Currently, the Public Works Mobility Programs Division conducts pedestrian and bike counts with in-person volunteers and has no real way of understanding why or how people are moving throughout the city. They are looking to collect more quantitative and qualitative data around: perceptions of safety, comfort, and convenience; mode choice; route choice; mode and reason for travel; and the reasons behind these choices.  They are also looking to collect infrastructure use data, including determining how projects and programs impact use of bike and pedestrian facilities, accurate count data paired with qualitative data, and how the data can inform future planning initiatives. 

Public Works seeks a solution that would have the following outcomes:

• creates clear reports
• allows for storytelling around mobility
• protects data privacy

Questions and Answers

General Questions

What is 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 partnership 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 Questions

Are there Cameras/Sensors gathering information about mobility already? Or are we looking to add new Cameras/Sensors? 

The City has existing cameras but we do not currently utilize these cameras for count/speed data collection. 

If we are looking to add new cameras/sensors, what is the total area that we are looking to cover? 

A proposal for deployment of new cameras/sensors will be considered. We prefer to pilot any new technologies in a few select locations. 

If we are looking to add new cameras/sensors, does the city have any preferred vendors to install the hardware? 

The City does not have preferred vendors specifically for installation. 

We are planning on proposing two 5-square-block study areas for the proposal. One study will be in downtown and the other will be in West Long Beach. Is this enough specificity and coverage for the pilot?  

Yes, this is enough specificity and coverage for the pilot. 

Also, we will have letters of support from two industry partners. We would like to learn your thoughts on applicants bringing in industry supporters. 

We are not reviewing letters of support for this process.  Including industry supporters is acceptable but to please indicate in the application everyone who would be working on the project.  

The Scope of Services includes the goal to better understand better understand pedestrian counts, bike counts, scooter counts, vehicle speed, transportation user stories, etc.  Does the study area include parking and is the City also looking for information related to that? 

No 

Does Long Beach currently have a scooter or other micro-mobility program in place?  If so, what vendor(s) provide this service? 

Yes. More information here: http://www.longbeach.gov/globalassets/go-active-lb/media-library/documents/programs/micro-mobility-program-e-scooterse-bikes/city-of-long-beach_shared-micro-mobility-program_permit_2019-2020 

Will the City help make micro-mobility data available via API? 

Yes 

Does the City publish any traffic related data that can be include in the project?  Specifically, is it possible to access the real-time traffic light information? 

No 

Is the study area defined and if so, can the City provide that information? 

The study area is open for project scoping.  

Does the City manage a safety or traffic camera network that could be use by the vendor in the study?  Will the City help facilitate access to this?  Can the City share the locations of these cameras? 

Yes. We will share the locations during the project scoping.  

Besides what is stated in the Scope of Work, are there any other concerns the City would like to address?  For instance, does the scooter program require users to “dock” the scooters at pre-defined locations?  Do the users comply with this?  Would knowing where scooters were left help improve ADA issues on the curbside? 

We are addressing this concern via our 311 app.  

Does the City publish any pedestrian, 311, parking, or other mobility related data via an open-source process or APIs? 

No. 

Does the City have any regulations related to privacy or the use of camera based technology for use in a project such as this?  

We must align with the City’s Data Privacy Guidelines: http://www.longbeach.gov/smartcity/guiding-principles/data-privacy/  

Understanding that multiple solutions and data sources will be necessary to support the goals of this proposal and the resulting transportation data stories, how is the City handling integration, governance, and access of this data? 

Any solution we choose should align with the Data Privacy guidelines outlined here and should be as public as possible.