City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council approve: (1) an agreement with Duncan Parking
Technologies (Duncan) to purchase and install pay-by-space parking meters on
Main Street in Downtown Culver City and (2) a related budget amendment.
A budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote.
BACKGROUND:
Staff from the Public Works Department evaluated new parking technologies used
by other municipalities and determined that pay-by-space parking meters are
becoming more commonly used in cities nationwide and internationally in lieu of
traditional individual-space, coin operated parking meters.
At its October 13, 2008 meeting, the City Council authorized the Public Works
Department to solicit proposals from qualified firms to commence with a pilot
program to implement pay-by-space parking meters on Main Street. As part of the
pilot program, twenty (20) existing single space meters will be replaced by two pay-
by-space meters (one meter on each side of the street). During the pilot program,
staff will evaluate the effectiveness of pay-by-space parking meters based on the
following parameters:
Meeting Date: 5/26/09 Item Number: A-8
AGENDA ITEM: FOUR FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT - Approval of (1) an
Agreement with Duncan Parking Technologies to Purchase and Install Pay-by-
Space Parking Meters on Main Street in Downtown Culver City and (2) a Budget
Amendment Related Thereto.
Contact Person/Dept.:
Eric Mirzaian-Public Works
Phone Number:
(310) 253-6410
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: Master E-Mail Notification List (05/20/09); Duncan Parking
Technologies; Digital Payment Technologies; Metric Parking, Inc.; MacKay Meters, Inc.;
IPS Group, Inc.; Parkeon, Inc.; Cale Parking Systems USA, Inc.; via letter on May 19.,
2009.
Department Approval:
Charles D. Herbertson (05/15/09)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (05/19/09)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (by N. Kimball) (05/20/09)
City Manager Approval:
Jerry B. Fulwood (05/20/09) City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
• Convenience and flexibility with multiple payment options
• Ease of parking enforcement
• Downtime and maintenance costs
• Revenue from meter operations
• Data collection
• Parking turnover rate
• Aesthetics and community acceptance
DISCUSSION:
On November 14, 2008, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was released to qualified
firms that provide and install pay-by-space meters. On January 8, 2009, Staff
received proposals from the following firms: Duncan Parking Technologies; Digital
Payment Technologies; Metric Parking, Inc.; MacKay Meters, Inc.; IPS Group, Inc.;
Parkeon, Inc.; Cale Parking Systems USA, Inc. The proposals received by these
firms are summarized below:
Meter Pricing Duncan Digital Metric MacKay IPS* Parkeon Cale****__
Meters (2) $12,130 $13,400 $14,000 $18,918 $15,496 $15,000
Installation $1,000 $1,500 $1,000 $2,990 $500
Training $3,720 $2,500 included included
Warranty included included included $1,176
Software $4,600 $13,400 |1010|st
Yr Annual Fee** $3,256 $1,800 $359 $1,155 $2,868 $1,320
Accessories *** $9,380 $16,103 $500____
TOTAL $34,086 $35,303 $28,759 $20,073 ---- $21,354 $18,496
* No cost information is included for IPS Group, Inc. due to the fact they did not meet
the requirements of the RFP by proposing accessories and options for single space
meters.
** This fee includes annual monitoring fees for credit card transactions and software
registration.
*** Accessories include handheld citation devices, technician ID cards and optional
features.
**** Cale Parking Systems USA, Inc. submitted their proposal one day after the
proposal due date.
Staff is requesting the City Council approve an agreement with Duncan Parking
Technologies at a not-to-exceed cost of $34,086 plus a 15% contingency. The
range in proposal amounts above is attributed to the various features and options City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
offered by the different vendors. Duncan’s cost includes $7,000 for the purchase of
in-ground parking sensors that will reset parking times to zero when vehicles leave a
parking space. This feature will increase parking turnover and not allow motorists to
piggyback on previously purchased time. Duncan’s method is unique in the sense
that it will reset time automatically through wireless communication once a vehicle
leaves a parking space with time left. The wireless technology eliminates the need
for paper receipts which in turn simplifies meter operation and reduces meter
maintenance and operating costs.
Other companies proposed technology that would prevent meter feeding by the use
of validation codes on printed receipts and not through wireless communication.
