24_161_RFI.pdf

RFI Item #24-161 Bus Transit Fare Collection Technology RFI Due: Friday, March 8, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

Request for Information

RFI Item #24-161

Bus Transit Fare Collection Technology for

Augusta, Georgia – Transit Department

Until further notice All bid openings, conferences and evaluation meetings will be conducted by electronic teleconferencing via ZOOM.

Instructions are enclosed.

Sec. 1-10-50. Sealed bids selection method:

Bid acceptance and bid evaluation. Provided that the bids are delivered to the Procurement Director at the time, place, and under the conditions contained in the Invitation for Bids, the bids shall be conditionally accepted without alteration or correction pending evaluation.

It Is The Responsibility Of The Vendor To Ensure Their Bid Submittal Is Received By The Time Specified Above

One Original and Two (2) Copies of RFI shall be submitted

Thanks for doing business with us

Geri A. Sams, Procurement Director 535 Telfair Street, Room 605

Augusta, Georgia 30901

Rev. 8/6/2015

RFI Item #508 Bus Transit Fare Collection Technology

Request for Proposal (RFI) 24-161 Bus Transit Fare Collection Technology

RFI INFORMATION AT A GLANCE:

CONTACT PERSON GERI A. SAMS, DIRECTOR

PHONE: 706-821-2422

procbidandcontract@augustaga.gov

HOW TO OBTAIN THE RFI TYWANNA SCOTT, PROCUREMENT

DOCUMENTS PHONE: 706-821-2422

procbidandcontract@augustaga.gov

PRE-SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE NONE

HOW TO FULLY RESPOND TO THIS AS INSTRUCTED WITHIN THE RFI, SUBMIT

RFI BY SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL 1 ORIGINAL AND 2 COPIES OF YOUR

PROPOSAL TO:

Geri A. Sams, Director

Augusta Procurement Department 535 Telfair Street - Room 605

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL & March 8, 2024 AT 11:00 A.M.

DEADLINE Geri A. Sams, Director

Augusta Procurement Department

QUESTIONS IN WRITING ONLY:

By fax to 706 821-2811 or by email to procbidandcontract@augustaga.gov to the office of the Procurement Department no later than Friday, February 23, 2024 @ 5:00 P.M.

mailto:procbidandcontract@augustaga.gov

Request for Information

Request for Information will be received at this office until Friday, March 8, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m. via ZOOM Meeting ID: 894 5107 3794; Passcode: 190246 for furnishing:

RFI Item #24-161 Bus Transit Fare Collection Technology for the Augusta, GA – Transit Department

RFIs will be received by: The Augusta Commission hereinafter referred to as the OWNER at the offices of:

Geri A. Sams, Director Augusta Procurement Department

RFI documents may be viewed on the Augusta Georgia web site under the Procurement Department ARCbid. RFI documents may be obtained at the office of the Augusta, GA Procurement Department, 535 Telfair Street – Room 605, Augusta, GA 30901 (706-821-2422).

All questions must be submitted in writing by fax to 706 821-2811 or by email to procbidandcontract@augustaga.gov to the office of the Procurement Department by Friday, February 23, 2024 @ 5:00 P.M. No RFI will be accepted by fax or email, all must be received by mail or hand delivered.

No RFI may be withdrawn for a period of 90 days after RFIs have been opened, pending the execution of contract with the successful bidder(s).

Request for information (RFI) and specifications. An RFI shall be issued by the Procurement Office and shall include specifications prepared in accordance with Article 4 (Product Specifications), and all contractual terms and conditions, applicable to the procurement. All specific requirements contained in the request for information including, but not limited to, the number of copies needed, the timing of the submission, the required financial data, and any other requirements designated by the Procurement Department are considered material conditions of the RFI which are not waivable or modifiable by the Procurement Director. All requests to waive or modify any such material condition shall be submitted through the Procurement Director to the appropriate committee of the Augusta, Georgia Commission for approval by the Augusta, Georgia Commission. Please mark RFI number on the outside of the envelope.

GEORGIA E-Verify and Public Contracts: The Georgia E-Verify law requires contractors and all sub-contractors on Georgia public contract (contracts with a government agency) for the physical performance of services over $2,499 in value to enroll in E-Verify, regardless of the number of employees. They may be exempt from this requirement if they have no employees and do not plan to hire employees for the purpose of completing any part of the public contract. Certain professions are also exempt. All requests for qualification issued by a city must include the contractor affidavit as part of the requirement for their bid to be considered.

Proponents are cautioned that acquisition of RFI documents through any source other than the office of the Procurement Department is not advisable. Acquisition of RFI documents from unauthorized sources places the proponent at the risk of receiving incomplete or inaccurate information upon which to base their qualifications.

