Belknap County Approves Purchase of Portable Tech 84 Body Scanner, Waives RFP Requirement
July 07, 2025 | Belknap County, New Hampshire
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At a Belknap County Board of Commissioners meeting, Superintendent Michelle Weatherby asked the board to waive the county’s competitive bidding (RFP) requirement and allow a direct purchase of a Tech 84 portable body scanner for the county jail. The board approved both the purchase request and a motion to waive the purchasing policy.
Weatherby told the board the Tech 84 unit is “plug-and-play,” requiring only a 110-volt outlet and no structural floor modifications. She said the vendor is offering an additional year of parts warranty at no cost, and that the vendor will provide 2½ days of on-site training. At the meeting she said the Tech 84 is the only model she located that can be relocated without installation work, and that other models can require floor reinforcement, electrical changes or sit-down configurations that may complicate use.
Weatherby said the scanner speeds the screening process, can detect concealed items used to hide contraband and could reduce the amount of time inmates are held in confinement pending drug testing. She said similar models are in use in other counties (Rockingham was cited) and that the county expects vendor training to let in-house officers become trainers for ongoing staff instruction.
The transcript includes price comparisons: Weatherby said some other models she reviewed were “upwards of over $200,000.” The transcript did not present a clear, single-line purchase price for the county’s Tech 84 unit (the spoken price in the record is fragmented and not specified). The superintendent did state the vendor’s warranty extension offer would effectively save the county $8,900 if the county proceeds with the vendor sale offer.
Board action: A motion to purchase the unit was made and carried. Separately, the board voted to waive the county purchasing policy so the superintendent could direct-purchase the Tech 84 unit; that motion also carried.
Why it matters: County officials said the portable scanner requires no structural work, includes vendor training and a warranty offer, and could reduce staff exposure to contraband while shortening intake confinement time. The board’s waiver of the RFP process enabled direct procurement without a competitive bidding process.
The transcript did not include the vendor contract, a final purchase order, or the signed waiver language during the public discussion.
Weatherby told the board the Tech 84 unit is “plug-and-play,” requiring only a 110-volt outlet and no structural floor modifications. She said the vendor is offering an additional year of parts warranty at no cost, and that the vendor will provide 2½ days of on-site training. At the meeting she said the Tech 84 is the only model she located that can be relocated without installation work, and that other models can require floor reinforcement, electrical changes or sit-down configurations that may complicate use.
Weatherby said the scanner speeds the screening process, can detect concealed items used to hide contraband and could reduce the amount of time inmates are held in confinement pending drug testing. She said similar models are in use in other counties (Rockingham was cited) and that the county expects vendor training to let in-house officers become trainers for ongoing staff instruction.
The transcript includes price comparisons: Weatherby said some other models she reviewed were “upwards of over $200,000.” The transcript did not present a clear, single-line purchase price for the county’s Tech 84 unit (the spoken price in the record is fragmented and not specified). The superintendent did state the vendor’s warranty extension offer would effectively save the county $8,900 if the county proceeds with the vendor sale offer.
Board action: A motion to purchase the unit was made and carried. Separately, the board voted to waive the county purchasing policy so the superintendent could direct-purchase the Tech 84 unit; that motion also carried.
Why it matters: County officials said the portable scanner requires no structural work, includes vendor training and a warranty offer, and could reduce staff exposure to contraband while shortening intake confinement time. The board’s waiver of the RFP process enabled direct procurement without a competitive bidding process.
The transcript did not include the vendor contract, a final purchase order, or the signed waiver language during the public discussion.
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