City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: September 10, 2024
Agenda Item: 5.D
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Feroz Merchhiya, Chief Information Officer, Information Services Department Subject: Award Contract to Avolve Software Corporation to Upgrade and Migrate ProjectDox to a Cloud Model
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Avolve Software Corporation, to upgrade and migrate ProjectDox software to a cloud model for the Information Services Department. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive process pursuant to Section 2.24.250(g) and is for a total amount not to exceed $791,539 (including a $58,634 contingency) for five years, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The City currently utilizes the ProjectDox software solution (ProjectDox), which is developed and supported by Avolve Software Corporation (Avolve), to review plans in the planning and permitting processes. The current version of ProjectDox is reaching end-of-life and will not receive vendor support after September 2024, posing significant operational risks. To mitigate these risks, staff seeks City Council approval to enter into a five-year agreement with Avolve in a total amount not to exceed $791,539, which includes an 8% contingency, to upgrade ProjectDox, the City’s Electronic Plan Review (EPR) system, to the latest version and migrate to a cloud model to ensure continued support and functionality. The upgrade and migration ensure continued support, enhanced security, and improved integration with the City's land management and 2 of 5
permitting systems. Upgrading to ProjectDox’s cloud model will give the City’s customers access to better online tools and services and mitigate risks of outdated software and downtime. The agreement includes a 13-week implementation, and the remainder covers the annual maintenance costs.
Discussion
ProjectDox, the City’s current EPR system, enables the public, design professionals, contractors, and architects to upload plan review submittals and supporting documents online, and provides an applicant the ability to view corrections and track a project’s status as it moves through the City’s plan review process. ProjectDox also provides functionality to enable staff to electronically review, mark up, and comment on project plans, easily compare changes in the versions of plan sheets submitted in each round of plan review, and approve the plans online. The functionality of ProjectDox and its workflows are optimal tools for coordinating and managing the review of projects, plans, and documents electronically.
The version of ProjectDox currently used by the City is reaching end-of-life and will not receive any additional vendor support after September 7, 2024. This leaves the City vulnerable to issues with the software after the product is no longer supported by the vendor. The two options available to the City are to upgrade to the latest release of ProjectDox and migrate to a cloud model, or to select and migrate to a different technology that could potentially provide the same functionality. There is no option to upgrade and stay with an on-premises version of ProjectDox.
Staff are trained and experienced in using ProjectDox. Migrating to a different technology solution would incur additional time, costs, and resources to train staff on a new software and impact their ability to provide services to the public. Upgrading to the ProjectDox cloud model means the City would no longer be required to expend limited resources on infrastructure, operating system, and hardware needed to host ProjectDox on-premise on City servers.
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Annual maintenance, support, and software upgrade costs are included in the contract, keeping the software up to date on the latest version and allow the City to continue receiving support from the vendor. The system would be more reliable and secure, as the vendor will be maintaining security and server patches and overall able to provide better support with 24x7 monitoring and managed services. The City will have the benefits of a secured system with a backup architecture that spans multiple geographic locations.
On July 23, 2024, Council approved award of a contract to Speridian Technologies, LLC (Speridian) for implementation and support of a Clariti permitting and land use management system. Speridian has extensive experience implementing the managed integration of ProjectDox with the Clariti platform and will oversee and maintain seamless connectivity between the software applications. The ProjectDox integration costs are included in the Speridian/Clariti contract authority.
Vendor Selection
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends Avolve to upgrade and migrate ProjectDox to a cloud model as an exception to competitive bidding per Muni Code 2.24.250 (g). Avolve notified the City of the end-of-life date for ProjectDox when the City was already at the end stages of a lengthy formal procurement process for a new permitting and land use management system. ProjectDox is Avolve’s product, and the City has no control over the end-of-life date for the version of ProjectDox currently in use by the City. Upgrading to Avolve’s ProjectDox cloud model is the only solution that prevents delays in the implementation of the City’s newly selected permitting system Clariti. Delaying the implementation of the City’s new permitting system would result in substantial economic loss and interference with required City operations. The urgency of the upgrade and the unique integration requirements of ProjectDox with our newly selected permitting system Clariti justify an exception to the competitive process to avoid severe impacts on City operations and additional economic costs. The current version of ProjectDox is reaching end-of-life, leaving the City without vendor support and exposing the City to significant operational 4 of 5
risks. Additionally, ProjectDox is uniquely integrated with the City’s technology ecosystem and will continue to provide the functionality the City needs in the transition to the new Clariti permitting system. Migrating to an alternative solution would require extensive integration efforts and additional costs, both with the current and future systems. The transition to a new EPR system would also disrupt the current workflows and require significant retraining of staff already experienced with ProjectDox.
ProjectDox is an industry leader in EPR systems, with functionality, built-in workflows, and integration capabilities that are optimal for the City. During the evaluation process to select a vendor to implement and support the City’s new permitting and land use management system, the major platforms proposed offered integration with ProjectDox, confirming its market position and suitability for the City’s needs. Upgrading to the latest version of ProjectDox and migrating to a cloud model will reduce infrastructure costs, minimize overhead on Information Services Department (ISD) resources, and ensure continuous updates and security patches. This will enhance system reliability and security, ultimately providing better support and operational efficiency. g. due to circumstances outside of the control of the City, would result in a substantial economic loss, substantially compromise a legal position, or substantially interfere with a required City operation; Environmental Review
The proposed agreement with Avolve to provide software implementation, licensing, maintenance, and support services is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the CEQA Guidelines, which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The software services are programmatic in nature and would not result in adverse physical effects on the environment, and so therefore, are exempt from CEQA.
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Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the General Fund to award an agreement with Avolve Software Corporation to upgrade and migrate ProjectDox to a cloud model.
Agreement Request
FY 2024-25
Request Amount
Future Years
Amount
Account Number(s) Total Contract
Amount
$200,000 C0108950.689000
Permitting System
$200,000
$172,989 $418,550 01700004.529230.98922 $591,539
$172,989 $618,550 Total $791,539
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Alice Pang, Business Process Technology Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Staff Report 7.23.24 Item 5G Approve Speridian Contract B. Levine Act Disclosure - Avolve Software signed 07.30.24 C. OAKS INITIATIVE - Avolve Software signed 07.30.24