Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
This legislation authorizes the Chief Innovation Officer to enter into a professional services contract with Pillar Technology Group, LLC, hereafter referenced as Pillar, in an amount of up to $2,500,000.00 for the provision of various IT services related to the Smart City Challenge.
The Smart City Challenge is a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant program seeking to “create a fully integrated, first-of-its kind city that uses data, technology and creativity to shape how people and goods move in the future.” In 2016, the City of Columbus, acting through the Department of Public Service, applied for and won the Smart City Challenge, receiving a $40 million dollar grant from USDOT and a $10 million grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation (Vulcan).
Some aspects of the Smart City Challenge will be performed by an internal, interdepartmental City team coordinated through the Smart Columbus Program Management Office (PMO). The intent of the Smart City Challenge - IT Professional Services project is to provide the PMO with critical technical resources related to the design and implementation of the Smart Columbus Operating System (SCOS), which is envisioned to scale to be the citywide data management platform for public and private data collected during the Smart City Challenge.
To that end, the Department of Public Service, Office of Support Services, on behalf of the PMO, solicited Requests for Proposals (RFP) for the Smart City Challenge - IT Professional Services project, which was advertised on <https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/projects> and City of Columbus websites from January 22, 2018 to February 13, 2018. The PMO received twenty-one (21) responses. Of those, twenty (20) were deemed responsive and were fully evaluated when the Evaluation Committee met on March 2, 2018.
The responsive responding firms were:
|
Company Name |
City/State |
Maj/MBE/MBR/F1/AS1/PHC |
|
Pillar Technology Group, LLC |
Columbus, OH |
UNK |
|
Battelle Memorial Institute |
Columbus, OH |
MAJ |
|
Navigator Management Partners |
Columbus, OH |
MAJ |
|
Information Control Company LLC |
Columbus, OH |
MAJ |
|
Deloitte Consulting Group |
Columbus, OH |
UNK |
|
Flairsoft Ltd |
Columbus, OH |
MBE |
|
HMB Information System Developer |
Westerville, OH |
UNK |
|
Centric Consulting, LLC |
Columbus, OH |
UNK |
|
Sogeti USA |
Westerville, OH |
UNK |
|
EY |
Grandview Heights, OH |
UNK |
|
Cardinal Solutions Group |
Cincinnati, OH |
MAJ |
|
DevCare Solutions |
Columbus, OH |
UNK |
|
Saama Technologies, Inc. |
Worthington, OH |
UNK |
|
VectorOne |
Galena, OH |
UNK |
|
Diversity Search Group |
Columbus, OH |
MBE |
|
Socrata, Inc. |
Seattle, WA |
UNK |
|
Improving Columbus |
Columbus, OH |
UNK |
|
New Frontier Professionals |
Columbus, OH |
MBE |
|
Xaqt, Inc. |
Chicago, IL |
UNK |
|
REAN Cloud |
Herndon, VA |
UNK |
Pillar received the highest score given by the Consultant Selection Committee and will be awarded the Smart City Challenge - IT Professional Services contract.
Searches in the Excluded Party List System (Federal) and the Findings for Recovery list (State) produced no findings against Pillar.
2. CONTRACT COMPLIANCE
Pillar presently does not have a valid contract compliance number and will need to become contract compliant before entering into contract with the City.
3. FISCAL IMPACT
Funding in the amount of $2,500,000.00 is available in Fund 7768 (Smart City Grant Fund), Grant G591610 (USDOT Grant - Smart City).
Additional contract modifications are expected on an annual or task basis throughout the remainder of the Smart City Challenge funding program, or to switch funding sources between USDOT grant funding and City cost share contributions.
4. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION
Emergency action is requested in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Chief Innovation Officer to execute a contract with Pillar authorizing the encumbrance and expenditure of requisite engineering and design funding so as to prevent unnecessary delays in the Smart City Challenge deployment schedule.
Title
To authorize the appropriation of funds in the Smart City Grant Fund; to authorize the Chief Innovation Officer to execute a professional services contract with Pillar Technology Group, LLC relative to the Smart City Challenge - IT Professional Services project; to authorize the expenditure of up to $2,500,000.00 from the Smart City Grant Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($2,500,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, on December 7, 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced the Smart City Challenge, a collaborative effort by the USDOT and Vulcan seeking to “create a fully integrated, first-of-its kind city that uses data, technology and creativity to shape how people and goods move in the future”; and
WHEREAS, on June 23, 2016, the City of Columbus bested six other finalists to be named the winner of the Smart City Challenge; and
WHEREAS, there is a need to enter into a professional services contract to provide the Smart Columbus Program Management Office (PMO) with critical technical resources necessary to design and implement the Smart Columbus Operating System (SCOS), which is envisioned to scale to be the citywide data management platform for public and private data collected during the Smart City Challenge; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance Number 1901-2017 authorized the Public Service Director to transfer signature authority to the Chief Innovation Officer or the Chief Innovation Officer's designee for all past, present and future Smart Columbus, Smart City Challenge, Paul G Allen Family Foundation contracts, documents, and projects; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Service, Office of Support Services, on behalf of the PMO solicited Requests for Proposals for the Smart City Challenge - IT Professional Services project for this purpose; and
WHEREAS, the Consultant Selection Committee evaluated the proposals deemed responsive and selected Pillar Technology Group, LLC on the basis the firm submitted the best overall proposal for this project; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to enter into a professional services contract with Pillar to provide for the aforementioned services in the amount of up to $2,500,000.00; and
WHEREAS, additional contract modifications are expected on an annual or task basis throughout the remainder of the Smart City Challenge funding program, or to switch funding sources between USDOT grant funding and City cost share contributions.
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Smart Columbus PMO in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Chief Innovation Officer to execute a contract with Pillar authorizing the encumbrance and expenditure of requisite funding so as to prevent unnecessary delays in the Smart City Challenge deployment schedule, 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 from the unappropriated monies and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and unappropriated for any other purpose during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, the sum of $2,500,000.00 is appropriated in Fund 7768 (Smart City Grant Fund), Dept-Div 5912 (Division of Design and Construction), Grant G591610 (USDOT Grant - Smart City), in Object Class 06 (Capital Outlay) per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 2. That the Chief Innovation Officer be and is hereby authorized to execute a contract with Pillar Technology Group, LLC, 580 N. 4th Street, Suite 190, Columbus, Ohio 43215, in an amount of up to $2,500,000.00 related to the Smart City Challenge - IT Professional Services project.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of $2,500,000.00, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be and is hereby authorized in Fund 7768 Smart City Private Grant Fund, Dept-Div 5912 Division of Design and Construction, Project P530163-100009 Smart City Challenge - IT Professional Services, in Object Class 06 Capital Outlay per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. 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 5. 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 6. 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 Chief Innovation Officer administering said project that the project has been completed and the monies are no longer required for said project.
SECTION 7. 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 10 days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.