Route_and_Optimization_Software_(Addendum_#2_Revision).pdf

RFP- 24 - 043

ROUTE AND OPTIMIZATION SOFTWARE

City of St. Petersburg

P.O. Box 2842

St. Petersburg, FL 33731

RELEASE DATE: January 2, 2024

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: January 23, 2024

RESPONSE DEADLINE: February 1, 2024, 3:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/stpete

City of St. Petersburg

Route and Optimization Software

I. Introduction

II. Solicitation Information

III. Evaluation Criteria

IV. Vendor Questionnaire

V. Scope of Work

VI. General Terms

VII. Special Terms: Service Contract Exceeding $200k

VIII. Insurance

Attachments:

A - Base Agreement

B - Sanitation Requirements

C - Table References

D - Appendix B - Price Summary

#RFP- 24 - 043

Title: Route and Optimization Software

1. Introduction

1.1. Summary

The City of St. Petersburg (City) is seeking a qualified vendor to provide and maintain a cloud-based, real-time routing, optimization, service verification, and customer service system for the Sanitation

Department.

1.2. Background

The Sanitation Department provides full-service, Trash and Cardboard Recycling Commercial service, automated Residential municipal solid waste (MSW), automated recycling, rear loader recycling, rear loader bulk waste, claw truck bulk waste, lot clearing, rodent control, dead animals, and graffiti abatement.

Residential Sanitation services approximately 90,000 residential homes, front load commercial MSW and recycling service to an estimated 6,461 businesses, and roll-off MSW, construction and demolition

(C&D), and recycling service to 250 customers. This is completed through a network of 296 routes that utilize 102 trucks every week.

In fiscal year (FY) 2023 the Sanitation Department collected 343,856 tons of MSW, Recycling and bulk waste. The Sanitation Department employs 215 full-time employees to include drivers, supervisors, office support and managers.

1.3. Contact Information

Kristie Maciejewski Procurement Analyst Email: kristie.maciejewski@stpete.org Phone: (727) 893-7030

Department:

Sanitation

1.4. Timeline

*Timeline is subject to change

Solicitation Published January 2, 2024

Pre-Proposal Meeting (Non-Mandatory) January 17, 2024, 10:00am Municipal Services Building Conference Room 500 One 4th Street North St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Deadline for Questions January 23, 2024, 3:00pm mailto:kristie.maciejewski@stpete.org tel:(727)893-7030

Deadline for Submittals February 1, 2024, 3:00pm

Evaluation/Shortlisting February 14, 2024, 1:00pm Municipal Services Building DoTS Room 1 (2nd Floor) One 4th Street North St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Oral Presentations February 28, 2024, 10:00am Municipal Services Building Conference Room 800 One 4th Street North St. Petersburg, FL 33701

BAFO March 12, 2024

Anticipated Recommendation of Award to

City Council

May 2, 2024

2. Solicitation Information

2.1. Submission or Receipt of Proposal

Proposals will be received through the City’s online bidding system no later than 3:00 pm on Thursday, February 1, 2024.

2.2. Standard for Award

The City will award to one vendor whose proposal is determined in writing to be the most advantageous to the City, taking into consideration the price and the evaluation criteria set forth in this solicitation. All awards are contingent on the Vendor meeting the minimum qualifications outlined in this solicitation.

The City reserves the right, at any time, to evaluate more vendors for inclusion on the list of approved vendors. All Vendors must meet the minimum qualifications outlined in this solicitation.

2.3. Selection Process

A. Short-Listing. Where there are multiple responsive proposals to the solicitation, a short-listing of two or more Vendors may be made. Negotiations as outlined in City Code Section 2-209(g) will begin with the selected Vendors on the short-list. If there is only one responsive proposal, negotiations may proceed with a single Vendor.

B. Negotiations. The City may conduct discussions (negotiations) with short-listed Vendors to clarify and understand proposals and to provide responses to post-proposal opening and modifications to the solicitation specifications that are in the best interest of the City and that do not significantly change the scope or purpose of the project for which the solicitation was issued

(“negotiation subjects”). During the negotiation process, short-listed Vendors will be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for discussion and revision of proposals related to negotiation subjects for the purpose of preparing their best and final offer which may be requested and received by the City prior to the conclusion of the negotiation process. If modifications are made as a result of these discussions, they will be put in writing. Following discussions, the City may set a time and date for the best and final offers from those Offerors with whom discussions were held. Proposals may be reevaluated after receipt of the best and final offers.

C. Award without Discussion. The City may award the Agreement on the basis of initial proposals received, without discussions. Therefore, each initial proposal should contain the Vendor’s best terms in relation to all relevant evaluation criteria.