Thus, their meters do not automatically reset and time remaining on the meter after
the original parker vacates the spot could be utilized unless there is an attempt to
purchase additional time by a new parker. In that case, the meter would reset to
zero. An additional benefit of this sensor technology is that it will increase parking
turnover on the street and thus increase parking availability for customers. It has
been observed that employees of some of the businesses on Main Street may be
parking their vehicles on the street and continuously feed money into the existing
meters. This has also been a problem in other areas of the City where parking
meters are located. The new technology will not allow vehicles to park beyond the
two hour limit, thus essentially eliminating meter feeding.
Staff’s original estimate for the pilot program was $22,000. This broad estimate was
based on average costs of various models of pay-by-space meters and did not
include specific costs such as warranty, annual monitoring fees and certain optional
features. One of the parameters that will be analyzed during the pilot program will
be the payback period of these meters (the length of time it will take to recover the
initial capital outlay through anticipated revenue increases and reduced maintenance
costs).
This item was originally scheduled to be considered by Council at its February 9
meeting, however, the item was pulled due to a written request by one of the
proposers (Parkeon) to reconsider Staff’s recommendation to award to Duncan.
Parkeon’s letter is included in this report as an attachment. Below are Parkeon’s
comments and Staff’s responses to the comments in the letter:
The key to parking turnover is not sensors but enforcement:
Staff response: The use of sensors will supplement the work done by the
City’s enforcement personnel. Sensor technology will let Staff know how
much time is remaining on all the spaces in the area and which spaces are
about to expire. Sensor technology will also eliminate piggybacking on
previously purchased time.
City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
Parkeon’s space management system zeroes out the meter when each new
payment is made:
Staff response: The sensor technology proposed by Duncan relies on
wireless technology to zero out meters when parked vehicles leave spaces.
The meters proposed by Parkeon and the other proposers rely on
validation code printed on receipts. It is staff’s intent to utilize a paperless
operation with regards to these meters for environmental and maintenance
purposes.
Parkeon offers “pay-at-any-meter” technology. The proposed vendor’s system
does not:
Staff response: All meters proposed for this pilot program allow “pay-at-
any-meter” technology. Duncan’s proposal includes the necessary
software to allow this technology to be applicable for the pilot program.
The meters are too big:
Staff response: The Parkeon meter has a footprint of 11” x 11” and is 62”
inches tall. The Duncan meter has a footprint of 11” x 8” and is 48” tall.
Parkeon also offers a “no paper receipt” option; the proposed vendor is not the
only one that can do it.
Staff response: All proposers have the capability of providing a “no paper
receipt” option for their meters.
Parkeon’s system also offers wireless real time authorization for credit card
transactions:
Staff response: Per a requirement in the RFP, all proposers met the Level 1
Payment Certification Industry (PCI) compliance. Thus, all vendors must
meet data security requirements outlined by the PCI.
Parkeon meters perform up to 400 self diagnostic checks:
Staff response: With the exception of Digital Payment Technologies, all
vendors were fully compliant on this aspect. Duncan’s proposal includes
the back-end meter management system that performs self-diagnostic
checks and report generation. The system will alert staff when a meter is
out of order, thus allowing for prompt service/repair and minimal meter
downtime and loss of revenue. With our current single head meters, our
Parking Meter Technician is repairing approximately 30 meters per day.
The only way the Technician knows that a meter is out of order is by either
visually observing a meter that is out of order or if it is reported by the
public. Thus, meters have the potential of being out of order for numerous
days without staff’s knowledge resulting in the loss of on-street parking
and revenue. City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
Additionally, Parkeon offered a 90-day trial offer of its meter for free. Staff
determined it was not in the City’s best interest to accept the offer from Parkeon for
two reasons. First, 90 days does not grant sufficient time to fully determine the
effectiveness of their meters (or any other vendor’s meter for that matter). Second,
to be fair, other vendors would have to be offered the chance to provide a free trial in
response to Parkeon’s offer. It would not be convenient to have multiple meter
models throughout the City and would cause confusion for the public.
