Explanation
BACKGROUND:
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Technology (DoT) to enter into a contract with Axway, Inc. for the purchase of mobile application development services at a cost of $117,600.00. The Department of Technology has a need to purchase services to support the Mobile Application Upgrade project. The services included in this purchase are necessary to the management and development of the system and assist DoT in the developing expertise with and governance of the solution. The MyColumbus mobile application provides hundreds of services to constituents. The refuse, yard waste, and recycling collection reminders are one of the most popular services, which allow a resident to enter their address and then will receive a notice the day before the scheduled collection to remind them to put containers out to the curb. The app also provides constituents the ability to submit service requests to 311 while on the go, and can include photos of the issue which assists city staff in understanding the issue and expediting resolution. The app was created to centralize city services into a single app so the city does not have multiple mobile apps that constituents need to remember which app is for what purpose. The app allows access to job postings, traffic cam info, snow removal, school and business closings in addition to other city services. The upgrade services included in this ordinance are necessary to provide system administration, configuration, and tuning and to provide upgrades required by the app stores and the foundation the app was written on so that it remains compatible with and continues to work with the newer phones and operating systems. Apps are also required to remain up to date with app store upgrades in order to be permitted to submit new versions of your app. Without these services, the city cannot submit new versions of the app and the app will gradually cease to function. These services are necessary to ...
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