City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: May 24, 2022
Agenda Item: 3.F
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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 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.
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• 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 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
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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