By Ashley Willis
ADT installed 41 IP cameras around the Kennedy Place Apartment complex perimeter. Photo courtesy ADT
"Our relationship with the authority started about three years ago," ADT Regional Sales Manager for state and local governments Sam Sutherland tells SSI. "Horace Allison, the director at the time, wanted a solution that would not only be flexible, but cost effective. He wanted something that would provide real security and a real return on investment [ROI]."
With $7.8 million of the $11.5 million redevelopment costs coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, all equipment used had to be produced in the United States.
ADT used DVTel products, Kantech burglar alarms and Bosch cameras throughout the complex, Sutherland says. The IP-based cameras will monitor the development's common areas and parking lots. An access control system manages the gate and every unit has a pre-installed burglar alarm system. Harris County Constables will monitor the data.
Sutherland and his team are currently testing the systems to make sure all is working accordingly. They are training both management and tenants on how to operate and monitor the installed systems.
ADT was awarded the contract through the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA), a national contract purchasing agency based in Minnesota, says Sutherland. The cooperative offers members the chance to purchase nationally leveraged, competitively bid contracts from top vendors.
Jim Kane, program manager for national accounts, ADT, tells SSI that the company is an exclusive security provider for NJPA. He notes that it may be difficult for small integration companies to compete with larger companies for bids. However, there are opportunities for smaller businesses to assist with a big installation project.
"If there is a $2 million job, there is no way a small integrator can handle that type upfront," says Kane. "But if integrators want to do business, they can reach out to the state procurement department and ask to be put on the list as a subcontractor."
While the business might not win the project, larger installers might seek subcontractors when more manpower is needed. Larger companies also look for specialty integrators for assistance during a big project, says Kane.
"We utilize other integrators because there may be a specialty, like encryption, that we can't handle," he says. "Instead of pretending to do something we can't do, these contracts allow us to subcontract. The company must have the expertise and the insurances to be considered. But it is doable."
Kennedy Place Apartments is a new 108-unit public housing community located in Houston's Fifth Ward. The complex was originally built in 1982, but was torn down in 2009 to create room for new development. Construction began in August 2010 and was completed this January.
Ashley Willis is associate editor for Security Sales & Integration. She can be reached at (310) 533-2419.