Notice of Intent to Award Without Engaging in a Standard Procurement Process - Burglar Security System

Project Description: Issuing and Conducting Procurement Unit: Granite School District
In accordance with Utah Code Part 63G-6a Part 8 and Utah Administrative Code R33-108, this is a notice of intent to award without engaging in a standard procurement process. It is not a request for quotes, bids or proposals. DO NOT submit questions, bids, no-bids or other information in this system.
NO ACTION IS REQUIRED IF YOU AGREE WITH THIS NOTICE.
If there are any other qualified vendors that meet the specifications of this notice, any such vendor must submit the following information via email only to Jessica Brophy at jdhaws@graniteschools.org prior to the event close date.
The name of the contesting vendor and contact person; and a detailed explanation of the challenge, including documentation showing that there are other competing sources for the procurement item.
In addition, a vendor must include: Documentation that the vendor can provide a comparable or better procurement item that meets or exceeds the specifications; documentation that the vendor can also provide the same proprietary procurement item or an equivalent procurement item; and if transitional costs are identified as the justification for this notice, submit a cost comparison of the identified transitional costs with the vendor's anticipated transitional costs. The item must already exist and have been tested to qualify.
NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD WITHOUT ENGAGING IN A STANDARD PROCUREMENT PROCESS
The Utah Procurement Code provides that a purchase may be made without engaging in a standard procurement process if it can be determined in writing that: there is only one source for the procurement item;
transitional costs are a significant consideration in selecting a procurement item; or
the award of a contract is under circumstances, described in rules adopted by the applicable rule making authority, that make awarding the contract through a standard procurement process impractical and not in the best interest of the procurement unit.
Granite School District Purchasing Department has received a request to make the following award without engaging in a standard procurement process:
Requesting School/Department: Security Systems
Product and/or service to be purchased: Burglar Security System
Earliest date purchase may occur: as soon as possible.
Proposed Supplier: Micro Key Solutions, Johnson Controls, TYCO DSC Neo Panels
there are no other competing vendors or sources for the procurement item in accordance with the provisions set forth in Section R33-108-101a;
The Granite School District is seeking to procure a new burglar security system to replace obsolete equipment that is no longer supported and currently relies on outdated copper phone lines. The proposed solution includes DSC Neo security panels, Sur-Gard 5 receivers, and Micro-Key monitoring software, each selected because they uniquely meet Granite’s operational and infrastructure needs.
As the security team, we are recommending a three-vendor solution that provides easily obtainable hardware along with software backed by manufacturer technical support.
• DSC Neo Panels (manufactured by TYCO, the largest security hardware manufacturer in today’s market) are being recommended for use in the schools.
• For the server component, we are requesting the Sur-Gard 5 Receiver, manufactured by Johnson Controls, a worldwide company specializing in building automation and component-level programming. Their servers utilize the most current hardware and include manufacturer support.
• For the software solution, we recommend Micro-Key software, which has been in business since 1985 with a proven track record in the alarm monitoring industry. Micro-Key provides technical support, integration options with other products, and engineering solutions tailored to customer needs.
The Micro-Key software operates in a CAD-style format familiar to emergency dispatch centers, allowing quick navigation and efficient dispatch of the correct response for each call. Additionally, Micro-Key software can be used solely for burglar alarm monitoring without forcing integration with other systems such as cameras or access control. All other vendors require integration of all systems into a single platform, which creates a single point of failure. Granite School District prefers to keep systems separate for redundancy—so that if one system goes down, others remain operational.
The Sur-Gard 5 Receiver was chosen because it is the recommended receiver for the DSC panels and can monitor enough IP communicator boards to cover all district facilities with a single unit. This enables use of network connections as copper phone lines are phased out. The receiver also supports visual verification features of the DSC Neo panels. It includes the AHS feature, allowing multiple accounts through expandable licenses, built-in redundancy, hot-swappable modules, and an open platform design that avoids dependency on a single monitoring software—making it a future-proof solution.
This solution of using DSC Neo panels allows the district to reuse existing wiring infrastructure in its buildings. Hardwired inputs for all devices are a strict requirement, as wireless devices could interfere with other technologies, cause false alarms, or impact the effectiveness of learning environments. The DSC panels support all hardwired connections through expander boards.
The software will be purchased directly from Micro-Key, as they do not sell through distributors. Likewise, the Sur-Gard 5 receiver will be provided by Johnson Controls, who also do not sell through distributors. For the DSC Neo panels, the district will issue an Invitation for Bid, as there are multiple distributors within 10 miles who can supply them.
This new security system will give us the ability to utilize our existing wiring infrastructure, as many of our schools have what we call door junctions. These are locations placed through our facilities where groups of doors and equipment come together and are brought back to the head end panel to be monitored. Currently, the district uses a common ground security system, which allows more devices to be monitored using fewer wiring resources. With the new system, all hardware components will be replaced, while the existing wiring infrastructure will be reused, maximizing resources and improving system reliability.
Length of notice: Granite School District intends to purchase these products for the next five years, thus this notification will be considered official notification for the subsequent five years through December 31, 2030
Anticipated expenditure for 5 years: $33,995 to Micro Key Solutions and $26,348.99 to Johnson Controls.