Meeting_Body
FINANCE, BUDGET AND AUDIT COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 14, 2015
Subject/Action
SUBJECT: TRANSIT ACCESS PASS (TAP) MOBILE PHONE VALIDATOR
ACTION: APPROVE CONTRACT MODIFICATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
FINANCE, BUDGET AND AUDIT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED (4-0) authorizing the Chief Executive Officer to execute Modification No. 5 to Contract No. PS30203139 with Axiom xCell, Inc. (Axiom) to provide additional application functionality for the Fare Inspectors’ phones, which includes new features to improve security and application capabilities for an additional cost of $354,000, and extend the monthly support services for an additional two years to November 29, 2017, in an amount of $260,000. This modification would increase the total contract value by $614,000, from $447,975 to $1,061,975.
Issue
ISSUE
The current contract with Axiom provides monthly service and technical support for the Mobile Phone Validator (MPV) application and it is due to expire on November 28, 2015. The MPV application is installed on 600 Samsung Galaxy S5 mobile phones and allows fare enforcement personnel to electronically query TAP cards to determine if riders are in compliance with Metro’s fare policy.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The new MPVs allow fare enforcement personnel to perform the core duties of their assignment and have been used to check fare over 2 million times from the launch of the application in March 2015 through May 2015. Between March and June 2015, Metro Transit Court worked with LASD fare inspectors to test the application and began developing the requirements for additional functionality that this modification addresses. These requirements were sent to Axiom in June and TAP received the first technical response back late that month. On July 21, TAP received the first estimates for the contract modification that includes these improvements. The following enhancements to the MPV application, servers and system security are requested:
• Add a backup server to provide MPV support in case of a hardware failure.
• Add increased security features to further protect system sensitive information.
• Add a separate test server to test applications prior to their implementation.
• Modify the MPV application to provide interoperability with 3rd party applications (e.g., Bike Share and Parking Enforcement).
• Modify the sound and vibration features to allow enforcement personnel to validate fares without reading the MPV screen.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
The audible and tactile signal enhancements will allow fare enforcement personnel to validate fares without watching the screen. This will allow the inspector to pay more attention to their immediate surroundings thereby keeping both the inspector and our customers safer during fare inspections.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The $225,000 required for FY16 is included in TAP Operations budget for FY16. The project manager and executive officer of TAP Operations is responsible for budgeting the remaining $389,000 in future fiscal years.
Impact to Budget
The funding sources for $225,000 are Prop C 40%, TDA Article 4 and fare revenues. These sources are eligible for operating and capital improvements for both bus and rail.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board could choose not to fund any of the enhancements to the MPV application, add a test server and/or continue the maintenance program. Extending the maintenance contract with Axiom through November 29, 2017, is critical to continued support of the program. Although the current system is functioning as designed, these enhancements will provide substantial improvements to the MPV system and its reliability.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approal, staff will execute a contract modification with Axiom under Contract No. PS30203139 to extend the period of performance and to include new features to improve security and application capabilities.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Procurement Summary
Attachment B - Contract Modification/Change Order Log
Prepared_by
Prepared by: David Sutton, Executive Officer, TAP (213) 922-5633
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by:
Ivan Page, Interim Executive Director, Vendor/Contract Management, (213) 922-6383
Alex Wiggins, Executive Officer, Systems Security and Law Enforcement, (213) 922-4433
Nalini Ahuja, Executive Director, Finance and Budget, (213) 922-3088
