TUSCALOOSA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Specifications for Inmate Commissary Services

INTRODUCTION

            Through this Request for Proposal (RFP), the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, hereinafter referred to as the County, respectfully requests proposals from responsible and qualified firms for a fully operational, flexible, secure, and reliable inmate commissary system. The provision of inmate commissary services and the quality/reliability of service are a high priority. Firms who submit a response to this Request for Proposal (RFP) shall be responsible for submitting technical solutions based on their programs that meet or exceed the goals and objectives set forth herein.

The initial agreement, issued as a result of this RFP, will be for a period of thirty-six (36) months, beginning approximately March 1, 2026.

The RFP documents may be reviewed and/or printed from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office website at https://www.tcsoal.org/resources/bids. RFP documents may only be accessed from the above-mentioned website. While the RFP documents are available electronically, Tuscaloosa County cannot accept electronic proposal responses.

SECTION A

9. General Requirements

It is the intent of these specifications to obtain proposals from qualified vendors to provide commissary services to the inmates at the Tuscaloosa County Jail.

      Tuscaloosa County Jail

      1600 26^th Avenue

      Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401

Any item not specifically mentioned but necessary for the delivery and operation of the proposed services shall be included in this proposal.  These specifications and requirements should be in sufficient detail to secure proposals on comparable services.

The requirements listed herein should be met by all offeror’s proposals.  In instances where the proposal differs from these requirements, offeror shall note the difference and describe in detail how their proposal will meet the County’s needs without including this specific requirement.  Failure to meet these requirements may be cause for rejection of the vendor’s proposal at the County’s discretion.

217. Definitions

For the purpose of this RFP;

1. “Vendor” and “Offeror” refer to the provider of equipment and services. 
2. The word “County” will refer to Tuscaloosa County. 
3. The “Services” will be referred to as the Inmate Commissary Services.

5625. RFP Submission

Each Vendor must prepare a written response.  Proposal shall be formatted consistent with the specific sections and numbered paragraphs and must respond to each on an individual basis.  Failure to address any item shall be interpreted as non-compliance.  Vendors must respond to all paragraphs and submit the following:

Letter of transmittal

Vendor Qualifications and Experience

Summary of Compliance with Technical Requirements

One (1) original, (1) copy, and (1) digital copy of the RFP response must be sent to the above address.

A letter of transmittal must be attached to the proposal.  The letter of transmittal must be signed by the person who is authorized to contractually commit the Vendor’s organization.

Proposals not received by Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. will be automatically disqualified from consideration.  Each proposal should have the proposal marked “Inmate Commissary Services,” on the outside of the package and should be sealed.  Original proposal must be clearly marked “Original” and contain all original signatures.

230. Vendor Inquiries

If additions, deletions, modifications, or clarifications to the RFP become necessary, the changes will be noted by written addendum to the Vendors.  Nothing presented orally during Vendor inquiries will modify or alter the specifications.  These changes will be noted in writing on the website and transmitted via electronic mail to any vendors or individuals that have requested being contacted.  The contact will only go to the below noted contact individual representing each vendor and vendors are specifically advised to notify Chief Loyd Baker at Lbaker@tcsoal.org if they are interested in bidding or the process in order to be notified of any changes directly. 

The Vendor shall identify a contact person who will be responsible for coordinating the efforts and personnel of all parties involved in the response, to include, but not be limited to, oral presentations, demonstrations, site visits and responses to requests for clarification, if any, and must provide the following:

      Name:

      Organization:

      Address:

      E-Mail Address:

      (Area Code) Telephone Number; Office and Cell

22. Basis of Award

The County will review all responses to ensure compliance with the specifications.  Vendor may be excluded from further consideration for failure to comply with the specifications of the RFP.

The Sheriff expressly reserves the right, in its sole judgment, to accept or reject any or all proposals, with or without cause, modify, alter, waive any technicalities or provisions, or to accept the proposal which, in its sole judgment, is determined to be the best evaluated offer, taking into consideration the relative importance of commissions offered and other evaluation factors set forth in the RFP.  Therefore, in selecting a vendor, the Sheriff will not rely exclusively on commission offering in awarding a contract.

The contents of this solicitation and the Vendor’s response, when submitted to and accepted by the County, shall become an integral part of any contract agreed upon between the Vendor and the County.

To ensure specified performance of the proposed system, the County reserves the right to require a Vendor(s) to demonstrate the system and any features specified in this RFP.

