TRUNKED RADIO NETWORK MICROWAVE

Erie County, NY
ERIE COUNTY
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
TO PROVIDE TRUNKED RADIO NETWORK
MICROWAVE
RFP#: 2026-020VF
February 6, 2026
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY & EMERGENCY SERVICES
ERIE COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY CAMPUS
45 ELM STREET
BUFFALO, NEW YORK 14203
COUNTY OF ERIE
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
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1. Project Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 5
1.1 Project Objective ........................................................................................................................... 5
1.1 Current Systems Overview ............................................................................................................ 5
1.1.1 Backhaul ................................................................................................................................ 5
2. General Provisions ................................................................................................................................ 5
2.1 Schedule of Events ....................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.9
2.2 Evaluation, and Contract Award Process ...................................................................................... 5
2.3 Oral Presentation ........................................................................................................................ 10
2.4 Submission Requirements .......................................................................................................... 10
2.5 Compliance Matrix Instructions .................................................................................................. 11
2.6 Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................................... 12
3. Respondent Experience ...................................................................................................................... 12
3.1 Firm Experience .......................................................................................................................... 12
3.2 Team Experience and Qualifications ........................................................................................... 13
3.3 Product and Subcontractor Working Experience ....................................................................... 14
3.4 Financial Condition...................................................................................................................... 14
4. General System and Contractor Requirements .................................................................................. 14
4.1 General Project Requirements .................................................................................................... 14
4.2 General Business Terms .............................................................................................................. 15
4.3 Project Management .................................................................................................................. 16
4.4 Kick Off ........................................................................................................................................ 17
4.5 Project Milestones and Acceptance ............................................................................................ 17
4.6 Design Review Activities ............................................................................................................. 18
4.6.1 General Detailed Design Review Phase Requirements ....................................................... 18
4.6.2 Facilities Suitability Assessment .......................................................................................... 19
4.6.3 Network Link Assessment ................................................................................................... 19
4.6.4 Electrical Power Evaluation ................................................................................................. 20
4.6.5 Microwave Dish Support Structure Suitability and Design ................................................. 20
4.7 Installation Planning and Site Preparation ................................................................................. 20
4.8 Documentation ........................................................................................................................... 20
4.8.1 General Documentation Requirements .............................................................................. 20
4.8.2 Maintenance Documentation and Manuals ....................................................................... 22
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4.8.3 As-Built Documentation ...................................................................................................... 23
4.9 Training ....................................................................................................................................... 24
5. MBS Technical Requirements ............................................................................................................. 25
5.1 Reliability Requirements ............................................................................................................. 25
5.2 Network Security ........................................................................................................................ 26
5.3 Sustainability and Lifecycle ......................................................................................................... 26
5.4 Standards Compliance ................................................................................................................ 27
5.5 Microwave Site Equipment Installation ...................................................................................... 28
5.5.1 General Installation Requirements ..................................................................................... 28
5.5.2 Equipment Installation ........................................................................................................ 29
5.5.3 Transmission Line/Waveguide and Microwave Dish Installation ....................................... 29
6. Backhaul System Requirements .......................................................................................................... 31
6.1 Microwave System ...................................................................................................................... 31
6.1.1 Architecture and Design ...................................................................................................... 31
6.1.2 Equipment and System Specifications ................................................................................ 32
6.1.3 Additional Contractor Services ........................................................................................... 33
7. Network Management System (NMS) ................................................................................................ 33
7.1 General Network Management System Requirements .............................................................. 33
7.2 Fault Monitoring, Diagnostics and Alarm Management Requirements ..................................... 35
8. Acceptance Testing ............................................................................................................................. 36
8.1 General System Acceptance Testing ........................................................................................... 36
8.2 Factory Testing and Staging ........................................................................................................ 37
8.3 Installation and Baseline Testing ................................................................................................ 37
8.4 Functional Acceptance Testing ................................................................................................... 38
8.5 Testing Punch Lists ...................................................................................................................... 38
9. System Transition and Cutover ........................................................................................................... 39
