504, Thursday, May 8, 2025, by 2:00pm EST. Late bids may not be evaluated. All bid packets must be sealed, plus time and date stamped by the Hall County receptionist located on the 4 ^th floor to be considered.

Term: It is the County’s intention to award one (1) vendor for all the Services listed herein, for an initial one (1) year term, followed by four (4) additional renewal options. Renewal options are not guaranteed. However, if one (1) vendor cannot provide all of the services by themselves or by utilizing subcontractors, the County may select multiple vendors for this project.

Cost Proposals: Bidder’s costs shall be firm and fixed for the initial contract term.

Questions: Address all questions and communications solely to Mike Hawkins, Issuing Officer at For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. for clarifications of this RFQ/P requirements.

Public Reading: Bid openings are open to the public. Bidders are not required to attend but may do so. The Issuing Officer named herein will open and publicly read all proposer’s company names and location on the date, time and address above. Costs will not be read at this time.

Addenda: If needed and in the best interest of the County, Purchasing may make any extension of the bidding period by a formal written addendum and publicly posted on the County website. All addendums must be signed by the bidder and returned with the bid packet.

Proposal Documents: Bidders may obtain all submittal documents at no cost via the County’s Website located at https://www.hallcounty.org/Bids.aspx , then click the Inmate Telephone System & Services – Jail with links to download all required documents. Any Addenda will also be posted at the bottom of the solicitation as needed and bidders are responsible for checking for Addenda. Addenda must be signed and returned along with the Bid Packet.

Request for Clarification: The County reserves the right to request clarification of information submitted though a written Request-For-Clarification. The County may also request in-person or virtual presentations, interviews, and may choose to enter into negotiations with potential bidders as needed.

Bid Response: The County considers a bid response as an irrevocable offer, good for a period of one-hundred and twenty (120) days from submission. Furthermore, the County reserves the right to reject all proposals, in full or partial, and to negotiate fees, conditions, or other terms with the respondent submitting the overall best scored proposal. Furthermore, the County may cancel the RFQ/P in its entirety if in the best interest of the County. The County may waive nonmaterial irregularities, informalities, and errors and seek clarification of such.

Legally Binding Agreement: The County and the selected Firm shall enter into a formal agreement; substantially in the form of the attached EXHIBIT B - CONTRACT FOR SERVICES by counter signing the contract with an execution date. Contracts are only valid if they are countersigned by the County’s Chairman of Commission. Bidders should sign the Contract and submit it with their bid response. All questions regarding the Scope of Services should be included in the response to the Proposal. If there are no written objections, then the County will take this as an affirmative acceptance of the Scope of Services as it is presented.

EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

Technical Qualifications & Proposal Response: Bidders must answer all twenty (20) Mandatory Questions found on Exhibit G – Mandatory Scored Questions, which are weighted and will be scored by the County’s evaluation committee. The County’s Evaluation Committee will score and assign point values to the answers. The total maximum points are set at 1,000. The County has assigned an 80/20 split for scoring points; eight hundred (800) points available for Technical Qualifications, and two hundred (200) points available for the Cost Proposal. The bidder with the highest total scores closest to 1,000 will be the apparent contract award winner.

Proposers are required to answer all the Mandatory Scored questions.  Skipped questions will return a 0-point score. The proposer’s response should limit answers directly to the questions asked. Each answer will be scored on a scale between five (5) percentage points as shown;

Poor = 0%

Marginal = 25%

Adequate = 50%

Good = 75%

Excellent = 100%

Bidders may expand their answers to the questions onto separate pages if needed, with the question repeated at the top of each page, in addition to the space provided next to each Mandatory Scored Question Worksheet.  Bidder’s may input “see attached” in the space provided next to each question.

Please do not submit bound bid responses. Provide one-sided documents only. Do not include superfluous marketing brochures nor unnecessary promotional materials. These will not be evaluated. Address each specific question with direct, detailed answers.

Bidder Response:

Technical Qualifications

Each bidder must provide three (3) hard paper copies, with one (1) marked “Original” and two (2) marked “Copy” of their Technical Qualifications response. Submit all three (3) hard paper copies in a sealed envelope(s) separate from the Cost Proposal.

Cost Proposal

Bidders are to also submit three (3) hard paper copies with one (1) marked “Original” and three (3) marked “Copy” of their Exhibit C – Mandatory Cost Proposal.

Combined Digital Response

Additionally, bidders must provide their response on one (1) USB drive with two (2) folders therein, one entitled “Technical Qualifications Response”, containing your technical response, and one (1) entitled “Cost Proposal”. Do not include your cost proposal in the technical response folder as this may cause your proposal to be rejected.

All quantitative material should include complete assumptions and be supported by detailed schedules, evidencing all calculations and results.

Responses to the questions should be clear and concise.  Where appropriate, Bidder’s should show statistical information in a tabular chart format, and textual information in bullet form.  Summarize key points at the beginning of each answer.

