SR 03-09-2021 3G
City Council Report
City Council Meeting: March 9, 2021
Agenda Item: 3.G
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Jacqueline Seabrooks, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Award Bid and enter into Agreement with Fivecast Corporation for Social
Media Awareness Software
Recommended Action
1. Award Bid #281 to Fivecast Corporation for the purchase of social media
awareness software for the Santa Monica Police Department.
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a contract with Fivecast
Corporation for social media awareness software in the amount not to exceed
$65,500 for one year, with two additional one-year renewal options in the amount
of $65,500 on the same terms and conditions for a total amount not to exceed
$196,500 over a three-year period, with future year funding contingent on Council
budget approval.
Summary
Social media networks are the leading source of news, communications, and cultural
trends. Currently the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) does not have the
capability to leverage the informational and alert capabilities of social media to support
investigations and protect against emerging risks. Access and use of a social media
awareness software solution would allow SMPD to track and monitor events or chatter
related to the City of Santa Monica and adjacent areas to better assess risks and plan
for events. Following a request for proposal (RFP) process, staff recommends entering
into a three-year agreement with Fivecast at a cost of $196,500.
Discussion
Currently, SMPD relies on traditional news sources, personal social media accounts
and other regional law enforcement agencies for valuable information about our
community. This approach is spotty at best and leaves our community vulnerable to the
time sensitive complexities of social media information sharing.
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This software solution would greatly increase Santa Monica’s real time situational
awareness, planning capabilities, and investigative responses to critical incidents. It will
be used by the Police Department’s Planning and Intelligence and Crime Analysis units
allowing them the ability to place alerts for specific language in open source platforms,
track the trends of such and become informed on a timely basis of anything pertinent to
the City of Santa Monica. This software product is an industry leader in digital
intelligence solutions with the capability to explore masses of digital data in a manner
that is socially responsible and protects our community. Moreover, it will provide all
hazard mitigation by providing real-time alerts, social media trends, and investigative
capabilities to better safeguard the public.
The Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, and the
California Office of Emergency Management all use similar software platforms. Each
entity directs its collection and analytic abilities toward the jurisdiction’s geographic
areas of responsibility. Because Santa Monica is not part of these agencies’ areas of
responsibility, SMPD may get the information after the fact or not at all. The events that
transpired from the civil unrest of May 31, 2020 demonstrated the need for more
proactive, real time information gathering that is less reliant on other agencies to be the
primary sources of information. Moving forward with the proposed social media
awareness software will establish this capability for Santa Monica.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Bidder FIVECAST
Evaluation Criteria
(include all that apply)
Experience and Technical Competence: firm’s previous projects of
comparable complexity, scale, and nature; training and previous expertise
in the area of work required, public entity projects. Ability to meet project
work and timeliness, highly qualified staff, efficiency and timeliness in
completion of projects. Quality Control, Cost of Services/Cost Control:
performance within budget allocations, prudent auditing practices,
management and clear and constant communication with City staff are
essential to the success of this project; Stability and References, Value
Add/Breadth of Service
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.180
Submittals Received
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Bid Data
Date Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
11/03/2020 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica Daily Press 25 11/03/2020
Best Bidder Justification
Members of the Santa Monica Police Department’s Planning and Intelligence and
Crime Analysis units pilot tested software from five vendors between July 2020 to
October 2020. All vendors provided training and full access to their products during
their respective trial periods. Several products had overlapping capabilities while
others had significant advantages in specific areas. At the conclusion of the trial
phase, SMPD wrote a scope of work comprised of the best qualities of all the tested
products. On November 3, 2020, SMPD posted a request for proposals on the City’s
online bidding site. Three companies submitted proposals for review. SMPD end users
and executive staff evaluated the proposals and found the bid from Fivecast should be
awarded the contract. Fivecast demonstrated that its product excelled in all areas of
the relevant evaluation, including real time alerts, investigative capabilities,
applications of artificial intelligence (AI), ease of use, and platform accessibility.
We found that Fivecast was superior than the other developers because its features
effective search tools that can be optimized to automate alert notifications and extract
insights from open source platforms. It utilizes AI to search online activity including
chatter, images, and video sources for any activity related to Santa Monica and our
surrounding areas. Access to Fivecast would not only benefit our Planning and
Intelligence and Crime Analysis units, but also support investigations.