10. Decommissioning and Removal of Equipment ................................................................................... 39
11. Warranty and On-Going Maintenance Support .................................................................................. 39
11.1 Warranty Period and Support Criteria ........................................................................................ 39
11.2 General Maintenance and Support Requirements ..................................................................... 40
11.3 Software and Firmware Support ................................................................................................. 41
11.4 System Monitoring and Dispatch Service ................................................................................... 42
11.4.1 System Monitoring Requirements ...................................................................................... 42
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11.4.2 Technical and On-Call Support Service ............................................................................... 42
11.4.3 System Performance Reporting .......................................................................................... 42
11.4.4 Severity Levels and Response Times ................................................................................... 43
11.5 System and Field Maintenance Requirements ........................................................................... 44
11.6 Spare Equipment ......................................................................................................................... 45
12. Technical Response/Work Plan Description Instructions ................................................................... 45
12.1 MBS Overview ............................................................................................................................. 45
12.2 Lifecycle and Sustainability ......................................................................................................... 46
12.3 Reliability and Security ................................................................................................................ 46
12.4 Network Management System (NMS) (If provided) ................................................................... 46
12.5 Microwave Backhaul System ...................................................................................................... 47
12.6 Factory Testing/Staging and Delivery of the Microwave System ............................................... 48
12.7 Acceptance Test Plan .................................................................................................................. 48
12.8 Functional and Baseline Acceptance Test Plans ......................................................................... 48
12.9 System Transition and Cutover Methodology ............................................................................ 48
12.10 Training Program Overview .................................................................................................... 49
12.11 Test and Spare Equipment ...................................................................................................... 49
12.12 Project Management and Staffing .......................................................................................... 49
12.13 County and Other Client Agency Responsibilities ................................................................... 50
12.14 Project Schedule ..................................................................................................................... 50
12.15 Detailed Final System Design .................................................................................................. 50
12.16 Microwave System Installation and Implementation ............................................................. 50
12.17 Warranty and Ongoing Maintenance Services ....................................................................... 51
12.18 Value Add Products and Services ............................................................................................ 51
13. Cost Proposal ...................................................................................................................................... 51
13.1 Cost Proposal Table ..................................................................................................................... 51
13.2 Milestone Payment Percentages ................................................................................................ 51
14. Attachment A - Site List ...................................................................................................................... 52
15. Exhibits and Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 52
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1. Project Introduction
1.1 Project Objective
Project Name: Erie County Public Safety Trunked Network Project - Microwave Backhaul System
Public safety and public service agencies of the County of Erie, New York are pursuing upgrades to their
public safety communications and are seeking a qualified and experienced vendor to design, build,
implement, test and commission into service a countywide radio system with a public safety-grade
backhaul network. The collective agencies will be represented by Erie County Department of Homeland
Security, hereafter referred to as the "County". The resulting system, hereafter referred to as the Erie
County Trunked Radio Network ("ECTRN") will be defined per the specifications detailed in this RFP.
The ECTRN will be a Motorola UHF Band Project 25 Phase 2 trunked, simulcast network with
geographically redundant network core elements (one core in Erie County that will be constructed under
another contract and one core in Niagara County that already exists).
This solicitation addresses a reliable and highly available microwave backhaul network for the new system
that interconnects the land mobile radio (LMR) sites and dispatch facilities with the Erie County core
network and also interconnects with Niagara County's microwave network. Routing among both these
new microwave connections, existing microwave connections, and county fiber connections will be
managed by separately purchased MPLS network.
1.1 Current Systems Overview
1.1.1 Backhaul
The County currently operates an extensive microwave backhaul network to support its current
operations. The existing hops in this network should be used in the design to the extent they meet
the stipulated requirements. The system is a mixture of several bands and has a presence at most of the
proposed sites. The list of sites and existing microwave equipment will be provided to qualified
microwave vendors upon request by email at communications@erie.gov.
2. General Provisions
Statement of Rights: UNDERSTANDINGS
Please take notice, by submission of a proposal in response to this request for proposals, the proposer
agrees to and understands:
* that any proposal, attachments, additional information, etc. submitted pursuant to this
Request for Proposals constitute merely a suggestion to negotiate with Erie County of Erie
and is not a bid under Section 103 of the New York State General Municipal Law;
* submission of a proposal, attachments, and additional information shall not entitle the
proposer to enter into an agreement with Erie County of Erie for the required services;
* by submitting a proposal, the proposer agrees and understands that Erie County of Erie is
not obligated to respond to the proposal, nor is it legally bound in any manner whatsoever
by submission of same;
* that any and all counter-proposals, negotiations or any communications received by a
proposing entity, its officers, employees or agents from Erie County, its elected officials,
officers, employees or agents, shall not be binding against Erie County of Erie, its elected
officials, officers, employees or agents unless and until a formal written agreement for the
services sought by this RFP is duly executed by both parties and approved by the Erie
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County Legislature, the Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority, and the Office of the Erie
County Attorney.