Evaluation and Selection: The County will evaluate all submittals in accordance with the Official Code of Hall County, Georgia 3.10, and as further detailed herein. The County will evaluate proposals using a two-step process. The first is the ‘Technical Qualifications Proposal’ that outlines the bidding firm’s qualifications and experience and its approach to deliver the services.

Cost Evaluation: This solicitation is heavily focused on a Firm’s qualifications, experience and capabilities. Therefore, award may not be made solely based on the lowest cost bid. Cost will be given more importance when all the other evaluation criteria are relatively equal.

The County may deem an unreasonably low cost, and the highest cost, as materially unbalanced. In such cases then the County reserves the right to reject the proposals.

Although cost is not the only consideration for award. If, in the County’s consideration, qualifications between two or more bidders are equal, then the County may make an award to the lower cost bidder among them. The County will evaluate cost as presented on Exhibit C - Mandatory Cost Proposal. The cost is weighted and will be scored by the Evaluation Committee. Lower costs will receive higher scores. Any and all fees should be detailed in the response.

Validation: Hall County requires that bidders provide a cover letter with a signature by an officer of the firm with the submittal to ensure its originality.

Bid Retention: The County reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted and use any idea(s) in a proposal regardless of contract award or not. The County shall have the right to waive any informality or irregularity of immaterial deviation, omissions and clerical errors in any bid received.

Mandatory Documents: Bidders must complete and return all forms and documents entitled ‘Mandatory’ with the bid proposal. Failure to do so may deem the proposal non-responsive and the County may not evaluate it for award.

Award Process: The County reserves the option to reject any or all bids, in whole-or-in-part, or to select any bidder to complete the described Service. The County will not make an award of contract solely based on lowest bid, but also on approach, references, qualifications and other subjective criteria as the County may deem necessary and determine at its sole discretion.

Non-Collusion Requirement: (aka Cone-of-Silence): Bidders must not have contact of any nature with other bidders, County staff members, elected officials, nor County Commissioners during this RFQ/P evaluation process. The County may deem such as collusion, and thus render the submission in violation of the Official Code of Hall County and therefore the County may render the proposal as non-responsible and not evaluate the proposal for an award.

By submitting a proposal, the bidder represents and warrants that no official or employee of Hall County Government has, in any manner, an interest, directly or indirectly in the proposal or in the contract which may be made under it, or in any expected profits to arise there from.

Open Records: All documents, communication, and proposals fall under the Georgia Open Records Act and are subject to disclosure to an Open Records request.

Taxes: Hall County, Georgia, is exempt from State of Georgia Sales and Use Tax. A Certificate of Exemption will be made available upon request to the awarded firm.

Table of Contents

1.0   Introduction

2.0   Statement of Need

3.0   General Terms and Conditions

4.0   Scope of Work

5.0   Format and Content of RFQ/P Response

6.0   Submission of Proposals

7.0    RFQ/P Response Preparation

8.0    Selection Process

9.0    Steps to Award

10.0  Exhibits and Attachments

1.0.INTRODUCTION

Hall County, Georgia Government is in the top 10 of Georgia’s 159 counties, with 1,800 employees, an annual budget of $403,211,611 and serves a population of approximately 210,000 citizens.

2.0.   STATEMENT OF NEED

The County expects the awarded company to be prompt, attentive, and able to perform the work in a timely and scheduled manner and with all personnel, including subcontractors, to be professional in approach and uniform in production.

In case of default by the awarded bidder then the County reserves the right to move on to the next highest scoring bidder to complete the services.

3.0       GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. The County reserves the right to conduct any review it may deem advisable to assure services conform to the specifications.
2. Prospective firms, including all officers, must not be, or have been, barred by any Federal, State, or Local authority, and
3. Not be, or have been, in any legal suit for negligence, willful misconduct, fraud or otherwise malpractice charges, and
4. Be legally able to conduct business in the State of Georgia, and
5. Who has not abandoned a project or an engagement or otherwise been terminated for non-performance or subpar performance
6. Must not be under an enforcement action for related investigation pending by a professional or regulatory group.

4.0       SCOPE OF WORK

The County may refuse to pay for any work done outside of the Scope of Work or before the issuance of a Notice to Proceed.

A. INTRODUCTION:

Hall County is issuing this RFQ/P for the purpose of providing complete inmate telephone and tablet communications systems and inmate Commissary for inmates at the Hall County Jail for the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.

B. OVERVIEW AND BACKGROUND:

The Hall County Jail was opened in December 2007, and is a modern, state-of-the-art facility utilizing the latest in technology and a well-planned, comprehensive design. The main jail facility consists of 1026 beds. Male and female Work Release houses 148 beds, and the house arrest program manages up to 60 inmates daily. The contract is for an average daily population of the current inmate population of approximately 600-700 inmates. The facility operates continuously twenty-four hours per day, three hundred sixty-five days per year. Numbers are included for planning purposes only and are not warranted for accuracy.

C. GENERAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS:

1. All documentation submitted as part of, or with the proposal, becomes the property of Hall County and will not be returned.