2.4. Submittal Requirements

Instructions: The RFP must include the following information in the order listed. Please upload responses to the following in one continuous PDF labeled as “Proposal Requirements – Submittal Response”

A. Transmittal Letter

Offerors must submit a transmittal letter (maximum two pages) on the firm’s letterhead. It must be signed by a representative of the offeror who is authorized to sign such material and to commit the offeror to the https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/stpete/projects/71890 obligations contained in the offer. The transmittal letter must include the name, address, phone number and e-mail address for the offeror’s contact, and must specify who would be the firm’s signatory to any contract documents executed with the City. The transmittal letter may include other information deemed relevant by the offeror.

B. Project Team

Describe the team that will be working to complete the Scope of Services, including position titles and roles of the individuals assigned to those roles. Provide the breakdown of time on- versus off- site and the notice required to have staff available for on-site consultation.

C. Organization Chart

Provide organization chart showing: (a) reporting relationships and responsibilities of the offeror and any other firms (b) reporting relationships and responsibilities of all key personnel (along with their firm affiliations)

D. Key Personnel

a) Provide resumes for all key personnel in the RFP. Limit resumes to two pages per individual and include:

i. Academic and professional qualifications

ii. Professional registration (as applicable)

iii. Experience as it relates to the project and to the individual's specified role on the project.

b) Provide a detailed resume of the offeror's project manager, at least one substitute project manager, and other key individuals on the project team. The proposed project manager and the proposed substitute shall have a minimum of three (3) years of applicable experience and shall remain with the projects throughout the term of the City's standard agreement. The project manager shall not be replaced or substituted without the prior approval of the City. The City may request a personal interview with the short-listed firm's proposed project managers. The key project manager or their approved substitutes shall be available for all meetings. Experience included on the resume must be limited to projects completed within the past five(5) years.

E. Experience

The proposal must describe the performance history and experience of the project team on similar projects.

F. Past Project Experience and References

a) Past Project Experience. The offeror should identify project experience similar to services identified in this RFP. Experience included must be limited to projects completed within the past three (3) years. At a minimum, the project description should include the following:

i. client name and description of the project/or services

ii. description of project

iii. staff assigned to reference engagement that will be designated for work per the RFP

iv. the client’s project manager name, e-mail address and telephone number.

b) Previous and current work for City of St. Petersburg. List projects, dates and contract amounts. Do not use attachments or references.

c) References. A list of three (3) clients, to include at least two (2) Florida government clients, contact persons for whom the firm or individual has recently provided services similar in nature to the services identified in this RFP. Provide the client’s name; nature of project; and client project manager name, e-mail address and telephone number.

G. Project Approach

The offeror should identify the process utilized on other significant projects as well as the process envisioned for the services identified in this RFP. The proposer should also include within the project approach the process envisioned to interface with the City through the Project Manager.

H. Proposal

Proposal In this section the offeror must describe the plan and process for performing the scope of work.

a) Display the proposed project schedule of the task described in the Statement of Work, including planning meetings, progress reviews, implementation, and final report.

b) Describe the project plan and process for performing the scope of services. The project plan should include key activities, deadlines, and deliverables required to complete the scope of services, organized in a logical, easy-to- follow manner.

I. Fee Summary

Each offeror shall submit a completed copy of the fee summary (See Appendix B: Fee Summary), with information regarding the fee for the survey work and associated reports.

J. Acceptance of Base Agreement

In this section, list any exceptions taken to the attached Base Agreement, specifications, or other requirements listed in this solicitation. You must reference the solicitation section where exception is taken, a description of the exception, and the proposed alternative, if any. The Base Agreement and all terms, conditions, specifications and other requirements of this solicitation shall be deemed accepted by the offeror unless excepted to in accordance with this section.

3. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based solely on the following evaluation criteria:

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Experience of firm to include the ability to meet the intent and scope or services for the program

Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

2. Qualification and technical competence Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

3. Capacity to accomplish the work Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

4. Past Performance on similar contracts Points Based 15 (15% of Total)

5. Cost or price Points Based 10 (10% of Total)

4. Vendor Questionnaire

4.1. General Information

4.1.1. Is the Vendor registered with the Florida Department of State, Division of

Corporations (Sunbiz) in accordance with Florida Statute §607.1501?* ☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.2. Address for Headquarters location.*

*Response required

4.1.3. Address of office providing service, if different than above.

4.1.4. Contact Information for Contact Person.*

This person must be capable of committing the company to an agreement with the City.

• Name

• Title

• Phone

• Email

*Response required

4.1.5. Description of nature of company’s business.*

*Response required

4.1.6. Year the Company was Founded.*

*Response required

4.1.7. Number of years company has operated under the current name.* *Response required

4.1.8. Number of year company has been in the present business.* *Response required

4.1.9. Company’s bank of record.*

*Response required

4.1.10. Describe any litigation that the vendor has been a party to in the last five years where it was alleged that the offeror breached a contract for similar services with a client/customer and describe any contracts for similar services that the vendor failed to complete for similar services. Describe the facts and status of any such litigation or contract. * Type N/A if not applicable.