Staff is confident in its due diligence and research on multi-space meters and, based
thereon, still recommends the approval of the contract with Duncan. Duncan has a
long-standing partnership with Culver City for over 44 years. Thus, Staff is very
familiar with Duncan’s resources, technology and reliability just as Duncan is familiar
with the City’s parking operation. Additionally, Duncan is currently in the process of
designing pay-by-space meters that can accept the cash keys utilized by the
residents of the City. This will provide another convenient payment option for
residents. These models will be available upon completion of the pilot program.
After evaluation of all proposals received, Duncan’s proposal was found to come
closest to meeting a majority of the RFP requirements in terms of desired
capabilities and options including aesthetics of the meters, report generation,
maintenance notifications and sensor technology. Most importantly amongst these
factors, Duncan’s meters are smaller and more aesthetically pleasing for installation
in the public right-of-way than all but one other company (Digital) and their meters
are the only ones to offer wireless communication that automatically resets the
meter when a car vacates the parking space.
A substantial portion of this contract consists of services (installation, training,
technical support, warranty service) and, therefore, is not subject to formal bidding
requirements per Culver City Municipal Code Section 3.07.070.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
Funding is available in the Parking Meter Equipment Capital Improvement Project
Account (42100376) in the amount of $34,639 to fund the pilot program. The
contingency amount of $5,161 will need to be funded from the Parking Meter
Reserve Fund, which has sufficient funding. This will require a budget amendment.
A budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote
ATTACHMENTS: City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
1. Proposal submitted by Duncan Parking Technologies (cost sheet only)
2. Letter from Parkeon
3. Photos of all meter models proposed by all vendors with dimensions
MOTION:
That the City Council:
1. Approve an agreement with Duncan Parking Technologies to purchase and
install pay-by-space parking meters and all applicable accessories and
options on Main Street at a cost not to exceed $34,086; and,
2. Authorize the Public Works Director/City Engineer to approve change orders,
if necessary, in an amount not-to-exceed $5,158 (15% contingency); and
3. Approve a budget amendment to increase P-376 (42100376) by $5,161 (a
budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote); and,
4. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and,
5. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.
MEETING DATE: 5/26/09
AGENDA ITEM:
Authorization to Enter Into an Agreement with
Duncan Parking Technologies to Purchase and
Install Pay-By-Space Parking Meters on Main
Street in Downtown Culver City
ATTACHMENTS
Pages|109| Proposal submitted by Duncan Parking Technologies (cost 1-3
sheet only)|109| Letter from Parkeon 4-5|109| Photos of all meter models proposed by all vendors with 6
dimensionsCity of Culver City, Public Works Department
Pay-By-Space Parking Meter Pay Stations
duncati
5. Cost Proposal
Duncan is pleased to submit the following cost proposal in line with the RFP requirements for the meter
trial. All quantities and corresponding prices set forth below are based on the trial requirements for two
meters and are exclusive of any applicable taxes. If selected as the successful respondent, Duncan is
prepared to discuss financing options as the exact details and timing of the project deliverables and
acceptance are clearly defined.
It is our understanding the City may contract to implement additional Duncan VM or VS multi-space
meters. The per-unit pricing below will apply for the purchase of additional meters and equipment.
Implementation services and spare parts requirements are directly dependant on the number of additional
meters the City purchases. Duncan is happy to provide updated cost estimates once the City determines
the appropriate number of additional meters to deploy after the initial trial.
This cost proposal is valid for one year after signing a contract agreement with City.
5.1 Fixed Pricing for Implementation of 2 Meters
Full Implementation
Component
,
- Fixed Pricing for
,
Quantity
2 meters
Unit Cost
•
Total Cost
Duncan VM Pay by Space Meter (Steel, powder-coated
black)
• Green Cell battery
• GPRS modem
• Hybrid card reader
a One-shot Intelligent cash box
• Anti-probe device
• Surface mount installation kit
• 2 year-warranty
2 $5,995 $11,990
Freight and delivery 2 $70 $140
Implementation Services (includes travel and accom.)
• Employees on site to perform:
— Project Management
— Quality Assurance and Meter Commissioning
— Training (management, Maintenance,
collections and enforcement)
2 $1,860 $3,720
Meter Installation tion Services
• Mount installation
2 $500 (—$-1,000
Spare Cash Boxes — High Security one Shot 2 $350
e7rin
.piuu
Technician's Service Access ID Key 2 $290 $580
ID 2009 Duncan Solutions, Inc.
