City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council approve a professional services agreement with
Nelson/Nygaard in an amount not-to-exceed $96,826.00 to conduct a Line-by-Line
Analysis for Culver CityBus.
BACKGROUND:
Culver CityBus is required by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to perform a
Line-by-Line Analysis of its transit routes at least once every three years. This
triennial analysis provides data to evaluate the performance and productivity of all
routes. It also serves as a management tool for short and long range service
planning. This document is especially critical for the future service planning of major
projects such the MTA Service Changes, Sepulveda Bus Rapid Transit, Expo Light
Rail, and Playa Vista.
A Line-by-Line Analysis involves a system-wide ridership count for weekdays and
weekends, an onboard ridership survey, a transfer survey, a complete analysis and
summary of all data obtained, including supplementary tables, and scheduling
assistance based on the findings of the analysis. It usually takes four to six weeks to
complete the work. The actual data collection will occur during the month of
October, which will provide the optimum data for the survey.
To perform the upcoming analysis, the Transportation Department released a
Request for Proposals (RFP) on June 28, 2007. The RFP was published in the
Meeting Date: 08/27/07 Item Number: A-2
AGENDA ITEM: Approval of a Professional Services Agreement with
Nelson/Nygaard in an Amount not-to-exceed $96,826.00 to conduct a Line-by-Line
Analysis for Culver CityBus, as required by the Federal Transit Administration
(FTA).
Contact Person/Dept.:
Stephanie M. Watts
Art Ida
Phone Number:
(310) 253-6538
(310) 253-6545
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [S]
Public Notification:
Master Notification List (08/22/07); Passenger Transport; Culver City News
Department Approval:
Stephen C. Cunningham (08/15/07)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Iker) (08/21/07)
City Controller Approval:
Marlee Chang (08/21/07)
City Manager Approval:
Jerry B. Fulwood (08/22/07) City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
Culver City News and Passenger Transport, which is the leading trade publication
for the public transportation industry. All interested firms were required to submit
proposals by 3:00 p.m. on July 26, 2007. The Department received a total of four
proposals by the designated deadline. Firms that responded to the RFP are listed
below with their corresponding bid amount.
Firm Bid Amount
Warner Transportation $92,442.88
Moore & Associates $92,536.00
Nelson/Nygaard $96,826.00
Transportation Mgmt & Design, Inc. $110,302.00
DISCUSSION:
An evaluation panel which consisted of the Department’s Deputy Transportation
Director, Transit Operations Manager, and Transit Operations Analyst reviewed all of
the proposals. Each firm was evaluated based on the following four criteria:
Project Costs 20%
Proposed Scope of Work 30%
Experience of Firm and Personnel 25%
Past Performance 25%
After reviewing all of the proposals, the evaluation team reached a consensus that
Nelson/Nygaard was the most responsive to the RFP. It is staff’s opinion that,
compared to Nelson/Nygaard, the firms submitting lower cost proposals would not
produce a document that fully meets the Department’s needs.
Nelson/Nygaard has a long history in the business and possesses an excellent
reputation in the industry. The company has conducted many analyses for various
transportation agencies in Los Angeles County and throughout the United States,
including our previous Line-by-Line Analysis. The evaluation team felt that
Nelson/Nygaard’s cost was justified by the quantity of the work proposed and the
past quality of their work.
A Line-by-Line Analysis is the single most important planning document that a transit
agency has. This document guides the transit agency in evaluating and
implementing all types of service changes. The Line-By-Line Analysis provides the
agency with statistically significant system-wide ridership data, an evaluation of bus
routes via productivity measures (such as passengers and costs per mile) and a
precise look at passenger perceptions. This analysis is the basis for all transit
system improvements, be it route restructuring, additional late night service, or the City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
need for supplementary or reduced service. It helps transit agencies be as
productive as possible.
Staff believes that Nelson/Nygaard’s proposal is superior for a number of reasons.
First, Nelson/Nygaard proposes to spend 2,336 hours on the project, which was
substantially more than most of the other proposers. (For example, the other lowest
bid respondents, Warner Transportation, TMD, Inc. and Moore & Associates, Inc.
proposed to provide 2,226, 2,235, and 698 hours, respectively.) Second,
Nelson/Nygaard proposes to conduct a 100% survey, which is above and beyond
the federally required “statistically valid” survey size. Their expected return rate of
over 7,800 surveys will provide a comprehensive examination of Culver City’s
passengers and their attitudes towards our service. Ridership count and survey data
will be entered into a database and then geo-coded via Geographic Information
Systems software as it is collected, which greatly reduces the possibility of mistakes
and will save many hours of Transportation Department and Information Technology
Department staff time. Third, Nelson/Nygaard will also take upcoming regional
developments into account, such as the Playa Vista development, LAX expansion,
and the proposed Sepulveda Rapid Bus service, when suggesting service
improvements. This forward-looking approach greatly distinguishes them from other
firms. Finally, unique among the bidders, Nelson/Nygaard proposed to observe
Culver CityBus’ daily operations, which will provide them with insight that will lead, in
staff’s opinion, to a superior analysis of our operations.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The Transportation Department will fund this project using Proposition C
Discretionary Municipal Operators Service Improvement Program (MOSIP) funds.
There is sufficient funding included in the adopted Transportation budget for this
contract service. There will be no impact to the General Fund.
MOTION:
That the City Council:
1. Approve a professional services agreement with Nelson/Nygaard in an amount
not-to-exceed $98,826.00 to conduct a Line by Line Analysis for Culver CityBus;
2. Authorize the City Attorney to prepare the necessary documents and authorize
the CIty Manager to execute the documents on behalf of the City.