*Response required

4.1.11. Identify any government entity that has debarred or otherwise prohibited the vendor from responding to its competitive solicitations within the last five years. Describe the circumstances surrounding such debarment or other prohibition. * Type N/A if not applicable.

*Response required

4.1.12. The vendor acknowledges that it has read, understands and will comply with

Florida Statute §448.095 pertaining to required use of the U.S. Department of

Homeland Security E-Verify system. Should the City terminate the contract with the vendor for violation of §448.095, vendor may not be awarded a contract with the City for at least one year.* ☐ Please confirm

*Response required

4.1.13. The vendor acknowledges that its solicitation response is subject to Public

Records laws (Chapter 119, Florida Statutes).* ☐ Please confirm

*Response required

4.1.14. Will vendor allow other agencies to piggyback the contract if awarded?* ☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.15. The vendor hereby makes all certifications required by Florida Statute

§287.135 related to scrutinized companies.* ☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.16. Is vendor required to provide any disclosures to the City regarding a foreign country of concern pursuant to Florida Statutes §286.101 (3)(a)? * ☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.17. If YES, please provide the disclosure(s) in accordance with the requirements of

Florida Statute §286.101 (3)(a).

4.1.18. The vendor certifies that it takes no exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation.* ☐ Yes

☐ No

4.1.19. If exceptions are taken, specify in space below.

4.1.20. Has the vendor identified any trade secrets or confidential information in its solicitation response?* ☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

4.1.21. If yes to the above question, please upload your redacted proposal here.

4.2. Proposal Information

4.2.1. Technical Proposal*

*Response required

4.2.2. Cost Proposal*

*Response required

4.3. Service Contracts

4.3.1. Does vendor employ more than 50 full time employees?*

☐ Yes

☐ No

5. Scope of Work

5.1. Project Intent

The City of St. Petersburg (City) is seeking a qualified vendor to provide and maintain a cloud-based, real-time routing, optimization, service verification, and customer service system for the

Sanitation Department.

The technology will be used to:

• Monitor the City's Solid Waste Divisions collections operations in order to further increase operational efficiency;

• Provide route information and direction to City drivers;

• Optimize collections operations, routing and establish integrated systems (GIS mapping and route optimization);

• Monitor fleet and truck performance;

• Provide “real-time” collection data via a remote management tool;

• Improve customer service and driver safety; and

• Provide data insights to advance the City’s solid waste and diversion goals.

The data collected through the information system should lead to better forecasts for budgets, assist in identifying current and future routing and equipment needs, and simplify the production of monthly, quarterly, and annual reports. The software must be easy to deploy and able to integrate effectively with other software utilized by the City.

While technology will be installed in the City’s fleet to give drivers the ability to report and flag issues in the field, direct interaction from drivers should not be required for most data collection.

The City should be able to automatically collect data with little interference in day-to-day truck operations.

Proposals should include sufficient information to assess the proposing vendor’s capability to meet the requirements for this project.

5.2. Background

The Sanitation Department provides full-service, Trash and Cardboard Recycling Commercial service, automated Residential municipal solid waste (MSW), automated recycling, rear loader recycling, rear loader bulk waste, claw truck bulk waste, lot clearing, rodent control, dead animals, and graffiti abatement.

Residential Sanitation services approximately 90,000 residential homes, front load commercial

MSW and recycling service to an estimated 6,461 businesses, and roll-off MSW, construction and demolition (C&D), and recycling service to 250 customers. This is completed through a network of 296 routes that utilize 102 trucks every week.

The proposed system will replace those currently used in our Commercial division and Residential recycling and will be implemented in the remaining fleet. Routes are currently developed for a ten

(10) hour day as drivers work four (4) days per week for Residential and a six (6) day work week for Commercial with a seventh (7th) day added at a future date. Roll-off routes are developed manually each day. The Sanitation Department operates out of the City’s Joseph E. Savage

Complex located at 2001 28th St. N, St. Petersburg, Florida 33713.

In fiscal year (FY) 2023 the Sanitation Department collected 343,856 tons of MSW, Recycling and bulk waste. The Sanitation Department employs 215 full-time employees to include drivers, supervisors, office support and managers.

Collections Fleet

The solid waste collection fleet consists of:

• Forty-eight (48) automated residential side loaders

• Sixteen (16) rear loaders

• Sixteen (16) commercial front-end loaders.

• Twelve (12) roll-offs

• Five (5) crane trucks

• Five (5) pick-up trucks

Vehicle maintenance and repairs are typically performed in-house by the City, with some work contracted out as needed. Communication with and among drivers and other staff occurs via two-way radio system. Sideload vehicles have one (1) driver per one (1) vehicle, rear loaders one (1) driver and one (1) helper, one (1) commercial frontload route with one (1) driver and one (1) spotter, and Roll-off one (1) driver per one (1) vehicle.

