DCR877 Contactless Parking Revenue Collection Application .docx

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Department of Conservation and Recreation

251 Causeway Street, Suite 800, Boston, Massachusetts 02114

Request for Response (RFR)

Document Title: DCR877 Contactless Parking Revenue Collection Application

COMMBUYS Bid#: BD-22-1020-DCRCU-DC250-74554

Agency Document Number: DCR 877

05/02/22 Please Note: This is a single document associated with a complete Bid (also referred to as Solicitation) that can be found on COMMBUYS (www.COMMBUYS.com). All Bidders are responsible for reviewing and adhering to all information, forms and requirements for the entire Bid, which are all incorporated into the Bid. Bidders may also contact the OSD Help Desk Helpdesk at OSDHelpDesk@mass.gov or the OSD Helpline at 1-888-MA-STATE. The Helpline is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal, state and Suffolk county holidays.

RFR Introduction and General Description Procurement Scope and Description The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (hereinafter “DCR”) is soliciting proposals for implementation of a fully developed, hosted and maintained Parking Payment solution as described in further detail in DCR description of needs.

Specifically, DCR is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to implement a contactless fee collection system for the agency’s on and off-street parking locations statewide. The system will enable DCR to offer patrons an enhanced parking experience and will improve revenue collection efficiency. Additional objectives include:

a) Eliminate person to person contact during fee collection

b) Minimize the number of touch points in the fee collection process

c) Manage facility capacity

d) Integrate with existing parking management systems

e) Alleviate bottlenecks at park entrances

f) Provide visitation statistics

g) Provide visitation and revenue data in a format suitable for upload or automatic update to the agency’s data access application

h) System shall allow advance payment with customizable parameters

The system, at minimum must include the ability for a visitor to pay virtually.

Background information A. Overview of DCR (The Department of Conservation and Recreation) DCR’s mission is “to protect, promote, and enhance our commonwealth of natural, cultural and recreational resources.” DCR stewards more than 450,000 acres of parkland and forest in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is the 9th largest park system in the United States. For information about the DCR please visit www.mass.gov/dcr.

B. Historic Revenue Collection Overview Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation parking’s system consists of fifty-three (53) fee collecting parks. The majority of DCR parks operate seasonally from April to October. Approximately 500,000 day-use parking passes were sold in 2019, 530,000 in 2020 and 480,000 were sold in 2021. Additionally, DCR operates two (2) on-street meter locations in the City of Cambridge.

C. Current Parking System DCR sells four types of parking passes: Hourly Use, Day Use, Annual Passes, and Senior Passes.

1. Hourly parking is available at select DCR properties and can be purchased using credit cards at self-service kiosks. The hourly rate of $1.25 is consistent across all sites that charge hourly fees.

2. Day Use parking passes can be purchased using a credit card via pay and display kiosks at parks, using the YODEL mobile app or through the YODEL/DCR branded website. Fees vary by park and range from $3.00 to $40.00 per visit.

3. Annual parking passes are available for purchase on the YODEL app and/or YODEL/DCR website. Passes purchased through the YODEL app are downloaded to the YODEL app wallet. Passes purchased on the website are sent via an email attachment. Annual passes are valid from January 1st to December 31st and are available for $60.00.

4. Senior parking passes/hangtags are open to Massachusetts residents aged 62 or older and are valid for the life of the purchaser. To purchase a pass, a patron mails a check in the amount of $10.00, along with proof of age and proof of residency to DCR’s Boston office.

5. Parking fees are waived for vehicles with one of the following:

a) Handicapped accessible license plate or placard

b) Purple heart recipient license plate

c) Disabled veteran license plate

d) Library park pass: a hang tag that can be checked out of local libraries

Applicable Procurement Law This Bid is issued under the following law(s):

· MGL c. 7, § 22; c. 30, § 51, § 52; and 801 CMR 21.00 (Goods and Services) https://www.mass.gov/regulations/801-CMR-21-procurement-of-commodities-or-services-including-human-and-social-services

Number of awards The DCR intends to award multiple contracts under this procurement.

Adding Contractors after initial Contract award If, over the life of the Contract, the Strategic Sourcing Team (SST) determines that additional Contractors should be added, these may first be drawn from qualified companies which responded to this Bid but were not awarded contracts. If necessary to meet the requirements of the Commonwealth, the Bid may be reopened to obtain additional Quotes.

Eligible Entities Limited User Contract – Restricted to Use by Defined Entities Only Any contract resulting from this Bid will be open for use to the Issuing Entity Only.

Acquisition Method(s) The acquisition method(s) to acquire goods and/or services from this RFR are Fee for Service.

Performance and Payment Time Frames Which Continue Beyond Duration of the Contract.