The Proposal will be evaluated with regards to the following criteria factors:

• Demonstrated ability to meet the technical requirements, based upon the RFP responses and information provided by similar facilities in which the vendor has their system installed.
• Vendor experience, technology offering, account support team, maintenance, and current customer references.
• Financial proposal and Commission Rate Offered
• Proposed project plan, scheduling, and implementation with minimal interruption of service.
• Overall benefit to the County and the Tuscaloosa County Jail Facility.

555. Contract Term

The contract will be for a period of three (3) years. 

14413. Termination

Unless otherwise noted herein, the obligation to provide further service under the terms of the resulting agreement may be terminated by the County upon sixty (60) days written notice in the event of a non-curable material breach or thirty (30) days after a notification of a curable breach and failure to cure said breach, by the successful offeror to perform in accordance with the terms hereof, or any contract resulting from this RFP.  In the event that Tuscaloosa County chooses to discontinue this contract either by termination or not extending the contract the offeror warrants that it will remove all its equipment from the facilities without charge.  Service and equipment will not be removed until another Vendor has been acquired.  The removal of equipment and disconnecting of service process will occur during the implementation of the new system with minimal interruption of service to this facility.  It will be necessary that the incumbent vendor cooperate with the new vendor during the implementation of the new system.

If either party defaults in the performance of any obligation under this Agreement, then the non-defaulting party shall give the defaulting party written notice of its default setting forth with specificity the nature of the default.  If the defaulting party fails to cure its default within 30 days after receipt of the notice of default, then the non-defaulting party shall have the right to immediately terminate this Agreement and pursue all other remedies available to the non-defaulting party, either at law or in equity.

374721. Damage and Repair Liability

The County will have no liability to the Vendor for fraud, theft, vandalism / damage or loss of the Vendor’s equipment inflicted by the inmates or the public.  All costs associated with the repair will be the responsibility of the vendor.

Vendor warrants that all repairs will be made at its expense.  Offerors shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that all equipment associated with commissary services are operational and repaired as quickly as possible.

232. Installation & Removal

The Vendor will be responsible for all costs of installation or removal throughout the term of the contract.

The Vendor will be required to furnish and install equipment and any other item necessary to make this service functional.  The incumbent vendor will remove all equipment from the County facilities without charge.

24. Present Tuscaloosa County Inmate Commissary Services

Kimble Commissary Service is the current commissary provider for the Tuscaloosa County Jail.

607. Miscellaneous Requirements

The County will not be liable for any of the cost incurred in preparation and presentation of the response.

Any materials submitted by the Vendor that is considered confidential in nature must be clearly marked as such.  Due to applicable laws and regulations concerning public documents, the County makes no representation that such material will be kept confidential.

Vendors must provide an E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) proof of Enrollment.

15765. Insurance

Bidder shall provide Tuscaloosa County with Certificate of Insurance, both Workman’s Compensation Insurance and General Liability Insurance coverage for work at the various county facilities with limits of not less than $100,000 / $300,000 / $100,000 with excess umbrella liability of $1,000,000.  Successful vendor must submit copies of insurance certificates to the County before any work can be started.

409873. Financial Stability

Bidder shall provide Tuscaloosa County with financial statements, including statements of operations, balance sheets, and statements of cash flows for the last two fiscal years.

SECTION B VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE, TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

35. Experience

Vendor shall be experienced in providing commissary services.  Vendor should provide an overview of their firm, including years and nature of experience in providing commissary services.

893. References

Provide three customer references of accounts similar in size and scope to Tuscaloosa County.

23201. Patent & Copyrights

The Vendor will hold harmless the County, its officer, and employees against all claims that machines or software supplied infringe a U.S. patent or copyright.  The Vendor further asserts that the equipment and software proposed does not infringe on any U.S. patent or copyright.

906. Please describe all Vendor Patents your company holds or has developed

Please supply patent information for proposed equipment or software, where applicable to the inmate Commissary Services.

