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CC - Approval of an Agreement with IPS Group, Inc., for the (1) Purchase and Installation of 618 New 4G Parking Meters; and (2) Removal of 618 Existing Parking Meters that Will Become Obsolete in Late 2021; and (3) Purchase of 818 Coin Cans for a Total Project Cost Not-To-Exceed $400,716
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Meeting Date: June 28, 2021
Contact Person/Dept: Gabe Garcia/Public Works
Phone Number: (310) 253-5633
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (06/23/2021)
Department Approval: Charles D. Herbertson, PW Director/City Engineer (06/16/2021)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council approve an agreement with IPS Group, Inc., for the (1) purchase and installation of 618 new 4G parking meters with 200 of these meters be equipped with Bluetooth hardware; and (2) removal of 618 existing parking meters that will become obsolete in late 2021 due to 2G technology to be discontinued by telecommunication firms, (3) and purchase of 818 coin cans for a total project cost not-to-exceed $400,716.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The City’s smart parking meter technology started being installed in 2011 with regular upgrades taken place since then. Prior to the start of the COVID 19 Pandemic, the City had approximately 2,050 smart parking meters in place mainly in commercial areas. It should be noted that about 60 parking meters have been inoperative due to the outdoor dining accommodations in the Downtown and Arts District areas. Additional parking meters are also expected to be removed from operation to accommodate implementation of the pilot Move Culver City project.
Because of the span of years over which parking meter installations have occurred, the-communication technology built into the smart parking meters ranges from 2G to 4G. Currently, 618 smart parking meters deployed in city areas have been identified as having 2G technology. Telecommunications firms such as T-Mobile and Verizon have announced that they will discontinue support for 2G communications later in 2021, with possible outages and disruptions in network service prior to fully stopping support. The impact on our 618 2G parking meters is that they will not be able to accept and process credit card payments, and they will not be able to communicate with the IPS servers to report transaction data or maintenance service needs.
To avoid the initial intermittent failure of the meters followed by their permanent shutdown along with associated loss of revenue and inability to enforce meter parking violations, it is necessary to replace these 618 of 2G smart parking meters with new 4G meters.
Pay-by-App Pilot
It should also be noted that staff is preparing to roll out a pilot smart parking meter project to use pay-by-app technology and Bluetooth contactless payments in the Downtown area for approximately 200 curbside parking spaces. To this end, 200 of the 618 new parking meters will be purchased with Bluetooth hardware and will replace 200 of the existing meters in the Downtown area that do not have Bluetooth capabilities. The replaced 200 Downtown area meters will then be relocated to replace 2G meters elsewhere in the city.
Coin Cans
The coin cans need to be replaced in all 618 meters and the 200 meters in the Downtown area. These coin cans are old, like the meters, and need to be replaced because they are failing to open. The coin cans are locked containers into which coins drop when the meters are fed with coins. When the meter revenue is collected by CCPD, these coin cans are taken out of the meters and placed on a portable vault containing a built-in key. When the CCPD staff twist the coin can while resting on the vault, the built-in key opens the coin cans and securely drops the coins into the vault. The coin cans are failing and need to be replaced because they do not open. When the coin cans become full, they stop accepting coins and cause the meters to become inoperable.
Competitive Bidding Requirements Do Not Apply
Pursuant to Culver City Municipal Code Section 3.07.055.G formal competitive bidding is not required where competitive bid procedures have already been utilized by another public agency; provide the equipment are being supplied to the City at the same or better price, as was obtained through that bid process. In this case, the City of Seal Beach went through a competitive bid process, selecting IPS, and the City is receiving comparable prices; therefore, this purchase satisfies this requirement.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
IPS Group, Inc., has extended to Culver City a discounted unit cost of $475 per meter and $40 per coin can through the end of June 2021. If the City Council authorizes this purchase, the City would realize a saving of over $12,000 versus purchasing the same meters after July 1st, 2021.
The cost for the new 618 4G smart parking meters, including installation services, freight and sales tax and 818 coin cans is approximately $400,716. There are sufficient funds available in the City Council Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2020/2021 as part of Project PZ-949 New Parking Meter, account 47580000.730100, to pay for this proposed project.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Approve an agreement with IPS Group, Inc., for (1) the purchase and installation of 618 smart parking meters with 4G technology and that 200 of these meters be equipped with Bluetooth hardware; and (2) removal of 618 existing parking meters that will become obsolete in late 2021 due to 2G technology to be discontinued by telecommunication firms, (3) and purchase of 818 coin cans for a total project cost not-to-exceed $400,716; and
2. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.