2. The Contractor shall respond to each requirement outlined in this RFQ/P and in the same format as the RFP. In most instances, it shall be sufficient to affirmatively acknowledge agreement with the stated requirement. In the event the Contractor’s proposal differs from the requirements, the difference shall be specifically noted and explained.

3. The Contractor shall be required to comply with all applicable statutes regarding employment discrimination and will be required, as a part of the response, to clarify as follows:

a. The Contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, or handicap, except where it is a Bonafide occupational qualification reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the Contractor.

D. TERMINATION OF CONTRACT:

The contract, mutually agreed upon and entered between the County and the selected Contractor, may terminate upon any of the following conditions:

1. Suspension of Jail Operation:

Should the governing authority responsible for the Jail cease operation of the institution for any reason, the contract shall become void at the option of the County.

1. Termination of Contract for Non-Performance:

The County may terminate the contract resulting from this solicitation at any time the Contractor fails to carry out the contract provisions, or, in the opinion of the Sheriff or designee, the performance of the contract is unreasonably delayed, or the Contractor is violating the contract conditions. The County shall provide the Contractor with notice of any conditions that are hindering Contractor’s performance. If, after such notice, the Contractor fails to remedy such conditions within a reasonable time, not to exceed three (3) consecutive days, the County may, in writing and at its option, terminate the contract without further notice to the Contractor and order the Contractor to stop work immediately and vacate the premises.

1. Termination/Disagreement as to Cost:

The amount of any proposed increase along with supporting data shall be submitted by the Contractor, in writing, to the Jail during the current term of this agreement and during any subsequent term for which it may be renewed. The County may accept, reject, or negotiate with the Contractor. In the event that an acceptable agreement cannot be reached or if the County declines to approve the increase, the contract shall automatically terminate on the anniversary date of such term.

1. Limitation of Local Debt:

In accordance with O.C.G.A. 36-60-13 (a) and Article 9, Section 5, Part I of the Georgia Constitution (1983), this contract shall terminate absolutely and without further obligation on the part of the County at the close of the initial term of this contract and at the close of each succeeding term for which it may be renewed.

1. Lack of Funding:

In accordance with O.C.G.A. 36-60-13 (b) (1) this contract will terminate immediately and absolutely at such time as appropriated funds and otherwise unobligated funds are no longer available to satisfy the obligations of Hall County.

E. DEFAULT:

Should the Contractor at any time, fail to comply with the conditions of the contract, fail to complete the required work, fail to supply the materials, equipment, services and other things required of it in sufficient quantity and of required quality to perform the work with the conformity and diligence required, then in any such event, each of which shall constitute a default, Hall County shall have a right after providing Contractor with notice of default, and allowing Contractor the opportunity to cure such default within three (3) consecutive days to exercise any one or more of the following remedies if the Contractor fails to satisfactorily remedy such default:

1. Within the time stipulated in the contract, to purchase in the open market and deduct additional costs associated therewith from any money due or to become due the Contractor.

2. Complete or have completed the work, at the expense of the Contractor.

3. Call upon the surety to perform in accordance with the bond; and

4. Recover from the Contractor all losses, damages, penalties and fines, and reasonable attorney’s fees incurred by the County by reason or result of the Contractor’s default.

F. PROPOSAL FORMAT:

1. Cover Letter

Prepare and submit a cover letter of transmittal. Include the name, address, and telephone number of the primary representative to be contacted regarding your proposal.

2. Contractors

The Contractor shall agree to comply with all statutes, ordinances, regulations, and requirements of federal, state, and local governing bodies applicable to the management/operation of this contract. This shall include obtaining and paying for all applicable licenses. Hall County is soliciting qualified service providers to provide inmate telephone communication, tablet communication, and automated commissary services to inmates incarcerated in the Hall County Jail located at 1700 Barber Road, Gainesville, Georgia 30507.

The County prefers to accept proposals from Contractors with a minimum of five (5) years of experience and can bundle all services; However, Contractors are not required to offer all services listed, nor are they discouraged from submitting a proposal if they do not provide both inmate communication and commissary services. Proposals will be evaluated based on overall value, quality, and alignment with the County’s needs. Contractors are encouraged to highlight their strengths and capabilities in one or both service areas.   Subcontracting will be permitted.

Evaluation criteria will include, but are not limited to:

1. Number of Years in Business – The length of time the firm has been operating and its experience in the industry.
   b. Firm’s Organization & Management Structure – Overview of company leadership, key personnel, and internal management approach.
   c. Firm’s Facilities & Equipment – Description of physical resources, technology, and infrastructure available to support service delivery.
   d. Experience with Similar Contracts – Demonstrated experience in providing inmate communication and/or commissary services to similar entities.
   e. References – Testimonials or contact information for past and current clients who can verify the firm’s reliability and performance.
   f. Current Contracts of Similar Scope – Details of ongoing contracts comparable to the County’s requirements.
   g. Professional Staff Availability – The number of dedicated professionals assigned to support this contract.
   h. Standby or Temporary Staff for Emergencies – Availability of backup personnel to address unforeseen needs or service interruptions during the contract term.

