Item Description:
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Agmt PR00007510 with Acoustic Technology, Inc. to provide an outdoor warning system, which will benefit all Hennepin County cities, 10/21/25-6/30/31, including implementation and five years of maintenance/support, NTE $3,730,813.56
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, Agreement PR00007510 with Acoustic Technology, Inc. for an outdoor warning system, for the period of October 21, 2025 through June 30, 2031, in the not to exceed amount of $3,730,813.56 be approved; that the Chair of the Board be authorized to sign the Agreement on behalf of the County; and the Controller be authorized to disburse funds as directed.
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Background:
This project will procure software and associated infrastructure hardware that allows 6 siren control points to activate 293 fixed and 3 portable outdoor warning sirens across Hennepin County. Hennepin County Emergency Management (HCEM) is responsible for the integration and coordination of the public alert and warning system in Hennepin County, including outdoor warning siren strategy and policy development. HCEM also has the capability to activate the county's outdoor warning sirens and is responsible for making siren activation decisions in the correct locations for weather events that do not meet automatic siren sounding criteria. This project is part of the 2024-2028 Capital Improvement Program (Project 1006386).
While cities own the almost 300 individual sirens across the county, the physical infrastructure and software needed to activate them is owned by HCEM. Six computers in four different locations throughout the County are networked together to receive National Weather Service alerts and warnings. Any one of these computers can sound the siren system, essentially making the system 6-times redundant. The system can also sound manually by an authorized user from any one of the computers.
The current siren control system is 13 years old, has limited capabilities and lacks the necessary mapping interfaces and effective reporting functionality.
The county submitted a public request for proposals for a new siren system and received six proposals. Acoustic Technology, Inc. was the highest rated overall and determined to be the best value for the county.
The funding for this project covers the control system as well as any necessary outdoor warning siren upgrades needed to be updated to effectively interface with the new control and command software. The new software will be easier to maintain, redundant, have a user-friendly interface, map-based activation, integration of National Weather Service Polygon Warning alerting technology and built in reporting tools and customizable dashboards.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval