SR 05-24-2022 3F
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: May 24, 2022
Agenda Item: 3.F
1 of 5
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Joseph Cevetello, Chief Information Officer, Information Services Department
Subject: Award User Experience Design and Development Professional Services
Agreements
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award RFP #307 to PXL for user experience, development and other
services; to The Glue for user experience, development and other services;
and, to WeUsThem for user experience, development and other services;
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute agreements with: PXL
to perform as needed user experience, graphic design and other services in
an amount not to exceed $95,000 over a 5-year period, with future year
funding contingent on Council budget approval; with The Glue to perform as
needed user experience, graphic design and other services in an amount
not to exceed $95,000 over a 5-year period, with future year funding
contingent on Council budget approval; and, with WeUsThem to perform as
needed user experience, graphic design and other services in an amount
not to exceed $95,000 over a 5-year period, with future year funding
contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The City of Santa Monica is in the final stages of transitioning all City websites under a
single domain to santamonica.gov and the City’s new website. In order to successfully
support this transition, the Information Services Department (ISD) seeks to hire three
user experience development firms to assist the City. In order to support this transition,
ISD seeks to work with the recommended vendors to perform a complete review of the
City’s website to ensure a consistent user experience across all City web pages, online
services are user friendly and ensure that the City’s new website meets Americans with
3.F
Packet Pg. 93
2 of 5
Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. ISD recommends procuring services from these
three vendors because each brings a different specialized expertise that will be required
to complete the website, meet the diverse needs of our community, and provide an
optimal user experience across all service areas.
Discussion
As part of the City’s website redesign, ISD seeks to hire three separate vendors to
assist in the development of the City’s website to enhance the digital experience for
visitors, businesses and residents of the City. Additionally, the Big Blue Bus, Library,
City Council, and Boards and Commissions websites will introduce new functionalities
such as providing one of the nation’s first fully ADA compliant online bus route planners,
a streamlined and consistent user interface across all boards and commissions, and
new search and filter capabilities. Integrating these sites into the santamonica.gov web
presence will ensure visitors to the City’s website experience a consistent user
experience across all City sites, web pages are responsive and mobile-compatible and
meet ADA requirements. In order to bring these new functionalities into the City’s new
website, ISD will partner with the selected vendors to complete the front-end design and
development work. Once this project is complete, the City can officially shut down all
other website domains outside of santamonica.gov. Decommissioning additional
website domains will reduce maintenance requirements and related expenses.
The City solicited bids to provide as needed development, website page design, ADA
compliance review, and user experience support for the City’s website project. After
interviewing each of the vendors, ISD determined that it was in the best interest of the
City to enter into three separate vendor agreements due to the unique areas of
expertise of each of the selected vendors. Selecting multiple vendors would allow the
ISD to deliver various components of the website in a timely and cost-effective way:
• PXL will focus on front-end development and the overall look and feel of
the City’s website.
3.F
Packet Pg. 94
3 of 5
• The Glue will help bring new functionality to the City’s website by
designing boards and commission pages and providing input on
transportation pages.
• WeUsThem will focus on the review of the website’s accessibility and
work with the City to implement best practices according to the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
In distributing this specialized work, ISD can best leverage each firm’s expertise
to achieve the best outcomes for the City’s website.
Vendor Selection
BEST QUALIFIED PERSON OR FIRM Recommendation
Best Qualified Person
or Firm
1. PXL
2. The Glue
3. WeUsThem
Evaluation Criteria • Work Plans/Timelines
• References
• Experience
• Project Team
• Cost
• Sample Materials
• Presentation/Demonstration
• Value Add/Breadth of Service
• Quality of Work/Technical Capabilities
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
Submittals Received
Kaygen Inc. PXL The Glue WeUsThem
Bid Data
Date Posted Posted On
Advertise in (City
Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
12/27/2021 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica
Daily Press
4 12/27/2021
Best Bidder Justification
PXL, The Glue, WeUsThem were selected as the best qualified persons or firms based
on the evaluation criteria outlined in RFP#307. Proposals were evaluated based on
3.F
Packet Pg. 95
4 of 5
the criteria in SMMC 2.24.190 including price, work plans/timelines, references,
experience, project team, cost, sample materials, presentation/demonstration, value
add/breadth of service, and quality of work/technical capabilities. The three selected
vendors are able to meet the City’s technical requirements, have extensive experience
working with projects of this size and scope, and have experience with local
government clients, transit organizations, and users who rely on assistive technology.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the General Fund to award three
separate contracts with PXL, Inc., The Glue and WeUsThem for user experience,
development and other services, each for a not to exceed amount of $95,000. Future
year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Contract Request – PXL Inc.
FY 2021-22 Account # Request Amount Total Contract Amount
C0107670.689000 $95,000 $95,000
Total (Not to Exceed): $95,000
Contract Request – The Glue
FY 2021-22 Account # Request Amount Total Contract Amount
C0107670.689000 $95,000 $95,000
Total (Not to Exceed): $95,000
Contract Request – WeUsThem
FY 2021-22 Account # Request Amount Total Contract Amount
C0107670.689000 $95,000 $95,000
Total (Not to Exceed): $95,000
3.F
Packet Pg. 96
5 of 5
Prepared By: Prasanna Joshi, Enterprise Architect & Digital Development
Manager
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. OAKS - The Glue
B. OAKS - WeUsThem
C. OAKS - SCPXL LLC
3.F
Packet Pg. 97
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 XXII²Taxpayer 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 ³public 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 ³public 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 ³public benefit.´ If the ³public 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 ³public 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.
3.F.a
Packet Pg. 98 Attachment: OAKS - The Glue (5103 : User Experience Design and Development Award PSAs)
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 ³public benefit.´ If the ³public 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 ³abatement, exception, or benefit´of a value in excess of $5,000 in any 12-
month period; or
7. Payment of ³cash or speciH´ 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.F.a
Packet Pg. 99 Attachment: OAKS - The Glue (5103 : User Experience Design and Development Award PSAs)
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.
3.F.b
Packet Pg. 100 Attachment: OAKS - WeUsThem (5103 : User Experience Design and Development Award PSAs)
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.F.b
Packet Pg. 101 Attachment: OAKS - WeUsThem (5103 : User Experience Design and Development Award PSAs)
3.F.c
Packet Pg. 102 Attachment: OAKS - SCPXL LLC (5103 : User Experience Design and Development Award PSAs)