* In addition to the foregoing, by submitting a proposal, the proposer also understands and
agrees that Erie County of Erie reserves the right, and may at its sole discretion exercise,
the following rights and options with respect to this Request for Proposals:
o To reject any or all proposals
o To issue amendments to this RFP
o To issue additional solicitations for proposals
o To waive any irregularities in proposals received after notification to proposers affected;
o To select any proposal as the basis for negotiations of a contract, and to negotiate with
one or more of the proposers for amendments or other modifications to their
proposals;
o To conduct investigations with respect to the qualifications of each proposer;
o To exercise its discretion and apply its judgment with respect to any aspect of this RFP,
the evaluation of proposals, and the negotiations and award of any contract;
o To enter into an agreement for only portions (or not to enter into an agreement for any)
of the services contemplated by the proposals with one or more of the proposers;
o To select the proposal that best satisfies the interests of Erie County and not necessarily
on the basis of price or any other single factor;
o To interview the proposer(s);
o To request or obtain additional information Erie County deems necessary to determine
the ability of the proposer;
o To modify dates;
* All proposals prepared in response to this RFP are at the sole expense of the proposer,
and with the express understanding that there will be no claim, whatsoever, for
reimbursement from Erie County for the expenses of preparation. Erie County assumes no
responsibility or liability of any kind for costs incurred in the preparation or submission of
any proposal;
* While this is an RFP and not a bid, Erie County reserves the right to apply the case law
under General Municipal Law 103 regarding bidder responsibility in determining
whether a proposer is a responsible vendor for the purpose of this RFP process; and
* Erie County is not responsible for any internal or external delivery delays which may cause
any proposal to arrive beyond the stated deadline. To be considered, proposals MUST
arrive at the place specified herein and be time-stamped prior to the deadline.
* All proposals submitted become the RFP Issuer's property and will not be returned to the
proposers.
* All consultants should understand that Erie County is committed to an open, fair and
transparent selection process. All RFP submissions will be reviewed, objectively scored
and ranked. Shortlisted firms will be interviewed prior to recommendation for selection.
* The highest-ranking firm after scoring and interviews will be recommended to the Erie
County Legislature for authorization to enter into contract. Scores and ranking of all firms
will be provided to the Legislature and the results will at that time become public record.
* Proposing firms should understand that to provide for this open and transparent process,
more time will be required. The timeframe from advertisement to contract execution may
be up to six months. Consultants should consider this when scheduling staff time and
anticipating project commencement.
* Firms are encouraged to include Certified Minority and Women Owned Business
Enterprises (MBE/WBE) in their teams in order to meet Erie County's goals of 15% MBE
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and 5% WBE participation. Certified MBE/WBE proposers should include the Erie County
certification letter with the proposal.
* If proposer is a Veteran Owned Business, proposer should include letter indicating
company is 51% or more Veteran-owned.
Contract
After selection of the successful proposer, a formal written contract will be prepared by County of Erie
and will not be binding until signed by both parties and, if necessary, approved by the Erie County
Legislature, the Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority and the Office of Erie County Attorney. NO RIGHTS
SHALL ACCRUE TO ANY PROPOSER BY THE FACT THAT A PROPOSAL HAS BEEN SELECTED BY ERIE
COUNTY FOR SUBMISSION TO THE ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATURE AND/OR THE ERIE COUNTY FISCAL
STABILITY AUTHORITY FOR APPROVAL. THE APPROVAL OF SAID LEGISLATURE AND/OR AUTHORITY MAY
BE NECESSARY BEFORE A VALID AND BINDING CONTRACT MAY BE EXECUTED BY ERIE COUNTY.
The term of the contract shall be for a three (3) year period commencing approximately July 30th, 2026,
and terminating July 29th, 2029. Erie County, in its sole discretion, may extend the agreement beyond
its initial term for up to two (2) additional year periods at the same prices and conditions.