Each proposal will be carefully reviewed and considered based on these factors to determine the most suitable Contractor for the County’s needs.

1. Contract Administration:

The contract administrator for this invitation and any contract (s) arising as a result of this invitation will be Major Jason Smith, phone 770-531-3934. All questions concerning this invitation and all questions unable to be resolved by user departments arising during contract Period are to be addressed to the contract administrator.

1. Evaluation and Award

Inspection of Facilities: The County may require the bidder to make their facility available for inspection or may require additional information concerning their ability to perform a contract for this service. Failure to comply if requested will be cause for rejection of the bid.

1. Quantities:

None of the user departments, individually or collectively, shall be required to utilize a contract to any minimum or maximum amount during the life of a contract issued as a result of this invitation. The County, when entering into a service contract, reserves the right to solicit for bid any single service or group of like service needs covered by such a contract, separately from said contract when deemed advantageous to the County to do so.

1. Requirements:

The purpose of this bid is to make available to the designated inmate population access to telephones during certain hours of the day.  Inmate access to telephones is to be supervised and monitored by the County staff.   The system furnished shall be of advanced technology with state-of-the-art equipment provided. Contractor will offer two (2) years of storage for call recordings and one hundred and 80 (180) days of storage for video visitation sessions during the Term of the Agreement at no cost to Customer. Contractor will provide training to the agency on a semi-annual basis, or as reasonably necessary to ensure proficiency in software systems.

1. Inmate Communication (Telephone) Systems:

1. All proposed phones will be installed at current and future locations designated by agency. Phones must be factory-sealed, constructed of heavy gauge steel, with shockproof keypads, a shatter proof handset, and no removable parts.

1. All handset cords must be customizable in cord length and shall be armored and have a poly-coated steel lanyard that can withstand a minimum of 1000 foot-pounds of pull power.

1. Tamper preventative screws shall be used on all telephones to protect them from vandalism and/or destruction.

1. Phones must be hearing aid compatible with external volume control and minimize background noise.

1. Contractor will offer free local/long-distance calls on phones located in Admissions.

1. Phones must be PIN protected

1. Phones must utilize Voice biometrics

1. Contractor will maintain 10% replacement stock of damaged phones, at all times

1. Barge in/Termination feature shall be made available remotely

1. Inmate Tablet System

1. Indigent Tablets will be at least 10 % of Average Daily Population (650)
2. Tablet Subscription program with optional premium content
3. Phone application
4. eMessaging
5. Digital mail with free inmate retrieval upon release
6. eBooks
7. Education App, including GED courses
8. Job view App
9. Document viewer
10. Video App (PREA & Such)
11. Podcasts
12. Law Library
13. Spiritual & Self-Help App
14. FM Receiver
15. Forms application
16. Officer Tablets for inventory and behavior modifications (14) unless web-based

1. Inmate Commissary and Vending Services

1. Commissary services will be provided from the Contractor’s off-site warehouse. Inmates may purchase goods from the commissary at least once per week. All sales are made via electronic order forms. Goods are packaged and delivered back to the facility the next day.

1. The Sheriff or designated representative shall make facility inspections when deemed necessary, with or without advance notice to the Contractor. The facilities and equipment used in the contract shall not be used to prepare food for agencies or persons other than those designated under the proposal without advance written approval of the Sheriff or designee.

1. Contractor will be required to:

a.    Install, service, & maintain vending machines using the highest standard of quality and care;

b.   Provide and sell County approved products;

1. Provide Energy Efficient machines that meet the current requirements of US EPA’s  Energy Star program and carry the Energy Star label;

1. Deliver all vending machines with lamps installed;

1. Deliver machines that do not have any part or piece which can be removed by an inmate and used as a weapon;

1. Deliver machines constructed with plastic faces. No glass faces are allowed on the machines;

1. Provide maintenance for all the machines, including reverse vending machines if used, with a response time guaranteed of a four (4) hour window for service, twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week; and Stock machines daily or as needed. The stocking of the machines shall be accomplished without disruption to jail and housing unit activities;

1. Vending machines shall be hardened and fastened to floors to prevent tipping of machines.

1. Contractor shall offer transcription and/or translation of calls, as an option

1. Inmate Mail System

1. The Contractor must offer a complete Inmate Digital Postal Mail System (DPMS) that eliminates the introduction of dangerous narcotics and other contraband from entering the facility via both inmate personal and legal/privileged mail at no cost to the HCSO, inmates, or inmate’s family and friends

1. To streamline facility operations and reduce facility staff burden, Contractor’s DPMS and all other required Inmate Technology Services must be administered by a single, web-based administrative platform.

1. To ensure the best level of support, Contractor must be the prime contractor of the DPMS proposed. DPMS provided by a subcontractor, third party or affiliate will not be accepted.

1. To prevent staff exposure to dangerous narcotics, chemical or biological agents that may be contained within inmate personal mail, the Contractor’s DPMS must process inmate personal mail at an off-site processing center.

