LAKE COUNTY — The Lake County Jail is accepting proposals from vendors for a new inmate telephone system of 34 phones in the jail and three phones at the juvenile hall facility. Bidding closes Friday at 2 p.m., according to Lake County Sheriff Rodney Mitchell. The contract is “a big one” he said, adding that some details cannot be revealed because it could skew the fairness of the bidding process.
He said the transition from the current provider, which he would not name, is expected to be smooth. But because contractors own the phones they provide, as new phones are installed or old ones taken over, it is “probable” there will be a period of time “at least a portion of the facility” will not have service.
The average daily census for the jail in 2007 was 261 inmates with a maximum rated capacity of 286 inmates. The juvenile hall has a maximum rated capacity of 40 inmates.
According to a document provided to The Record-Bee Wednesday by the Lake County Sheriff”s Department, inmate call rates are currently .65 cents per minute with a surcharge of $3.00. Interstate calls cost .85 cents per minute with a $3.95 surcharge.
“We are hoping it”s [the transition to a new phone system] not something that will have a big impact?It”s important that period is minimized for a variety of reasons. It”s important to the family and the inmate to have access to making calls,” Mitchell said.
He said for the purpose of making a transition or if the system were to fail, it is “acceptable to have it down for a period of time,” but it”s “something we want up and running because it”s to everyone”s benefit.”
“If a family member is expecting a call, they may call the jail. It”s to our benefit to have access to those family members,” Mitchell said, adding that inmates also need the phone system to conduct legal affairs.
Proceeds from the inmate phone system goes into an “Inmate Welfare Fund” Mitchell said, as required by state law for “inmate commissary funds or programs like this one.”
The welfare fund money is specially designated to help take care of the inmates, such as paying for inmate hair cuts. Or as is the case with some commissary funds, to help maintain the jail facility, Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he could not divulge the amount of money funneled into that fund each year from the phone system because that information, if accessed by a potential contractor, could give that vendor a “leg up” in the bidding process. He added that because it is a county contract, the county Board of Supervisors is in a position where if fairness in the bidding process is questioned, a contract could be disputed, although “it doesn”t happen very often.”
Inmate phones must be non-coin operated and tamper-resistant phones designated specifically for inmate use, according a Request for Proposal (RFP) document on the Lake County Sheriff”s Web site. The document is the only information provided to potential bidders other than Monday”s pre-proposal conference.
The RFP listed an “average gross billable revenue” for the phone system in 2007 that an accompanying document on the Sheriff”s Web site titled “Inmate Telephone System?Questions and Answers” said are “commission payments.” Those payments ranged from $5,809.79 up to $9,846.06 per month, with a year-over average of $7,798.59 per month in 2007.
RFP requirements of the system include a call monitoring and recording system that stores at least three months of accessible recordings. Also the system must provide five telephone devices for the deaf (TDD) and one mobile TDD and at least one TDD unit at the Juvenile Hall facility, as required by the county.
Mitchell said the Board of Supervisor”s usually seeks bids from within the county, even when the best bid may be from outside the county. But in this instance, “there”s no local vendor for this kind of a product,” Mitchell said.
A contract offer to the successful bidding vendor is set for March 25.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