DCR requires ability to receive system data information from selected vendor even after contract expires as well as integrate system information into any DCR revenue collection system for seamless transition.

All term leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services entered into during the duration of this contract and whose performance and payment time frames extend beyond the duration of this contract shall remain in effect for performance and payment purposes no longer than 3 months after final contract end date. No new leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services may be executed after the contract has expired. Any contract termination or suspension pursuant to this section shall not automatically terminate any leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services already in place unless the department also terminates said leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for service, which were executed pursuant to the main contract.

Contract Duration

The expected duration of this contract is as follows:

Initial Duration

Total Maximum Contract Duration

No goods may be ordered and no new leases, rentals, maintenance or other agreements for services may be executed after the Contract has expired.

Estimated Procurement Calendar

Times are Eastern Standard/Daylight Savings (US), as displayed on the COMMBUYS system clock displayed to Bidders after logging in. If there is a conflict between the dates in this Procurement Calendar and dates in the Bid’s Header, the dates in the Bid’s Header on COMMBUYS shall prevail. Bidders are responsible for checking the Bid record, including Bid Q&A, on COMMBUYS for Procurement Calendar updates.

Written questions via the Bid Q&A on COMMBUYS The “Bid Q&A” provides the opportunity for Bidders to ask written questions and receive written answers from the SST regarding this Bid. All Bidders’ questions must be submitted through the Bid Q&A found on COMMBUYS (see below for instructions). Questions may be asked only prior to the Deadline for Submission of Questions stated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar. The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

Please note that any questions submitted to the SST using any other medium (including those that are sent by mail, fax, email or voicemail, etc.) will not be answered. To reduce the number of redundant or duplicate questions, Bidders are asked to review all questions previously submitted to determine whether the Bidder’s question has already been posted.

Bidders are responsible for entering content suitable for public viewing, since all of the questions are accessible to the public. Bidders must not include any information that could be considered personal, security sensitive, inflammatory, incorrect, collusory, or otherwise objectionable, including information about the Bidder’s company or other companies. The SST reserves the right to edit or delete any submitted questions that raise any of these issues or that are not in the best interest of the Commonwealth or this Bid.

All answers are final when posted. Any subsequent revisions to previously provided answers will be dated.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Locating Bid Q&A Log into COMMBUYS, locate the Bid, acknowledge receipt of the Bid, and scroll down to the bottom of the Bid Header page. The “Bid Q&A” button allows Bidders access to the Bid Q&A page.

Amendment Deadline The SST reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. The SST and the Commonwealth accepts no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a Quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

Oral Presentations/Product Demonstrations Selected Bidders who are asked to participate in Oral Presentations / Product Demonstrations will be expected to prioritize this in their schedules. The SST will make every effort to find a mutually convenient time for the Bidder and the SST. However, failure to appear at the scheduled time of the presentation/demonstration may result in disqualification, reduction of points or other action that the SST deems appropriate.

Site Inspection Site Inspections are not required prior to submitting a proposal; however, vendors are encouraged to conduct site visits at any fee-based park to gain an understanding of parking operations. Vendors are prohibited from speaking to and/or interviewing on-site personnel.

Specifications Additional required terms appear in the Appendices to this RFR.

Bidder Qualifications Company experience DCR aims to partner with a vendor that has extensive experience with the delivery and deployment of contactless payment solutions within the parking sector. At a minimum, vendors shall have 5 years’ experience providing mobile payment services to organizations similar in size to DCR. Vendor shall have similar years of experience developing strategies to maximize revenue for public entities.

Vendors shall provide details on business background, years in business, organization chart; and total volume of transactions processed for each of the calendar years 2018 & 2019.

Vendor’s Project Team and Key Personnel Vendors must provide the following information regarding their proposed project team, including the specific key personnel to be assigned to work on the Contract.

Project Team Vendors must describe—in greater detail than in the Vendor Identification component of the response—their proposed Project Team, including each Joint Venture Partner and Subcontractor, and the specific roles and related level of effort of such team members.

Key Personnel Vendors must identify the specific individuals who will constitute the key personnel assigned to perform the work under the Contract, as well as specify who will serve as the Project Manager and point of contact under the Contract. The Project Manager is the person to be assigned exclusive and primary responsibility for working with Commonwealth representatives to ensure the successful and timely implementation of the Contract. Vendors must provide and otherwise demonstrate assurance that the Project Manager is authorized to commit the Vendor’s resources towards full performance of the services covered under this RFR.

For everyone named as key personnel, the Vendor must include that person’s resume and specify their role and level of effort under the Contract. The Vendor must also certify that all key personnel named in the response shall actually work on the Contract in the manner and at the level of effort described in the response.