Correspondence must be submitted via mail, fax or email as follows:

Augusta Procurement Department Attn: Geri A. Sams, Director of Procurement 535 Telfair Street, Room 605 Augusta, GA 30901 Fax: 706-821-2811 or Email: procbidandcontract@augustaga.gov

GERI A. SAMS, Procurement Director

Publish:

Augusta Chronicle February 1, 8, 15, 22, 2024 Metro Courier February 1, 2024

Attn: Takiyah A. Douse Interim Administrator Sharon Dottery Transit Department Oliver Page Transit Department http://gma.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0yMjUwOTU1JnA9MSZ1PTUxODY3MTg3MiZsaT0yMTQ3NjI3Nw/index.html

PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT BIDS AND CONTRACTS

ELECTRONIC RFI OPENING INFORMATION

The Augusta, Georgia Procurement Department conducts Public RFI Openings to obtain information from quality vendors for Augusta. Bidders may participate in our Public RFI Openings via webcast or teleconference by following the instructions outlined below:

ELECTRONIC RFI INSTRUCTIONS

Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device

Friday, March 8, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

for the Augusta, GA – Transit Department

ZOOM RFI Opening:

1. Click this URL to start or join Zoom:

2. Or, go to https://zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID: 894 5107 3794

3. Passcode: 190246

4. The audio portion of the electronic RFI opening; (maximum 100 lines)

Teleconference: Telephone number: 646 876 9923

1. When prompted enter the Passcode: 190246

2. Caltrans will mute the teleconference line to prevent disruptions and distractions.

3. To exit the teleconference, simply hang up your phone.

OFFICIAL RFI RESULTS will Post within 5 Days

For Assistance: Please Contact the Bid and Contract Team at (706) 821-2888 https://zoom.us/join https://zoom.us/join

Augusta, Georgia Augusta Procurement Department ATTN: Procurement Director 535 Telfair Street, Suite 605

Name of Proponent: _______________________________________________________________________________

Street Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip Code: ______________________________________________________________________________

Phone: ______________________ Fax: __________________________Email: ________________________________

Statement of Non-Discrimination

The undersigned understands that it is the policy of Augusta, Georgia to promote full and equal business opportunity for all persons doing business with Augusta, Georgia. The undersigned covenants that we have not discriminated, on the basis of race, religion, gender, national origin or ethnicity, with regard to prime contracting, subcontracting or partnering opportunities.

The undersigned covenants and agrees to make good faith efforts to ensure maximum practicable participation of local small businesses on the proposal or contract awarded by Augusta, Georgia. The undersigned further covenants that we have completed truthfully and fully the required forms regarding good faith efforts and local small business subcontractor/supplier utilization.

The undersigned further covenants and agrees not to engage in discriminatory conduct of any type against local small businesses, in conformity with Augusta, Georgia’s Local Small Business Opportunity Program. Set forth below is the signature of an officer of the proposer/contracting entity with the authority to bind the entity.

The undersigned acknowledge and warrant that this Company has been made aware of understands and agrees to take affirmative action to provide such companies with the maximum practicable opportunities to do business with this Company;

That this promise of non-discrimination as made and set forth herein shall be continuing in nature and shall remain in full force and effect without interruption;

That the promises of non-discrimination as made and set forth herein shall be and are hereby deemed to be made as part of and incorporated by reference into any contract or portion thereof which this Company may hereafter obtain and;

That the failure of this Company to satisfactorily discharge any of the promises of nondiscrimination as made and set forth herein shall constitute a material breach of contract entitling Augusta, Georgia to declare the contract in default and to exercise any and all applicable rights remedies including but not limited to cancellation of the contract, termination of the contract, suspension and debarment from future contracting opportunities, and withholding and or forfeiture of compensation due and owing on a contract.

Non-Collusion of Prime Proponent

By submission of a proposal, the vendor certifies, under penalty of perjury, that to the best of its knowledge and belief:

(a) The prices in the proposal have been arrived at independently without collusion, consultation, communications, or agreement, for the purpose of restricting competition, as to any matter relating to such prices with any other vendor or with any competitor.

(b) Unless otherwise required by law, the prices which have been quoted in the proposal have not been knowingly disclosed by the vendor prior to opening, directly or indirectly, to any other vendor or to any competitor.

(c) No attempt has been made, or will be made, by the vendor to induce any other person, partnership or corporation to submit or not to submit a proposal for the purpose of restricting competition. Collusions and fraud in proposal preparation shall be reported to the State of Georgia Attorney General and the United States Justice Department.

