City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: December 17, 2024
Agenda Item: 5.H
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation, Mobility (DOT) Subject: Approval of contracts for operation and maintenance of traffic signal controller software, traffic signal central software, vendor cloud services, and support services for migration to current versions of software.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding that the contract is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a software maintenance agreement including vendor cloud hosting with Q-Free America, Inc. and a contractual services agreement with Control Tech West, Inc., for maintenance of the City’s traffic signal system for the Department of Transportation. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Section 2.24.250(b) and is for a total amount not to exceed $270,450 with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Executive Summary
The Mobility Division of the Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT) operates a traffic signal system that includes 182 signalized intersections and central traffic signal management software, also referred to as the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS). A software maintenance contract is essential to ensure the reliability and effectiveness of the traffic signal system and enable the necessary upgrade to the current version of traffic signal software.
The central software system implemented in 2012 is no longer supported and the previous maintenance contract lapsed in 2022. Establishing a software maintenance contract will enable the upgrade to the current version of software and ensure that the 2 of 5
necessary software maintenance occurs over the contract term, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the traffic signal system. In addition, the Traffic Signal System Master Plan, completed in 2023, recommends priority preventative maintenance activities that include modernizing traffic signal controller hardware components and software. Accordingly, staff recommends awarding a three-year software maintenance with vendor cloud hosting contract to Q-Free America, Inc., and a service contract to Control Tech West, Inc., the sole distributor in California for Q-Free traffic signal products which power the City’s traffic signal system.
Discussion
The City’s traffic signal system was upgraded in 2007 through 2012 through a multiphase ATMS project, which included central signal management software with licenses for up to 200 intersections. Central traffic signal management software provides real time connectivity to traffic signal controllers at the intersections for alerts and status information, viewing and updating signal timing, monitoring and reporting, and coordination between intersections. The version of ATMS software that was implemented in 2012 is no longer supported and needs to be either upgraded to the current version or completely replaced. The central software for the City’s traffic signal system utilizes a Q-Free product. Q-Free America, Inc., is the only vendor capable of providing software maintenance and cloud hosting services for the City’s existing traffic signal system. Upgrading to the current software version is the preferred course of action, and accordingly staff recommends awarding the three-year maintenance contract to Q-Free America that enables the upgrade to the current version of ATMS software and the transition to a cloud-based solution.
Alternatives
Mobility staff requested quotes for three software maintenance alternatives from Control Tech West, Inc. for operating Q-Free software in the City, summarized in the table below.
Alternative Annual Cost Notes
City Server $48,950 Applicable for Year 1 due to existing 3 of 5
condition.
Q-Free Hosted Cloud Server $60,000 $32,000 average maintenance cost plus $28,000 cloud server hosting
Software as a Service (SaaS) $185,000
DOT, in consultation with the Information Services Department (ISD), recommends the cloud-based solution over the Software as a Service (SaaS) solution because it leverages the value of existing ATMS licenses, and over the City server option because of server cost and technical requirements.
The traffic signal system also includes software at the intersections in the signal controllers. The Traffic Signal System Master Plan, completed in 2023, recommends upgrading signal controllers to the latest Advanced Transportation Control (ATC) standard. The City owns Q-Free software licenses and hardware to upgrade up to 103 intersections to the latest ATC standard. This upgrade will extend the service life of the controllers, provide additional programming flexibility, and optimize integration with the central signal management software. Staff require technical support to transfer the intersection programming from the existing controller software to the new software.
Control Tech West, Inc. (CT-West) is the only vendor capable of providing these services because of their dealer agreement with Q-Free America, Inc. The service contract with CT-West will include as-needed services at contracted rates to convert intersections, provide field support, and provide training for the traffic signal controller software upgrades.
Vendor Selection
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends Q-Free America, Inc. and Control Tech West, Inc. to provide 3 years of software maintenance services with cloud-hosting and support services for the traffic signal system as an exception to competitive bidding per Muni Code 2.24.250 (b), with two 1-year optional renewals. Q-Free America, Inc. is the only entity able to offer software maintenance and cloud hosting for the system. As the sole distributor of these Q-Free products, Control Tech West, Inc. is the only entity able to offer technical support services to modernize intersections using City owned traffic signal components. The existing central signal management software and the 103 traffic signal controller components owned by the City are Q-Free from previous investments.
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Environmental Review
The contract for software maintenance services is not a “project” subject to CEQA. The software maintenance services are administrative in nature. Pursuant to CEQA Section 21065, the project does not meet the definition of a “project” subject to CEQA as it will not “cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment”. Additionally, per Section 15378(b) of the CEQA Guidelines, a “project” does not include continuing administrative or maintenance activities, such as purchases for supplies, personnel-related actions, general policy and procedure making. Therefore, the award contract is not subject to CEQA.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
10/2/2012 (attachment A) Council approved staff’s recommendation to award a contract for ATMS to Intelight, Inc. Intelight, Inc. was acquired by Q-Free.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the General Fund to award a contract to Q-Free America, Inc. for software maintenance including vendor cloud hosting of the City’s traffic signal system, and to Control Tech West, Inc. for technical services.
Software Maintenance Services Agreement Request
FY 2024-25
Request
Amount
Future Years
Amount Account #
Total Contract Amount
$114,450 $77,130 C0108370.689000 $191,580
$78,870 01600003.529430 $78,870
Total $270,450
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval. 5 of 5
Prepared By: Mia Silver, CityTraffic Engineer
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Past Council Action 10/2/2012 Staff Report (Web Link) B. 10102024TH_1_SantaMonica_ATMS (Budgetary)
C. 10102024TH_1_SantaMonica_Services (Budgetary)
D. 10102024TH_SMA_SantaMonica_010125-123125
E. Q-Free Dealer Letter CT-West
F. Levine_Act_and Oaks_Initiative_Disclosure_Q-Free
G. OAKS INITIATIVE FORM - Executed 11-19-24
H. Levine Act Disclosure Form 2.6.24 - Executed 11-19-24 I. Santa Monica TSSMP_Final_20240202