Digital Parking Software and LPR System

The City of Newport, Rhode Island, through RFP 2025-POL-002, is seeking a comprehensive Digital Parking Software and License Plate Recognition (LPR) System for its parking enforcement and management operations. The procurement is focused on two primary components: developing a digital, license plate-based parking permit program and implementing a mobile LPR enforcement system. The project will support approximately 14,500 annual resident permits across multiple permit types, including resident parking, guest passes, beach parking, boat and auto permits, and specialty permits. Proposals are due on March 27th, 2025, with the city expecting to recommend a contract award to the City Council within one month of proposal receipt. The evaluation criteria are weighted as follows: pricing (30%), technical merit (25%), equipment quality (20%), support services (15%), and references (10%). Vendors must provide comprehensive solutions that include hardware, software, integration, training, and ongoing technical support, with specific requirements for integrating with existing city databases, ensuring data security, and providing robust reporting capabilities for permit issuance and revenue tracking.

The RFP does not explicitly outline specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. The current parking infrastructure includes 55 pay stations and mobile payment capabilities through the Passport App, with which the new system must integrate seamlessly. Existing technology includes Zebra TC26AK handheld enforcement devices and current systems like Flowbird Pay Stations and a legacy FoxPro database for resident parking stickers. While specific budget allocations are not disclosed, vendors are required to provide itemized year-one startup costs, recurring annual fees, and post-warranty maintenance agreement costs. The city currently processes approximately 22,577 citations annually and 14,880 online credit card transactions, indicating the scale of the required system. The parking management system will operate primarily between May and November, covering various parking zones with time limits ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. The city has 16 back-office users and is seeking a flexible solution that can adapt to their complex parking enforcement needs while providing advanced technological capabilities.