What Agencies Should Know Before Procuring Electronic Monitoring

Part 2 of Beyond the RFP, explores procurement considerations and purchasing options for community corrections agencies and courts.  

What happens after a monitoring alert? Who replaces a failed device? How will your agency access historical records if it changes providers?  

These questions belong in the purchasing discussion alongside device capabilities and pricing. Electronic monitoring brings together equipment, software, communications, services, and staff responsibilities. Your procurement requirements should reflect how those components will support your program.  

Before evaluating vendors or choosing a purchasing pathway, bring program and procurement staff together to define what the solution must deliver.  

Start With Your Supervision Model  

Begin with the purpose of the program and the people responsible for operating it.  

These four questions can help establish that foundation:  

1. Which participants and supervision conditions will the program address?  

2. Which monitoring methods are appropriate for those needs?  

3. Who will review alerts, determine when action is needed, and respond?  

4. What information should officers, supervisors, courts, and other authorized users receive?  

Document the responsibilities your agency will retain and the services it expects a vendor to provide. If a monitoring center will review or communicate alerts, for example, define how those responsibilities connect with your agency's response procedures.  

That clarity gives your team a basis for evaluating whether a proposed solution fits its operating model.  

Define the Complete Solution  

Translate those program needs into a scope that addresses the technology and services required.  

Depending on the program, that scope may include devices and client apps, software access, communications, reporting, installation, equipment replacement, training, technical support, and integrations. Existing electronic monitoring contracts, including SCRAM Systems' NASPO ValuePoint master agreement address hardware, software, support, and training requirements.  

Requirements should also reflect the monitoring method. For location monitoring, required capabilities may include location accuracy, geographic zones, alert delivery, and notifications when GPS or cellular communication is lost. These are among the performance areas addressed in NIJ's offender tracking system guidance. [1] 

Write requirements your team can evaluate. Specify what information must be available, when notifications are needed, and how performance will be demonstrated.  

Compare the Full Program Cost  

A quoted daily rate needs context. Ask what it includes, what is priced separately, and which contract provisions could affect the total cost.  

Review whether pricing covers equipment, software, connectivity, implementation, training, support, shipping, and replacements. Also check for any applicable charges for lost or damaged equipment, minimum usage commitments, or permitted price adjustments.  

Treat these as items to verify in each proposal or contract, rather than fees every vendor charges.  

Compare options using the same anticipated participant volume, service requirements, and contract period. NASPO's technology procurement guidance includes total cost of ownership as part of purchasing readiness and analysis. [2]  

Address Data Access and Service Continuity  

Have your technology, security, and legal stakeholders review the requirements that apply to your agency. Relevant considerations may include user permissions, data protection, audit records, system availability, and continuity procedures. SCRAM Systems' NASPO ValuePoint master agreement includes information security, access controls, and continuity requirements.  

Review data ownership, retention, export capabilities, and access after the contract ends. Historical monitoring records deserve particular attention when changing providers. NIJ has identified the transfer of location, violation, and alert records as a challenge in provider transitions. [3]  

Document how your agency and vendor will handle outages or communication failures, including notification and operational responsibilities.  

Plan Implementation and Ongoing Support  

Establish who will manage implementation and what must happen before the program begins using the technology.  

Address configuration, testing, staff training, participant transitions, and coordination with an existing provider. Identify the support provided after launch, how urgent issues will be escalated, and how replacement equipment will be supplied.  

An NIJ supported report on procuring offender tracking technology highlights initial and ongoing training, clear performance expectations, and coordination between outgoing and incoming vendors for data transfer. [4]  

Use these requirements to build an implementation schedule and define how vendor performance will be reviewed during a transition and throughout the contract.  

Evaluate the Available Purchasing Paths  

Procurement staff should help identify authorized purchasing options as requirements take shape. Those options may include a new solicitation or an existing state or cooperative contract.  

Evaluate an existing contract against your program's scope, pricing, terms, and implementation needs. Importantly, confirm that your agency is authorized to use it and identify any required documentation or approvals.  

For example, NASPO ValuePoint contracts result from competitive solicitations led by member states. Buyers must also confirm participation requirements and follow their state's or organization's purchasing procedures. [5] 

Clear requirements help your agency assess whether an existing contract fits or whether a new solicitation is needed. They also provide a consistent basis for evaluating the technology, services, and support your program will depend on.  

Explore SCRAM Systems cooperative purchasing options.  

Next in this series: When Cooperative Purchasing Can Replace a New Electronic Monitoring RFP.  

Sources 

1. National Institute of Justice (NIJ). “The Role of Equipment Performance Standards in Correctional Settings.” https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/role-equipment-performance-standards-correctional-settings 
2. National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO). “Decision Tree for IT Projects.” https://cdn.naspo.org/RI/ProcUDecisionTree_ITprojects.pdf 
3. National Institute of Justice (NIJ). “Service Specification Package Addresses Agengies’ Need to Automaticaly Transfer Offender Tracking Data When Changing Service Providers.” https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/service-specification-package-addresses-agencies-need-automatically-transfer 
4. National Institute of Justice (NIJ). "Procuring and Implementing Offender Tracking Technology." https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/nlectc/252822.pdf 
5. National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO). “FAQs for Suppliers.” https://www.naspovaluepoint.org/faqs-for-suppliers/