Motorola Solutions Protests New York MTA
Motorola Solutions Protests New York MTA’s $202M TETRA Contract
By Sandra Wendelken, Editor
Tuesday, March 15, 2016 | Comments
Motorola Solutions March 9 formally protested the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) award for a new two-way radio network, saying its bid would save the authority $35 million.
The MTA in late February awarded a $202.1 million contract to Parsons Transportation Group for a new two-way radio network for the authority’s buses. The contract includes a 700/800 MHz TETRA network supplied by PowerTrunk, part of U.K.-based Sepura Group.
“We look forward to a fair hearing about the numerous issues we have raised about the process, concerns about interoperability of the proposed system with other public-safety agencies and the suitability of the proposed radios,” said Motorola Solutions in a statement. “Improving transit safety through reliable and proven communications technology is a priority, and these issues must be resolved so MTA employees, riders and New York taxpayers can be assured of the safety and efficiency of their transit system communications.”
The formal protest is not publicly available, but in a Feb. 21 letter to the MTA Finance Committee, Motorola Solutions asked the committee to table the contract and seek additional information in several areas. First, Motorola said the project would be the first deployment of TETRA technology in the 700 MHz band in the United States. The letter says a 2012 FCC report and order “expressly states that the deployment of TETRA technology is not allowed in public-safety 700 MHz spectrum.”
Many rules surrounding the 700 MHz narrowband public-safety channels are awaiting clarification from the FCC, with Motorola filing a petition for clarification March 1 and numerous ex parte and comments filed this year and last year.
Motorola Solutions submitted an original bid to MTA based on TETRA technology for the 800 MHz band and a combined TETRA/Project 25 (P25) radio solution operating on the 700 MHz band. Motorola's proposed 800 MHz TETRA radio equipment is FCC certified, but the TETRA radios for the 700 MHz band that Motorola proposed would require future design and manufacture, according to MTA Feb. 24 board meeting minutes.
The MTA board meeting minutes said Motorola submitted a different proposal when asked for technical clarifications to the first proposal. The supplier introduced the concept of developing a new mobile radio to operate in both 700 and 800 MHz, which it would then have to submit for FCC certification.
The MTA minutes said Motorola's proposed solutions lacked FCC certification for 700 MHz equipment, a prerequisite to be eligible for award and were “deemed marginal by the technical committee due to its inability to demonstrate compliance with the minimum requirements of Transit's specifications with respect to coverage and signal strength on the 700 MHz system.”
Motorola’s letter said the lack of equipment type acceptance is “wholly irrelevant” because “the FCC has expressly stated they will not allow deployment in 700 MHz.”
“It is unimaginable that the MTA would spend this kind of capital on a multiyear procurement and lack the approval to execute the system,” Motorola said. “700 MHz spectrum is reserved for public-safety users, and if this system is deployed without FCC approval and creates any interference issues for public-safety radio users in New York City, the problems could be catastrophic.”
The letter from Motorola cited New Jersey Transit, which also selected PowerTrunk as a subcontractor to Alcatel-Lucent for a TETRA network. “According to the staff summary, the system is still being implemented rather than the planned acceptance date of February 2014,” said Motorola in the letter to MTA, referring to the New Jersey Transit TETRA network.
“NJ Transit’s radio system became fully operational on Dec. 31, 2013,” said Nancy Snyder, NJ Transit spokeswoman. “It was very successfully used to coordinate NJ Transit’s Super Bowl operations in February 2014. While our system is fully operational, we continue to build out new coverage to create a system that was intended to provide better service.”
Motorola said it continues to maintain its 25-year-old MetroComm bus radio system for NJ Transit bus drivers. “This system, while it was anticipated to be replaced by the PowerTrunk system, is still in use,” said the letter.
NJ Transit’s Snyder said the last phase of user migration to NJ Transit’s TETRA radio system will bring its own buses onto the system that already hosts more than 1,000 private and contract carrier buses in addition to light rail vehicles, fleet vehicles and customer service agents. This phase includes integration with a new CAD system and an onboard intelligent transportation system. “NJ Transit has maintained the legacy CAD radio system to ensure a smooth migration to the new integrated platform,” Snyder said. “This process has no relation to TETRA technology or the vendor of the radio equipment.”