1. To maintain the integrity, safety and security of the Contractor’s mail processing staff and the mail they process, the off-site mail processing center must:

a. be under 24/7 video surveillance;

b. be equipped with a state-of-the-art alarm and fire detection systems;

c. feature rooms equipped with independent air systems to limit contamination risk should a piece of mail contain a dangerous chemical or biological agent;

d. Stores hard copies of all processed mail for a minimum of 30 days in a climate-controlled environment.

1. At the processing center inmate personal mail and envelope shall be opened and scanned into a high definition, full-color, digital .PDF file. For identification, tracking and investigative purposes, a unique identifier must be stamped to each electronic/digital copy of processed mail.

1. DPMS must allow for all personal mail to be database searchable by unique identifier and various other information such as by keyword, inmate/recipient, sender, date received range, flagged, rejected, inmate of interest and/or housing area.

a. Searchable database must be available to authorized users via the single, web-based administrative platform.

b. Searchable database must allow authorized users to manage, add, browse and monitor processed inmate personal mail, including mail that has been deleted by an inmate on a kiosk or tablet devices

c. To further assist with investigations, the Contractors DPMS must allow authorized users to set alerts to notify investigative staff when an inmate that is under investigation receives mail.

1. DPMS must provide the following delivery options for processed inmate mail on a selective or global basis:

a. Hold for facility review/approval prior to delivery.

During review, authorized HCSO staff must have the ability to accept or reject all or part of the sender’s content per mailing via the single, web-based administrative platform.

1. Accepted selections will be made available to inmates on a kiosk and tablet device

2. Inmates must be notified when mail is rejected, including a standard or customized message explaining reason for rejection.

b. Automatically deliver without facility review.

1. Access to processed inmate mail accounts on a kiosk or tablet must be password protected to prevent unauthorized access by other inmates.

1. To allow inmates to clearly read smaller details contained within an electronic mail file, Contractor’s kiosk and tablet devices must provide a zoom-in/magnify feature.

1. To ensure timely and efficient delivery of inmate personal mail, Contractor must guarantee all inmate personal mail will be processed and available electronically within 24 hours of receipt at the off-site processing center, five days per week (excluding federal holidays).

1. To provide public users with assurance of mail delivery, the Contractor’s DPMS must provide a website to allow public users to track the delivery status (received, approved or rejected) of the mail they send to inmates at no cost. The website must provide public users with the option to sign up to receive mail delivery status updates via text message or email.

1. DPMS must provide inmates with the option to access/download electronic copies of their processed mail upon release via a secure, password-protected website at no cost. Electronic copies of processed mail must be available for access/download for at least 12 months after the individual’s release.

1. Legal mail is protected by client/attorney privilege and inspection is not permitted. Criminals are aware of this and try to use legal mail to sneak narcotics and other contraband into a facility, specifically after an off-site personal mail processing system has been implemented. To ensure that all mail (personal and legal) is 100% contraband free, the Contractor must provide an on-site legal mail processing and delivery system that incorporates the following features/functions:

a.   A portable device that allows inmates to open, scan and process/print their privileged legal while in the presence of facility staff.

b.   Provide inmates with the option to mark scanned legal mail for secure electronic delivery, which is immediately accessible on kiosk or tablet device by entering secondary private password.

1. To preserve confidentiality, all legal mail delivered as well as secondary private password used to access legal mail delivered electronically must be stored on a separate encrypted server that is inaccessible by facility staff.

1. Provide inmates with the option to print a hard copy of the scanned legal mail document.

1. Portable device(s) must feature a built-in paper shredder to allow inmates to destroy original hard copy of legal mail in the presence of staff and/or compartment to temporarily secure scanned legal mail hard copy prior to being placed in inmate’s property.

1. Inmate Banking Software

1. Authorization Controls

• More than one hundred separately authorizable functions ranging from access to smart icons to groups of accounting transactions to cash management and General Ledger functions to inmate property controls

• Independent user authorization IDs that can be added to user-defined groups for ease of management and change control

• Application idle timeouts with automated logoff

• Independent workstation authorizations that can be added to workstation groups to limit activities in sensitive areas such as cash handling, check writing

• Inquiry only modes to prevent unauthorized updates to inmate and/or General Ledger Accounts

• Each financial transaction retains the user id, station id, timestamp, and unique numeric record key.

1. Cash Management

• Enforced Drawer Counts

• Automated drawer closing and transfer procedures

• Lockout of Cash transactions if drawer is not opened

• Cash drawer approval workflow including recount, over & short investigation, supervisory adjustment, pooling of approved drawers into a single bank deposit, on-line review of all drawer activities including counts, changes, approvals, deposits

1. Active Real Time General Ledger

• Access controlled by user ID and station ID

• Enforced Dual Entry Accounting

• Summarization of transaction amounts by month, year

• Trial Balance from any date to any date

• Context sensitive transaction codes, authorized by account, user, and workstation

• The software must provide an unlimited number of user-defined accounting transactions and an unlimited number of user-defined General Ledger Accounts. This enables the establishment of both a Chart of Accounts and standardized transaction events that affect these accounts, including adjusting and closing entries, transfers from subsidiary ledger accounts to General Ledger Accounts, clearing accounts that can accept closing entries at the end of an accounting period.