Page 85Full In Fixed Pricing for 2 meters
Component
Comprehensive Package of Spare Parts
• VMNS Electronic Module w/ GPRS
• Antenna Cable
o Coin Validator— cash flow 330 wet deck
O Hybrid Card Reader Assembly
• Piezo Keypad Assembly VMNS
• Green Cell Baffery
• APD (Coin slot Anti Probe Device)
• Opfo-Sensor PCA — Coin jam sensor
• Door Sensor
• IR Board Sensor
• Credit Card Cleaning Swipe
• Test Credit Cards
Quantity Unit Cost Total Cost
$1,590
$38
$390
$525
$350|1010| $90
$3,552
$390
$25
$24
$30
$4
$6
Marketing Program
Brochure design / Consulting Fee
• Printing / distribution
• One 'Ambassador" for one week, includes training
15,000
15,000
Full Implementation - Estimated Ongoing Costs
• Compopent.
AutoTRAX Hosted Wireless Management System
access
* Per meter/per month
• GPRS wireless access
Unit Cost
Annual Cost Quantity
0 $39 TBD
Annual Customer and Internet Support Service
(after first year of service)
• Remote call center support by Duncan staff during
business hours is included in annual support fee
above.|10 10|Ac-(
61: 51 TBD
Credit Card Gateway (Paypal) and Merchant Fees 0
To be agreed
between customer &
financial institution
TBD
City of Culver City, Public Works Department
Pay-By-Space Parking Meter Pay Stations
duncan
5.2 Ongoing Cost Considerations
© 2009 Duncan Solutions, Inc.
Page 865.3 Optional Products and Services Pricing
C
'''^i iP14.0 MIN V t2FRI 'ffl, 411.
Cost/Rates for Selected Optional Products
Component Quantity
PAT; le* r
and Sail/Aces
Unit Cost Total Cost
Duncan VS Pay by Space Meter (304 grade stainless
steel, powder coated meter and skirt)
2 $7,265 $14,530
Duncan VS Pay by Space Meter (316 grade stainless
steel, natural finish meter and skirt)
2 $8,620 $17,240
AutoCITE X3LCIW Handhelds for enforcement 1 $4,600 $4,600
AutoCITE X3 annual warranty fee (after year 1) 1 $550 $550
AutoCITE X3 cover case with belt clip 1 $75 $75
6-Bay USB Charging Station|109| $1,000 $1,000
Charger annual warranty fee (after year 1) 1 $50 $50
Citation paper
• 30,200 Minimum Order Quantity|109| $Z402 I , $2,402
Small White Electronic Ticket Envelopes
• 30,000|109| $1,830 $1,830
AutoISSUE,NET software
• Parking citation issuance (non-network)
• Time limit marking
• AutoCLUSTER wireless enforcement for multi-
space meters
• Wireless Communications Framework
• Includes one export file of citations to TurboData
citation processing system|109| $16,000 $16,000
AutofSSUE.NET annual warranty fee (after year 1) 1 $1,600 $1,600
AutoISSUE Implementation and Training 1 $3,500 $3,500
2-digit Space Numbers 20 $35 $700
Space Number Primer 1 $99 $99
Space Number Installation Services 20 $13 $260
0 co ,YS eKc..€
Intelligent Cash Box Reader Station c —; .,;|99| 4, c41,7 A 1
. $1800 $1800
AutoTRAX Hybrid mode (Batch and Real-time) Credit
card processing license fee
2$1,000 $2,000
mPARK Establishment Fees
• One time cost per meter|109| • $50 $100
mPARK Service Fees
* Per meter/per month|109| $5 $10 per
month
mPARK Transaction on Fees
----,
of 6%|10 9| TBD
or $0.15 per trxn
Bay Sensors 20 $350 $7.6-071 )
Bay Sensor Installation Services 20 $150 $3,000
AutoISSUE WebStatus Sensor Reporting Package
• Per meter/per month
2- $100 $200 per month
City of Culver City, Public Works Department
Pay-By-Space Parking Meter Pay Stations
Page 87 .3 0 2009 Duncan Solutions, Inc.PARKE011
40 Twosome Drive, Suite 7
Moorestown, NJ 08057
856-234-8000
D. Scott Malsin, Mayor
City of Culver City - City Hall
9770 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA_ 90232
February 6, 2009
Dear Mayor Malsirt:
On Monday, February 9, 2009, you and the City Council of Culver City will review and vote on
a recommendation by the Public Works Department and Eric Mirzaian to spend approximately
$34,000 plus a 15% contingency fee to purchase two Pay-by-Space parking pay stations from
Duncan Parking Technologies for a field test.