Conflict of Interest

By submission of a bid, the responding firm certifies, under penalty of perjury, that to the best of its knowledge and belief:

1. No circumstances exist which cause a Conflict of Interest in performing the services required by this BID, and

2. That no employee of the County, nor any member thereof, not any public agency or official affected by this BID, has any pecuniary interest in the business of the responding firm or his sub-consultant(s) has any interest that would conflict in any manner or degree with the performance related to this BID. By submission of a bid, the vendor certifies under penalty of perjury, that to the best of its knowledge and belief:

(a) The prices in the bid have been arrived at independently without collusion, consultation, communications, or agreement, for the purpose of restricting competition, as to any matter relating to such prices with any other vendor or with any competitor.

(b) Unless otherwise required by law, the prices which have been quoted in the bid have not knowingly been disclosed by the vendor prior to opening, directly or indirectly, to any other vendor or competitor.

c) No attempt has been made, or will be made, by the vendor to induce any other person, partnership or cooperation to submit or not to submit a bid for the purpose of restricting competition. For any breach or violation of this provision, the County shall have the right to terminate any related contract or agreement without liability and at its discretion to deduct from the price, or otherwise recover, the full amount of such fee, commission, percentage, gift, payment or consideration.

Signature of Authorized Officer or Agent Printed Name and Title of Authorized Officer or Agent Date

INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBMIT:

Augusta, GA, is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to identify features and technology for bus transit fare collection methods for the Augusta Transit Department. Your submittal should respond to, and be based on, the information included in this RFI. Should, Augusta issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) after receiving and evaluating vendor responses, your company will be allowed to participate in the RFP. Responses to this RFI will assist Augusta in drawing up the scope of work for an RFP to be issued. Responses to this RFI will ensure that your products and services are not excluded from consideration. No award will be made from the RFI, the request is to gain information about the collection systems only.

Responses will be received in the office of the Director of Procurement at 535 Telfair Street, Room 605, Augusta, GA until Friday, March 8, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m., and then, at said office, publicly opened and read aloud. The RFI must be submitted in a sealed package and labeled with firm’s name and the name of the project – "RFI 24-161 Bus Transit Fare Collection Technology”. No RFI will be accepted by fax or email, all must be received by mail or hand delivered. Vendors are required to submit one (1) marked unbound original and two (2) copies of the RFI.

Opening will be held via ZOOM: Meeting ID: 894 5107 3794; Passcode: 190246

All firms responding are cautioned to read this RFI carefully for understanding and request clarification from Augusta, Georgia on any questions pertaining to this RFI. The Proposer should examine all documents and requirements of the services requested to become fully informed. Failure to examine these areas will not relieve the successful Proposer of its obligation to furnish all products and services necessary to carry out the provisions of the contract. After RFIs have been submitted, the vendor shall not assert that there was a misunderstanding concerning the quantities of work or of the nature of the work to be done.

All questions must be submitted to the Procurement Department in writing by fax to 706 821-2811 or by email to procbidandcontract@augustaga.gov by Friday, February 23, 2024 @ 5:00 P.M. Issues and responses addressed in any other manner will not be considered valid or binding in consideration of proposals or any subsequent contract negotiations.

Geri A. Sams Procurement Department

RFI Packages may be obtained at the Augusta, Georgia Procurement Department, at the address listed above.

Failure to provide all of the requested information may cause the RFI to be rejected as non-responsive. An official authorized to bind the firm to the terms and provisions of the RFI must sign.

The proposal shall be no more than sixty (60) pages in length, excluding cover letter, required forms, tabs and appendices. All documents will be typewritten on standard 8 x 11 white paper. Exceptions would be schematics, exhibits, photographs or other information necessary to facilitate Augusta’s ability to accurately evaluate the proposal.

The Proposer must package and seal its proposals so that they will not be damaged in mailing. Proposers are reminded that under Georgia law, all opened documents fall under the Open Records Act and are subject to inspection by the public. Accordingly, proprietary information and/or data cannot be withheld from public inspection. All proposals and supporting documents will be submitted in accordance with the Instructions to Proposers Section.

SCOPE OF INFORMATION REQUEST

Augusta Transit (AT) is seeking information from vendors on the current and near future state of bus transit fare collection methods, features and technology. Information derived from this Request for Information (RFI) will guide AT in the preparation of a future Request for Proposals (RFP) to equip fixed route, demand response, rural transit or microtransit vehicles with new fare collection equipment. AT seeks to gain a more thorough understanding of the current and near future state of fare collection technology in order to position itself as a benchmark transit provider in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) that meets the needs of current and future riders.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION PURPOSE

Over the next decade AT will:

1) Replace several existing transit buses that have reached the end of their Useful Life Benchmark (ULB) in accordance with Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Transit Asset Management (TAM) guidelines;

2) Expand its fixed route bus fleet with clean energy vehicles (Battery Electric Buses (BEBs));

3) Introduce Microtransit operations to complement fixed route services; and

4) Stimulate ridership through dismantling the barriers of exclusively cash-based fare payments.

