REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL February 18, 2021 FROM: GREGORY A BARFIELD, Director Department of Transportation THROUGH: BRIAN BARR, Assistant Director Department of Transportation BY: SANDY CETTI, Capital Development Specialist Department of Transportation SUBJECT ..Title Reject all proposals received on August 4, 2020, in response to the Department of Transportation Fresno Area Express Transit Mobile Ticketing Solution solicitation and staff will rebid the project (Bid File #9544) ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends Council reject all proposals received on August 4, 2020, in response to the Department of Transportation Fresno Area Express (FAX) Transit Mobile Ticketing Solution solicitation and staff will rebid the project. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FAX seeks to increase ridership and enhance customer satisfaction by introducing a new convenient mobile phone fare collection and ticketing solution through their own smart phone device. This allows customers to purchase digital tickets and passes in advance of their ride using a cashless payment system at no additional cost to the bus fare. Introducing a transit mobile ticketing solution will provide customers with a touchless payment system in a post COVID-19 environment promoting the health and safety of our customers, reduce layover time and increase schedule adherence for fixed route services. FAX solicited proposals for a transit mobile ticketing solution and an evaluation committee unanimously determined that the most qualified proposers greatly exceed budget appropriations. Therefore, FAX is seeking to reject all bids. The project specifications will be evaluated and revised to conform with budget constraints. BACKGROUND Transit mobile ticking solutions have been adopted by many transit agencies around the nation in an effort to increase ridership and modernize the transit industry. It provides customers with a convenient option to purchase digital tickets and passes in advance of their ride using a cashless payment system with their own smart phone device at the same cost as a paper ticket. FAX seeks to deploy a mobile ticketing solution to also provide customers with a touchless fare payment option promoting passenger health and safety in a post COVID-19 environment. Additional benefits include a reduction in layover times and an increase in schedule adherence for the fixed route services. A Notice Inviting Bids was published in the Fresno Business Journal on May 22, 2020, advertised on MassTransit.com, posted on the City's website, and faxed to three building exchanges. The specifications were distributed to forty-two prospective bidders. FAX received seven responsive and responsible proposals and one non-responsive proposal. An evaluation committee unanimously determined that the most qualified proposers greatly exceed budget appropriations. Additionally, proposers were unable to meet the requirements of the solicitation which include compliance with the existing merchant of record, non-visual validation of tickets, and provide a feasible customer service solution. Therefore, FAX seeks to reject all proposals and rebid the project. The project specifications will be evaluated and revised to conform with budget constraints. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS This item is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act section 15378. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference was not considered as Staff is recommending rejecting all bids. FISCAL IMPACT This project has no fiscal impact to the General Fund. Any future contract award for a mobile ticketing system will be funded by FTA 5307 grant money. Attachments: Bid Evaluation Committee Report