The Public Works Department has a large fleet of active vehicle assets that are critical to many of the City's core services,  The FY 2017 budget for Public Works includes funding for an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system in order to better protect and utilize these vehicle assets.  AVL allows for tracking vehicles individually and collecting and reporting data on their location, history, speed, safety and other diagnostics.  The AVL system will enable Public Works to track and manage assigned work along with an array of parameters such as fuel consumption, de-icer product, snowplow activity, and driving behavior.  AVL gives supervisors a real-time look at how and where equipment is allocated, how it is being used, and its status.  It also saves costs and improves customer service by being able to dispatch the nearest vehicle to a complaint.   AVL systems have the potential to save the City significant time, money and, potentially, lives.  Data collected from the AVL hardware in Public Works vehicles can help the Department correct and improve unsafe driving habits and inappropriate use of City vehicle.  AVL can also provide information to refute groundless claims against the City regarding vehicle accidents.

A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued for an Automatic Vehicle Location System.  Staff from Public Works Fiscal Services, Street Traffic, and Distribution and Collection Divisions and Information Technology evaluated fourteen proposals.  MarshallGIS's proposal obtained the highest overall score, was one of the lower cost solutions, met all of the specifications, and is being recommended for award. 

MarshallGIS has specialized in GIS software solutions for 22 years and is a cost-effective, proven solution currently used by many cities.  Their products and services will offer enhanced customer service and accurate and real-time operational data analysis through live route map displays and dashboards.  This new functionality will facilitate operational efficiencies, reduce costs, as well as protect the City from liability and its employees from false claims.  The initial rollout of AVL will include 83 Public Works vehicles, comprised of 8 Engineering/Inspector vehicles, 10 meter trucks, 4 sewer jet trucks, and 61 street/traffic vehicles.  Additionally, the Planning Department has been researching systems that would provide this functionality and because this is a low cost solution that meets their needs, they will also be implementing this AVL system for its fleet of 15 vehicles, including 4 code enforcement, 8 building, 2 planning, and 1 community development vehicles. 

City Council may:

• Approve the Agreement with MarshallGIS, or;
• Disapprove the Agreement with MarshallGIS.

The FY 2017 cost to implement the AVL system in 83 Publics Work vehicles and 15 Planning Department vehicles is $34,567 which includes software licensing, hardware setup, integration with Cityworks, Public Works asset management software, training, and on-going support.  The following is a breakdown of these costs:
 

Engineering	$1,614
Street/Traffic	$24,105
D&C (wastewater)	$1,800
D&C (water)	$323
Meter Shop (water)	$2,690
TOTAL PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT	$30,532
Code Enforcement	$1,076
Building	$2,152
Planning	$538
Community Development	$269
TOTAL PLANNING DEPARTMENT	$4,035
TOTAL	$34,567

On-going costs total $20,992 annually of which $17,932 is allocated to the Public Works Department and $3,060 is allocated to the Planning Department.  However, the AVL system may be implemented in additional vehicles in the future, increasing the annual costs.  
 

Staff recommends that the City Council approve the agreements with MarshallGIS to procure an Automatic Vehicle Location system in the amount of $34,567 in the first year and $20,992 thereafter for three years, with two one-year options to renew by mutual agreement.