Motorola also said that in 2013 and 2014 it developed a plan to place the NJ Transit Police on the New Jersey State Police radio system. That project was completed in 2014. “It is our understanding that NJ Transit personnel that were to be utilizing the PowerTrunk system are not,” Motorola said.
Snyder said it was decided that the New Jersey Transit Police Department would be best served by the New Jersey state system used by other law enforcement agencies, namely the New Jersey State Police. “New Jersey Transit Police covers the entire state of New Jersey, irrespective of bus and light rail routes, and thus would receive more ubiquitous service from a system that was designed for statewide coverage,” she said. “This is not a matter of technology. New Jersey Transit Police vehicles do have radios, as they always have, that enable them to communicate with users who operate on NJ Transit’s internal radio system.”
Snyder said New Jersey Transit’s TETRA network has “proved so successful with users that organizations that had never used the radio system now are using the system very successfully with results that directly improve the quality of service received by our customers.”
Motorola also questioned whether PowerTrunk meets the Buy America guidelines under Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements and suggested PowerTrunk equipment isn’t manufactured in the United States. The Motorola letter highlighted significant adverse information (SAI) that was found on a Parsons subcontractor, RailWorks Transit. The SAI was included in the Feb. 24 MTA meeting minutes. “Approval of this SAI issue is being sought concurrently with this request,” said the minutes. “After consideration of all relevant information, Parsons has been found fully responsible for award.”
Motorola said the contract should not be awarded until all SAI matters are materially corrected.
The letter also said the request for proposals (RFP) requires the selected vendor to maintain the current radio communications system during the transition to the new system. Because the current system is a proprietary Motorola system, Motorola questioned how PowerTrunk or Parsons can do that. Finally, the Motorola letter cited the lack of interoperability that MTA will have with the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and with other transit radio systems or citywide emergency communications systems.
“It is Parsons’ policy not to discuss contracts that have been protested, however, we are confident that the contract award will be upheld because our proposal was rated technically superior as a result of a robust evaluation process,” said a Parsons statement. “Moreover, our proposal was fully compliant with New York City Transit Authority’s RFP requirements.”
Motorola Solutions Protests New York MTA’s $202M TETRA Contract
By Sandra Wendelken, Editor
Tuesday, March 15, 2016 | Comments
Motorola Solutions March 9 formally protested the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) award for a new two-way radio network, saying its bid would save the authority $35 million.
The MTA in late February awarded a $202.1 million contract to Parsons Transportation Group for a new two-way radio network for the authority’s buses. The contract includes a 700/800 MHz TETRA network supplied by PowerTrunk, part of U.K.-based Sepura Group.
“We look forward to a fair hearing about the numerous issues we have raised about the process, concerns about interoperability of the proposed system with other public-safety agencies and the suitability of the proposed radios,” said Motorola Solutions in a statement. “Improving transit safety through reliable and proven communications technology is a priority, and these issues must be resolved so MTA employees, riders and New York taxpayers can be assured of the safety and efficiency of their transit system communications.”
The formal protest is not publicly available, but in a Feb. 21 letter to the MTA Finance Committee, Motorola Solutions asked the committee to table the contract and seek additional information in several areas. First, Motorola said the project would be the first deployment of TETRA technology in the 700 MHz band in the United States. The letter says a 2012 FCC report and order “expressly states that the deployment of TETRA technology is not allowed in public-safety 700 MHz spectrum.”
Many rules surrounding the 700 MHz narrowband public-safety channels are awaiting clarification from the FCC, with Motorola filing a petition for clarification March 1 and numerous ex parte and comments filed this year and last year.
Motorola Solutions submitted an original bid to MTA based on TETRA technology for the 800 MHz band and a combined TETRA/Project 25 (P25) radio solution operating on the 700 MHz band. Motorola's proposed 800 MHz TETRA radio equipment is FCC certified, but the TETRA radios for the 700 MHz band that Motorola proposed would require future design and manufacture, according to MTA Feb. 24 board meeting minutes.
The MTA board meeting minutes said Motorola submitted a different proposal when asked for technical clarifications to the first proposal. The supplier introduced the concept of developing a new mobile radio to operate in both 700 and 800 MHz, which it would then have to submit for FCC certification.