Collections Service

Residential – Residential MSW collection occurs twice per week for each service address (Monday

– Thursday or Tuesday - Friday). Once per week service is offered as is disabled tub-out (the driver manually retrieves the container, empties it, and returns it to the side of the residence). Residential recycling occurs every other week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) alternating with an

A and B schedule. (Disabled tub-out is offered for Recycling services as well.) The City offers three (3) cart sizes for Residential MSW (300 gallon, 90 gallon, or 65 gallon). The 90 gallon is the predominant size cart. Residential recycling utilizes a 95 gallon container.

The city uses RFID software to track activity and location of Residential recycling carts. The proposed system must support the existing RFID tags currently used in the carts.

Commercial Front Load – Commercial front load MSW collection occurs up to six (6) days a week (Monday - Saturday). Commercial front load cardboard recycling collection occurs up to five

(5) days a week (Monday – Friday). There are seven (7) container sizes for commercial front load service both compacted and uncompacted:

• One (1) cubic yard front load

• Two (2) cubic yard front load

• Three (3) cubic yard front load

• Four (4) cubic yard front load

• Six (6) cubic yard front load

• Eight (8) cubic yard front load

• Ten (10) cubic yard front load

Commercial Roll Off. Commercial roll-off collection occurs up to six (6) days per week (Monday

– Saturday). This work is a mix of compactors and open top containers. The work is fifty (50) percent permanently scheduled and fifty (50) percent call in. Container sizes are as follows:

• Ten (10) cubic yard open top

• Twenty (20) cubic yard open top

• Thirty (30) cubic yard open top

• Forty (40) cubic yard open top

• Ten (10) cubic yard compactor

• Twenty (20) cubic yard compactor

• Thirty (30) cubic yard compactor

• Thirty-five (35) cubic yard compactor

• Forty (40) cubic yard compactor

• Fifteen (15) cubic yard compactor

• Twenty-five (25) cubic yard compactor

• Thirty-eight (38) cubic yard compactor

Container Maintenance

Physical ID number, RFID number, composition, type, and size. System should automate the update of the container location when delivered or removed.

Tables 1 and 2 provide an overview of the Sanitation Department's current operations and service levels.

Current Environment

A. Application Systems Overview

• The City’s application architecture is characterized by a multitude of systems and manual processes to support its business functions. Oracle E-Business is our Financial system which is interfaced to Tyler Technologies, and other internal and external peripheral systems. Many of these interfaces are daily scheduled jobs, and manual inputs or uploads from City staff, which greatly limits efficiency, effectiveness and the timely availability of information.

B. Electronic Document Management

• The main electronic document management system (EDMS) utilized by the City is Questys. It houses the digitally scanned documents from the operational departments and is an integral part of daily workflows.

C. Current Infrastructure and Technical Environment

• As part of the City’s assessment, the following technical areas were examined to identify any challenges that could inhibit the new system’s effective installation, deployment, and use. The proposed system needs to comply with these standards and integrate with the hardware already used by the City.

5.3. Scope of Work

The City intends to hire a single vendor for this project. However, nothing contained herein shall be construed as entitlement to a single award or a non-exclusive contract. All work performed and deliverables provided to the City must conform to the requirements of this RFP.

The selected vendor shall be expected to:

A. Furnish all supervision, labor, materials, tools, supplies, equipment and transportation required to implement the technology;

B. Be responsible for providing and installing all necessary hardware and peripherals;

C. Perform necessary technical work to ensure all routes are entered into the system;

D. Ensure City drivers/vehicles are supplied necessary equipment; and

E. Ensure City personnel are trained to use the system.

The vendors software should communicate information in real time to a main portal or dashboard that can be accessed by varying levels of City staff, including customer service support staff, drivers, supervisors, and managers.

Data outputs shall include, at minimum, the following:

• Service confirmations with “time stamped” service delivery;

• A map of all vehicles and their locations in real-time;

• Daily insights into how trucks, routes, or drivers are performing;

• Directions for drivers to specific points and disposal facilities, including a return to route feature;

• Transit time estimates;

• A portal to view data by varying levels of staff; and

• Routing optimization recommendations as requested by the City.

In addition, the system shall be expected to:

• Provide drivers the ability to log into routes and include all customer information and route addresses;

• Provide drivers the ability to report and flag issues while in the field, generally limiting driver interaction for safety reasons;

• Provide a chronological history of customer service and interactions;

• Provide directional insight that will produce actionable suggestions for future improved efficiency in truck routing and other important features, such as vehicle drive patterns, fuel use, speeding instances, hard braking, hard acceleration, hard turning, etc.;

• Serve as a measure for preventive maintenance for truck repair and be able to track vehicle fault codes, revealing engine issues, fluid leaks, or equipment breakdowns.

• Geographic Information System (GIS) integration with the City of St. Petersburg Esri platform is required. Open Representational State Transfer (REST) services integration will allow for sharing and integration of map data which is the preferred method of integration;

• Route Planning software must be compatible to work with Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Google

Chrome web browsers; and

• Provide a mobile application that is compatible with iOS or Android mobile devices.