AT is seeking information from vendors on the current and near future state of bus transit fare collection methods, features and technology. The information provided will educate AT staff on the evolving state of fare collection methods, features and technology to position itself as a benchmark transit provider in Richmond County, Georgia and the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) that meets the needs of current and future riders. Additionally, the information will allow AT to determine which methods, features and technology best suit the needs of a growing (service area and revenue fleet) transit agency while at the same time having the potential to stimulate ridership and fare payment equity.

This RFI solicits information from vendors with the expectation that AT will gather sufficient market information to prepare a future Request for Proposals (RFP) to equip fixed route, demand response, rural transit or microtransit vehicles with new fare collection equipment.

ABOUT AUGUSTA TRANSIT

Augusta Transit as a department of the City of Augusta, is tasked to provide transit services in Richmond County, Georgia. Currently, AT contracts RATP Dev USA Inc., (RATP Dev) dba Augusta Transit Management (ATM) to operate transit services in the county which are designed to help our passengers get to wherever they may need to go. RATP Dev is an international multimodal transportation provider operating, managing and maintaining transportation services.

AT currently operates nine (9) fixed routes with complimentary Para-transit services (for persons with a permanent or temporary disability that prevents them from using fixed-route services) in the urbanized area of Richmond County. Service in the rural area of Richmond County (Blythe, Hephzibah and McBean) is provided by Richmond Transit. Microtransit service serving South Augusta is expected to commence operations in 2024 or early 2025.

AT provided 404,344 fixed route and 20,907 paratransit (demand response) Unlinked Passenger Trips (UPT) in 2022 (National Transit Database (NTD)). The rural operator Richmond Transit provided 12,459 UPT during the same period. Over the years since a peak in 2015 with 787,145 UPT there has been an annual decline in the volume of trips on AT’s fixed route services. However recent transit surveys have shown that with the availability of electronic fare payment options UPT have the potential to significantly increase throughout the transit network.

Presently, there are 18 fixed route, seven (7) paratransit vehicles and six (6) rural vans; a total of 31 vehicles. Five

(5) microtransit vans are expected to join the revenue earning fleet in 2024 followed by five (5) 35ft BEBs in 2025.

FARE COLLECTION STATUS

Currently, only fixed route buses have fare collection equipment available in the form of Genfare Odyssey fareboxes which despite being used have surpassed their end of useful life. Compounding matters Odyssey fareboxes are no longer in production by Genfare. These Odyssey fareboxes in use are cash and coin based and do not accept any form of electronic payment.

The majority of daily ride tickets are purchased by the individual when boarding the vehicle. However, nonprofits are able to bulk purchase discounted daily ride tickets directly from AT. Often these tickets are distributed by nonprofits to persons needing assistance with transportation. Monthly passes can be purchased from AT customer service kiosk at the BSTF. Discounted tickets and passes for seniors or persons with a disability are purchased exclusively from AT administrative headquarters.

AT maintains service agreements with several educational institutions in Augusta to allow their respective members to ride fare-free. Students at Augusta University, Augusta Technical College and Miller Motte College present their respective student ID cards for visual verification. Drivers then input via farebox keypad the respective rider type for tracking and accounting.

PURPOSE

Fare equipment in use by AT fixed route buses installed more than a decade ago has exceeded its useful life. Riders not having exact change, frequent jamming of cash notes and/or coins and the continuing trend of paying for goods and services electronically necessitates an urgent replacement and upgrade of AT fare payment systems.

Indeed, AT seeks to replace current fare collection equipment initially on its fixed route buses with the latest technology offering enhanced convenience, reliability and equity for all riders and cost savings and fare collection efficiencies for the agency.

Of particular interest for AT is the need to expand options for riders to purchase and pay for fares (in person or remotely) aiding a seamless boarding experience and generating the most accurate ridership and revenue data for in depth analysis and financial reporting. Ease in the purchasing of fares and to ensure transit equity must accommodate all income levels and not disenfranchise persons who prefer to pay in cash. Through this RFI, AT is seeking to gain a better understanding of the current and future state of bus transit fare collection environment, and what technology, methods and features will best fit the needs of the agency. AT recognizes that transit technology is evolving and seeks to be poised to adapt to a changing transit landscape.

