City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: April 22, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.E
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation, Department of Transportation, Transit Maintenance
Subject: Approval of Agreement with Trapeze Software Group for Asset Management System Maintenance
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant environmental effects 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 Trapeze Software Group for software services 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 $776,968 with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
Big Blue Bus, a division of the Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT), operates 194 transit buses that require regular maintenance to ensure they remain in a state of good repair. DOT uses a computer asset management system to assist in planning and recording the maintenance of transit buses including preventative maintenance scheduling, parts inventory, and fuel consumption tracking. This system, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), is proprietary software to Trapeze Group (Trapeze) and performs critical functions vital to operating a public transportation maintenance program.
DOT’s EAM system requires regular software and hardware maintenance including troubleshooting of errors, system upgrades and updates, and new hardware to ensure 2 of 4
that it continues to function correctly. DOT also periodically performs system health checks with Trapeze to identify areas where its business process could be improved to enhance internal controls of inventory or make its maintenance operations more efficient. As the owner of the EAM system, Trapeze is the sole entity able to provide software maintenance and support services for DOT’s EAM system. Staff seeks authority to execute an agreement with Trapeze for software maintenance services, a system health check, and training in an amount not to exceed $776,969 over a five-year period including a 7% contingency. The pricing is based on the quote for software maintenance provided by Trapeze. Staff compared this quote to our previous maintenance agreement amount and to contracts for similar software maintenance services and found the pricing to be reasonable. While the pricing was 9% higher than our previous contract with Trapeze for software maintenance, it is lower than our contract with Clever Devices for similar services.
Discussion
DOT’s asset management system is designed to help DOT staff track and report transit bus performance, maintenance cost accounting, and to store critical maintenance data including maintenance and repair work orders, parts purchasing historical information, vehicle fuel consumption, and other key performance indicators. DOT also uses its Trapeze EAM system to plan routine bus maintenance and fleet campaigns, and to provide reports and required data to federal, state, and local regulatory bodies and funding agencies.
As the sole proprietor of the EAM system, Trapeze licenses its software to DOT on a per asset basis. This licensing cost includes software maintenance, troubleshooting of system errors, and system upgrades to incorporate new system features, fixes to know system deficiencies, and upgrades to system security. In addition to this software maintenance, DOT periodically performs system health checks and staff training to ensure that DOT is making the best possible use of its EAM system. During a system health check, Trapeze staff reviews DOT’s business processes including parts management and inventory, warranty repairs, work orders, and state of good repair 3 of 4
processes to determine where improvements could be made to improve the efficiency of DOT’s processes.
Staff recommends executing a contract with Trapeze Group to provide software licenses and maintenance services, a system health check, and staff training for DOT’s EAM system. This contract would enable DOT to continue to receive software maintenance and support for its EAM system that is crucial to ensuring its fleet of transit buses are maintained in a state of good repair to provide service to its riders.
Vendor/Consultant Selection
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends Trapeze Group to provide software maintenance, licensing, system health check and training services for its EAM asset management system as an exception to competitive bidding per Muni Code 2.24.250 (b). The Trapeze EAM system that DOT uses to manage the parts inventory and maintenance activities for its fleet of transit buses is proprietary software of Trapeze Group. As the sole proprietor of the EAM system, Trapeze is the only entity able to provide software licenses and maintenance services. b. when a good or service is copyrighted, patented or only available form one license holder, including, proprietary goods, original equipment manufacturers and/or exclusive distributors
Environmental Review
The award contract is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. The modification is covered by the commonsense exemption 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 contract will provide the City with software licenses, maintenance, system health check, and training for DOT’s EAM asset management system. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the proposed contract would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
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Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the Big Blue Bus fund to award a contract with Trapeze Group for software licenses, maintenance, system health check, and training for DOT’s EAM asset management system. Funds will be included in the FY 2025-27 Proposed Biennial Budget.
Contract Request
FY 2025-26
Request Amount CIP Account #
Future Years
Amount Total Contract Amount
$164,171 C6004770.689000 $612,798 $776,969
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: David Nanjo, Administrative Analyst
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Trapeze Sole Source Letter
B. EAM Software Maintenance Quote
C. EAM Health Check Quote
D. Trapeze Oaks
E. Trapeze - Levine Act Disclosure Form 2025