• Must be able to generate routes, automatically renumber the routes when a stop is inserted into the route.

• Confirmations should indicate through GPS and RFID that the container was dumped into the truck, not only that the truck was in the vicinity.

• This same activity should verify that we have identified in our records the correct container for this location. An exception should be generated for incorrect containers.

• A portal to view data by varying levels of staff.

• Ability for the drivers to report and flag issues while in the field, generally limiting driver interaction for safety reasons; system to provide for a truck/driver camera function.

• Commercial solid waste, Residential solid waste and Recycling camera function should be activated by the driver and capture the anomaly e.g., overloaded container, container not out, container blocked, container damaged, bulky items present, inspection needed.

• Provide a chronological history of customer service and interactions.

• Provide driver a tool for disposal ticket scan or input.

• Must integrate with the Tyler Technologies billing and collection solution.

• Must retain location history and customer history for last seven years.

Container Management

• An exception should be generated when a container is serviced outside of the scheduled service.

• An exception should be generated when a container is serviced without a work request.

• Provide container Inventory tracking.

• Automatically generate a report for all roll-offs that have not been serviced in 14 days.

Work Orders

• Must have a work order system that will track and record solid waste service and other services provided by the department e.g., rodent control (must maintain treatment history for 5 years), dead animal pick-up, graffiti abatement, shopping cart collection, bulky item collection, special collections, etc. Work order must indicate if the material is in the alley or curbside, what generated the work order (call-in, inspector survey, SeeClickFix etc.)

• Work order system will be used to generate routes for special collections on a daily changing schedule. Routes will be set up both by location and the various equipment used to collect the items.

• Work orders created for inspectors should use the GIS system to assign the correct inspector for that given area.

• Work orders created at locations that fall within designated zones or neighborhoods should be assigned automatically when created based on their location within the pre-defined geographic boundaries.

Interfaces and Migration Plan

The proposed sanitation system will need to extract/interface with the following city systems.

Note: If an application listed in the table below is recommended to be replaced by the Vendor, the Vendor must fully explain why the replacement should be considered as part of the proposal.

Proposers must be able to provide knowledge and timely product support. The awarded proposer will be responsible for providing ongoing use and technical support via telephone and email

("Technical Support") 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 265 days per year. Support will include any research and resolution activity performed by Vendor. The support must be available in a variety of areas including, but not limited to, addressing product inquiries and product errors in a timely manner, and providing documentation for product upgrades and using client feedback to determine product enhancement priorities.

Attachment B - "Sanitation Requirements" contains technical functionality that is desired by the

City.

The following types of City employees will require training:

A. Customer service support staff;

B. Operators (e.g., drivers);

C. Supervisors and management staff; and

D. Information technology & analyst staff.

E. Sanitation fleet maintenance staff

The following City employees will require user rights for the office system:

A. Nine(9) Managers;

B. Twenty-two (22) office staff including Supervisors;

C. Two (2) Finance staff; and

D. Two (2) Information technology staff.

5.4. Implementation

This RFP Section contains general and specific requirements related to the performance of the proposed system, both at the point of system acceptance and throughout the life of the contract between the City of St. Petersburg and the Vendor.

System Acceptance will occur in phases as various milestones identified in the implementation plan and agreed to by the City are reached. The Vendors implementation plan must clearly define the hardware and software deliverables, tasks or other criteria associated with each milestone.

1. Testing

A sample test plan will be provided with each proposal. The successful Vendor must, as one of the early milestones, submit a test plan for the City’s approval. The test plan must document how each of the functional specifications are to be tested, the method of verifying the results, and the expected results. The test plan must also include test scenarios that allows for the system (integrated hardware/software) to operate under a simulated test situation.

The performance requirements specified in this RFP must be met before the system is accepted.

Vendor is to specify any requirements it has for performance testing.

The Vendor must prepare a plan for correcting failures in any part of the system. Said plan must include reasonable remedies for the City to exercise if failures are not corrected in a timely manner.

Performance testing must include full testing of all interfaces to the system.

2. System Acceptance

The following specifications apply to the requirements for the City’s acceptance of the

Vendor’s system after phase in begins.

The City expects the starting date for the project to be immediately following the execution of the contract.

Beginning with the first day after the completion of each phase (phases will be specified in the implementation plan) that the proposed system phase is operational and available to the

City for testing; an acceptance test will be conducted for thirty consecutive calendar days

(the Acceptance Period).

During the Acceptance Period, the proposed system will undergo a live test that confirms the configuration, data conversion, performance and reliability requirements using the mix of users, applications, and functions as described in this RFP.

Installation: Vendor will provide installation of all necessary hardware in all service vehicles. Vendor will also provide adequate spare hardware for expansion of the existing fleet and repairs as needed.

