City of Houston, TX

Bobby served as the chief engineering consultant and project manager for the City of Houston’s P25 trunked simulcast radio system - one of the largest and most complex public safety communications systems implemented at the time. Over a seven-year period, he provided end-to-end consulting support, guiding the City from early planning and budgeting through procurement, implementation, and final system acceptance.  

As the City’s chief engineering Consultant, Bobby worked directly with executive leadership, including the mayor’s office, City IT leadership, and public safety departments (Police, Fire, and Public Works), to unify multiple independent radio systems into a single interoperable platform. His responsibilities included:

• Leading system planning, requirements development, and conceptual design 
• Performing coverage, capacity, and spectrum analyses 
• Developing budgetary models and long-range system plans 
• Authoring the technical portions of the Request for Proposal (RFP) 
• Guiding proposal evaluations, vendor selection, and contract negotiations 
• Providing technical oversight and project management throughout implementation 
• Supporting system acceptance testing, including functional, coverage, and specialized "high noise environment" performance testing

Bobby led the development of a highly detailed and technically rigorous procurement process, including evaluation criteria, vendor Q&A, and proposal analysis. The City ultimately awarded a $130 million contract for the system to Motorola Solutions, with no vendor protests - an indicator of a well-structured and defensible procurement process.  He also played a key role in developing technical contract exhibits and supporting a unique dual-vendor negotiation strategy that strengthened the City’s position during contract award.

The resulting system included:

• Project 25 Phase II trunked simulcast architecture 
• 5 interconnected simulcast subsystems 
• 48 trunked repeater sites and 14 new radio towers 
• 72 microwave hops
• 120 dispatch console positions 
• 12,000+ mobile and portable radios 
• A large-scale 72-hop MPLS microwave network with multi-ring redundancy 
• Integration with the regional TxWARN system for interoperability

During the five-year implementation phase, Bobby provided continuous technical oversight, including:

• Vendor design review and schedule management 
• Inspection and approval of system installations 
• Development and execution of acceptance test plans 
• Oversight of system cutover and final acceptance 

He also directed one of the largest radio coverage testing efforts conducted at the time, involving hundreds of personnel and a structured, multi-month testing program.  A notable innovation on the project was the development of a high-noise environment acceptance test, ensuring reliable radio performance for first responders operating in real-world fireground conditions.

The City of Houston successfully implemented a fully integrated, interoperable P25 system supporting thousands of users across multiple departments. Bobby’s leadership helped ensure the system met performance requirements, stayed aligned with the City’s operational needs, and was delivered through a structured, defensible process.