By US Digital Designs Staff

If you’re like the majority of fire agencies we’ve interacted with, you’re required to put projects out for bid if they exceed a certain dollar amount.

More often than not, it requires you to write a request for proposal (RFP) or request for information (RFI). This ensures that the due diligence process is transparent and fair to all vendors wishing to participate.

A high-quality fire station alerting system represents a large expenditure in an agency’s budget. It’s crucial that the committee assigned to write an RFP asks the right questions to make sure potential vendors can provide you with a product that will meet the agency’s requirements and expectations.

“Must Ask” Questions
Common sense dictates that you begin with the most basic questions, such as asking for the vendor’s name, contact details and other demographics. These can include such information as the number of staff they employ; the number of successful, similar projects they’ve completed for other fire departments; and any other crucial details that might be helpful, so vendors are clear about what you’re looking to accomplish with the alerting system you’re seeking.

Other key questions that US Digital Designs recommends asking include:

• Will the solution provided be a turnkey fire station alerting system that includes all equipment, materials, installation-related services and supervision, training and support? If not, why not?
• Will the solution be compliant with all application, local, state, and national electrical and building codes and will it ensure that all required permits are secured prior to launching the project? If not, why not?
• Will the solution be fully compliant with the 2013 edition of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1221 and 1710 as applicable? If not, why not?

Breaking the RFP Into Easy-to-Follow Sections
It’s important to write an RFP as simply as possible for both the vendor to complete and, ultimately, for your fire department committee to review. Keep in mind that responses can contain dozens of pages of text, making it a fairly time-consuming endeavor.

US Digital Designs recommends breaking out these questions into the following sections:

• General. Questions in this section should be broadly worded and require vendors to provide details about how the station alerting system will be offered, including specifications for power supply, capacity, and design to allow for future expansion and upgrades.
• Automated and manual alerting interface. This is the segment where you must solicit feedback from vendors regarding how the proposed system will interface with your existing computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. Also, ask if the system will interface with any radio systems used by the agency.
• Station alerting. This particular section is vital because it truly is the “bread and butter” of any cutting-edge fire department alerting system. Within this section, there can also be subsections that include questions related to audibility, automated voice, mobile alerting of personnel, relay control, visual reinforcement/signage