Explanation
1. BACKGROUND: This ordinance authorizes the Columbus Partnership, as a sub-recipient of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Vulcan grant for the Smart City Program, to enter into contract with Fahlgren Mortine to develop a Smart City Vulcan website on behalf of the Columbus Partnership and the City of Columbus.
In 2016, the City of Columbus pursued and won a grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation with the goal of laying a practical path to replacing carbon-based fuel consumption through critical system improvements that increase safety, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance mobility. The grant agreement with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation allows the use of sub-recipients with City Council approval and approval by the Foundation. To that end, the Department of Public Service requested to make the Columbus Partnership a grant sub-recipient to lead initiatives aimed at encouraging electric vehicle adoption by individuals, public entities, and private employers and increasing charging infrastructure locally.
As a sub-recipient to the grant agreement, funding will flow from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation through the Department of Public Service to the Columbus Partnership. The Columbus Partnership will be directly responsible for accomplishing the approved initiatives while operating under the terms and conditions of the grant agreement, and operating under the same procurement conditions as the Department of Public Service. The contracts that the Columbus Partnership enters into to accomplish the initiatives or expend grant funds must follow City Code and be approved by the City’s Chief Innovation Officer, City Council, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, unless otherwise noted. The Columbus Partnership may be reimbursed up to $1,580,000.00 during this Vulcan contract year (ending 03/31/18) to work on the program initiatives.
The intent of this contract is to identify a provider to develop the Smart City Vulcan website. Services and detailed scopes for individual deployment projects will be developed as requested and work will be authorized by Columbus Partnership as individual scopes are developed. Funding for this program of $150,000 is included in the $1,580,000.00 encumbrance legislated under Ordinance 1212-2017 which authorized the City to reimburse Columbus Partnership for expenses relative to the Smart Columbus Electrification Plan. Zero dollar legislation for this website contract is being submitted for City Council approval for Columbus Partnership to enter into contract with Fahlgren Mortine.
These services were bid in accordance with Columbus City Code and the project was advertised on the Columbus Partnership website and the Vendor Services site from September 14, 2017 to October 12, 2017. Columbus Partnership received eleven responses. All proposals were deemed responsive and were fully evaluated when the Evaluation Committee met on October 13, 2017. Three finalists were selected and invited to conduct final presentations for the Evaluation Committee on October 27, 2017.
The responding firms were:
Company Name City/State Majority/MBE/FBE/ASN/PHC
Careworks Technology Dublin, OH MAJ
Fahlgren Inc. DBA Fahlgren Mortine Columbus, OH MAJ
Mindstream Interactive Columbus, OH MAJ
I/O Technology Corp. New York, NY Unknown
Bonfire Red Columbus, OH MAJ
Dynamit Technologie, LLC Columbus, OH MAJ
Experis US, Inc. Milwaukee, WI Unknown
eBusiness Solutions, Inc. Columbus, OH Unknown
Origo Branding Company, Inc. Columbus, OH MAJ
ZED Digital Columbus, OH FBE
EpiServer Inc. Nashua, NH MAJ
2. Contract Compliance
Fahlgren Mortine's contract compliance number is CC009283 and expires 9/27/2019.
3. FISCAL IMPACT
There is no immediate fiscal impact to the City. PO074355 to Columbus Partnership was established per Ordinance 1212-2017 to allow reimbursement of project costs to Columbus Partnership within Fund 7768 Smart City Private Grant Fund. If Columbus Partnership should seek reimbursement for these costs, reimbursement will be done through the purchase order previously established.
4. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION
Emergency action is requested to provide for the timely execution of the contract so the deliverables required by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation grant award can be met, avoiding delays which could jeopardize future funding of the Vulcan project.
Title
To authorize the Columbus Partnership to enter into contract with Fahlgren Mortine to develop a Smart City Vulcan website; and to declare an emergency. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, in 2016 the City of Columbus pursued and won a grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation with the goal of laying a practical path to replacing carbon-based fuel consumption through critical system improvements that increase safety, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance mobility; and
WHEREAS, the grant agreement with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation allows the use of sub-recipients with City Council approval and approval by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Service and Smart Columbus made the Columbus Partnership a sub-recipient of this grant to lead initiatives aimed at encouraging and supporting electric vehicle adoption by individuals, public entities, and private employers and increasing charging infrastructure locally per Ordinance 1212-2017; and
WHEREAS, the Columbus Partnership will be directly responsible for accomplishing the initiatives while operating under the terms and conditions of the grant agreement and for operating under the same procurement conditions as the Department of Public Service and Smart Columbus; and
WHEREAS, the Request for Proposal for the contract for the Smart Columbus Vulcan Website was publicly posted on the Columbus Partnership website and with the City’s Vendor Services site as City Code requires; and
WHEREAS, Fahlgren Mortine was recommended by the evaluation committee to be awarded the Smart Columbus Vulcan Website contract and the recommendation was approved by the City’s Chief Innovation Officer; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of Smart Columbus in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Columbus Partnership to execute a contract with Fahlgren Mortine so as to facilitate the provision of services necessary to achieve the deliverables schedule of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Vulcan grant, 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 Columbus Partnership be and is hereby authorized to execute a contract with Fahlgren Mortine,4030 Easton Station Suite 300 Columbus, Ohio, 43219, relative to the implementation of the Smart Columbus Vulcan Website.
SECTION 2. 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.