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CC - CONSENT ITEM: (1) Approval of a Five-Year Agreement with Vertosoft LLC to Provide Swiftly, Inc. Products and Services for a Cloud-Native CAD/AVL Platform in an Amount Not to Exceed $2,524,000 During the Term of the Agreement; and (2) Authorization to the City Manager to Approve Amendments to the Agreement to Support Enhanced System Specifications and Support within an Additional Amount Not-to-Exceed $350,000 over the Five-Year Term of the Agreement for an Aggregate Contract Amount Not to Exceed $2,874,000.00.
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Meeting Date: September 14, 2026
Contact Person/Dept: Nick Zornes/Transportation Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-6500
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (09/10/2026)
Department Approval: Nick Zornes, Chief Transportation Officer (08/24/2026)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) approve a five-year agreement with Vertosoft LLC to provide Swiftly, Inc. products and services for a cloud-native CAD/AVL platform in an amount not to exceed $2,524,000 during the term of the agreement; and (2) authorize the City Manager to approve amendments to the agreement to support enhanced system specifications and support within an additional amount not-to-exceed $350,000 during the five-year term of the agreement for an aggregate contract amount not to exceed $2,874,000.00.
BACKGROUND
The Transportation Department implemented a computer-aided dispatch (CAD)/automatic vehicle location (AVL) SmartBus System. The CAD/AVL system is a real-time management system consisting of functions such as Automated Passenger Counting (APC), Automated Vehicle Annunciation (AVN), and radio communication integration. This real-time vehicle tracking data allows transit supervisors to coordinate vehicle routes, operators, and schedule data to ensure smooth operations for the Culver CityBus system.
The City’s current CAD/AVL system is a traditional, hardware-centric enterprise system that requires proprietary on-board intelligent transportation system (ITS) hardware and has been in place for nearly ten years. It is deeply integrated into the physical components of the vehicle and manages the entire “on-bus” infrastructure from farebox integrations to automated passenger counters. Where the existing system relies heavily on on-premises servers and a traditional dispatch console environment, technological advances over the past decade have allowed a new generation of cloud-native, hardware-agnostic data platforms to emerge. While these new platforms also function as CAD/AVL systems, they allow transit agencies to separate software from hardware - allowing agencies to prioritize data accessibility without committing to costly hardware overhauls.
DISCUSSION
By moving away from traditional on-premise hardware deployments and opting for a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, Culver CityBus will capture significant efficiencies and cost savings. Instead of putting high-cost, single-use proprietary hardware on every bus, the cloud systems will process vehicle positions directly from existing enterprise components. Further, the core dispatch system will move away from dedicated local dispatch workstations and on-premises servers to a secure, web-based cloud-hosted control center. This move will allow Transportation Department staff to securely monitor fleet operations from any authorized terminal or mobile workstation and provide a highly flexible operational framework that better aligns with existing resources.
Following an evaluation period of the SaaS model, staff participated in live demonstrations of various cloud-native systems from multiple industry vendors to test their capabilities against Culver CityBus’s needs. Throughout these demonstrations, Swiftly, Inc. proved its distinct advantages in interface simplicity, predictive precision, and implementation speed. Most significantly, Swiftly’s CAD/AVL Platform includes Voice Over IP calling capabilities at no additional cost which would allow broader regional communication coverage to CityBus operators as they travel outside of Culver City limits. Based on these operational trials, staff recommends the City enter an agreement with Swiftly to provide a cloud-native CAD/AVL system for Culver CityBus. This procurement is exempt from formal bidding procedures per Culver City Municipal Code Section 3.07.055.E, which exempts bidding requirements for software and related software maintenance contracts.
The implementation of Swiftly CAD/AVL will require the replacement of the existing Culver CityBus fleet’s on-vehicle hardware that has reached the end of its useful life. This modernization presents a strategic opportunity to capture a significant return on investment while aligning with the Transportation Department’s planned fleet replacement cycle. Upgrading the onboard technology generates an estimated savings of approximately $48,000 per vehicle by reducing the number of on-vehicle components. By synchronizing this technology refresh with the upcoming procurement of 27 buses scheduled for delivery over the next two fiscal years, the department can eliminate redundant installation and maintenance labor, avoid future retrofit expenses, and capture a projected baseline savings of approximately $1.296 million across the incoming fleet. Additionally, this transition avoids major capital expenditures required to keep the legacy system operational, specifically eliminating a planned $350,000 onboard router replacement scheduled for FY27 and an on-premises server upgrade estimated to cost over $700,000.
Pursuant to Culver City Municipal Code Section 3.07.055.G, the purchase of equipment, goods and supplies is exempt from formal competitive bidding requirements when competitive bid procedures have already been utilized by the City or another public agency or non-profit entity whose main purpose is to help public agencies make purchases; provided, the equipment, goods or supplies are supplied to the City at the same or better price, as was obtained through the competitive bid procedures of that entity. Staff was able to secure competitive pricing for all Swiftly services and hardware by utilizing a national cooperative purchasing agreement awarded to Vertosoft LLC by Region 14 Education Service Center in Abilene, Texas via a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP #25-S940) under the OMNIA Partners network (Contract #159574). The final system design package will include installation plans, detailed system drawings, and staff training. In an effort to accommodate the cost estimate changes, City Council is requested to authorize the City Manager to execute amendments to the agreement with Vertosoft LLC in an amount not to exceed $350,000 for an aggregate amount not to exceed $2,874,000 for the entire agreement.
In August 2022, the City Council approved a three-year contract with Swiftly, Inc. for a ready-made software system that utilizes existing GPS data from the current CAD/AVL system to provide a comprehensive data reporting solution that enables management insight into Culver CityBus operations data. Utilizing the Swiftly platform’s disruption management services, staff was also able to improve responsiveness in communicating service delays and detours to Culver CityBus customers. In February 2025, staff returned to Council to request a two-year extension to the existing software services agreement through February 2027. Should City Council approve this agreement, funding for future years of disruption management services will be incorporated into the new agreement.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 includes sufficient funding in Account No. 20370200.619800 (Transportation Operations - Contractual Services) to cover the cost of Year 1 of the Annual Subscription Fee and all one-time implementation fees and services. Sufficient funds are budgeted from CIP Account Nos. 203730100.730100.PB024 and 20380000.732100.PB001 for all hardware costs utilizing Federal 5307 section grant funding. Future years of the agreement will be incorporated into future fiscal year budgets.
No General Fund monies will be used as a part of this request.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
recommended action
MOTION(S)
That the City Council:
1. Approve a five-year agreement with Vertosoft LLC to provide Swiftly, Inc. products and services for a cloud-native CAD/AVL platform in an amount not-to-exceed $2,524,000 during the term of the agreement;
2. Authorize the City Manager to approve amendments to the agreement to support enhanced system specifications and support within an additional amount not-to-exceed $350,000 during the five-year term of the agreement for an aggregate contract amount not to exceed $2,874,000.00;
3. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.