Evening star., 1947-10-05
Fire Department
Buying gofR Radio
SetsAttacked
Manufacturer Says
Only One Firm Can
MeetNS Specifications

Only One Firm Con
MeetSSpecifieotions
The president Of a Washington
engineering firm yesterday charged
in a letter to Roland M. Brennan,
District Purchasing Officer, that Dis
trict specifications for purchase OF
two-way radio sets for Fire Depart
ment vehicles were written to apply
to the product of one New York
firm only.
c. S. Peake, president of Electro
nio Engineering Inc, asked that
award of contracts for the sets be
postponed" until he could demon
strate the efficiency of his own unit.
He sent copies of his letter to four
congressional committees handling
District affairs.
The charge that specifications
could be met only by Fred M. Link,
New York, was Immediately denied
by Fire Chief Clement Murphy. He
pointed out bids already had been
received from six different COM
panies offering to sell their sets
under the specifications.
Bids Held wide Open"
Both Mr.. Brennan and Chief
Murphy asserted the six bids already
In hand, some from nationally known
firms, proved that the specifications
were wide open," and not restric-
tive to one firm.
All specifications for purchase of
Fire Department equipment now are
bein grevised from those previously
used, Chief Murphy declared. This
is being done, he emphasized, to as
sure competition.
The bids were opened last Thurs
day, and are now under considera-
ton by Chief Murphy and his ad-
visers. The protesting prospective
bidder, Mr.. Peake. did not submit
a formal official bid, Chief Murphy
pointed out.
Copies of Mr.. Peake's letter to the
purchasing officer, mailed the day
before bids were opened, were sent
by him to the House and Senate
District Committees, and to the
House and Senate Appropriation
subcommittee handling the Dis
trict supply bill.
Could Save d. c. $40 Unit.
Whether Mr.. Peaks letter can be
considered. now that bids are all in,
is to be studied tomorrow by both
the Fire Department and the pur-
chasing officer.
The specifications as written up
Mr.. Peak wrote, "are only met in
the open. market by the Fred Link
Co."
This New York firm was low bidder
among the six offers received. His
figure was s495 for each of the u
sets. Other bids on the 25-watt
sets were: Harvey Radio Labora-
tories, Cambridge, Mass, s573.30;
Transmitter Equipment Manufac-
turing Co., New York City, $575;
Motorola, Inc, Chicago, $617.5O, with
alternate bids of $521.50 for Is
watt set, and $463.50 for 10-watt
set; and General Electric Co., $3.50
Mr.. Peak, in his letter to the
purchasing officer, claimed his set
known as "Raytheon," was superio,
to that specified in the advertise
ment fofo bids. "Our bid on Ray
theon equipment to meet the re-
quirements of the fire department
would be, in the neighborhood OF
$500 per unit" he wrote. This
is $40 less per unit than the recent
cost of two-way radio to the District
Government based on a purchase
order issued this past year.
1T is our contention he con-
tinued," that should we prove to
the satisfaction of the fire depart
ment and the District Government
that the Raytheon equipment will
physically and technically meet the
requirements of the fire department
we will save the District Govern
ment the sum of 5000. assuming
that the Link Co. will bid ap-
proximately the same price as was
bid for past orders"
All Specifications Under Revision.
Chief Murphy said last night he
and his aides are carefully revising
all specifications for purchase OF
equipment. He said that when his
department took over the fire alarm
system completely in February he
found that specifications, in his
opinion, we're entirely too restrictive
Advice on removing such reStric-
tions IN the specifications, he said
had been obtained from the Ma
tional Bureau of Standards ano
other independent agencies.
I'VE are willing" he said, ito dc
anything the purchasing officer
wants to do about the electronics
company matter"
When bids were asked there was
no suggestion that equipment should
be tested by the District before the
bids were submitted. None Of the
bidders have had their proposed
sets tested yet by the Fire Depart
ment, officials said.
The 70 new two-way radio sets
are t6 be used to finish equippine
the Fire Departments vehicles
throughout the city. About e
companies and all battalion chiefs
cars already are so equipped. Wher
the new sets are installed, Chie1
Murphy said, the entire fleet Of
department vehicles will be in radio
communication with Fire Depart.
ment communication headquarters.
Mount Vernon Election Sci
The Mount Vernon Citizens AS
sociation will elect officers at q
meeting at pm. tomorrow at the
fire station, Fort Hunt road.