1. Check Register and Bank Reconciliation

• Ability to use pre-numbered or blank check stock

• Ability to record bank accounts, routing, and check ID with magnetic ink printing technologies to ensure that all checks recorded to the system are printed from the system

• Simple and Advanced on-line query capabilities including dollar ranges, date ranges, check number ranges, payee wild card search, inmate issuing check, and transaction type

• Ability to update status to cleared, voided, expired

• Automated Bank to Book Reconciliation with the ability to record and retain bank opening and closing balances and dates, documents cleared, bank charges and credits.

• Positive paycheck issue transfer to allow bank to flag possibly fraudulent checks

• Automated bank reconciliation capabilities to receive check and deposit status in electronic format from bank

1. Transaction Controls

• Ability to set out of range transaction warnings

• Ability to apply holds to suspect deposits

• Ability to limit the transaction types viewable from data entry panels based on user ID and station ID

• Automated account close features to avoid errors in applying closing amounts

• Ability to Encumber funds for Release Aid

• Pending commissary order amounts reserved to avoid over-spending the inmate’s balance

1. Integrity and Audit Trail

• Each financial transaction relating to an inmate account must include at minimum the following:

1. inmate’s account code

2. date

3. amount

4. timestamp (to the millisecond)

5. workstation ID

6. officer ID

7. description

8. receipt number

9. cross-reference to related transactions (e.g. recoverable, bank reconciliation, general journal, etc.)

10. transaction code (e.g. DEPCASH, DEPMO money order, EPR electronic commissary purchase, ERF refund, CHECK, etc. [these transaction codes must be both unlimited and 100 percent user definable]).

1. Journal Structure and Fiscal Periods

• Transactions related to inmate accounts must be summarized in the General Journal under a single master account, viewable and printable at various user screens throughout the Inmate Accounts module and subject to ad hoc query capabilities.

• General Journal transactions must be grouped by Account in the General Journal and summarized by month and year.

• Using the trial balance feature of the General Journal, transactions must be capable of being grouped and reported on for any time span, including accounting periods to common calendar spans such as months and years.

• For example, the GL Trial Balance Feature may be employed to group transactions by a Fiscal year such as July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026, or into smaller accounting periods such as five-week 'months' for reporting purposes.

• General Journal reporting must also be context sensitive, such that users can produce reports based on multi-selected line items in summary or detail amounts at the General Journal View.

1. Encumbered Funds for Release

• The Banking system must allow the facility to create and fund one or more encumbered funds pools for reserving monies per inmate to be disbursed either at time of release or for other future financial obligations.

• Encumbering of Funds must be available as a percentage of incoming deposits

• Encumbering and releasing funds must also have a manual override to allow for on-demand encumbrances and payments from encumbered funds

1. Recoverable Transactions and Inmate Debts

• The Banking system must allow the facility to charge any number of user-defined recoverable transactions (including but not limited to Indigent Purchases) to an inmates account when the inmate does not have the funds to make payment for the charge.

• The Banking system must create a receivable account for each inmate and track this account until full payment is made.

• The Banking System must recover based on the facility’s rules, any funds that are owed to the facility at various points as transactions occur

1. Payment at Charge Time – Any given recoverable type may be enabled to collect all or part of the amount assessed at the time of the assessment. If the inmate has no money in his or her personal account, the amount of the assessment will be stored as a recoverable amount. If only a portion of the assessment was collected, the uncollected portion will remain as a recoverable amount.

1. Future Collection of Unpaid Amounts - Amounts uncollected at charge time may be recovered from future deposits based on a percentage of the deposit, prioritized by assessment type or by percentage allocation to various assessment types. The user may also set a minimum balance to be retained to allow for commissary or other purchases and disbursements
2. On-Demand Collection – The Inmate Banking System will allow the authorized user to selectively recover unpaid amounts from the current inmate account balance. Collection at Time of release – Remaining uncollected recoverable amounts may be collected during the account closeout process, also prioritized by charge type

1. Collection at Time of Reinstatement – Remaining uncollected recoverable amounts may be collected during reinstatement should the inmate return to the facility at a future date o

• Recovered amounts must be accumulated in a real time General Ledger account. From the collected GL account(s) users of the system may disburse a check to clear the balance owed to the State or other service providers or authorities.

