The Berkeley County Commission approved several procurement items at its meeting, awarding an equipment upfitting contract for law enforcement vehicles and approving awards for fleet replacements, then opened bids for Microsoft Office licensing.

County staff said only one responsive bid was received to upfit 10 police interceptors: Hall Public Safety Upfitters at $142,191.79, which staff said met specifications and was recommended for award. The commission approved the award by voice vote.

On fleet vehicles, staff reviewed bids for five vehicles including two midsize SUVs and multiple pickups. Staff recommended rejecting the lowest bid on one half-ton pickup as not meeting specifications (a Chevrolet Blazer) and recommended awards to Keystone Ford (two Explorer interceptors at $43,599 each, total $87,198) and Parsons Ford for pickup trucks (totals read into the record). Staff also noted the local bidder Parsons Ford was only about $300 more than the lowest responsible bidder on one truck; staff said they exercised local preference in that instance. "I did round up to the local bidder that was just over $200 more," staff said when explaining the recommendation. The commission moved, seconded and approved the awards by voice vote.

Later in the meeting staff opened sealed bids for Microsoft Office licensing (a move away from perpetual licenses to subscription models). Vendors and annual recurring prices read into the record included Southern Computer Warehouse (Marietta, Ga.) $137,581.34; Golden 5 LLC (Simi Valley, Calif.) $437,369.30; Princeton IT Services (Princeton, N.J.) $106,823.63; Xerox IT Solutions (Oak Brook, Ill.) $88,693.16; and OfficeNation/PC Nation (Northfield, Ill.) $89,471.59. Staff explained pricing varies by reseller margins and that subscription services represent an ongoing annual cost rather than a one-time perpetual license.

The votes on awards were taken by voice; detailed roll-call tallies were not read into the transcript. The commission recessed after completing the day's business.

The actions carry immediate budgetary implications for vehicle and IT licensing lines; staff will proceed with procurement administration to finalize contracts.