DESCRIPTION OF PROJECTS COMPLETED
Prairie SHIELD Six-County Regional Interoperability Consulting Project
During the two-year Prairie SHIELD engagement, we helped the client develop a governance structure and corresponding charter, which led to the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding. We also conducted technology and operational needs assessments, developed and facilitated focus group meetings, published an RFI and “System Requirements Document” to the vendor community, evaluated vendor responses, met with vendors on behalf of our client to discuss their proposals vis-à-vis the needs of our client, developed system definition solution options and assisted the client in selecting a solution congruent with their tactical and strategic communications interoperability imperatives.
We also worked diligently to keep the client aware of all federal mandates relative to the SAFECOM communications interoperability paradigm and associated interoperability planning efforts. Furthermore, we helped our client smoke out stakeholders at the state level for planning synchronization and funding purposes. David Wooldridge, Jr. was the Project Director of this engagement, and he also developed an RFI and System Requirements Document, met with vendors, evaluated proposals, developed system definition solution options, helped craft a compelling funding strategy, and advised the client during the system acquisition phase.
David Wooldridge, Sr. and Gregg Wooldridge provisioned delivery services during this engagement that culminated in helping the client form a governance structure, conducted a regional emergency operations assessment, assessed EOC capabilities, planned for and facilitated focus group sessions, and conducted strategic planning sessions. It is important to note that representatives from the FBI and Homeland Security met with members of the Prairie SHIELD executive committee and Roaming Intelligence to discuss the intricacies of the project. During which they stated that the interoperability planning and associated tasks that the region had undertaken was one of the most innovative and effectively managed projects of its kind in the country.
McHenry County Interoperability Needs Assessment and Development of Long-Range Plan Project
McHenry County of Illinois published an RFP to the consultant community soliciting bids describing the approach that would be undertaken to perform a detailed needs assessment to establish the county’s current and future interoperability requirements, in addition to the creation of a long-range plan inclusive of system definition solution options and the development of technical specifications for an RFP to the vendor community.
Many of the major consulting firms throughout the country submitted bids, and our firm made the short list. We were invited to meet with the McHenry County evaluation committee to deliver oral presentations. The county selected Roaming Intelligence because of our vision, creative approach, teaming construct and diverse backgrounds. This was a significant undertaking, as there were many fragmented wireless voice and data communication systems in McHenry County that varied in age, size, coverage and capacity. The primary purpose of the consultant study was to help the stakeholders of McHenry County determine innovative methodologies that could be pursued to acquire and implement a county-wide integrated wireless interoperability network to serve the collective needs of the Fire/EMS, Sheriff and Police Agencies.
During the discovery/needs assessment phase of this project, our team focused its efforts on understanding the integrated interoperability needs of this county by proactively addressing the technology and emergency operations synergies that would have to be forged to fashion system definition solution options capable of meeting the tactical and strategic requirements of the county. Moreover, there were many differing opinions amongst the stakeholders regarding tactical and future needs, which we were able to effectively reconcile by facilitating meetings and helping our client make informed decisions that were beneficial to all the stakeholders in the county. Our firm conducted the following tasks during this engagement:
-Operational and technical needs assessments
-RF propagation studies
-Developed LMR system definition solution options
-Developed a long-range plan