1. Software

1. IP-based Mobile-friendly (Android and Apple)

1. Applications

1. Inmate telephone service
2. Continuous voice identification and verification (with PIN check)
3. Investigative analytics
4. Investigative services with live agents (call monitoring)
5. Free local, IntraLATA, InterLATA and interstate calls in booking area
6. Pre-paid international calling
7. Inmate debit

1. Video Visitation

1. Free onsite sessions, if applicable
2. Remote sessions
3. PDF App
4. Law Library
5. Job view / re-entry program
6. Forms
7. Digital mail with free inmate retrieval upon release
8. E-Messaging
9. MP4 App
10. Digital banner
11. Video relay services (on all inmate kiosks / all housing units)
12. Officer barge-in feature / ability to communicate with both inmate & visitor

1. Automated Information Services

1. Must be compatible with Shortel/Mitel telephone system
2. Prefer voice to not be robotic in nature

1. Accessible to the Public & Inmates; Spanish & English

1. Hardware, as described herein:

1. Stainless steel inmate phones
   • 87 phones
   • 1 mobile cart mounted phone
   • 1 Public Phone
     • free three (3) minute calls
     • No PIN Required
   • TDD/TTY Units and/or Video Relay Service (VRS) for deaf or hearing-impaired inmates
   • Inmate Voice mail messaging
   • Online storage of call recordings and call data for entire contract duration
   • Unlimited User Software Licenses

1. Inmate Video Visitation Kiosks

• 46 inmate video kiosks
• 1 cart-mounted video kiosk
• 4 master control/monitoring workstations (PC or Laptop) with printers
• 1 lobby registration station, equipped with security keyboard
• Long-term recording storage of visitation sessions
• Scheduling and management of all types of visits (video, attorney, and/or contact visits)

1. Contractor will provide wiring and cabling for video visitation units at no cost to Customer.  Contractor will provide full service and maintenance for video visitation to Customer for the Term of the Agreement at no cost to Customer.

1. Inmate Tablets: Up to 1/1 inventory

1. On demand / auto-replenishing inventory control

1. WAP’s to support inmate tables
   • 53, must have facility wide coverage, including administrative areas
   • Wall mounted Tablet charging stations
2. 48 capacity tablets charging stations (9)
3. 28 capacity tablet charging stations (18)
4. 24 capacity tablet charging stations (9)
5. 8 capacity tablet charging stations (1)
6. Mobile cart charging stations (2)

1. IPRO enrollment phones
   • 9 phones

1. Attorney Visitation phones
   • 6 sets of 8 phones (one inmate side, one public side)

Service Response Requirements

5.0       FORMAT AND CONTENT OF RFQ/P RESPONSE

Institutions submitting proposals must disclose their qualifications provide for the Services to the County in the format set forth below.  Failure to provide requested information may result in your proposal being deemed non-responsive and therefore eliminated from further consideration.

A.  GENERAL PROPOSAL PREPARATION REQUIREMENTS

1.   Proposal Preparation

a.   Proposals shall be signed by an authorized representative.  All information requested must be submitted.

b.   Proposals shall be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFQ/P.   Emphasis should be placed on completeness and clarity of content.

2.   Oral presentation/Interview:  Bidders may be required to give an oral presentation of their proposal.  This provides an opportunity for the bidder to clarify or elaborate on the proposal.  This is a fact finding and explanation session only and does not contemplate or authorize negotiation.  Oral presentation is an option of the County in its sole discretion at the County’s request.

3.   Costs incurred to prepare a proposal are solely those of the proposer.  Nothing contained within this RFQ/P is indicative of an intent by the County to reimburse the proposer, in whole or in part, for any costs associated with preparation, submission, or presentation of proposals.

B.   SPECIFIC PROPOSAL PREPARATION REQUIREMENTS

Proposals shall be as thorough and detailed as possible so that the County may properly evaluate the bidder's capabilities to provide the required services.  The County is not interested in elaborate, stock marketing brochures. These will not be evaluated.

1.   COMPLETE, SIGNED COPY OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

a.   The return of all Mandatory Exhibits completed as required.

b.   Demonstrate that the proposer is properly licensed to do business in the State of Georgia.

Failure to meet the mandatory criteria will result in immediate rejection of the entire proposal and no evaluation of the remainder of the technical component or of the cost proposal will be made.

2.   COST COMPONENT OF PROPOSAL

For use following the technical phase of the procurement, the following information must be included in a separate sealed envelope marked "Cost Proposal.”

6.0                  SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

6.1       The County requests that Bidders submit proposals addressing all items listed below.   Failure to include any of these mandatory documents may result in disqualification.  All responses must be in writing.  Bidders should submit one (1) copy of marked “Original” and Three (3) marked “Copy” and all documents loaded onto one (1) USB flash drive in MS Word, Excel and PDF formats depending on the document with the technical response and cost proposal separated into two different file folders on the USB flash Drive.

6.2      Bidder’s must submit their sealed bid response packages with clearly marked with RFQ/P #: 46-009 Inmate Telephone System & Services – Jail.

6.3    If awarded, the awarded firm must maintain insurance policies at the firm's own expense and must furnish the County with a Certificate of Insurance (COI) providing evidence of coverage at least in the amounts indicated in EXHIBIT B – CONTRACT FOR SERVICES.  The insurance certificate must list County as the certificate holder and as an additional insured under the commercial general, automobile and umbrella liability policies as follows: “Hall County, Georgia, its Board of Commissioners, officers, employees, servants and agents, 2875 Browns Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA 30504”.

