SR-10-27-2015-3H
City Council
Report
City Council Regular Meeting: October 27, 2015
Agenda Item: 3.H
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Edward King, Director, Big Blue Bus, Government & Community Relations
Subject: BBB Customer Satisfaction Survey
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award RFP #40 to Maroon Society, Inc., a California-based company for Transit
Customer Perception Survey services;
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a contractual service agreement
with Maroon Society, Inc., a California-based company, in an amount not to exceed
$113,967 for two years, with three additional one-year renewal option(s) in the amount
of $265,923, on the same terms and conditions for a total amount not to exceed
$379,890 over a five-year period, with future year funding contingent on Council
budget approval.
Executive Summary
Big Blue Bus (BBB), with its Evolution of Blue campaign, has embarked on a service
plan to integrate its service with Expo light rail. Evolution of Blue encompasses the
largest set of changes in BBB’s history, updating 19 of 20 routes. Knowing h ow
customers perceive services over time is critical to customer retention and expansion of
BBB’s customer base to new segments that include choice riders as well as captive
riders. Big Blue Bus has not conducted comprehensive customer perception surveys to
date. In order to perform timely and comprehensive surveys, BBB proposes to utilize a
contracted vendor to help staff conduct twice annual surveys and reports. Staff
recommends that Maroon Society, Inc., provide survey tasks for Big Blue Bus at a cost
not to exceed $379,890 for five years.
Background
Ridership and customer surveys are conducted every three years as part of Big Blue
Bus’ Title VI Plan. However, none of the survey efforts to date have been designed to
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benchmark in-depth attitudinal responses from a wide range of Big Blue Bus’ ridership.
BBB’s Strategic Business Plan Objective 4.3. calls for BBB to “expand prior survey
statistics efforts and strategies to focus on customer satisfaction in an effort to develop
baseline statistics to learn where we do things well and where we can improve,” and
BBB’s five-year Strategic Business Plan Workplan Item 2 calls for BBB to “select a
vendor to research and establish baseline customer satisfaction metrics that can be
used to measure rider retention and attract new riders, minimize obstacles to on-time
performance and cultivate strong relationships with stakeholders.” The development of
a robust, recurring customer perception survey program would allow BBB to assess
service, amenities, brand equity, reputation, efficacy, and effectiveness in messaging. In
addition, a professionally-developed customer perception survey would allow BBB to
better understand the mobility wants and needs of current and pr ospective riders,
creating a foundation for the retention and expansion of ridership.
Discussion
BBB is currently in the process of making major service changes to all its routes and
adding new customer-focused technology to support transit use. Benchmarking and
measuring satisfaction and regular feedback on these new routes and technologies
would help shape marketing approaches, outreach and educational strategies to ensure
that existing and new customers are prepared for these service changes and
communication platforms and that they take full advantage of them.
Conducting customer perception surveys is a new project for BBB and the scope-of-
work includes the development of a recurring customer perception measurement
program including: assessment of service, amenities, brand equity, reputation, efficacy,
effectiveness in messaging, and understanding the attributes for retaining and building
ridership.
The goal of this project is to establish benchmarks in many different service aspects,
including: general perceptions about customer service satisfaction in key performance
areas, in-depth analysis of customer technology adoption and adaptation, customer
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travel patterns and customer demographics.
Scope of Work
The scope of work for the initial term includes:
a. Developing a survey tool that will include questions to measure the following
components:
General Customer Perceptions on Service
o General Service Levels
o Service Frequency
o Span of Service by Weekday/Weekend
o Service Quality/Service Delivery (on-time)
o Bus Stops – street furnishings, informational materials, safety, and
cleanliness
o Motor Coach Operator Performance – proficiency, friendliness, and
safety
o Customer Service performance – speed of service, proficiency,
friendliness, and hours of service
o Motor Coach Cleanliness – interior and exterior
Customer Travel Patterns
o Frequency of Travel – days per week, one-way or round-trip
o Purpose of Travel – specific school, work, medical, shopping, and
other
o Mode of First and Last Mile Travel
o Use of Bike Racks
o Connecting Services – BBB bus, other bus, and rail
o Total Trip Time
Customer Demographics
o Income
o Availability of Vehicle
o Mobility Level – use of mobility devices
o Zip Codes – home, origin and destination
Primary Language
Technology Adaptation – how technology is used by BBB customers to get
transit information; for example, “do smartphone users use BBB website,
Google Maps, NextBus or combined?”