More broadly, Fivecast is used among federal and international law enforcement
agencies such as the Houston Regional Intelligence and Service Center, The
Department of Homeland Security’s Counterintelligence divisions, and the Department
of Home Affairs in Australia. They are the leader in the open source market for their
digital intelligence solutions.
Dataminer $40,000 Media Sonar $30,000
FiveCast $65,000
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Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the General Fund to award a contract to
Fivecast for the purchase of social media awareness software. The price is for a
customized and inclusive software program. Future year funding is contingent on
Council budget approval.
Contract/Agreement/Purchase Order Request
FY 2020-21 Budget
Request Amount Police Department Account # Total Contract Amount
$65,500 01180001.536000 $196,500
Prepared By: Nicole Bustamante, Senior Administrative Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Oaks Fivecast
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE NOTICE
NOTICE TO APPLICANTS, BIDDERS, PROPOSERS
AND OTHERS SEEKING DISCRETIONARY PERMITS, CONTRACTS,
OR OTHER BENEFITS FROM THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Santa Monica’s voters adopted a City Charter amendment commonly known as the
Oaks Initiative. The Oaks Initiative requires the City to provide this notice and information
about the Initiative’s requirements. You may obtain a full copy of the Initiative’s text from the
City Clerk.
This information is required by City Charter Article XXII—Taxpayer Protection. It prohibits
a public official from receiving, and a person or entity from conferring, specified personal
benefits or campaign advantages from a person or entity after the official votes, or otherwise
takes official action, to award a “public benefit” to that person or entity. The prohibition applies
within and outside of the geographical boundaries of Santa Monica.
All persons or entities applying or receiving public benefits from the City of Santa
Monica shall provide the names of trustees, directors, partners, and officers, and names of
persons with more than a 10% equity, participation or revenue interest. An exception exists for
persons serving in those capacities as volunteers, without compensation, for organizations
exempt from income taxes under Section 501(c)(3), (4), or (6), of the Internal Revenue Code.
However, this exception does not apply if the organization is a political committee or controls
political committees. Examples of a “public benefit” include public contracts to provide goods or
services worth more than $25,000 or a land use approval worth more than $25,000 over a 12-
month period.
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative, the City
compiles and maintains certain information. That information includes the name of any person
or persons who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public benefit” is sought by an entity, rather
than an individual person, the information includes the name of every person who is: (a)
trustee, (b) director, (c) partner, (d) officer, or has (e) more than a ten percent interest in the
entity. Therefore, if you are seeking a “public benefit” covered by the Oaks Initiative, you must
supply that information on the Oaks Initiative Disclosure Form. This information must be
updated and supplied every 12 months.
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Packet Pg. 187 Attachment: Oaks Fivecast (4439 : Social Media Awareness Software)
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE DISCLOSURE FORM
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative, the City compiles
and maintains certain information. That information includes the name of any person or
persons who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public benefit” is sought by an entity, rather
than an individual person, the information includes the name of every person who is: (a)
trustee, (b) director, (c) partner, (d) officer, or has (e) more than a ten percent interest in the
entity.
Public benefits include:
1. Personal services contracts in excess of $25,000 over any 12-month period;
2. Sale of material, equipment or supplies to the City in excess of $25,000 over a 12-month
period;
3. Purchase, sale or lease of real property to or from the City in excess of $25,000 over a
12- month period;
4. Non-competitive franchise awards with gross revenue of $50,000 or more in any 12-
month period;
5. Land use variance, special use permit, or other exception to an established land use plan,
where the decision has a value in excess of $25,000;
6. Tax “abatement, exception, or benefit” of a value in excess of $5,000 in any 12-month
period; or
7. Payment of “cash or specie” of a net value to the recipient of $10,000 in any 12-month
period.
Name(s) of persons or entities receiving public benefit:
Name(s) of trustees, directors, partners, and officers:
Name(s) of persons with more than a 10% equity, participation, or revenue interest:
Prepared by: ____________________________Title: __________________________
Signature: ______________________________________ Date: ________________
Email: ____________________________________ Phone: ____________________
FOR CITY USE ONLY:
Bid/PO/Contract # ____________________________ Permit # ___________________________
3.G.a
Packet Pg. 188 Attachment: Oaks Fivecast (4439 : Social Media Awareness Software)