The MTA minutes said Motorola's proposed solutions lacked FCC certification for 700 MHz equipment, a prerequisite to be eligible for award and were “deemed marginal by the technical committee due to its inability to demonstrate compliance with the minimum requirements of Transit's specifications with respect to coverage and signal strength on the 700 MHz system.”
Motorola’s letter said the lack of equipment type acceptance is “wholly irrelevant” because “the FCC has expressly stated they will not allow deployment in 700 MHz.”
“It is unimaginable that the MTA would spend this kind of capital on a multiyear procurement and lack the approval to execute the system,” Motorola said. “700 MHz spectrum is reserved for public-safety users, and if this system is deployed without FCC approval and creates any interference issues for public-safety radio users in New York City, the problems could be catastrophic.”
The letter from Motorola cited New Jersey Transit, which also selected PowerTrunk as a subcontractor to Alcatel-Lucent for a TETRA network. “According to the staff summary, the system is still being implemented rather than the planned acceptance date of February 2014,” said Motorola in the letter to MTA, referring to the New Jersey Transit TETRA network.
“NJ Transit’s radio system became fully operational on Dec. 31, 2013,” said Nancy Snyder, NJ Transit spokeswoman. “It was very successfully used to coordinate NJ Transit’s Super Bowl operations in February 2014. While our system is fully operational, we continue to build out new coverage to create a system that was intended to provide better service.”
Motorola said it continues to maintain its 25-year-old MetroComm bus radio system for NJ Transit bus drivers. “This system, while it was anticipated to be replaced by the PowerTrunk system, is still in use,” said the letter.
NJ Transit’s Snyder said the last phase of user migration to NJ Transit’s TETRA radio system will bring its own buses onto the system that already hosts more than 1,000 private and contract carrier buses in addition to light rail vehicles, fleet vehicles and customer service agents. This phase includes integration with a new CAD system and an onboard intelligent transportation system. “NJ Transit has maintained the legacy CAD radio system to ensure a smooth migration to the new integrated platform,” Snyder said. “This process has no relation to TETRA technology or the vendor of the radio equipment.”
Motorola also said that in 2013 and 2014 it developed a plan to place the NJ Transit Police on the New Jersey State Police radio system. That project was completed in 2014. “It is our understanding that NJ Transit personnel that were to be utilizing the PowerTrunk system are not,” Motorola said.
Snyder said it was decided that the New Jersey Transit Police Department would be best served by the New Jersey state system used by other law enforcement agencies, namely the New Jersey State Police. “New Jersey Transit Police covers the entire state of New Jersey, irrespective of bus and light rail routes, and thus would receive more ubiquitous service from a system that was designed for statewide coverage,” she said. “This is not a matter of technology. New Jersey Transit Police vehicles do have radios, as they always have, that enable them to communicate with users who operate on NJ Transit’s internal radio system.”
Snyder said New Jersey Transit’s TETRA network has “proved so successful with users that organizations that had never used the radio system now are using the system very successfully with results that directly improve the quality of service received by our customers.”
Motorola also questioned whether PowerTrunk meets the Buy America guidelines under Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements and suggested PowerTrunk equipment isn’t manufactured in the United States. The Motorola letter highlighted significant adverse information (SAI) that was found on a Parsons subcontractor, RailWorks Transit. The SAI was included in the Feb. 24 MTA meeting minutes. “Approval of this SAI issue is being sought concurrently with this request,” said the minutes. “After consideration of all relevant information, Parsons has been found fully responsible for award.”
Motorola said the contract should not be awarded until all SAI matters are materially corrected.
The letter also said the request for proposals (RFP) requires the selected vendor to maintain the current radio communications system during the transition to the new system. Because the current system is a proprietary Motorola system, Motorola questioned how PowerTrunk or Parsons can do that. Finally, the Motorola letter cited the lack of interoperability that MTA will have with the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and with other transit radio systems or citywide emergency communications systems.
“It is Parsons’ policy not to discuss contracts that have been protested, however, we are confident that the contract award will be upheld because our proposal was rated technically superior as a result of a robust evaluation process,” said a Parsons statement. “Moreover, our proposal was fully compliant with New York City Transit Authority’s RFP requirements.”