No changes, substitution, additions, or deletions shall be made unless approved in advance by DCR; such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In addition, these individuals must continue for the duration of the Contract, except in the event of resignation or death. The replacement of key personnel, as approved by DCR, must be made as soon as practicable, but not later than thirty (30) days. Any such replacement of key personnel must be with personnel of equal ability and qualifications, as agreed to by DCR.

More specifically, Vendors must provide a detailed staffing plan for key personnel that includes the following information:

· Management and subcontractor personnel who will be involved in developing, operating, or managing any part of the Program—names and titles of key personnel along with a comprehensive description of their roles, responsibilities, qualifications, and work experience

· Whether Vendor has a dedicated UX (user experience) or marketing team

· The percentage of work time that each key person will allocate to the project

· The locations at which key persons will primarily work

Vendors must explain how the proposed roles and time commitments of key personnel will remain unaffected by any other existing or potential contract obligations, or by any other major business commitment(s) of the Vendor, including commitments of a parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the Vendor. Vendors also must provide an analysis concerning how they plan to allocate the necessary time and resources to the project to meet the performance and schedule requirements of the Contract.

Vendors must also describe the roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships of personnel performing work under the Contract and include the following information:

· A description of the control system designed to identify and avoid potential and actual conflicts of interest that may arise under the Contract

· An explanation of the roles of the program management structure and the balance of the Vendor’s organizational structure

· A description, with organizational charts, of the Vendor’s management structure, systems, organization, and communications channels, highlighting contract management and identifying the persons who will coordinate activities with the Commonwealth

· Resumes for each management personnel identified in the description—DCR reserves the right to approve the final staffing plan prior to executing the Contract

· A description of the management and tracking systems the Vendor proposes to implement to ensure Contract performance

In conformance with Conditions 8 and 9 in the Commonwealth’s Terms and Conditions, the selected Vendor will not be allowed to assign, delegate, or otherwise transfer its responsibilities under the Contract, or utilize subcontractors without the advance approval of DCR. Moreover, during the course of the Contract, DCR reserves the right to approve or disapprove the selected Vendor’s or any Subcontractor’s staff assigned to the Contract, to approve or disapprove any proposed changes in staff, or to require the removal or reassignment of any Vendor employee or subcontractor employee found unacceptable by DCR.

Financial stability including bankruptcy, litigation and contract defaults

Vendor must identify any past, pending, or threatened litigation or administrative proceedings, such as state ethics or professional board proceedings, to which the Vendor or any staff member who will be engaged in this project for DCR is or may be a party, and which would either materially impair the ability of the Vendor or staff member to perform the services described herein or materially affect the financial condition of the staff member or the Vendor.

· Last bankruptcy and/or current/pending litigation.

· Defaults on contracts.

References and reference information and/or requirements Vendors shall provide references for at least three (3) contracts similar in scope. Vendors to include:

· Largest customers in MA if applicable

· Largest state government customers if applicable

Identification of the Vendor’s point of contact (POC) if awarded this contract, and a description of the POC’s authority for committing Vendor resources and staff to the project as required.

Employee requirements Vendor will provide the following information:

· Employee technical/business experience, certifications, licenses

· Resumes

· Background Innovation DCR is interested in contracting with a Vendor whose proposed solution will continue to evolve in response to changes in the market and emerging business needs at DCR. Vendors must describe how they have developed successful innovation strategies that allow for continuous product development. Additionally, Vendors shall submit a strategic roadmap for the solution being offered, along with an explanation of how future milestones may be relevant to strategic goals at DCR. Finally, Vendors shall describe how they will work with DCR to maximize the value of the proposed solution and their processes for identifying and deploying new services and functionality.

Vendors shall provide references for at least one (1) and up to three (3) contracts similar in scope Cost Estimate The Vendor will provide a detailed estimate of prices and costs for each task, including sub-task itemizations, described in the 3.3.10 STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) REQUIREMENTS.

Warranties and guarantees Bidder shall provide written documentation outlining manufacturer warranty(s) and extended warranty, if applicable. Documentation should include coverage, terms and all cost associated with warranty(s). Bidder will provide and maintain software.

Upgrades & upgradeability All upgrades shall be provided free of charge for the life of the contract. Vendor shall notify DCR 30 days prior to major updates.

Service Specifications The main objective of this RFR is to enhance the current fee collection system by providing multiple payment options to park patrons. The agency aims to improve the paid parking process by adopting (a secondary) contactless payment solution.

The new technology shall allow customers to:

· Pay parking fees by various methods, including but not limited to, native mobile application, secure mobile or desktop browser

· Optional: IVR system, pay by text, QR Code, or tap to pay.