In recognition of tight economic times, Parkeon, one of the first round bidders and the
industry leader (14,000 meters installed in North America alone) in on-street parking
management systems, offers to provide 2 meters to Culver City to test for FREE.
As the purpose of a trial is for the City to evaluate alternative technologies and to see for itself
what really works best, Culver City really should have multiple participants. To help, and to
demonstrate our belief in our system, Parkeon extends this "no cost" opportunity.
We reviewed Mr. Mirzaian's recommendation to the City Council and would like to share with
you the following observations:
The key to parking turnover is not sensors but Enforcement. Parkeon's Enforcement System
wirelessly accesses all space payment data in real-time and delivers it to the Officer's
handheld device for easy display. By viewing the paid/unpaid space data,
Enforcement officers only go where they see a need. Enforcement is a snap.
.117 Parkeon's space management system zeroes out the meter when each new payment is
made. Piggy-backing is not allowed. The only way to extend one's stay is to enter a
unique extension code created at the time of initial purpose. This way, only the
original purchaser can extend his time. And the only way a person can extend his
time is if your parking policies allow the extra hours to be purchase. The City
remains in control.
And if the City's policy is to limit parking to 2 hours, then the Enforcement solution described
above comes into play. Since you'd need the Enforcement team to manage the sites
anyway, what advantage is there to having sensors? Do they add any real value?
Parkeon suggests "no." But then again, that's why you should have a trial with
multiple vendors, so you can judge for yourselves.
Pai-keon offers "Pay-at-ANY-Meter" technology. The proposed vendor's system does not
This means that the motorist can pay for his/her space no matter where they are in
the City. Imagine the convenience of not having to run back to your original block
Lk
Page 1 of 2when you are in the middle of a business meeting or a social event. This would be a
key advantage to your motorists when Culver City extends the parking solution
beyond the trial area.
3 Mr. Mirzaian says that the other meters are "too big." The Parkeon meter has a footprint of
just 11" x 11", or less than 1 sq ft., hardly a "big" device. And it is just 62" tall and
available in a variety of colors, making it easy to see while being streetscape friendly.
3 Parkeon also offers a "no paper receipt" option; the proposed vendor is not the only one that
can do it.
• Parkeon's system also offers wireless real-time authorization for credit card transactions,
basically eliminating the risk of fraudulent card use.
• Parkeon meters perform up to 400 self-diagnostic checks; they communicate wirelessly to
the central server which the City can access to know the maintenance status of each
meter. Meter uptime is optimized and maintenance staff performance is streamlined.
Given the above details, and that Parkeon is willing to provide meters to trial for free, we
respectfully request that Culver City delay a purchase decision until your team has a chance to
try alternative technologies in the field. After some real-life experience, the City will be well-
positioned to make the best choice possible for its future parking management needs.
Thank you for your consideration.
Best regards,
Dave Palmer, Director of Marketing
PARKEON, Inc
cc: Gary Silbiger
Christopher Annenta
Micheal 0' Leary
Andrew Weissman
Jerry Fulwood
Carol Schwab
Eric Mirzaian
Page 2 of 2MacKay Meters
Duncan Solutions
Metric Parking
60" (H) x 17" (W) x11" (D)
51" (H) x 11" (W) x 9" (0)
72° (H) x 16" (W) x 12" (D)
Digital Payment
Parkeon
Cale Parking
No dimensions provided
62" (H) x 11" (W) x 11" (D)
65" (H) x 16" (VV) x 12" (D)
But comparable to Duncan