SR-417-005 (42)
F:PCD/Share/2003CouncilStaffReports/parkingmeteracquisition.doc
Council Meeting: March 23, 2004 Santa Monica, CA
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Award of Contract to Duncan Parking Technologies for the Purchase of
Parking Meters
Introduction
This report recommends that the City Council award a contract to Duncan Parking
Technologies, Inc. in the amount of $1,806,305.91 for the purchase of 6,600 parking
meters mechanisms and 6,400 housings and associated equipment for replacement of
existing parking meters and installation of meters at new locations.
Background
Council conceptually approved a parking meter fee increase and the installation of
additional meters at the December 17, 2002 Council meeting. The Council subsequently
adopted resolutions and ordinances to increase parking meter rates and establish various
parking meter zones as part of the February 25, 2003 mid-year budget review. Council
also requested information on the types of meter options available; this was provided via an
information item on December 24, 2003.
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Discussion
Staff proposes acquiring 6,600 electronic meters to replace all the single-head mechanical
meters in the City and to have an inventory to add additional meters at predetermined
locations, such as adjacent to Santa Monica College and business adjacent side-street
parking spaces off of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards. Three hundred meter
locations that already have electronic mechanisms will not be replaced. The new meters
will accept quarters, dimes and nickels as well as a stored value card that the City will sell.
The meter deducts one-hour worth of credit each time the stored value card is swiped.
Thus, a parker can get two hours worth of parking by swiping a card twice; if the meter is for
less than one hour, only the value equivalent to the maximum amount of time allowed is
deducted. Staff has also researched mechanisms that can accept credit cards, but the
processing fees and cost of real time communications with each meter are prohibitive. Staff
considered replacing some single-space meters with multi-space meters, but the places
with the highest volume of parkers, such as the downtown and beach areas, are visitor
destinations with a great number of non-local parkers. The education and signage required
to inform parkers about how to use multi-space meters could be onerous, and complaint
volume would likely be high. The City?s previous investment in posts and footings makes
their removal and replacement with multi-space meters relatively more expensive.
A request for proposals was issued and four proposals were received on February 25,
2004. Of the four, one was an ?alternative? proposal that was not responsive to the City?s
request and did not include the required submission of housings and mechanisms and
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meter management software for testing by City Staff. In addition to reviewing written
proposals, staff received demonstrations of the proposed equipment and software from
each responsive vendor.
Having the opportunity to see and test the products from each of the vendors gave City staff
from the treasury, parking enforcement and transportation management divisions an
opportunity to become more knowledgeable about the products offered by different
vendors. Because of the high quality of all of the products submitted, price was a key
determinant of the recommendation to select Duncan Parking Technologies as the vendor
for both the mechanisms and the housings.
The three responsive proposals included the following pricing:
Mechanisms Housings Total
(less credit)
Duncan Parking Technologies
$673,577.91 $1,132,728.00 $1,806,305.91
Mackay Meters, Inc.
$936,990.51 $1,155,105.44 $2,092,095.95
POM Incorporated
$961,702.64 $1,300,316.32 $2,262,0816.96
Staff recommends Duncan Parking Technologies, Inc. as the best bidder pursuant to the
criteria set forth in Municipal Code Section 2.24.072. Duncan?s price proposal was the
lowest cost for all of the specified items including electronic mechanisms, software required
to collect data from all of the new and old meters and rust-resistant housings. The delivery
schedule calls for 1,500 mechanisms and housings to be available 45 days following the
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issuance of a contract and the balance of the mechanisms and housings to be available
105 days later. Duncan has a long history of providing high-quality, durable parking
meters. The City?s parking enforcement, meter repair and revenue collection operations
have extensive experience with Duncan meters, including 300 electronic meters, the
majority of which were recently in Parking Lot 9 near the Main Street commercial area.
The City has found the company to be reliable, experienced and responsive. Duncan
meters are also deployed locally in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.
The City will be contracting separately with firms to install posts at previously unmetered
locations, and to remove the existing mechanical mechanisms and install the new
electronic mechanisms at existing locations. Full implementation will be phased over a four-
month period. The first meter replacement will occur in the downtown area. Following
installation of the new mechanisms and housings at all existing locations, staff will evaluate
whether additional spaces can be added in commercial corridors if existing posts are
relocated and installed. Information on occupancy and usage from the meter management
system can help staff to prioritize locations for this type of reconfiguration.
The purchase will include the 6,600 meters, plus software, collection carts, and handheld
equipment to allow meter collection staff to record how much money was collected at a
particular meter, upload the information to a computer system and reprogram meters in the
field. The purchase of equipment also includes initial software setup, training for collection,
maintenance and parking staff, and includes software and hardware support. The purchase
includes a three-year warranty on parts, hardware and all equipment purchased. New
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meters will be preprogrammed for the new rates and allowable parking duration so new
revenue will be collected immediately.
In addition to this purchase, the proposal provides a per-meter price for additional housings
and mechanisms that can be installed at other high-demand locations or in spaces created
by reconfiguring spaces along commercial corridors.
Budget/Financial Impact
Funds are available in capital account C01087403.589000.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council award a contract to Duncan Parking
Technologies, Inc. in the amount of $1,806,305.91 for the purchase of 6,600 parking
meters and 6,400 housings and associated equipment.
Prepared By: Suzanne Frick, Director of Planning & Community Development
Lucy Dyke, Transportation Planning Manager
Diane Howell, Purchasing Agent
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