· Easily purchase additional parking time at hourly rate locations; parking time shall not exceed posted time limits.

· Create an account or bypass account registration to pay parking fees.

· Manage account profile – customers must be able to update account details without the assistance of customer service or DCR staff.

· Access parking history; view past transactions and receipts

· Store multiple vehicle license plates under one account

· Optional: Reserve parking session in advance*.

DCR is committed to ensuring the availability of all systems to patrons with disabilities. Therefore, all proposed solutions must meet Americans with Disabilities Act “ADA” standards.

* Reserve ahead option must be fully configurable, DCR reserves the right to decide how many days in advance parking is available for purchase and what portion of spaces can be reserved in advance.

Technical Support

The agency requires a highly professional service support response. Vendor will field all technical questions or concerns relating to the payment system via multiple channels, included but not limited to, toll-free number and support email. Vendor will provide an alternative should the primary support system become unavailable.

Deliverables:

· Vendor to provide access for facilities statewide to a live customer service representative during DCR Park business hours, seven days a week, to field calls and aid with customer inquiries and transactions. Vendor will also provide a robust client support system during DCR business hours and will provide after-hours emergency support.

Emergency response plans/preparedness In a declared state of emergency where the safety and well-being of Commonwealth citizens are at risk, contractors may be asked to supply the Commonwealth with the commodities and/or services under the Contract on a priority basis. The Bidder’s Quote should include the following:

Indicate whether there is a written Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) that describes how the company will continue to do business in case of an emergency.

A list of emergency contact information including name, position/title, phone, email and cell phone.

A list of the Bidder’s building location (s) that would be available to serve the Commonwealth during an emergency.

A description of the areas of Massachusetts that the Bidder could supply in the event of an emergency (e.g., Entire State, Specific City or Region).

The Vendor has a business continuity plan (BCP) and/or disaster recovery plan (DRP) sufficient to ensure 24/7 availability of the solution and to prevent the unintended destruction or loss of Customer Data (as defined in the 3.3.10 STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) REQUIREMENTS, which will be part of any resulting Contract). Vendors shall describe how they review and test these plans.

Requirements:

· Review and test the BCP at least twice annually and submit a summary of results to DCR.

· Any update to the BCP or DRP are submitted to DCR each time a change is made.

· Back up Customer Data no less than twice daily in an off-site, hardened facility located within the continental United States.

· In the event of system failure, the Vendor will restore the software solution, including Customer Data, with no loss of Customer Data and transactions prior to the failure, or as detailed in a mutually agreed upon disaster recovery plan.

Vendor Response:

· Provide a written Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) that describes how the company will continue to do business in case of an emergency.

· Describe how the business continuity or disaster recovery plan (or both) will be implemented, reviewed, and tested.

· A list of emergency contact information including name, position/title, phone, email and cell phone

· A list of the Vendor’s building location(s) that would be available to serve the Commonwealth during an emergency.

· A description of the areas of Massachusetts that the Vendor could supply in the event of an emergency (e.g., Entire State, Specific City or Region)

Design requirements:

DCR expects the transition to a modernized payment environment to be frictionless as possible for staff and visitors. Vendor must offer a contactless solution that has an intuitive user interface to facilitate payment processing.

· Offer multiple language options for the agency’s diverse patrons

· Be compatible with Android and iOS devices

· Have a responsive browser design

· Allow multiple payment options, including Discover, Mastercard, and Visa. DCR does not accept American Express

· Accept contactless payment options, including mobile wallet payments

· Allow users the ability to review payment before submission

· Notify patrons of time expiration when parked in time restricted areas

· Prevent transactions on days specified by DCR

· Support different hours of operation, rate codes and time restrictions as defined by DCR staff

· Allow customer to view booking fee prior to purchasing parking

· Support purchases of annual and senior passes

· Adhere to ADA compliance requirements

· Integrate with existing parking management systems

· Allow DCR the ability to issue refunds up to 90 days following the transaction via the vendors software

· Offer a comprehensive financial backend reporting tool

· Ability to support hourly, daily, annual, and specialty passes/permits Reporting:

Vendor will supply DCR with a robust back-office parking analytics tool that will allow the agency to drill down on a per transaction level and to monitor transactions in real-time. The reporting tool shall be accessible to authorized personnel from a web-enabled device. Reporting requirements include:

· User friendly financial, technical, and administrative tools.

· Parking Data

· Number of transactions, organized by rate structure

· Total parking revenue

· Demand statistics and utilization rate

· Historical data

· Vehicle counts

· Customer transactions report

· Report should include date, time, duration, primary location, form of payment, and vehicle license plate

· Repeat customer data

· Ability to filter data based on location, hour, day, transaction amount

· Ability to export reports to multiple file formats: excel, pdf, csv, etc.