Indemnification and Insurance
The proposer accepts and agrees that language in substantially the following form will be included in the
contract between the proposer and Erie County:
"In addition to, and not in limitation of the insurance requirements contained herein the Consultant
agrees:
(a) that except for the amount, if any, of damage contributed to, caused by or resulting from the
negligence of Erie County, the Consultant shall indemnify and hold harmless Erie County, its officers,
employees and agents from and against any and all liability, damage, claims, demands, costs, judgments,
fees, attorneys' fees or loss arising directly or indirectly out of the acts or omissions hereunder by the
Consultant or third parties under the direction or control of the Consultant; and
(b) to provide defense for and defend, at its sole expense, any and all claims, demands or causes of
action directly or indirectly arising out of this Agreement and to bear all other costs and expenses
related thereto. Upon execution of any contract between the proposer and Erie County, the proposer
will be required to provide proof of the insurance coverage described in Schedule "B". Insurance
coverage in amount and form shall not be deemed acceptable until approved by Erie County Attorney.
Intellectual Property Rights
The proposer accepts and agrees that language in substantially the following form will be included in the
contract between the proposer and Erie County:
All deliverables created under this Agreement by the Consultant are to be considered "works made for
hire". If any of the deliverables do not qualify as "works made for hire", the Consultant hereby assigns to
Erie County all right, title and interest (including ownership of copyright) in such deliverables and such
assignment allows Erie County to obtain in its name copyrights, registrations and similar protections
which may be available. The Consultant agrees to assist Erie County, if required, in perfecting these
rights. The Consultant shall provide Erie County with at least one copy of each deliverable.
The Consultant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Erie County for all damages, liabilities, losses and
expenses arising out of any claim that a deliverable infringes upon an intellectual property right of a
third party. If such a claim is made, or appears likely to be made, the Consultant agrees to enable Erie
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County's continued use of the deliverable, or to modify or replace it. If Erie County determines that
none of these alternatives is reasonably available, the deliverable will be returned.
All records compiled by the Consultant in completing the work described in this Agreement, including
but not limited to written reports, source codes, studies, drawings, blueprints, negatives of
photographs, computer printouts, graphs, charts, plans, specifications and all other similar recorded
data, shall become and remain the property of Erie County. The Consultant may retain copies of such
records for its own use.
Non-Collusion
The proposer, by signing the proposal, does hereby warrant and represent that any ensuing agreement
has not been solicited, secured or prepared directly or indirectly, in a manner contrary to the laws of the
State of New York and Erie County of Erie, and that said laws have not been violated and shall not be
violated as they relate to the procurement or the performance of the agreement by any conduct,
including the paying or the giving of any fee, commission, compensation, gift, gratuity or consideration
of any kind, directly or indirectly, to any County employee, officer or official.
Conflict of Interest
All proposers must disclose with their proposals the name of any officer, director or agent who is also an
employee of Erie County of Erie. Further, all proposers must disclose the name of any County employee
who owns, directly or indirectly, an interest of ten percent or more in the firm or any of its subsidiaries
or affiliates.
There shall be no conflicts in existence during the term of any contract with Erie County. The existence
of a conflict shall be grounds for termination of a contract.
Compliance with Laws
By submitting a proposal, the proposer represents and warrants that it is familiar with all federal, state
and local laws and regulations and will conform to said laws and regulations. The preparation of
proposals, selection of proposers and the award of contracts are subject to provisions of all Federal,
State and County laws, rules and regulations.
Compliance with Laws
The New York State Freedom of Information Law as set forth in Public Officers Law, Article 6, Sections 84
et seq., mandates public access to government records. However, proposals submitted in response to
this RFP may contain technical, financial background or other data, public disclosure of which could
cause substantial injury to the proposer's competitive position or constitute a trade secret. Proposers
who have a good faith belief that information submitted in their proposals is protected from disclosure
under the New York Freedom of Information Law shall:
a) insert the following notice in the front of its proposal:
"NOTICE"
The data on pages ___ of this proposal identified by an asterisk (*) contains technical or
financial information constituting trade secrets or information the disclosure of which would
result in substantial injury to the proposer's competitive position.
The proposer requests that such information be used only for the evaluation of the proposal,
but understands that any disclosure will be limited to the extent that Erie County considers
proper under the law. If Erie County enters into an agreement with this proposer, Erie County
shall have the right to use or disclose such information as provided in the agreement, unless
otherwise obligated by law."
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And
b) clearly identify the pages of the proposals containing such information by typing in bold face on the
top of each page " * THE PROPOSER BELIEVES THAT THIS INFORMATION IS PROTECTED FROM
DISCLOSURE UNDER THE STATE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW."