During the installation phase, Vendor will train Sanitation and Fleet personnel how to properly install and troubleshoot the hardware associated with the system. Costs for all components of the system will be included in the proposal. For planning purposes, please include an installation time estimate. Installations will be performed by division (Commercial, Recycling, Residential, etc.) and completed before advancing to the next division unless otherwise stated in the proposal. All hardware and installations shall be warranted for a period of at least one year.

c. Training

Vendor shall be able to provide in person and web-based training utilizing a train-the-trainer for all levels of users of the system (administrators, managers, supervisors, drivers, and customer service personnel). The City anticipates approximately 25 to 50 end users who will train other city staff. Vendor must include a plan for how this knowledge transfer will occur and indicate any advance knowledge or technical certification needed by City staff before the knowledge transfer can occur.

5.5. Support Services

The following specification describes the support requirements for Vendor’s Services following the City’s formal acceptance of the Services and throughout the life of the contract between the

City and the Vendor.

A. Provide telephone and email support (“Technical Support”) 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year. Support will include any research and resolution activity performed by

Vendor.

B. City will access support by calling or emailing Vendor’s Technical Support staff or by submitting a request via Vendor’s customer service web portal.

C. Incident Resolution Process.

The City needs to understand the typical process that will be followed by the Vendor in order to troubleshoot a user support call. Provide the location of your primary support center, trouble ticket system used, incident analysis tools used (i.e., SolarWinds, OpenView) and what support groups (i.e., application software, database, infrastructure) are involved in the resolution of a support call.

1. Do the support specialists have direct physical access to the programmers and database managers for incident troubleshooting?

2. For Vendor-Hosted solutions, do the support specialists have direct physical access to the hosting infrastructure engineers and systems software administrators for incident troubleshooting?

3. Are the support specialists, programmers, database administrators, systems software administrators and infrastructure engineers all staffed by Vendor employees? If not, what sub-vendors are responsible with each of these areas?

4. If multiple sub-vendors are involved does the Vendor have defined SLA’s with them?

5. What is the escalation procedure for support issues?

D. The Vendor will adhere to the following Problem Severity Levels:

A. Problem Severity 1

1. Description: This Problem Severity Level is associated with: (a) The services or system, as a whole, are non-functional or are not accessible; (b) unauthorized exposure of all or part of the

City's data; (c) loss or corruption of all or part of the City's data.

2. Request Response Time: 30 minutes.

3. Request Resolution Time: 2 hours.

A. Problem Severity 2

1. Description: This Problem Severity Level is associated with significant and / or ongoing interruption of a User's use of a critical function (as determined by the User) of the system/services and for which no acceptable (as deter-mined by the User) work-around is available.

2. Request Response Time: 1 hour.

3. Request Resolution Time: 4 hours.

B. Problem Severity 3

1. Description: This Problem Severity Level is associated with: (a) minor and / or limited interruption of a User's use of a non-critical function (as deter-mined by the Authorized User) of the Services; or (b) problems which are not included in Problem Severity Levels 1 or 2.

2. Request Response Time: 8 hours.

3. Request Resolution Time: 24 hours.

C. Problem Severity 4

1. Description: This Problem Severity Level is associated with: (a) general questions pertaining to the system/services; or (b) problems which are not included in Problem Severity Levels 1, 2, or 3.

2. Request Response Time: 8 hours.

3. Request Resolution Time: 48 hours.

5.6. Term of Agreement

The initial term of agreement will be for five years. Following the Initial Term, this Agreement may be extended for an indefinite number of successive renewal terms.

5.7. Minimum qualifications

At a minimum, Vendor must meet the following qualifications:

1. Have been in the business of providing hardware and software as described herein for a minimum of five (5) years.

2. Have the ability to obtain the minimum insurance requirements set forth in this Agreement.

3. Own or have immediate access to the equipment required to provide services.

5.8. Vendor Responsibilities

At a minimum, Vendor shall provide and meet the following responsibilities:

1. Vendor shall provide a single point of contact (Project Manager) to administer the

Agreement.

2. Vendor shall identify physical location of system hardware/software personnel.

3. Vendor to provide 24-7 emergency support.

4. Vendor shall maintain Minimum Qualifications as stated in proposal for the term of

Agreement.

5. Vendor shall furnish all supervision, labor, materials, tools, supplies, equipment and transportation required to implement the technology and installation of all necessary hardware and peripheries.

6. Vendor shall perform necessary technical work to ensure all routes are entered into the system.

7. Vendor shall ensure City drivers/vehicles are supplied the necessary equipment and trained to utilize the software.

5.9. City’s Responsibilities

At a minimum, City shall provide and meet the following responsibilities:

1. City shall provide a single point of contact (City Project Manager) to administer the

Agreement.

2. City Project Manager shall assist with planning, strategy, and objectives prior to performance of the Work.

3. City Project Manager shall promptly respond to issues and inquiries so as not to hinder the progress, completion, or compensation for the Work.