Specific areas of interest about which AT seeks further information through this RFI include:

a) Account-based fare payment methods;

b) Various fare media options;

c) Automatic fare collection systems; d) fare capping; and e) integration with third party applications.

OBJECTIVES

Through this RFI, AT is pursuing the following objectives:

• Gain a more complete understanding of the current and near future state of fare collection technology for bus transit

• Identify opportunities for integration of fare collection technology with other recent and emerging transit technologies, e.g. real-time bus trackers, microtransit services

• Develop performance specifications for a potentially forthcoming RFP for the replacement of fare collection equipment

PREFERRED FUNCTIONALITY AND AREAS FOR EVALUATION

1. Retain features of existing fare collection system

a. Cash payments rapidly processed, with reliable performance

b. Ability for bus operators to input specific rider types via customizable keypad

2. Mobile, Online and Contactless ticketing technology

a. Ability to purchase and store all fare options on mobile devices, contactless or online

b. Ability to purchase mobile tickets using cash

c. Accessibility features for riders with disabilities

d. Contactless validation, e.g. visual validation, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Quick Response

(QR) scan

3. Account-based system

a. Ability for riders to purchase all fare types and store them indefinitely

b. Fare-capping

c. Ability to verify accounts based on rider type, including riders eligible for reduced or special fares

(riders with tickets issued by nonprofit organizations)

4. Ability to issue printed or electronic transfers

5. Support for new fare media, vending and open payments

a. Smart Cards

b. Frequency Operated Buttons (FOBs)

c. Support for purchases at automated vending machines

d. Open payments

6. Integration with Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and Automatic Passenger Count (APC) technology to collate ridership data with route, bus stop location, date/time information

a. AT utilizes Tripspark AVL technology on fixed route vehicles

b. AT utilizes Tripspark APC technology on fixed route vehicles

7. Integration of fare system across platforms, services, and third-party transportation providers

a. AT, ADA, Microtransit and Richmond Transit demand-response

b. Bike share, car share, scooter share

c. Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), including Uber and Lyft

8. Integration with external organization user IDs

a. Augusta University, Augusta Technical College and Miller Motte College student ID cards

b. City of Augusta ID cards

c. Additional ID cards as needed d.

9. Cloud-based data storage system that requires minimal impact upon ATs existing server capacity

10. User-friendly reporting software

a. Ability to sort ridership data by route, date/time, passenger type, bus stop location, etc.

11. Preventive maintenance regimen to ensure reliable and enduring performance.

PREFERRED FUNCTIONALITY RESPONSES

Upon review of ATs preferred functionality outlined above, indicate if your fare collection system may fulfill the preferred features with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ followed by a brief explanation using this template.

Functionality Y/N Explanation

1. Retain features of existing fare collection system

2. Mobile ticketing technology

3. Account-based system

4. Ability to issue printed or electronic transfers

5. Support for new fare media, vending and open payments

6. Integration with AVL and APC technology to collate ridership data with route, bus stop location, date/ time information

7. Integration of fare system across platforms, services, and third-party transportation providers

8. Integration with external organization user IDs

9. Cloud-based data storage system that requires minimal impact upon ATs existing server capacity

10. User-friendly reporting software

11. Preventive maintenance regimen to ensure reliable performance

RESPONSES

Responses to this RFI should follow the general structure and address the points below:

1. Cover letter

a. Executive summary of company

b. Mission statement and business philosophy

2. Experience

a. How many years has your company been in the transit fare collection industry?

b. Experience of senior leadership team

c. In how many transit agencies is your fare collection system currently deployed?

d. Provide reference contact information for at least three (3) current customers with operating conditions similar to AT

3. Product features and information

a. Cost is to include any start-up fee

b. Years fare collection system has been deployed in the transit industry

c. Expected lifespan of fare collection system

d. Data storage and transfer technology

e. Mobile ticketing and fare media options

f. Accessibility features for riders with disabilities across all applicable products

g. Modular features or systems that are included as options in your fare collection system

h. How your fare system maintains equity and access for all users

4. References:

Please include references for three (3) customers (preferably transit municipalities) who have implemented your company’s system. Please include current contact information.

Augusta, GA, is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to identify features and technology for bus transit fare collection methods for the Augusta Transit Department. Your submittal should respond to, and be based on, the information included in this RFI. Should Augusta issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) after receiving and evaluating vendor responses, your company will be allowed to participate in the RFP. Responses to this RFI will assist Augusta in drawing up the scope of work for an RFP to be issued. Responses to this RFI will ensure that your products and services are not excluded from consideration. NO AWARD will be made from the RFI, the request is to gain information about the collection systems only.