Description
The US Forest Service, Siuslaw National Forest, intends to issue a sole source contract for law enforcement dispatch services with Lincoln County Communications Agency in Newport, Oregon. The Willamette and Siuslaw National Forests include lands within nine counties of Western Oregon. We have lands in: Tillamook, Yamhill, Lincoln, Benton, Lane, Douglas, Coos, Linn, and Marion counties. The standard within the state of Oregon for Forest Service Law Enforcement is to contract dispatch services through county police dispatch centers. However, because we currently have invested in infrastructure and mountain top repeaters we are able to utilize Forest Service Law Enforcement frequencies rather than county police frequencies to dispatch officers within all nine counties, from one dispatch center. In addition to the benefits of consolidating dispatch contracts from nine to one, having one dispatch center provides for superior officer safety. With a sole dispatcher center, zone officers can monitor each other on a common frequency, and can respond quicker in emergent situations, thus eliminating the time it would take to relay information through multiple dispatch centers. The selected dispatch center must have police dispatching capability, including access to: National Crime Data Base, (NCIC), State of Oregon Criminal Data Base, (LEDS), and access to DMV records, including registered owners of vehicles and drivers license information. The dispatch center must have the capability to access secure warrant information within multiple Judicial districts. To accomplish the single dispatch center concept, the Forest Service has invested in infrastructure and radio equipment. The equipment is currently set up at a base station in Corvallis Oregon, and T-1 lines, (high speed telephone lines), are installed, providing a link from the base station to the Lincoln County Police Dispatch Center, (Lincom). In order for a dispatcher to quickly, accurately and competently respond to an officer request and/or emergency situations, he/she must have knowledge of the geographic areas within the land base. Each dispatcher requires four to five days of training. This training is conducted through ride-a-long's with Law Enforcement officers within the geographic areas on both Forests. We have a vast amount of money and time invested in infrastructure and dispatcher training at Lincom. Changing dispatch centers would require moving the equipment to a new location. A new base station would need to be established and infrastructure would need to be moved to the new location. An additional investment in dispatcher training would be required, adding an extra expense. T-1 lines would have to be established at the new location. A potential lapse in police dispatch services of four to eight weeks could be expected, in order to provide the time to move equipment, and establish the new T-1 connection. This would create an unnecessary officer safety issue. This action is taken pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6-302.1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy the agency requirements. The solicitation number assigned to this effort is AG-04T0-S-11-0006 and it will be issued on or about fifteen (15) days after release of this notice. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals, however, all responsible sources may submit a proposal which will be considered by the agency.