· Ad-hoc reporting

· Adjustment, refund and void capabilities Administrative Permissions Hierarchy Vendor shall provide a solution with customizable administrative user permission settings to access system and reporting functions. Access levels must be customizable to the individual user level. Access levels shall be customizable to each location within a user profile, with the capability to select multiple locations in any configuration.

At a minimum, permission levels shall include:

· View Only (Anonymized data)

· Park Operations (Frontline staff)

· Park Supervisor

· Ranger/Enforcement Staff

· Administrative – Financial Data

· Administrative – Business Operations (includes customer data reports)

· Full Administrative

Marketing:

DCR seeks to promote the adoption of the agency’s contactless solution to improve patrons parking experience at parks and facilities. The vendor shall create a marketing plan outlining community engagement. Marketing plan should include, signage, decals, flyers, etc.

Vendor shall provide examples of marketing materials created for clients similar in size and scope to DCR.

Credit card and Debit card Processing (Mobile payment only):

To gain an understanding of the various credit card fee structures offered, vendors shall list any and all fees associated with credit and debit card processing. Vendors shall clearly identify merchant processing rates and shall note whether rates are based on a flat or variable rate structure.

Please provide an example using the table below of fees associated with a parking transaction of $1.25 per hour Fees will be based on the following:

a. Vendor provides credit card processing and gateway services

b. Agency serves as Merchant of Record using agency’s credit processor & vendor serves as gateway provider.

c. List booking fees that can be passed on to customers

(+) Customer booking fee (c)

Total parking fee paid by customer

(-) Credit card processing fee

(-) Gateway fees

(-) Misc. fees

Revenue received by DCR

Revenue received by Vendor

Installation/Implementation Vendor shall provide installation details based on the following:

· Time requirements for on-site staff for system installation needs

· System documentation or manuals

· Anticipated service disruption Training & training materials Vendor shall provide training to the agency’s staff via in person and web-based sessions. Number of sessions will be based on the agency’s needs. The vendor is required to provide additional training as needed resulting from software changes and updates. Vendor is also required to notify the agency of system updates within a reasonable time frame as defined by DCR.

DCR requires the following:

· Initial implementation trainings for rangers, park operations, finance, business operations, IT and any additional staff DCR after contract awarded.

· Train the trainer sessions as deemed necessary by DCR.

· Annual trainings for year-round and seasonal staff.

· One-on-one trainings as requested.

The vendor will provide the agency with both electronic copies of system manuals.

Maintenance agreements and eligibility requirements Bidder will provide and maintain software.

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) Software (include mobile payment system and administrative system access) shall not be inoperable for more than three (3) hours on any given day due to system failure.

Requirements:

· All components of the solution are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

· The solution is operational and available nearly 100% (99.9% up time) of the time with minimal downtime.

· Routine maintenance and updates must be scheduled during non-operational hours, 12:00am – 5:00am Eastern Standard Time.

· Automatic failover process to ensure there is no loss of data or workflow in the event of a primary system failure.

Vendor Response:

· Provide response time guarantee.

· Describe in detail: up time guarantee, including redundancy in facilities and services, geographic separation of physical facilities, and other approaches.

· Describe maintenance and update process specifying any required downtime for routine maintenance and upgrade, and planned hours in Eastern Standard Time.

· Describe all tools used to monitor solution availability as well as ways that incident tracking, notifications, and resolutions are managed.

· Vendors shall outline continuity plan in the event application/payment service is inoperable due to a system wide outage.

Quality

· Vendor to provide access to a live customer service representative 24 hours a day and seven days a week to handle complaints and aid with customer transactions.

SLA Penalties

· Commonwealth retains the right to withhold compensation proportional to service disruption in the event the contracted terms are not met.

See 3.4.3 SECURITY AND PRIVACY for specific service and data security requirements.

Geographic service and delivery areas Service areas to include DCR paid parking facilities statewide, including on-street metered locations.

Disposal services, data erasure, ability to be recycled and end of life requirements Vendor to provide summary of disposal service to be provided at termination or end of contract.

· Data translation and/or transfer

· Data erasure

· e-Recycling and/or other hardware end of life requirements including DCR purchase potential of any loaned hardware.

Statement of Work (SOW) requirements The following Statement of Work is not inclusive of all requirements.

DCR reserves the right to negotiate a final scope of work based on tasks noted below.

The agency is seeking to enhance the current fee collection system for paid parking facilities statewide and will help reduce congestion at park entrances during peak hours by reducing payment processing time. The agency aims to provide a first-class visitor experience by offering a safe and convenient method to purchase hourly and daily parking passes, as well as senior and annual parking passes.

