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Government · head to head

Bonfire vs Motorola Vigilant

Bonfire logo

Bonfire

Government

Public sector sourcing and bid evaluation software with scored, auditable award decisions

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Motorola Vigilant logo

Motorola Vigilant

Cybersecurity

Fixed and mobile licence plate recognition with a shared law enforcement plate database

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bonfire it is a sourcing and evaluation tool rather than full procure to pay, so requisitions, purchase orders and invoicing stay in the finance system and the join between them is the agency's problem.; Motorola Vigilant state law can decide eligibility outright: California's SB 34 imposes operator duties and restricts sharing ALPR data with out-of-state and federal agencies, and agencies have been audited and found non-compliant.
  • They diverge on capability: Bonfire covers Solicitation posting, Motorola Vigilant covers Fixed LPR cameras.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bonfire and Motorola Vigilant actually diverge.

Attributes where Bonfire and Motorola Vigilant differ
AttributeBonfireMotorola Vigilant
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, iOS, Android
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bonfire

  • Solicitation posting
  • Sealed submission intake
  • Scored evaluation workspace
  • Audit trail
  • Supplier portal
  • Requirement matrices

Only in Motorola Vigilant

  • Fixed LPR cameras
  • Mobile LPR
  • LEARN database
  • VehicleManager analytics
  • Hotlist alerting
  • Published API
  • Audit logging

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bonfire

  • An agency that has lost or nearly lost a bid protest and needs a defensible evaluation recordnot Motorola Vigilant
  • A procurement team running scoring committees currently held together by spreadsheets and emailnot Motorola Vigilant
  • A university or health system applying public procurement rules without a public procurement systemnot Motorola Vigilant
  • An agency wanting suppliers to self register and receive addenda automatically rather than by mailing listnot Motorola Vigilant

Motorola Vigilant

  • A police department building a hotlist alerting network on arterial roads into a jurisdictionnot Bonfire
  • An investigator reconstructing a suspect vehicle's movements across multiple agency jurisdictionsnot Bonfire
  • A toll or parking authority enforcing against a registered vehicle listnot Bonfire
  • A sheriff's office locating a vehicle associated with an active AMBER or missing person alertnot Bonfire

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bonfire

  • It is a sourcing and evaluation tool rather than full procure to pay, so requisitions, purchase orders and invoicing stay in the finance system and the join between them is the agency's problem.
  • Since the acquisition path from GTY to GI Partners to Euna Solutions, Bonfire sits in a portfolio alongside products it once competed with, which narrows a shortlist that appears independent.
  • Suppliers must register on the portal to bid, and small local vendors reliably complain about the extra account, which can reduce responses on low value solicitations.
  • Pricing is quoted rather than published and scales with solicitation volume, so an agency with a few very large procurements pays a model designed around throughput.
  • Contract management after award is thin compared with dedicated contract lifecycle products, so agencies often buy a second system for the obligations the award created.

Motorola Vigilant

  • State law can decide eligibility outright: California's SB 34 imposes operator duties and restricts sharing ALPR data with out-of-state and federal agencies, and agencies have been audited and found non-compliant.
  • Local surveillance technology ordinances increasingly require a published usage policy, retention limits and a public council hearing before purchase, which can add many months or block the procurement entirely.
  • Motorola has faced litigation over its dual role as ALPR operator and end user, so the legal exposure of the data-sharing model is unresolved and sits partly with the purchasing agency.
  • The value comes from the shared LEARN database, which means the capability an agency actually buys depends on what other agencies contribute, and that can shrink if peers withdraw for legal or political reasons.
  • Nothing is published on price, and camera hardware, database subscription and analytics are separate line items, so the multi-year total is far higher than the initial camera quote suggests.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bonfire

On request
  • Bonfire$undefined/year
    • Quoted by agency size and annual solicitation volume
    • Supplier side registration is free, which is how the vendor network grows
    • Implementation and training quoted separately from subscription

Motorola Vigilant

On request
  • Vigilant LPR$undefined/year
    • Fixed and mobile camera hardware quoted per unit
    • LEARN database access subscribed per agency
    • Analytics software licensed separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Bonfire if

  • You need solicitation posting.
  • You also want sealed submission intake.
Bonfire review

Choose Motorola Vigilant if

  • You need fixed lpr cameras.
  • You work on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want mobile lpr.
Motorola Vigilant review

Questions people ask

Is Bonfire or Motorola Vigilant better?
Neither clearly leads. Bonfire starts at On request and Motorola Vigilant at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bonfire or Motorola Vigilant?
Bonfire starts at On request and Motorola Vigilant at On request.
Does Bonfire or Motorola Vigilant run on more platforms?
Bonfire runs on Web. Motorola Vigilant runs on Web, Windows, iOS, Android.
What is Bonfire best used for?
Bonfire is most often used for an agency that has lost or nearly lost a bid protest and needs a defensible evaluation record, a procurement team running scoring committees currently held together by spreadsheets and email, a university or health system applying public procurement rules without a public procurement system, an agency wanting suppliers to self register and receive addenda automatically rather than by mailing list. Of those, an agency that has lost or nearly lost a bid protest and needs a defensible evaluation record and a procurement team running scoring committees currently held together by spreadsheets and email are not what Motorola Vigilant is typically brought in for.
What can Bonfire do that Motorola Vigilant cannot?
Bonfire covers Solicitation posting, Sealed submission intake, Scored evaluation workspace, Audit trail. Motorola Vigilant covers Fixed LPR cameras, Mobile LPR, LEARN database, VehicleManager analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bonfire: Who owns Bonfire?

Euna Solutions. Bonfire was acquired by GTY Technology in 2019, GTY was taken private by GI Partners in 2022, and the portfolio was rebranded Euna Solutions in 2023.

Motorola Vigilant: What is LEARN?

The Law Enforcement Archival Reporting Network, the shared database where plate reads from subscribing agencies are stored and queried. It is the core of the product.

Bonfire: Is it full procure to pay?

No. It covers sourcing and evaluation through award. Purchase orders and invoicing remain in the finance system.

Motorola Vigilant: Can any agency buy it?

No. Several states restrict ALPR use and data sharing, and many municipalities require a published usage policy and a public hearing first. Check statute and local ordinance before budgeting.

Bonfire: What is the real value?

A defensible, time stamped evaluation record when an award is protested, which is the expensive failure mode in public procurement.

Motorola Vigilant: Does California allow sharing with federal agencies?

SB 34 restricts sharing ALPR information with out-of-state and federal agencies, and California agencies have been audited on precisely that point.

Bonfire: Can we see what other agencies pay?

Yes. These contracts are public records. Read several comparable awards before negotiating.

Motorola Vigilant: Is it only for police?

No. Toll and parking authorities, and some commercial repossession and insurance operations, also use LPR, though the LEARN law enforcement network is agency restricted.

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