CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of RFP 25-051, Virtual Reality Officer Training System, to V-Armed, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $373,375 for a five-year term
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DEPARTMENT: Police Department
SUBMITTED BY: Jason Arres, Chief
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The Police Department maintains an active training schedule to comply with state-mandated training requirements governed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. These mandates ensure officers are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to serve effectively and safely.
To meet these rigorous training demands, the department has leveraged technology. Previously, the department utilized the VirTra training system, which provided valuable simulation-based training. However, this system has become outdated, and more advanced virtual reality-based platforms, offering improved capabilities to meet current and future training needs, now exist on the market.
In May 2025, the Police Department issued RFP 25-051, Virtual Reality Officer Training System, to select a vendor to provide a virtual reality law enforcement training system.
DISCUSSION:
Advertisement Date: 05/12/2025 Notices Sent:1229
Opening Date: 06/032025 Planholders:24
Proposals Received: 4
Proposals were received from the following vendors:
|
Operator XR LLC |
V-Armed Inc |
|
Street Smarts VR |
VirTra |
A selection team comprised of staff from the Police Department evaluated the proposals, which were scored based on the criteria outlined in the RFP.
1. Capability, Capacity and Qualifications of the firm (20%)
2. Suitability and Quality of the System (40%)
3. Suitability and Quality of the Approach (30%)
4. Milestones and Deliverables (10%)
After reviewing and scoring the responses, the selection committee invited the top three vendors, V-Armed, Operator XR, and Street Smarts VR, to conduct demonstrations. Following the completion of the demonstrations, the selection committee rescored the vendors. The table below provides a summary of the final qualification scores.
|
Vendor |
Qualification Score |
|
V-Armed |
88.0 |
|
Operator XR |
77.1 |
|
Street Smarts VR |
79.2 |
The vendor with the highest qualification score, V-Armed, is recommended for the award. V-Armed’s virtual reality training system demonstrated the ability to meet all the department’s needs and preferences, offering advanced features and capabilities that align with our state-mandated training objectives under the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.
The term of the contract is five years from the date of award.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP#: N/A
The virtual reality training system will be expensed to the Technology and Software & Hardware Maintenance accounts listed below. This award includes an upfront cost of $265,375 to purchase equipment and an annual maintenance cost of $27,000 for years two through five. The annual budget includes $60,000 for maintenance of the existing virtual reality system under a leased equipment arrangement. The Police Department’s preferred vendor offers lower annual maintenance costs but requires the purchase of equipment up front. The Police and Finance departments evaluated the options and determined that the benefit of lower annual operating costs justifies the upfront equipment cost.
While the capital equipment cost was not included in the 2025 budget, there are sufficient funds available to support this award. Staff will continue to ensure the maintenance cost associated with this award is included in future budgets.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
21102200-551504 |
Capital Projects Fund |
$505,787 |
|
21101100-532312 |
General Fund |
$1,327,143 |