Contactless Payment: The vendor shall provide a robust contactless payment system. The system will provide users the ability to purchase parking passes directly from their smartphone or mobile device. Users will have the option to pay through various methods, including a native application or web-based browser. Interactive voice response system, QR Code or text to pay features are recommended but not required. Vendors shall propose an alternative solution for customers without access to a personal smart-phone device to purchase parking passes.

Key features

· Intuitive user interface

· iOS and Android compatible

· Real-time payment

· Real-time notifications

· Allows multiple vehicles and credit cards under one account

· Accepts Discover, Visa, and MasterCard (Debit, Credit and Prepaid cards)

· Multiple language support

· Responsive Design Responsibilities of the Vendor

Booking Fee: The selected vendor may charge the Agency’s patrons a booking fee for utilizing the service. Booking fees must be clearly communicated during the transaction process and must be deemed reasonable by the agency. Price increases must be approved before implementation.

Hardware: DCR will provide tablets and smartphones for field staff at fee locations as necessary to assist with on-site administration of the parking program. The vendor may propose hardware to allow for operational efficiency on a site-by-site basis.

Annual Passes: It is desirous that the vendor offer a system for purchasing annual passes, including specialty passes such as life-long senior passes, and fee-free passes. The system will eliminate the need for physical passes/hangtags and shall be based on an individual’s license plate. Integration with enforcement solutions listed below to confirm pass validity is required. Vendor shall provide a method for visual and electronic validation of passes and electronic validation; both methods may need to be in use simultaneously across the state due to limited internet access.

Enforcement: Enforcement is primarily conducted by Park Rangers who use a mix of manual tickets, Two Technologies N5Z1 handheld units, and mobile LPR systems. The agency utilizes Passport Labs, Inc. as the backend citation system. Selected vendor must be able to integrate with Passport Labs, Inc. and existing and future parking management systems, including the YODEL Ranger mobile app. Additionally, the vendor shall provide a digital enforcement solution to complement current enforcement operations.

Online Reservations: DCR does not currently offer reserve parking, but should the Agency elect to implement a reserve parking system in the future, the vendor shall (1) offer an intuitive reservation system that allow customers to reserve parking spaces in advance or (2) integrate with the agency’s chosen reservation vendor.

Reporting: Reporting is integral to the overall success of the mobile payment system. Vendor shall provide a comprehensive reporting tool at no additional cost that will allow the agency access to real-time and historical data in a simplified format. Minimum reporting requirements include:

· Daily, monthly and annual revenue segmented by location

· Transaction details

· Inventory utilization

· Exception reports – failed transactions, etc.

Adjustments, refunds and voids should be processed through the back-end financial reporting tool. The vendor will provide assistance in the event DCR is unable to the perform functions previously mentioned.

Training: The vendor will conduct separate training sessions prior to system launch for administrative and operational staff. Number of training sessions will be based on the agency’s needs. Vendor will provide training materials for future reference and will allow the agency the right to reproduce materials as needed.

Customer Service: The agency requires a highly professional customer service support response during operating hours, 7 days a week. Vendor will field all technical questions or concerns from visitors relating to the payment system via a toll-free number and a support email. Vendor will provide a guaranteed response time for requests and an alternative solution should the primary support system become unavailable.

Client Support: A project manager will be assigned to the Agency’s account to oversee the implementation and provide ongoing support. The vendor shall provide an alternative point of contact when project manager is unavailable. DCR shall have access to a dedicated client support line.

Use of customer data: Vendor shall not engage in unsolicited communications with customers and are prohibited from selling customer data. All Data and rights of data generated from the Vendor’s system shall be the sole ownership of DCR. The Vendor shall provide DCR with data in an .XLSX, XML or CSV file format when request and/or upon contract termination.

Maintenance: The vendor will be responsible for all maintenance and repair, security patches and upgrades to the system. The agency requires written notice at least 24-hours in advance of critical system upgrades. The agency requires an uptime of 99.9%.

Marketing/Signage: Marketing is vital to raise awareness to the agency’s new system. The vendor shall create a marketing plan outlining community engagement. All marketing and signage, including decals and flyers must be approved by agency. Vendor will provide initial signage, decals and flyers at no cost to agency.

Work Schedules and Performance Dates:

The agency aims to implement the payment system in the City of Cambridge no later than the second quarter of 2022 , and may elect to expand service to other parking facilities in the future. Vendor shall outline execution strategy to meet objectives based on the following:

Data Collection Phase: Vendor will analyze the agency’s operations. Agency to provide details of each location- space counts, peak season, etc.

