REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
April 28, 2021
FROM: BRIAN BARR, Assistant Director
Department of Transportation
BY: SUSAN ROGERS, IT Supervisor
Department of Transportation
SUBJECT
Title
Actions related to the award of a non-professional service agreement with Global Traffic Technologies, LLC, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the amount of $60,259.25
1. Affirm the City Manager’s determination that Global Traffic Technologies, LLC, is uniquely qualified to perform software and hardware maintenance services for the Department of Transportation Fresno Area Express Traffic Signal Priority system.
2. Affirm the City Manager’s determination that Global Traffic Technologies, LLC, is uniquely capable, as defined by the Federal Transit Administration for sole source non-competitive procurements, to perform software and hardware maintenance on the Department of Transportation Fresno Area Express Traffic Signal Priority system.
3. Award a non-professional service agreement with Global Traffic Technologies, LLC, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the amount of $60,259.25, for traffic signal priority software and hardware maintenance services for three-years and two 1-year options with a total contract value of $92,929.25.
4. Authorize the Director of Transportation or designee to execute all related documents.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends Council affirm the City Manager’s determination that Opticom/Global Traffic Technologies, LLC (GTT), is uniquely qualified and uniquely capable to perform the software and hardware maintenance for the Department of Transportation Fresno Area Express (FAX) traffic signal priority system (TSP), and award a non-professional service agreement in the amount of $60,259.25 for three years with two 1-year options with a total contract value of $92,929.25 and authorize the Director of Transportation or designee to execute all related documents.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
GTT is the sole manufacturer of Opticom TSP software and equipment currently implemented by FAX on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Shaw Avenue transit corridors and vehicles. The TSP system assists with vehicle on-time performance and operational efficiency by creating a longer/shorter green at the signal for a bus that is running behind schedule. This technology is proprietary and only accessible to its original vendor. Therefore, GTT is uniquely qualified to provide customer support services for TSP equipment installed at 90 intersections and 39 vehicles.
Through restricted data rights and patents, GTT is the only vendor uniquely capable of providing continued maintenance and support services for the TSP system, improving bus schedule adherence and transit operational efficiency by providing low traffic signal priority. The resulting action is defined by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as a sole-source non-competitive procurement. In order to continue to receive support for the TSP software and equipment FAX seeks to enter into a non-professional service agreement. GTT traffic signal equipment is used extensively by Public Works and provides signal preemption for emergency vehicles. FAX is the only department to utilize TSP equipment and therefore these services are not covered by any existing City contracts.
BACKGROUND
TSP technology provides special treatment to transit vehicles at signalized intersections with the intention of reducing dwell times at the traffic signal. This increases on-time performance and operational efficiency by giving a longer/shorter green light to buses that are running behind schedule. This technology also provides preemption to emergency vehicles by sending a priority/preemption request to the traffic signal as they approach the intersection.
FAX has implemented a TSP solution on 90 intersections and onto 39 bus vehicles. The TSP technology has been installed along the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors of Blackstone, Kings Canyon/Ventura and Shaw Avenue corridors. The existing TSP equipment, used by FAX for low priority preemption, is not covered by any existing City contract.
On January 3, 2019, FAX petitioned a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit information from qualified vendors who manufacture and provide TSP equipment, which is natively compatible with the City’s current on-board vehicle and existing intersection TSP technology. The RFI closed with one response from GTT. FAX concluded that GTT was the only vendor that could interface with the equipment.
Through restricted data rights and patents, GTT is the only vendor uniquely qualified and uniquely capable and of providing continued maintenance and support services for the TSP system. The latter is a resulting action defined by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as a sole-source non-competitive procurement.
This agreement will give Public Works Traffic Operations Center and Traffic Signal and Street Lights Divisions access to security fixes, updates, service and feature releases and new software versions as they are released.
The City Attorney has approved the contract as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, the award of this contract does not qualify as a project as defined by CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
The City’s Local Preference Ordinance (FMC 4-108) was not implemented because GTT is uniquely qualified and federal funds prohibit the use of local preference.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the General Fund from this request. This purchase is funded by FTA Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) funds appropriated in the Department’s FY21 capital budget.
Attachments:
Uniquely Qualified Service Contract Justification Memorandum to the City Manager
Non-professional Service Contract