5.10. Project Management

Vendor shall provide a Project Manager, who will be readily available during normal business hours to administer the Agreement. Vendor is responsible for notifying the city with any changes in account manager or contact information. Account Manager’s responsibilities shall include, but are not limited to, overseeing all aspects of implementation, servicing, reporting, and issue resolution.

5.11. Personnel

Vendor shall assign all key personnel identified in its proposal and this Agreement to complete all their responsibilities in connection with performance of its obligations. Vendor shall obtain written approval of the City prior to reassigning any key personnel. Replacement of key personnel, upon written approval by the City, shall be with personnel of equal or greater ability and qualifications. Vendor’s replacement of key personnel shall not be grounds for an increase in the total Agreement price or extension of the time for completion of the services required. The unauthorized change of key personnel by Vendor shall be considered by the City as a material breach of the Agreement and grounds for termination.

6. General Terms

6.1. Vendor Registration

Vendor must register online with the City of St. Petersburg via their online sourcing system at https://procurement.opengov.com/signup and subscribe to City's Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/stpete for solicitation notifications. Prior to an award of an

Agreement resulting from this solicitation, Vendor shall be registered with the Florida Department of

State, Division of Corporations to do business within the State of Florida in accordance with Florida

Statute 607.1501.

6.2. Solicitation Review

Vendors are required to carefully review this solicitation for defects and questionable or objectionable material. Comments concerning defects and questionable or objectionable material must be made in writing to the Procurement Analyst of record for this solicitation and received by the City at least 10 days before the solicitation submission deadline. This will allow issuance of any necessary addendum. A protest based on omission or error, or on the content of the solicitation, will be disallowed if these faults have not been brought to the attention of the City, in writing, at least 10 days before the time set for submission deadline.

6.3. Solicitation Response Preparation

Vendors are expected to examine this solicitation and all related documents. Failure to do so is at the

Vendor’s risk. Each vendor shall furnish the information required by this solicitation. Vendor(s) shall retain a copy of all documents for future reference. All solicitation responses must be submitted with the

Vendor’s legal name and by an officer or employee having the authority to bind the Vendor by his or her signature.

The City will not pay any costs associated with the preparation, submittal, presentation, or evaluation of any solicitation response.

6.4. Questions

All questions must be submitted via City's online sourcing system's Question & Answer feature no later than 3:00 pm on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. Questions will be answered via City's online sourcing system no later than NO VALUE on NO VALUE. More complex questions may require a written addendum to the solicitation. Explanations or instructions will not materially alter this solicitation unless they are in writing. Oral explanations or instructions given before the award of an Agreement will not be binding. If necessary, a written addendum to this solicitation will be issued and posted on the City’s online sourcing system at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/stpete/projects/71890 for download by Vendors.

6.5. Amendments

Any amendments issued for this solicitation will be posted as an addendum on the City’s online sourcing system at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/stpete/projects/71890 and notifications will be released to vendors who are following the project by clicking "Follow". Vendors must submit their responses to the most current version of the solicitation as amended, if applicable.

6.6. Submission of Solicitation Responses

Solicitation responses will be received through the City’s online sourcing system. E-mail or in-person submittals will not be considered unless approved before the solicitation submission deadline by the https://procurement.opengov.com/signup https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/stpete https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/stpete/projects/71890

Procurement and Supply Management Director. Late proposals and modifications will not be considered;

however, solicitation responses may be modified online at any time prior to the submission deadline.

Failure to follow the instructions in this solicitation is cause for rejection of the submittal.

6.7. Mistakes in the Solicitation

Solicitation responses may be modified or withdrawn in the online application portal prior to the time and date set for the solicitation opening. Correction or withdrawal of solicitation responses after the solicitation opening because of an inadvertent non-judgmental mistake in the solicitation requires careful consideration to protect the integrity of the competitive solicitation process and to assure fairness. If the mistake is attributable to an error in judgment, the solicitation response may not be corrected. Solicitation response corrections or withdrawals by reason of non-judgmental mistakes are permissible but only to the extent they are not contrary to the interest of the City or the fair treatment of other vendors.

6.8. Information Designated a Trade Secret and/or Confidential and/or Proprietary

All solicitation responses (including all documentation and materials attached thereto or provided in connection with this solicitation) submitted to the City are subject to Florida’s public records laws (i.e., Chapter 119, Florida Statutes), which requires disclosure of public records, unless exempt, if a public records request is made. Solicitation responses (including all documentation and materials attached thereto or provided in connection with this solicitation (even if in a separate electronic file)) submitted to the City cannot be returned. DO NOT LIST YOUR ENTIRE SOLICITATION RESPONSE AS TRADE

SECRET AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL. The City will not consider solicitation responses if the entire response is labeled a Trade Secret and/or Confidential and/or Proprietary.