Set-up Phase: System Development; create naming convention for each location Testing Phase: Vendor to conduct necessary system testing; identify and correct possible issues Training Phase: Vendor to provide training for administrative and operational staff prior to launch LaunchQ2 2022.

Implementation Schedule: Bidder shall provide a summary schedule for implementation and trainings. Schedule must include an estimated time frame for completion in hours, days, or weeks as applicable. Schedule shall also include the following processes at a minimum, bidders are welcome to include additional processes if desired.

· Software design & creation

· Hardware acquisition (if required)

· On-site installation (if required)

· Custom report creation

· Marketing and signage design

· Training – Primary users (rangers, gate staff, park operations)

· Training – Administrative users (finance, business operations, IT)

Scheduled payments

Payment: All parking revenue collected shall be deposited in the agency’s bank account daily following the industry standards of same day or next day processing. Vendor shall provide DCR with the means to reconcile transactions for accuracy.

Invoicing: At the start of each month, vendor shall submit an invoice detailing the service fees associated with all valid transactions from the previous month. Vendor shall provide invoice via email and make accessible through a web portal, along with invoicing history. Payments from the Commonwealth are made on a net 45-day basis.

Change Management Procedures

Vendor will collaborate with the agency to acquire necessary information to migrate data from existing vendor. The agency will provide contacts and will serve as liaison between the agency’s current service provider and the new vendor.

Should the agency decide to transition to a different vendor in the future, the current vendor is required to submit a transition plan, and work with the new provider to ensure a smooth changeover. During the process, vendor is required to maintain a consistent level of service so that the agency’s operation is not impacted and is required to provide the new provider with all requested data. Vendor will be available to assist the agency post separation.

Intellectual Property Ownership

Any intellectual property developed under the Contract belongs to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

All data and rights of data generated from the system shall be the sole ownership of the agency. The vendor shall provide the agency with data in XML or CSV file format when requested and/or upon contract termination.

Requirements at Contract or engagement termination The selected vendor’s full cooperation is required to assure smooth transition, transfer of data to new Vendor, buyout of materials or equipment put in place by selected vendor. There are no restrictions on new Vendor hiring old Vendor’s employees, overlapping of Contract time frames, knowledge transfer, allowing for a rolling transfer approach.

Information Technology Specifications

Accounting and Payments

Accounting Requirements Authorized users to perform basic accounting.

Requirements:

· Basic accounting procedures for tracking fees paid, reconciling fees with license purchases, bank deposits, and fund allocations—in particular, the solution must support Generally Accepted Account Principles (GAAP) to ensure auditability.

· Periodic review of license sales information via all sales channels, including a means to verify proper transfer of revenue to DCR’s bank accounts.

· Authorized users have capability to void licenses, permits, and stamps under certain circumstances within a time period.

· The solution generates an audit trail for all transactions, ensuring the audit information cannot be physically altered or deleted. Financial accuracy throughout the system must be to the nearest penny. Counts and sums of privileges, customers, transaction, etc. must be precise to the whole number. Averages and other mathematical relationships must be accurate to the nearest hundredth.

Vendor Response:

· Describe basic accounting practices of the solution.

· Describe options for making periodic reviews of license sales information.

· Describe transaction audit trail.

Credit Card & Electronic Payment Transactions Credit card, mobile wallet pay, and other electronic payment methods are a secure and authenticated means of payment for all transactions.

Requirements:

· Credit card, mobile wallet pay, and/or alternate secure electronic payment processing for all transactions.

· Secure authentication and validation of payment credentials for MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express, mobile pay and/or other electronic payment methods.

· Maintain in accordance with Comptroller electronic payment policies, all payment processing must adhere to Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards.

Protection of Personal Data and Information. The Vendor must comply with Commonwealth Security Standards, available at https://www.macomptroller.org/non-tax-revenue, including the most recent policies regarding PCI compliance, available at https://www.powerdms.com/public/MAComptroller/documents/1779482

· Solution vendor must be PCI compliant and be able to document their PCI compliancy to DCR on an ongoing basis.

Vendor Response:

· Describe options related to credit card processing within the software solution

· Describe options related to mobile pay (iOS & Android) and any alternate electronic payment methods accepted.

· Describe security protocols for credit card & mobile wallet payment processing

Revenue Flow DCR executes EFT transactions through an Automated Clearing House.

Requirements:

· EFT transaction execution through an Automated Clearing House (ACH) on a pre-determined internal schedule Vendor Response:

· Describe how EFT transactions are executed through an ACH

Information Technology and Support The selected Vendor is responsible for configuring, maintaining, and delivering a SaaS solution. The following requirements pertain to solution and data security, solution performance and availability, and application accessibility.

