Explanation
BACKGROUND
The Department of Public Service, Division of Mobility Options, has a contract with Xerox State and Local Solutions, Inc., to provide parking ticket processing services for the City of Columbus. This ordinance authorizes a bidding waiver to extend the contract for up to three years through March 31, 2017, and authorizes the Director of Public Service to modify contract terms and conditions as needed over the three year extension to implement program enhancements and improvements.
This contract is a complete turnkey system that includes all software, hardware, licenses, and maintenance necessary to process parking citations on a transaction fee basis. It presently includes: a cash remittance system that incorporates walk-in, US Mail, pay-by-web, and pay-by-phone technologies; data entry, data processing, mailing of notices; a registration hold interface with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles; and a secondary collection effort for tickets that remain unpaid after going through the entire noticing process and still remain outstanding. The net funds collected under this effort are deposited in the General Fund, while a collection percentage fee is deposited in the Collection Fees Fund, established by the City Auditor and Department of Finance and Management through Ordinance 0474-2003.
A contractual relationship between the Division of Mobility Options, Parking Violations Bureau and Xerox State & Local Solutions (hereinafter "Xerox") has existed since March 1, 1983. The current contract was for one year with five one-year renewals, expiring 3/31/14. It was established through the bid process and authorized through Ordinance 0217-2008. This contract has been advertised for bid three times in the past sixteen years. Xerox has been the only bidder fully responsive to the City's requests for proposals; the other bids received proposed to perform only some of the required services instead of the entire package. No other vendors are presently known to provide ticket processing and collections, impound tracking, tow package, residential parking permits, two-wheeled permits, meter debit cards, ticket appeals, interactive voice response system, and automated call distribution all inclusively as a turn-key system, which is required by the City.
The Division of Mobility Options is preparing to develop and implement enhancements to the system, which could include the following: online sales of residential parking permits; merging the Columbus Division of Police impound management system into the existing Division of Mobility Options data application; an integrated online parking meter management system; and potential participation in a pilot to initiate license plate recognition allowing vehicle-based parking enforcement. Work on these enhancements would have to stop to do the bidding process and possibly implement a new supplier and system, which is estimated to take up to two years to complete. The bidding waiver will allow enhancements to be developed and implemented prior to a bid process, speeding up their availability for use by the public and by the Division of Mobility Options.
Searches in the System for Award Management (Federal) and the Findings for Recovery list (State) produced no findings against Xerox State and Local Solutions, Inc.
CONTRACT COMPLIANCE
The Xerox State and Local Solutions, Inc., contract compliance number is 131996647 and expires 3/10/15.
FISCAL IMPACT
These expenses are budgeted and available in the Collection Fees Fund, Delinquent Parking Tickets SubFund and the Parking Meter Program Fund.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION
Emergency action is requested to avoid any service interruptions.
Title
To authorize the Director of Public Service to modify and extend a contract with Xerox State and Local Solutions, Inc., to provide parking violation processing services for the Department of Public Service, Division of Mobility Options; to negotiate and change terms and conditions of the contract over the contract period as needed to implement program enhancements and improvements; to authorize the expenditure of $425,000.00 from the Parking Meter Program Fund; to authorize the appropriation and expenditure of $185,000.00 within the Collection Fee Fund; to waive the formal competitive bidding requirements of Columbus City Code; and to declare an emergency. ($610,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the City has contracted for parking violation processing services since 1983; and
WHEREAS, the current parking violation processing services contract was authorized by ordinance 0217-2008 with terms being a one-year contract with up to five contract extensions, as approved by City Council; and
WHEREAS, the contract was modified and extended for the second year of a six year contract by ordinance 0392-2009 and expired on March 31, 2010; and
WHEREAS, the contract was modified and extended for the third year of a six year contract by ordinance 0546-2010 and expired on March 31, 2011; and
WHEREAS, the contract was modified and extended for the fourth year of a six year contract by ordinance 0373-2011 and expired on March 31, 2012; and
WHEREAS, the contract was modified and extended for the fifth year of a six year contract by ordinance 0324-2012 and expired on March 31, 2013; and
WHEREAS, the contract was modified and extended for the sixth year of a six year contract by ordinance 0681-2013 and expires on March 31, 2014; and
Whereas, all contract renewals have been used and a waiver of competitive bidding provisions of the Columbus City Code is requested to extend the contract; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Service, Division of Mobility Options is presently engaged in planning enhancements and improvements to the system to improve customer service and provide integrated solutions between Impound Lot operations and parking violations operations that will require negotiated changes to the contract terms and conditions to implement as they are completed; and
WHEREAS, the net funds collected as part of a special collection effort are deposited into the General Fund, with the collection fee associated with this effort deposited in the Collection Fee Fund in a special SubFund entitled Delinquent Parking Tickets; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Public Service, Division of Mobility Options, to avoid any interruptions of service, thereby preserving the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
Section 1. That the Director of Public Service be, and is hereby authorized, to modify and extend the contract with Xerox State and Local Solutions, Inc., 1835 Market Street, Suite 900, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, for parking ticket processing services for the first year from April 1, 2014 thru March 31,2015 of three year of the contract ending March 31, 2017.
SECTION 2. That the Director of Public Service be, and is hereby authorized, to modify contract terms and conditions as needed over the three year contract period to implement program enhancements and improvements.
SECTION 3. That from the unappropriated funds in the Collection Fees Fund, Delinquent Parking Tickets SubFund, and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and unappropriated for any other purpose during the period ending March 31, 2015, the sum of $185,000.00 is appropriated to the Department of Public Service, Division of Mobility Options, Department-Division 59-10, Collection Fee Fund 295, SubFund 003, O.L. l Code 03, O.L. 3 Code 3336, OCA number 591049.
SECTION 4. That the expenditure of up to $610,000.00 or so much thereof that may be necessary in regard to the action authorized in Sections 1 and 2 above, be and is hereby authorized and approved as follows:
Fund / Fund Name/ SubFund / Dept.-Div / OCA / O.L. 01-03 / Amount
268 / Parking Meter Program / 001 / 59-10 / 268101 / 03-3336 / $425,000.00
295 / Collection Fee / 003 / 59-10 / 591049 / 03-3336 / $185,000.00
SECTION 5. That in accordance with Section 327.27 of the Columbus City Code, City Council has determined that it is in the best interest of the City of Columbus that Section 329.06 relating to formal competitive bidding requirements be waived and hereby waives said section.
SECTION 6. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 7. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 8. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized to transfer the unencumbered balance in a project account to the unallocated balance account within the same fund upon receipt of certification by the Director of the Department administering said project that the project has been completed and the monies are no longer required for said project.
SECTION 9. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.