STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Government Performance and Financial Management
AGENDA DATE: January 12, 2022
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): All
DEPARTMENT: Office of Procurement Services
EXECUTIVE: Elizabeth Reich
______________________________________________________________________
SUBJECT
Title
Authorize (1) a five-year acquisition contract to establish a master agreement for the purchase of equipment to expand and operate the Park & Recreation Department’s existing people counting system in the estimated amount of $261,625; and (2) a five-year service price agreement for installation, maintenance, and support for the existing people counting system for the Park & Recreation Department in the estimated amount of $95,550 - Eco-Compteur, Inc. dba Eco-Counter, Inc., sole source - Total estimated amount of $357,175 - Financing: Park and Recreation Beautification Fund (subject to annual appropriations)
Body
BACKGROUND
This action does not encumber funds; the purpose of a service price agreement is to establish firm pricing for services, for a specific term, which are ordered on an as needed basis according to annual budgetary appropriations. The estimated amount is intended as guidance rather than a cap on spending under the agreement, so that actual need combined with the amount budgeted will determine the amount spent under this agreement.
These agreements will allow for the continued purchase, implementation, hosting, maintenance, and support of a people counting system for the Park & Recreation Department. The system will gather accurate and detailed data on visitor ingress/egress activity at parks and hiking and biking trails across the City. The data will be used to analyze traffic flows and trends at each designated location. The insight afforded by these analyses will enable Park & Recreation Department staff to better serve the future outdoor leisure needs of visitors of these locations.
Eco-Counter, Inc. devices were initially purchased in 2014 and have been deployed on multiple trails throughout the City of Dallas. Since deployment, the devices have logged millions of users on the City’s trail system and provided valuable data on the types of users, days of the week and times of day the trails are used, and the most popular trails. Staff regularly uses this information to update elected officials and the public on the use of the City’s trails, and to justify expenditures for maintenance and trail expansion. The North Central Texas Council of Governments also uses the Eco-Counter, Inc. system, and monitors City of Dallas data for regional reporting.
Additionally, the Park & Recreation Department’s Friend’s organizations rely heavily on this data for grant development and funding proposals.
The bi-directional counting devices will be strategically placed throughout the identified parks and trails and can distinguish between foot and bicycle traffic. The data will be logged and uploaded to a secure web-based data analysis platform. The software will allow for customized graphs, charts, and reports based on the data collected at one, or any number of sites.
The Contractor will provide the people counting system equipment, onsite consultation on proper installation for maximum efficiency, and maintenance/support services after installation. Maintenance and support services will include technical telephone support, patches, and releases to the most current software versions.
As part of the solicitation process and in an effort to increase competition, the Office of Procurement Services used its procurement system to send out email notifications to vendors registered under relevant commodity codes. To further increase competition, the Office of Procurement Services uses historical solicitation information, the Internet, and vendor contact information obtained from user departments to contact additional vendors.
On November 10, 2015, the City Council authorized a living wage policy that requires contractors to pay their employees a “living wage” rate as established annually by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator for Dallas County by Resolution No. 15-2141. The current calculated living wage during the solicitation process of this contract is $15.21; the selected vendor meets this requirement.
PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (COUNCIL, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS)
On January 28, 2015 City Council authorized an acquisition contract for the purchase, implementation and hosting of a people counting system for Park and Recreation; and a five-year service contract for maintenance and support for the people counting system with Eco-Counter, Inc. by Resolution No. 15-0156.
On October 21, 2021, the Park & Recreation Board authorized the acquisition contract for the purchase of equipment to expand and operate the Park & Recreation Department’s existing people counting system and a five-year service price agreement for maintenance and support for the current and expanded people counting system with Eco-Counter, Inc.
FISCAL INFORMATION
|
Fund |
FY 2022 |
FY 2023 |
Future Years |
|
Park and Recreation Beautification Fund |
$57,175.00 |
$100,000.00 |
$200,000.00 |
M/WBE INFORMATION
In accordance with the City’s Business Inclusion and Development Policy adopted on September 23, 2020, by Resolution No. 20-1430, as amended, the M/WBE participation on this contract is as follows:
|
Contract Amount |
Procurement Category |
M/WBE Goal |
M/WBE % |
M/WBE $ |
|
$357,175.00 |
Other Services |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
• The Business Inclusion and Development Policy does not apply to Other Service contracts. |
|
• Eco- Compteur, Inc. dba Eco-Counter, Inc.- Non-local; Workforce - 0.00% Local |
PROCUREMENT INFORMATION
Method of Evaluation for Award Type:
|
Sole Source |
• Utilized for procurements where functional requirements can only be satisfied by one vendor, such as those where patents, copyrights or monopolies exists |
|
|
• Exempted from competitive bidding process |
|
|
• The Office of Procurement Services conducted a sole source review and found no exceptions |
OWNER
Eco-Compteur, Inc. dba Eco-Counter, Inc.
604-3981 St-Laurent
Montreal, Quebec H2W 1Y5, Canada
Enrico Durbano, Chief Executive Officer