S17-H29126 – Approve spending authority for an amount not to exceed $298,000.00 for the purchase of sourcing assistance through the Texas Department of Information Resources for the Planning and Development Department.
Specific Explanation:
The Director of the Planning and Development Department and the Chief Procurement Officer recommend that City Council approve the spending authority for an amount not to exceed $298,000.00 for the purchase of sourcing assistance through the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) for the Planning and Development Department. Additionally, it is recommended that authorization be given to issue purchase orders to the DIR Go-Direct vendor Gartner, Inc.
The Planning and Development Department (P&D) is requesting sourcing assistance to identify vendors and assist P&D in the development of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for products and related services to replace the City’s current in-house Plat Tracker (PT) and Historical Preservation Tracker (HPT) applications. The PT application is outdated and suffers from functional problems. Additionally, the HPT application does not include the necessary functionality required by the department. The future direction of HITS is to move away from the creation of new custom internal applications like this, but rather move towards customizable off the shelf (COTS) applications. Gartner, Inc. (Gartner) has proposed a six-month engagement with P&D to assist P&D with several processes, including but not limited to, evaluation criteria, co-evaluation of demos, demonstration scenario scripts, as well as serve in an advisory capacity throughout the RFP process.
Currently, P&D does not have the staffing capacity to effectively develop and implement the RFP to replace the PT and HPT. Gartner has specialized and unique knowledge of the latest software solutions – both commercial off-the-shelf and cloud-based solutions – as well familiarity with the current vendors in the marketplace. The PT and HPT replacements will likely require multiple products that will have to interface with one another and P&D’s goal is to acquire replacement applications with minimal customizations. Gartner’s technical experience in this field and familiarity with the solutions available will provide PD with the best service in the development of the RFP to acquire replacements for the PT and HPT.
M/WBE Participation:
M/WBE Zero Percentage Goal document approved by the Office of Business of Opportunity.
Hire Houston First:
This procurement is exempt from the City’s Hire Houston First Ordinance. Bids/proposals were not solicited because the department is utilizing a sole source for this purchase.
Fiscal Note:
Funding for this item is included in the FY20 Adopted Budget. Therefore, no Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policies.
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Jerry Adams, Chief Procurement Officer
Finance/Strategic Procurement Division
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Department Approval Authority
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Estimated Spending Authority
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DEPARTMENT
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FY2020
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OUT YEARS
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TOTAL
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Planning and Development
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$298,000.00
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$0.00
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$298,000.00
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