For each requirement listed below, indicate the level of your product’s adherence to the requirement as fully meets requirement, partially meets requirement, or does not meet requirement. Include any additional details to explain how the product meets the requirement.

Data backup and Recovery Data loss is mitigated by recovery point objective (RPO) and recovery time objective (RTO) procedures.

Requirement:

· Vendor has backup procedures and services to minimize data loss in the event of an application or data crash, or other system failure.

Vendor Response:

· Describe provided backup services.

· Indicate how the proposed solution will prevent loss of data with any combination of rollback, failover, mirroring, and redundancy.

· Describe all notification procedures if a loss should occur.

Infrastructure Sufficient for Peak Processing The software solution infrastructure supports peak processing during DCR peak park visitation seasons. Approximately 500,000 day-use parking passes were sold in 2019, an estimated 83% of which were purchased during the 3 month period between June-August.

Requirement:

· The solution supports increased numbers of connections and transactions without requiring programming changes (e.g. adding disk space, processors, memory, or bandwidth).

Vendor Response:

· Showcase previous instances of peak processing time with other clients to the best of your ability.

· Describe the approach to periodic performance testing as well as any ongoing system monitoring.

Solution Performance Ensure customer satisfaction by providing fast processing of transaction requests.

Requirement:

· The average licensing transactions are simple, efficient, and expeditious.

Vendor Response:

· Describe how the system is designed to minimize transaction times.

· Define transaction components and estimate associated transaction times for all sales channels.

Security and Privacy

Protection of Personal Data and Information As provided in the Commonwealth’s Standard Contract, the selected Vendor is obligated to ensure security and confidentiality of all Commonwealth Data for which the Vendor becomes the holder. The Vendor is required to manage customer personally identifiable, device identifying, and financial information in a secure manner that ensures customer privacy. The vendor is prohibited from marketing to or using any data acquired in part under the contract with DCR in any way and shall not share such data with affiliates or any other part.

Requirements:

· Ensure the security and confidentiality of all data, either as part of performance or inadvertently during performance.

· It is the responsibility of the vendor to ensure restriction of access, use, and disbursement of personal data and information under.

· Vendor assumes responsibility for protecting data & undertaking remedial steps under 93H if there is a breach.

· Security Breaches—MGL c. 93H, malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXV/Chapter93h;

· Fair Information Practices—MGL c.66A, malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleX/Chapter66a;

· Commonwealth’s Enterprise Security Policies and Standards, www.mass.gov/handbook/enterprise-information-security-policies-and-standards

Vendor Response:

· Describe policies for ensuring data privacy.

· Describe how users can be sure their information is secure.

· Describe protections that prevent the use of customer information for any other purposes or the ability to sell to third parties.

· Describe remediation procedures in the event of a data security breach.

Data and Solution Security The software solution has full end-to-end security from illegal access by unauthorized users.

Requirements:

· All data—particularly applicant and payment information—is encrypted throughout all transaction processes.

· As highlighted in 3.4.1 CREDIT CARD & ELECTRONIC PAYMENT TRANSACTIONS, the solution is certified as meeting the latest PCI compliance standards and thereafter maintained in accordance with such standards.

· Solution ability to establish and maintain authentication records for all user groups (customers, POS agents, and agency personnel).

· Ability to leverage the Commonwealth’s SAML provided for authentication of agency personnel.

· Periodic user password changes enforced where and when applicable.

Vendor Response:

· Describe overall approach to security—all services must at a minimum meet all requirements of the Enterprise Information Security Policies and Standards outlined in 3.4.3 PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA AND INFORMATION.

· List all security certifications, as well as monitoring and review of security procedures.

· Describe security maintenance of hardware and software.

· Describe the process that ensures that relevant security patches and antivirus software are installed and up to date.

Accessibility The proposed solution must provide equal access to all users.

Requirements:

· Accessibility from a mobile phone (iOS and Android), tablet, and computer.

· Accessibility to all browsers that account for over 2% of mass.gov site traffic—at the time of this document, the minimum supported browser list includes IE12, Edge 18, Chrome 79, Safari 12, and Firefox 72

· The solution meets the Commonwealth Enterprise Accessibility Requirements, www.mass.gov/guides/enterprise-it-accessibility-standards, which describe the Commonwealth’s accessibility standards and processes, including the Vendor’s obligations:

· Conduct accessibility testing prior to submitting deliverables.

· Cooperate with the Commonwealth and any third-party vendors engaged by the Commonwealth in carrying out the accessibility process.

· Vendors are responsible for the accessibility of any materials or software that they or their subcontractors create, and for any modifications or configurations that they or their subcontractors make.

· Vendors are not responsible for the accessibility of third-party software products, unless Vendors propose or provide such products.

Vendor Response:

·…