b. Establishing a plan for customer surveys that will include appropriate sample size
representing a diverse sample of customers from various routes and traveling at
different times of day and days of the week, and obtaining thorough responses.
c. Implementing the field surveys and collecting responses from the target sample
of Big Blue Bus customers.
d. Drafting an initial report to Big Blue Bus.
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e. Creating a final draft of the report, including:
Executive Summary
Introduction
Survey Methods
Report of Findings
Recommendation for future surveys, including a section on lessons learned
and recommendations on opportunities to fine tune the survey tool and
sampling process for the next survey.
Big Blue Bus will use the first survey findings, expected in mid -2016, to help identify
communication opportunities and evaluate the need for engaging additional marketing
services.
Vendor/Consultant Selection
On July 30, 2015, the City published Notices Inviting Bids for the Transit Customer
Perception Survey services as requested by the Planning and Community Engagement
Division of Big Blue Bus, in accordance with City scope of work. The bid was posted on
the City's online bidding site, and notices were advertised in the Santa Monica Daily
Press in accordance with City Charter and Municipal Code provisions. Notifications
went out to 643 vendors, of which 48 vendors downloaded the bid. Four bids were
received and opened publicly on August 19, 2015 per Attachment A. Bids were
evaluated based on the criteria in SMMC 2.24.072, including price, previous experience,
capacity and skill, ability to deliver and provide future service, and compliance with City
scope of work. Maroon Society, Inc. is not the lowest bidder, but offered experience in
working in transit and experience with sampling transit populations as well as inclusion
of a greater survey sample size in the proposal. Based on these criteria, Maroon
Society, Inc., is recommended as the best bidder for the customer perception survey
services in accordance with City scope of work.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
The contractual service agreement to be awarded to Maroon Society, Inc., is for an
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amount not to exceed $379,890. Funds in the amount of $80,000 are available in the FY
2015-16 budget in the Big Blue Bus Department. The agreement will be charged to
account 41643.555062. Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Aimee Wyatt, Transit Community Relations Officer
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. #1455_customer survey pricing
Bidder 2015-2016
(first survey)
2016-2017
(two surveys)
2017-2018
(two surveys)
2018-2019
(two surveys)
Pollack PR
Marketing
Group
(PPMG)
39,100 69400 69,400 69,400
Maroon
Society, Inc.37,989 75,978 75,978 75,978
Lincoln Park
Strategies,
Inc.
39,525 79,050 79,050 79,050
Larson
Research &
Strategy
40,000 80,000 80,000 80,000
Bidder City/State Bid Amount –
First Survey
Bid Amount –
Second
Survey
Bid Amount
for future
surveys
Pollack PR
Marketing
Group
(PPMG)
Los Angeles,
CA 39,100 34,700 34,700
Maroon
Society, Inc.
Los Angeles,
CA 37,989 37,989 37,989
Lincoln Park
Strategies,
Inc.
Washington,
D.C.39,525 39,525 39,525
Larson
Research &
Strategy
Santa Monica,
CA 40,000 40,000 40,000
2018-2019
(two surveys)
2019-2020
(one survey)
Total Cost for
5 years
(9 surveys)
69,400 34,700 $ 351,400
75,978 37,989 $ 379,890
79,050 39,525 $ 395,250
80,000 40,000 $ 400,000
Notes
Bid stated
$177,900 for 5
surveys.
*Bid stated:
$151,955 for 4
surveys.
Bid had a per
survey cost of
$39,525 per
survey.
Bid had a per
survey cost of
$40,000 per
survey.
Reference:
Agreement No. 10209
(CCS)