May 3, 2005

SUBJECT:  Award of Contract to Provide and Install a Web-Based Recreation Class Registration, Facilities Reservation and Membership Management System (F0409-10)

REPORT IN BRIEF

Approval is requested for the award of a contract to Vermont Systems, Inc., of Essex Junction, Vermont, to provide and install a web-based recreation class registration system fully integrated with a facilities reservation module and a membership management module for the Department of Information Technology for the use of the Department of Parks and Recreation.

BACKGROUND

The Recreation Division’s facility reservation software, Recware/Pro, is used to process more than 6,000 reservations and rentals per year.  The City has more than 100 facilities available for reservation and rental, including Community Center rooms, park buildings, athletic fields, picnic areas, etc. Recware/Pro is more than ten years old and is becoming increasingly difficult to use and maintain. Active Network, the company that maintains and services Recware/Pro, no longer provides upgrades or support for the software.  Parks & Recreation and Information Technology staff have determined that this software application needs to be upgraded or replaced.

The City’s current recreation class registration system was developed by in-house programming staff, has been in use since April 1999 and is used to register customers in recreation and Senior Center classes. While this system has served the City well, there have been significant advancements in vendor- developed registration and reservation software over the past few years.

Optimally, any replacement of either software application should provide full integration between the facilities reservation and class registration system.  In addition, there is increasing public demand for Internet access to City services.  Public expectations focus upon the ability to register for recreation classes online at their convenience.  Two neighboring city recreation agencies indicate that between 40% and 60% of their registration transactions now occur via the Internet.  Sunnyvale appears to be one of the only recreation programs in the immediate region that does not provide this service to their customers.

Staff, therefore, has concluded that any software solution selected for the replacement of the recreation registration and facilities reservations systems should also provide Web access.  In addition to processing class registrations and facilities reservations, efficiencies could be gained if the selected software includes membership and scholarship applications for processing Senior Center memberships and recreation program fee waiver transactions.

DISCUSSION

Following an extensive review of the marketplace, a team consisting of Information Technology, Recreation, and Purchasing staff developed detailed specifications, and Request for Proposals #F0409-10 was issued, advertised on the City’s website, and broadcast to potential suppliers through the DemandStar by Onvia public procurement network.  Twenty-two software providers requested proposal documents.

Sealed proposals were received on November 10, 2004. Proposals were received from Vermont Systems of Essex Junction, Vermont, and Recware, Inc., of Sacramento, California.

Proposals were reviewed and evaluated by a team composed of Information Technology, Parks and Recreation, Finance Treasury and Purchasing staff.  Proposals were rated for responsiveness; module availability; system functionality; proposed implementation plan; ongoing maintenance and support; proposer’s experience, capability and customer focus; software’s ability to administer a fee waiver program; membership module availability; and proposal pricing. Vermont System’s proposal was determined to offer the best value for the City because its software and proposed methodology meets the City’s needs, its pricing is competitive, and its references provided feedback indicating high levels of satisfaction with both the software and the company’s customer service.

Staff, therefore, recommends the award of a contract to Vermont Systems for the purchase of its RecTrac Recreation System which includes photo identification software, credit card processing software, WebTrac registrations and reservations software, point-of-sale hardware, implementation support and the first year’s annual maintenance.

FISCAL IMPACT

Total project costs include:

Funding in the amount of $27,000 is available in Special Project 824850 – On Line Reservation and Registration System. The remainder of the funding is available in Information Technology Equipment Replacement Accounts 021600-5050 and 021601-5055.  The ongoing annual maintenance is estimated to be $5,406 and can be renewed on an annual basis under the City Manager’s award authority.  Funds for the ongoing annual maintenance costs are budgeted in Activity 765060 – Manage Application Maintenance and Support Contracts.   

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that Council:

1.  Award a contract, in substantially the same form as the attached draft and in an amount not to exceed $66,400 to Vermont Systems, Inc., to provide and install a web-based recreation class registration system fully integrated with a facilities reservation module and a membership management module; and

2.   Approve a project contingency in the amount of $9,960.

Prepared by:

Elaine Wesely

Purchasing Officer

Reviewed by:

Mary J. Bradley

Director, Finance

Reviewed by:

Shawn Hernandez

Director, Information Technology

Reviewed by:

Curtis Black

Interim Director, Parks and Recreation

Approved by:

Amy Chan

City Manager

Attachments

1.      Draft Purchase Order (.pdf)

2.  Vermont Systems Standard Sales Agreement (.pdf)