Illinois issues request for specially-made radiation detectors

Published 13 October 2006

Off the shelf products no good for this enterprising state with high standards for quality and usability; officials seek to purchase 22,000 hybrid devices; Thermo Electron, Canberra Industries, and RAE Systems among likely bidders

Illinois is not known as a fashion hub, but in at least one area state officials find prêt-à-porter unacceptability gauche: handheld radiation detectors. The state has decided to purchase 22,000 hybrid devices that can both detect radiation and measure the user’s exposure, but off the shelf products will not do. Instead, officials have drawn up a list of their own technical specifications and are actively seeking a manufacturer able to meet them. “We’ve designed the golden instrument here,” said Tom Seif, a physicist in the state’s division of nuclear safety, who hopes companies such as Waltham, Massachusetts-based Thermo Electron, Merdian, Connecticut-based Canberra Industries, and San Jose, California-based RAE Systems will respond to the state’s Request For Proposal.

Among the unique requirements spelled out in the Illinois procurement specifications are:

BULLET POINTS

* The instrument must have a simple start-up, with minimal manipulation, which a firefighter could operate wearing “turn out” gear

* Recommended size should no more than 5 inches high, 3 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick

* The device should be mounted to the dash of a first responder vehicle “and remain secured throughout anticipated travel conditions”

* The instrument should remain in continuous operation with the user unable to turn it off. “The communications software that accompanies the unit shall afford the administrator the ability to turn the instrument on or off”

* The device should be maintained by a continuous power supply provided through the dash-mounted cradle, but should also be operable with off-the-shelf commercial alkaline batteries

* The unit should be capable of 100 percent accurate infrared or comparable wireless data communications

The winning manufacturer will also have to adhere to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards and supply thirty instruments for testing by the state’s division of nuclear safety, the Argonne National Laboratory, or other designated organizations prior to contract award.

-read more in this GSN Magazine report