Title
Recommendation to Award a Five-Year Agreement for an Amount not to Exceed a Total Five-Year Expenditure of $276,285, to Turbo Data Systems for Parking Citation Processing and Collection Services. (Police 3123)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Recommendation to Award a Five-Year Agreement for an Amount not to Exceed a Total Five-Year Expenditure of $276,285, to Turbo Data Systems for Parking Citation Processing and Collection Services
BACKGROUND
The City has contracted with the City of Inglewood and Duncan Solutions since 2010 to process parking citations for the Police Department. The City of Inglewood processed the citations administratively, while Duncan Solutions collected the fines/fees and distributed citation data to the Records Section. In November 2016, Duncan Solutions informed the Police Department that the City of Inglewood was discontinuing citation processing and collection services through their government-to-government contract services agreement as of January 31, 2017. As an interim solution, the City of Inglewood and Duncan Solutions agreed to continue providing parking citation processing services to the Police Department on a month-to-month basis. In May 2017, the City of Alameda entered into an interim agreement with Duncan Solutions to provide the Police Department with additional time to make arrangements for a new parking citation processing service.
On October 3, 2017, the Police Department solicited a Request for Quotes (RFQ). Two proposals were received within the fourteen day response period. Staff reviewed the proposals, interviewed qualified firms, and selected the service provider that best met the department’s needs.
DISCUSSION
The two proposals were submitted, one by Duncan Solutions and another by Turbo Data Systems. After reviewing the proposals, Police Department staff believes that Turbo Data Systems possesses the skill, experience, ability, background, certification, and knowledge to effectively administer citation processing services. Prior to the RFQ Turbo Data provided a thorough demonstration of their products and services to the Police Department staff in November 2016. Turbo Data Systems is a well-regarded company that has been in business for over 30 years and serves the California market exclusively. They provide services that are all inclusive, leaving no administrative burden on the Police Department or the City. Turbo Data Systems will provide all processing, collection, and other services which include: data entry, digital imaging, archiving, electronic data transfer, adjudication, hearing services, delinquent & final notices, online citation system inquiries, custom reports, and software support. It is also more cost efficient than the current system, and it provides a more robust customer service interface. The proposed Agreement attached as Exhibit 1.
Turbo Data Systems’ scope of services includes purchasing proprietary equipment, such as a handheld “TicketPro” ticket writer to be used by police officers and parking technicians. The TicketPro handheld device was demonstrated and tested in the field in November 2016. The device is user friendly, efficient, and was favored by the technicians and police officers who used it. By contrast, for the past sixteen years, the Police Department has used “Auto Cite” ticket writing device. These devices are antiquated and are significantly larger and heavier than the TicketPro devices. Auto Cite handheld devices are designed to input information and print out a ticket, but require the device to upload data to Duncan Solutions so the data can be accessed later by the Police Department Records Section. Conversely, the TicketPro device works more efficiently and operates in real time because it is cloud based. It includes these additional features: the ability to take photos and voice recordings, GPS/geo tagging, Bluetooth printing, third party integration, and immediate data sharing with our Records Section.
The TicketPro handheld Turbo Data Systems allows agencies to buy or lease the handheld devices. After evaluating the options, the Police Department intends to lease eight TicketPro handheld devices for $2,280 each ($18,240 per year). Officers and parking technicians can begin to use the devices after a single three-hour training session. The department anticipates it will take approximately one month to have the entire Turbo Data System fully implemented.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The cost for leasing eight TicketPro handheld devices, accessories, and activation is $18,240 at $2,280 per device. The total annual cost of using Turbo Data Systems citation processing is approximately $37,017 based on an assumption that approximately 17,907 citations (taken from last two year average) will be processed per year. This cost is offset by the revenue collected from the parking citation fees ranging from approximately $620,000 to $800,000 per year. Funds to pay for the cost of parking citation services are budgeted in the Police Department’s Parking Citation Program contractual services line. The total cost for the first year of this agreement is estimated at $55,257 (Exhibit 2). The Department estimates the overall net savings for parking citation processing services is 9.7% or $7,270 less compared to the current contracts with the City of Inglewood and Duncan Solutions. The Turbo Data Systems contract will be valid for five years and includes provision of servicing equipment and software updates. The total contract amount for five years is $276,285.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action is consistent with the Municipal Code.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This activity is not a project and is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, section 15378(b)(5), because it does not involve activities that would result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
RECOMMENDATION
Award a five-year agreement for an amount not to exceed a total five-year expenditure of $276,285, subject to budget approvals, to Turbo Data Systems for parking citation processing and collection services.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul J. Rolleri, Chief of Police
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Turbo Data Service Agreement
2. Turbo Data Systems processing services budget