If Vendor believes that its solicitation response contains information that is a trade secret (as defined by

Florida law) and/or information that is confidential and/or proprietary and therefore exempt from disclosure, then such information must be submitted in a separate electronic file and comply with the following requirements. In addition to submitting the information in a separate or electronic file, Vendor must include a general description of the information designated as a trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary and provide reference to the Florida statute or other law which exempts such designated information from disclosure in the event a public records request.

The City does not warrant or guarantee that information designated by Vendor as a trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary is a trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary and exempt from disclosure. The City offers no opinion as to whether the reference to the Florida statute or other law by

Vendor is/are correct and/or accurate. Please be aware that the designation of information as a trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary may be challenged in court by any person or entity. By designation of information as a trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary Vendor agrees to defend and indemnify the City, its employees, agents, and elected and appointed officials (“Indemnified Parties”) against any and all claims, demands, and actions (whether or not a lawsuit is commenced) arising out of or in connection with Vendor's designation of information as a trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary and to hold harmless the Indemnified Parties for any award to a plaintiff for damages, costs and attorneys’ fees, and for costs and attorney's fees (including those of the City Attorney’s office) incurred by the City by reason of any claim, demand, or action arising out of or related to the Vendor's designation of information as a trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary.

Failure to comply with the requirements above shall be deemed as a waiver by Vendor to claim that any information in its solicitation response is a trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary, regardless of whether such information is labeled trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary. Vendor acknowledges, understands, and agrees that all information in Vendor's solicitation response (not including information submitted in a separate electronic file and designated trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary in accordance with the requirements in this section) will be disclosed, without any notice to Vendor, if a public records request is made for such information, and the City shall not be liable to Vendor for such disclosure.

Vendor acknowledges and understands that Vendor's proposal, including the information submitted in a separate electronic file and designated trade secret and/or confidential and/or proprietary in accordance with the requirements in this section, will be distributed to the evaluation committee members, City staff, and City consultants to allow Vendor's entire solicitation response, including the information submitted in a separate electronic file, to be evaluated and considered for award of the Agreement. The entire contents of the Vendor's solicitation response, including the information submitted in a separate electronic file, may be discussed at meetings that are open to the public, subject to the requirements set forth in

Chapter 286, Florida Statutes.

6.9. Bonds

Vendors will need to furnish a bid bond as indicated in the solicitation, if applicable.

6.10. Cash Discounts

When the City is entitled to a cash discount, the period of computations will commence on the date of delivery, or receipt of a correctly completed invoice, whichever is later. If an adjustment in payment is necessary due to damage, the cash discount period shall commence on the date final approval for payment is authorized. If a discount is part of the Agreement, but the invoice does not reflect the existence of a cash discount, the City is entitled to a cash discount with the period commencing on the date it is determined by the City that a cash discount applies.

6.11. Award

The solicitation will be awarded based on the requirements outlined in the scope, the criteria or factors identified in the solicitation, and the standard for award for the solicitation. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all parts of the solicitation response, waive informalities, and request re-solicitations on the services or products outlined in the scope. The City reserves the right to award the

Agreement on a split-order, lump-sum, or individual item basis, or such combination as shall best serve the interest of the City unless otherwise specified.

Pursuant to Florida Statute sec. 287.05701, the City will not request documentation of a Vendor’s social, political, or ideological interests, consider such interests, or give preference to a vendor based on such interests.

6.12. Acceptance Period

Unless otherwise specified in this solicitation, the solicitation response may be held by the City for a period of ninety (90) days after the submission deadline and will continue in full effect and not be subject to withdrawal during that period until an Agreement has been executed with a Vendor. If no Agreement has been executed within the ninety-day period, any solicitation response may be withdrawn or nullified by either the City or the Vendor, or be deemed to be confirmed and extended in time for as long as permitted by the Vendor submitting each solicitation response.

6.13. Right to Reject

Vendors must comply with all the terms of the solicitation, all applicable provisions of the City of St.

Petersburg City Code, and all applicable federal and state laws. The City may reject any solicitation response that does not comply with all material and substantive terms, conditions, and performance requirements of the solicitation.

The City may waive minor informalities that (i) do not affect responsiveness; (ii) are merely matter of form or format; (iii) do not change the relative standing or otherwise prejudice other vendors; (iv) do not change the meaning or scope of the solicitation; (v) are trivial, negligible or immaterial in nature; (v) do not effect a material change in the work; or (vi) do not constitute a substantial exclusion or modification of a requirement or provision in the solicitation.

6.14. Vendor Complaints

All complaints or grievances should be first submitted in writing to the Procurement & Supply

Management Director, by email at Stephanie.Swinson@stpete.org or by mail to P. O. Box 2842, St.

Petersburg, FL 33731 who will promptly investigate the validity of the complaint and present the findings in writing to the person who submitted the complaint.

6.15. Protest

Any actual or prospective vendor who is aggrieved in connection with the solicitation or award of an

Agreement may protest to the Procurement and Supply Management Director.