48. General Requirements

1. Vendor software must be compatible with the facility JMS (Jail Management System) Jail Guardian, and the jail’s upcoming ProPhoenix Corrections Management System™ (CMS) , and the facility tablets (Tech Friends) and phone service (ICSolutions), to provide quicker entry of data.
2. The software used must be able to deduct the purchase from the inmate’s trust fund account electronically.   
3. Vendor shall provide a full inmate fund accounting system, the ability for funds to be placed on an inmate’s account via a secure website, phone, and detention facility kiosks, lobby kiosks, and booking kiosks (in main detention facility and any substation facilities).
4. All vendors must provide technology, free of charge, to the Jail, which allows family members and friends to deposit funds into an inmate’s account by these three methods at a minimum. (Any other methods available should be described as well.)
   1. Secure Website (credit/debit card, electronic check)
   2. Toll-free number/call center available 24 hours per day (credit/debit card, electronic check)
   3. Lobby kiosk (cash or credit/debit card) in main facility
5. All deposit methods must be linked with the vendor’s software so that the deposits are transferred on a real-time basis electronically to the inmate’s account.
6. Commissary orders must be deducted from the inmate accounts and commissary credits must be posted to the inmate accounts in real-time.
7. The accounting system must have the ability to merge inmate accounts, to include the transaction and debt history, in the event that an inmate has two accounts.
8. Vendors must describe how inmate information can be manually added/updated in the event of an inmate release if the Jail Management system connectivity is interrupted.
9. An inmate commissary account must be established or reactivated upon booking into the facility and populated with the refreshed information available through the Jail Management system
10. Direct debit vending (cashless/cardless) for inmates must be provided at no cost to the County.
11. Offered software must be cloud based, server must be offsite, and all deposit service software must be supported by the vendor.
12. Technical support must be provided, at no additional charge, by the Vendor’s dedicated technical staff, 24 hours per day, and 365 days per year via a toll-free phone line.
13. The system must limit inmate commissary purchases based upon the balance available in the inmate’s account, dietary restrictions, classification, current jail policies (if applicable), and/or housing assignment.
14. The system must be able to provide inmate history upon termination of the contract.
15. Vendor will supply a listing of all items available for sale to inmates.  This list must be amendable by facility administrators and staff.  Tuscaloosa County Jail Staff shall have full decision-making authority as to the exclusion of certain items.  Such exclusion will only be made with a reasonable basis informing the decision and vendor shall be notified of said reasoning should there be no security issue with providing that information.
16. The Contractor agrees, in the event of a request for adjustment in any contract unit price, the

Contractor shall notify the Jail in writing of the upward adjustment in any of the contract unit

prices and the effective date with documentation justifying said increase within thirty (30) days.

17. Must provide fully integrated trust fund management system which allows facility to balance accounts daily to the penny
18. Vendor must be capable of passing out all inmate orders.
19. Commissary orders are to be delivered in tamper proof sealed clear plastic bags with

two (2) copies of the order receipt sealed within the bag. The receipt should contain the

following information:

• Inmate Name

• Inmate Location

• Inmate ID#

• Date of Order

• Item, Item Code and quantity ordered

• Price of item and extended price

• Total of Order and sales tax if applicable

• Balance of account after the order

• Signature line for Inmate

• Delivered by line and date line for commissary personnel

20. It shall be the responsibility of the vendor that employees and or agents of the vendor having access to the Tuscaloosa County Jail must successfully pass a regular background check.  A record of these checks must be kept on file by the vendor for inspection by the facility administrator or sheriff on request.  Tuscaloosa County Jail Staff shall have final decision-making authority as to who enters or remains within the facility.  Such permission of entry shall not be withheld unreasonably. 
21. Vendor must provide the County the option to install, monitor, and maintain a self-service mini-market in the Jail employee breakroom, at no cost to the Jail, for employees to purchase prepared food, beverages, and snacks. The mini-market shall be stocked weekly with customizable selections to include fresh and healthy options as well as traditional favorites.
22. The vendor is to submit the proposed price list, items, package size and brand name of each product proposed for sale.

1231. Personal Identification Number

1. The proposed system shall utilize Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) for the inmates supplied by the facility JMS.  Describe your system’s use of PIN’s.
2. What is the minimum and maximum number of digits used in a PIN?

31989. System Security

1. The proposed system must be programmed for auto shut off at times designated by the county.
2. The county personnel must be able to manually shut down the system in case of an emergency.
3. The proposed system shall be password protected to permit only appropriate facility personnel access to the system.

831697. Reports

1. The Vendor shall supply the capability for the facility to view and track call activity, commission information, and facility service requests.
2. Vendor shall supply monthly revenue reports.
3. Vendor shall attach samples of standard reports.
4. Vendor will supply a list of all items available for sale.

