DEPARTMENT: Center City Development and Operations
DEPARTMENT HEAD: John Jacks, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Dockless Vehicle Operations on City Right-of-Way
SUMMARY:
The City Council will be provided with a briefing on the procurement of three dockless vehicle operators to be authorized to provide services on City right-of-way.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Dockless vehicle operators introduced vehicles into the San Antonio market in June of 2018. In response to this new mode of transportation, the City Council enacted a light-handed pilot program in October of 2018. That pilot program established a permit structure, riding rules, and rules for parking and deploying vehicles. It also created permit fee revenue to cover associated costs related to enforcement, vehicle correction, and education initiatives. At the time of program adoption, staff committed to returning to City Council after six months of oversight and monitoring to make any recommended changes to the pilot program.
The pilot program resulted in seven dockless vehicle operators seeking a total of 16,100 permits for individual vehicles. The large number of operators and permitted vehicles resulted in the adoption of a moratorium on further permitting by City Council in January 2019. After the conclusion of the initial six month permits, staff returned to City Council with recommended next steps for the initiative, including a recommendation that the City pursue a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) to identify three qualified operators to perform these services and that the total number of vehicles be reduced. On May 29th, City Council endorsed Staff’s recommendation to issue a RFP to select three operators. Prior to Council endorsement at “A” Session, the issue had been briefed at Transportation Council Committee, Audit & Accountability Council Committee, and to the full City Council at “B” Session.
The RFP was released on June 7th and remained open for 45 days. The City received 9 responsive proposals that were sent to the evaluation committee for review and consideration.
The evaluation committee included 11 voting members, as well as a non-voting technical advisory committee. The voting members are listed below. The advisory committee included staff from Parks & Recreation, Risk Management, the TCI Disability Office, ITSD, CCDO, VIA, and SARA.
Lori Houston, Assistant City Manager
John Jacks, Director, CCDO
Craig Hopkins, Director, ITSD
Art Reinhardt, Deputy Director, TCI
Captain Chris Benavidez, SAPD
Athalie Malone, Disability Access Advisory Committee
Liza Barratachea, President/CEO, SAHLA
David Ramirez, TINT, Tech Bloc Member
Cherise Rohr-Allegini, Lavaca Neighborhood Association
Lisa Lynde, President, King William Neighborhood Association
Marianne Miller, Downtown Resident, Granada Homes
An extensive evaluation process was conducted. The evaluation committee was provided with several weeks to review the proposals and then met for an initial discussion and collective review of the proposals. This initial discussion and review resulted in the shortlisting of 5 firms that were invited for in-person interviews with the evaluation committee. Finally, the evaluation committee met to complete final scoring based upon the proposals and what was learned through the interview process.
The Finance Department, Purchasing Division assisted by ensuring compliance with City procurement policies and procedures. The evaluation of each proposal response was based on a total of 100 points:
• 25 points: Experience, Background, and Qualifications
• 45 points: Quality of Proposal
• 5 points: Economic Terms
• 10 points: Small Business Economic Development Advocacy Program (SBEDA)
• 10 points: Local Preference Program
• 5 points: Veteran Owned Small Business Preference Program
The evaluation committee ranked both the Experience, Background, and Qualifications and the Quality of Proposal components of the RFP. Specific attention was paid to operational and staffing models, rider education efforts, equity programs, the type and quality of vehicles, and each respondent’s concepts for creating a more orderly environment. The points assigned by the evaluation committee were then combined with the points awarded for Economic Terms (evaluated separately by the Finance department), SBEDA, the Local Preference Program, and the Veteran Owned Small Business Preference Program.
At this time, staff is recommending Lyft, Lime (Neutron Holdings, LLC.), and Razor. Negotiations are underway and staff will provide a final recommendation at the B Session.
Following this B Session briefing, staff will further engage with these firms to develop a new Parking Framework. This effort will rely in part on the concepts proposed through this RFP process, as well as other concepts being enacted in cities around the country. The intention is to identify methods for creating a more orderly environment and ensuring a clear walk path for pedestrians.
Please note that this item is a high profile procurement and as such the restrictions on communication remain in place until this item is posted for action on a City Council “A” Session Agenda. This item is scheduled for City Council consideration on December 12th. Once City Council approves the exclusive contracts with the three operators, any other operators present in the marketplace will be provided with 30 days to wind down operations.
ISSUE:
This briefing is for informational purposes only.
ALTERNATIVES:
This briefing is for informational purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This briefing is for informational purposes only.
RECOMMENDATION:
This briefing is for informational purposes only.