The State of Illinois today announced its intent to enter into a state master contract for Smart Street Lighting, following a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued in January 2017. The initiative was announced by Governor Rauner’s office, as part of his vision to transform technology in Illinois.
The master contracts will enable any Illinois unit of local government, qualified under the Illinois joint purchasing program, to upgrade their street lights to light emitting diode (LED) light fixtures. This initiative provides Illinois communities with the resources needed to manage, maintain and monitor their street lighting systems to improve efficiencies and enhance connectivity through the Internet of Things (IoT).
The RFP was released by the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, in consultation with Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) as a component of their smart state efforts to capitalize on Internet of Things (IoT) opportunities that can modernize the state’s technology infrastructure. Illinois is currently on an accelerated path of digital transformation that began with the formation of DoIT on July 1, 2016 through Governor Rauner’s Executive Order 2016-01.
Kirk Lonbom, DoIT Acting Secretary commented, “We are pleased to continue advancing our mission for a Smart State and including the Smart Street Lighting initiative is one of the first concrete steps to get there. Under these master contracts, Illinois municipalities can now realize the benefits of Smart Street Lighting through operational efficiencies and smart technology. Illinois is being recognized around the nation as the first Smart State and this milestone is one of many achievements of that effort.”
Smart Street Lighting is an emerging area that brings the opportunity for savings in energy and maintenance costs, as well as improved services such as air quality monitoring, traffic management, smart parking, gunshot detection and electric vehicle charging. Municipalities across Illinois have shown a strong interest in exploring the benefits of Smart Street Lighting.
Rockford is one of several cities in Illinois closely watching the opportunities available through Smart Street Lighting. Tom McNamara, Mayor of Rockford commented, “We are excited about Illinois’ Smart Street Lighting project. This contract would allow Rockford to control costs, improve the aesthetics of our neighborhoods and increase public safety.”
Upcoming plans include holding a Smart Street Lighting workshop in early 2018 and forming Municipal Group 1, comprised of the first municipalities to utilize the master contracts.
