As described in the CAAP and associated technical studies, Long Beach is anticipated to experience rising temperatures due to climate change. Rising temperatures worsen air pollution and will most impact people sensitive to poor air quality and communities near emissions sources. Air quality is especially relevant as a secondary climate stressor to extreme heat in Long Beach, as there are several sources that impact local air quality, including the 710 and 405 freeways, the Port of Long Beach, nearby refineries, and major industrial sources. The City seeks to pilot an air quality monitoring program to inform efforts toward access to clean air for all. 

Long Beach Development Services seeks a solution that will have the following outcomes

• collect reliable air quality data
• report data to the City
• provide data in a community-friendly platform that is publicly accessible

Questions & Answers

General

What is a challenge based procurement?  

Challenge based procurement lets us as City staff articulate our challenge without prescribing how we want it to be solved. We are asking for tech vendor insights into how we might solve this challenge. If you think you can help, take 30 minutes and fill out our application.  

Will the pilot end after 6 months or is there potential for the pilot to carry on? 

The timelines have some flexibility but proposers should not expect for the pilot period to last longer than 6 months. The timeline for the pilot project will be finalized during the project scoping process. For questions on transitioning to a larger scale project, see question 5.  

What happens with leftover assets after the pilot process?  

Any equipment used will not be retained or considered property of the City or participating authorities. All products piloted as part of the Smart City Challenge will be returned at the end of the pilot and/or the partner is expected to remove them in a timely manner. 

How does the city plan to transition successful pilots to larger scale projects?  

We will have a robust evaluation process that is meant to assess whether the pilot is meeting the City’s strategic goals. If the City chooses to move forward with a larger contract, there is the potential for the opportunity to go through another competitive RFP process.  

Can you provide more information regarding the Smart City Initiative? 

More information here: http://www.longbeach.gov/smartcity/pilot-programs/2021-smart-city-challenge/ 

To learn more, proposers may contact Estefania Zavala, Digital Innovation Program Manager at estefania.zavala@longbeach.gov and Ryan Kurtzman, Smart City Program Manager at ryan.kurtzman@longbeach.gov.  

How many hours is the vendor expected to allocate on a weekly basis to the City during the pilot phase? 

The hourly expectations and schedule for the pilot project will be finalized during the project scoping process.  

Is there a stipend or any funds available for the vendor during the pilot period? 

No 

If a desired outcome is achieved before the end of the pilot phase can a contract be entered into early? 

Yes, after an appropriate and robust evaluation process. If the City chooses to move forward with a larger contract, there is the potential for the opportunity to go through another competitive RFP process. 

Who owns the Intellectual Property created? 

The solution is owned by the vendor and the City’s data is owned by the City.  

Is the City open to accepting solutions that include long-term partnerships with the vendor?   

The pilot project should be able to stand alone and should not depend on a long term partnership.  

If I own a company that usually consults on these types of challenges, should I apply for just one challenge or for every challenge if I think I have a solution? 

We would welcome the same proposer applying to multiple challenges. Please note, however, that if selected to provide a solution for multiple challenges, time constraints may be a challenge. 

Will the city permit applications from one company on multiple challenges? 

Yes. 

Challenge-Specific

What are the target project scopes for the Air Quality Monitoring, Water Metering, Mobility Data Collection, and Parks and Facilities Management pilots? 

 The selected company would scope the pilot project with the City Departments.  

Are there pre-selected locations to pilot solutions for these use cases? 

No there are not.  

Are there specific contaminants of concern that should be monitored for?  

PM_2.5, O₃, and NO₂ are typical air pollutants of concern   

What is the desired geographical area for the project?  

We are interested in monitoring air quality in environmental justice communities in Long Beach. See CAAP Figure 1 (Output from CalEnviroScreen 3.0):  

http://www.longbeach.gov/globalassets/lbds/media-library/documents/planning/caap/lb-caap-proposed-plan_dec-14