Erie County assumes no liability for disclosure of information so identified, provided that Erie County has
made good faith legal determination that the information is not protected from disclosure under
applicable law or where disclosure is required to comply with an order or judgment of a court of
competent jurisdiction.
The contents of the proposal which is accepted by Erie County, except portions "Protected from
Disclosure", may become part of any agreement resulting from this RFP.
Equal Pay Certification
During the term of this Contract, the Consultant shall comply with Executive Order13 (2014), and the
Consultant shall make such records available, upon request, to Erie County's Division of Equal
Employment Opportunity for review. Erie County shall have the right, upon reasonable notice and at
reasonable times, to inspect the books and records of the Consultant, its offices and facilities, for the
purpose of verifying information supplied in the Erie County Equal Pay Certification (Schedule "C") and
for any other purpose reasonably related to confirming the Consultant's compliance with Erie County
Executive Order No. 13 (2014). Violation of the provisions of Executive Order 13 (2014), which is
attached hereto and made a part hereof, can constitute grounds for the immediate termination of this
contract and may constitute grounds for determining that a bidder is not qualified to participate in
future county contracts.
EFFECTIVE PERIOD OF PROPOSALS
All proposals must state the period for which the proposal shall remain in effect (i.e. how much time
does Erie County have to accept or reject the proposal under the terms proposed). Such period shall not
be less than 180 days from the proposal date.
2.1 Schedule of Events
The following is a schedule of events concerning the proposal process. Erie County reserves the right to
adjust the below schedule as needed in the best interest of Erie County:
Event Date
Release of RFP 02/05/2026
Pre-proposal meeting (week of) 03/09/2026
Deadline for questions 03/20/2026
Answers to questions posted 03/27/2026
Proposals Due by (3:00pm EST) 05/04/2026
Proposal Opening 05/05/2026
Registration
All firms wishing to participate in this process must register with Jerry Whittington & Kevin Hughes in
the Erie County Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Services- Emergency Preparedness at
communications@erie.gov. All further information including addendums and contact from Erie County
will be sent electronically.
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Questions
Any requests for RFP interpretations or clarifications shall be made by March 20th, 2026, via e-mail to
communications@erie.gov. No requests for oral interpretations via telephone will be accepted. A single
response to all questions will be made as outlined in the schedule. NO COMMUNICATIONS OF ANY KIND
WILL BE BINDING AGAINST ERIE COUNTY, EXCEPT FOR THE FORMAL WRITTEN RESPONSES TO ANY
REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION.
2.2 Evaluation, and Contract Award Process
The award of the contract may be made to the most responsive proposal offering a product of service
deemed suitable for use by the County.
The evaluation of proposals and the determination as to the quality shall be the sole and final
responsibility of the County and will be based on the information furnished by the Proposer. In the
evaluation of otherwise responsible bids/quotes, the proposer's experience, delivery time and
responsibility in performing other contracts will be considered. The proposals will be scored using the
following criteria:
* To be provided by Erie County. Options include:
o Firm Relevant Experience for similarly-sized Motorola P25 systems and Financial
Condition
o Proposed Solution Quality - Adherence To Requirements
o Proposal's use of smaller dishes and minimizing interference risks
o Proposed Schedule
o Proposed Cost
Vendors who reach the final selection round may be invited to make an Oral Presentation and to provide
a demonstration of their network design and equipment. This phase of the evaluation process will be
ranked by the Evaluation Committee and incorporated into the overall final vendor ranking.
The County reserves the right (i) to reject any and all proposals or any part of any proposal, (ii) to waive
minor defects or technicalities, or (iii) to solicit new proposals on the same project or on a modified
project that may include portions of the originally proposed project as the County, in the exercise of
their sole and unfettered discretion, may deem necessary. Proposers may be required to submit
satisfactory evidence that they have the necessary financial resources to perform and complete the
work outlined in this RFP.
Submission of a proposal implies the Respondent's acceptance of the evaluation criteria and process
and recognition that subjective judgments may be made by the Evaluation Committee. Any objections to
the process described in this Request for Proposal should be raised at the pre-proposal conference.
2.3 Oral Presentation
The County anticipates inviting and reserves the right to invite qualifying Respondents for oral
presentations.
2.4 Submission Requirements
Respondents shall submit the following documents in response to this RFP:
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