SR 07-27-2021 3F
City Council Report
City Council Meeting: July 27, 2021
Agenda Item: 3.F
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Edward F King, Director, Department of Transportation, Transit Planning &
Performance
Subject: Approval of Second Modification to Contract with Trapeze Software Group for
Vehicle Scheduling Support Services for Transit Bus Service
Recommended Action
Staff Recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a second modification to agreement #3571 (CCS) in the amount of $280,000
with Trapeze Software Group for scheduling support services. This modification will
extend the term by two years and will result in a three-year agreement, with a new total
amount not to exceed $371,600, with future year funding contingent on Council budget
approval.
Summary
The Big Blue Bus Planning and Performance Division (Division) of the Department of
Transportation (DOT) is responsible for planning and scheduling Big Blue Bus service.
Three times a year, the Division develops a service plan with updated operating
schedules and service changes informed by operational data and the Council-approved
Service, Design, Performance, and Evaluation Guidelines. To operationalize each
service plan, the Division relies on scheduling support services, currently offered by
Trapeze Software Group (Trapeze), to create work runs for operators and related
materials (such as run guides, paddles, and bid sheets) using DOT-licensed Trapeze
transit scheduling software. To maintain stability in operationalizing service plans during
the implementation of technology projects planned for the next two years, staff
recommends a modification to Trapeze’s agreement for scheduling support services to
be extended through December 31, 2023.
Discussion
On June 9, 2020, the City issued a request for proposals (RFP) for transit scheduling
support services. The Division required this support to operationalize service planning
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starting with the September 2020 service change. Trapeze was awarded the contract to
provide scheduling support services outlined in the RFP. Trapeze, working with DOT
planning staff, configures work runs and related materials based on information
provided by DOT staff. By means of a first modification to the agreement, Trapeze has
continued support through the August 2021 service change. The contract for scheduling
support services with Trapeze is the subject of a pending unfair practice charge,
Administrative Team Associates v. City of Santa Monica, Public Employment Relations
Board, Case No. LA-CE-1507-M.
With pending technology projects (described below), there is a need for a second
modification to Trapeze’s scheduling support agreement to maintain stability in
operationalizing service plans. The recommended modification will support six (6) to
seven (7) service changes, between December 2021 to December 2023. The support
will contribute significantly to DOT’s efforts to reinstate Big Blue Bus service that was
either modified or suspended due to COVID-19, and to appropriately adjust to the
expected changing traffic conditions over the next two years. This modification will also
provide a transition to the procurement of a fully automated planning/scheduling
software program that would provide staff the ability to schedule all service changes
unassisted.
DOT has two pending technology projects that inform the need for this recommended
action. The first is Big Blue Bus’s transition to a new Computerized Automatic
Dispatching / Automated Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) system. On May 25, 2021, the
City Council approved the award for a new CAD/AVL system to Clever Devices. The
new CAD/AVL system is a comprehensive on-board hardware and software system that
tracks vehicles in real-time, facilitates communications between dispatch and bus
operators, and generates real-time location information for customers. Transitioning to a
new CAD/AVL system will be an all-encompassing effort for operational and planning
staff that will take 18-24 months to successfully implement.
The second technology project, the solicitation of a transit scheduling system, will be
underway within the next 18 months. The City had issued an RFP for a transit
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scheduling system concurrently with the RFP for the new CAD/AVL system. However,
after carefully considering the significant resources and efforts required to implement
the new CAD/AVL system, DOT determined that it was in the City’s best interest to
cancel the RFP for a transit scheduling system and to continue to license the existing
Trapeze transit scheduling system during the transition to a new CAD/AVL system.
Once the CAD/AVL project is underway and progress is better understood, DOT will
again issue an RFP for a transit scheduling system and return to Council with further
recommendations.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
05/25/2021 Award Contracts to Procure, Install, and Maintain Transit Radio
and Computer-Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location
(CAD/AVL) Systems at Big Blue Bus, Department of
Transportation
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to increase the amount of agreement #3571 (CCS) with Trapeze
Software Group for scheduling support services. Future year funding is contingent on
Council budget approval.
Agreement #
Current Authorized
Amount
Modified Request
Amount
FY 2021-22 Budget
Dept/CIP Account #
Total Revised
Contract Amount
3571 $91,600 $280,000 60600016.552013 $371,600
Prepared By: Alfredo Torales, Strategic Transit Planner
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Award Contract for CAD/AVL System
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