6.4      Follow these instructions carefully. Include in your bid response package two (2) separate, sealed envelopes. Mark one envelope with RFQ/P #: 46-009 - Inmate Telephone System & Services – Jail - Technical Qualifications, and enclose these completed Mandatory Exhibits:

Exhibit A –Bid Response Sheet (Signed)

Exhibit B – Contract for Services (Signed)

Exhibit D –Completed W-9 Form (Signed)

Exhibit E - E-Verify Affidavit (Signed)

Exhibit F –Ethics Affidavit (Signed)

Exhibit G –Scored Questions

Any Addenda (Signed)

Copy of your Business License

Certificate of Insurance

Copy of Professional Licenses or Certifications

In a separate sealed envelope from above, enclose a completed Exhibit C - Mandatory Cost Proposal and clearly mark RFQ/P #: 46-009 - Inmate Telephone System & Services – Jail - Cost Proposal on the envelope.

Do not enclose the Cost Proposal in the Technical Response envelope. This may render your proposal as non-responsive and thus not evaluated for award.

6.5       Bidders must submit it to the following address. All deliveries must be date and timed stamped by the HCGC 4 ^th Floor Receptionist. The County is not responsible for late bids due to mailing delays.

Hand Delivery/FedEx/UPS/USPS/Courier:

Hall County Government Center

Attn: Mike Hawkins, Issuing Officer

Purchasing Division - 4th Floor,

2875 Browns Bridge Road

Gainesville, Georgia 30504

7.0.      RFQ/P RESPONSE PREPARATION

7.1       The bidder bears all responsibility for all expenses incurred in responding to this RFQ/P such expenses to be borne exclusively by the proposer.

7.2       The County will not accept Joint Proposals unless otherwise noted herein.

8.0       SELECTION PROCESS

8.1       The evaluation process will include a pre-selected Evaluation Committee comprised of Hall County stakeholders and subject matter experts. The Committee will evaluate the technical qualifications. The highest scoring bidders may be asked for an interview, further negotiations, demonstrations, or a Best and Final Offer.

8.2       Each proposal should contain the Mandatory Cost Proposal (in a separate envelope) as provided with the RFQ/P document.

8.3       The Evaluation Committee will review each proposal with regard to demonstrated breadth of service, experience, financial stability, personnel, rates, references, lead times and other related criteria.

8.4       The successful respondent will be required to submit acceptable evidence of compliance with professional liability insurance coverage requirements as outlined in the Contract document.

8.5       Respondents are encouraged to submit clear and concise responses and excessive length, or extraneous information is discouraged.  In an effort to ensure our ability to evaluate and choose a successful Firm, respondents are encouraged to organize their proposal as follows:

Section 1 – Cover Letter and Executive Summary

Section 2 – Answer all Mandatory Scored Questions

Section 3 – Cost Proposals Submitted in a separate sealed envelope

8.6       Bidder’s must locate and complete all Exhibits to this RFQ/P and                                           submit with the bid. Bidders failing to do so may result in the bid to be

Non-responsive and thus not evaluated.

8.7       If unable to reach an agreement with the highest scoring Firm, the County retains the right to negotiate with the next highest scoring company and so on until reaching a satisfactory agreement or the County may terminate the process.

8.8       The County structured the evaluation process to secure highly competitive bidders who would be most effective in delivering the Services.  The primary objective of the evaluation process is to select a firm that:

8.8.1         Clearly demonstrates a thorough understanding of the contract responsibilities; and,

8.8.2         That presents a compelling work plan that yields the desired contract services and deliverables; and,

8.8.3         Shows adequate resources to handle the project

8.8.4         Presents a focused effort to allocate those resources to the project

8.8.5         Demonstrates exceptional value for the cost of services proposed.

9.0       Steps to Award

The Evaluation Committee will recommend award of the contract to the highest scoring company. In the unlikely event on a tie, the County may enter into negotiations of terms and conditions.

Step 1: The Evaluation Committee will evaluate the bidder’s responses according to the criteria described herein, and score and rank the proposals. The County reserves the right to request clarification of information provided and to request additional information required to assist in the evaluation process.

Step 2: Purchasing will then open the Cost Proposals and score the responses. Purchasing will combine these results with the results of scoring. After this scoring, Purchasing will rank the highest scoring proposers on Bid Tabulation Summary.

Step 3: The Evaluation Committee may schedule interviews with the bidders. All costs associated with the interview (if required) will be at the expense of the proposing Bidder.

Step 4: Based upon the results of the proposals, references, and the interviews, the Purchasing Division along with the Evaluation Committee may negotiate with the Firm(s) ranked highest in an attempt to reach agreement. If negotiations with the highest ranked firm are unsuccessful, the County may negotiate with the second ranked Firm, and so on until reaching a satisfactory agreement.

10.0   Exhibits and Attachments

Exhibit A - Mandatory Bid Response Sheet

Exhibit B - Contract for Service

Exhibit C – Mandatory Cost Proposal

Exhibit D – Mandatory W-9 Form

Exhibit E - Mandatory E-Verify Affidavit

Exhibit F – Mandatory Ethics Affidavit

Exhibit G – Mandatory Scored Questions