908. Service & Maintenance

1. Vendor shall provide 24-hour, toll-free service number.
2. Vendor shall address all major service outages within three (3) hours.
3. Vendor shall provide service policies and procedures as an attachment to this proposal.
4. Describe the maintenance and quality assurance programs for equipment to be installed.
5. Detail equipment installation charges, if any.
6. Describe the maintenance and quality assurance programs for equipment to be installed.
7. Detail the method of determining service interruptions and service call priorities.  List response time for each priority and the level of expertise devoted to each priority.
8. Vendor must maintain a backup Service Center that can support inmate orders in the case of natural emergency (i.e. Weather) so there is no interruption in services.
9. Provide a contact person who will be responsible for ongoing account management and support.
10. List the service office responsible for the facility.

50. Installation

1. This installation is to be completed within sixty (60) days after award of the contract.
2. A bidder shall submit a complete and detailed schedule of the time frame required for installation, utility coordination, training, cutover and testing.  The system must be installed in a manner and under a time frame designed to minimize disruption of the normal functioning of the facility.
3. If the schedule cannot be met within the 60 days stated above, contractor must propose an installation schedule of events.  Failure to state installation time in the bid will obligate the contractor to complete installation as required in the bid.  Extended installation time may be considered when in the best interest of the County.
4. Any delay in the implementation of the contractors’ schedule that is caused by the County will increase the contractor’s time allowance to complete installation, but the contractor must submit a complete and detailed schedule of additional time required.
5. The risk of loss and or damage will be assumed by the contractor during shipment, unloading and installation.

1283. Training

1. Vendor shall provide onsite training to the Tuscaloosa County staff in system administration, operation, and reporting.
2. Describe training program; include description of course and any applicable documents.

33341. Equipment

1. The proposed system must be able to utilize the current PCs that are available at the County without the need for additional PCs.
2. The proposed system software shall be based on security level and password protected.
3. All vendor equipment shall comply with FCC regulations
4. The proposed equipment and system shall be scalable to meet the County’s growing needs.
5. Vendor equipment shall include a backup power supply
6. Disclose, with percentages clearly shown, what work is or will be subcontracted, and what work is or will be performed by the Vendor’s employees.
7. Indicate your system’s ability to be monitored from any PCs with proper access permissions.

SECTION C: FEES, RATES & FACILITY COMMISSIONS

61. Fees, Rates & Commission

1. The vendor shall be responsible for any and all billing disputes, claims, or liabilities that may arise in regard to the provisions of this contract.
2. Under no circumstances will the commission rate be adjusted lower than the rate agreed to at contract award, nor will the county be obligated to renegotiate any portion of this contract because of an increase to the commission rate.

1569. Commission Structure

Please provide information on the commission structure.  Include the following within your response:

1. What is the percentage of commission you will pay Tuscaloosa County? Failure to state proposed commission percentage will result in rejection of proposal.  Commission percentage must be placed on included bid sheet.
2. Explain in detail the method used to calculate revenue to the County (e.g., gross revenue, adjusted gross revenue, net revenue.)
3. Method of reporting the calculation of the County’s commission payment.
   1. Provide samples of proposed reports.
   2. Is there a charge for customized reports?
   3. If yes, provide amounts.
4. Describe collection procedures.
   1. The County will reserve the right to: audit collection procedures and commission computations and to terminate the contract if repeated inaccuracies in either procedures or computations are revealed.
   2. What types of reports are available to Tuscaloosa County to audit commission payments? Provide samples of reports.
5. Describe the procedure for handling uncollectible revenue.  State whether this expense reduces County commission and, if so, specify in what manner.
6. Describe the procedure for billing.
   1. Describe your billing process and who handles billing.
   2. Will there be any handling fees charged to the County?
   3. Are there any deductions from revenues?

CIII.    Award of Contract

1. If two or more bids received are for the same commission structures and amounts, quality, experience, product offering, and service being equal, the preference shall be given to a local bidder.

CIV.    Questions

            All questions related to this RFP must be directed to the attention of Chief Deputy Loyd Baker, Jail Administrator, 1600 26^th Avenue, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401. 205-469-0800, Lbaker@tcsoal.org. All questions must be in writing and responses will be shared with all potential respondents, as appropriate.

TIMELINE (Dates subject to change as necessary)