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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCompass Kitchener - 2025-01-07 THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF KITCHENER Request for Pitches For Pitch Kitchener - Autonomous Technology Solutions Request for Proposals No.: P24-132 Issued: Thursday September 12, 2024 Submission Deadline: Thursday October 3, 2024 11:59 P.M. local time Pitch Kitchener Program Intent The Pitch Kitchener programs intent is to create innovative procurement opportunities to better engage with start-ups and provide more opportunities for vendors to propose creative ways to improve city service delivery. The program provides a standard framework for gathering vendor pitches, evaluating the ideas with transparent criteria, and implementing those that offer promising solutions to legitimate City needs. Pitch Challenge Open Pitch efficiencies, productivity, and enhance service delivery across one or more of our municipal functions. Pitches could include improvements to operations such as grass cutting, road or sidewalk inspection, maintenance of equipment or parks, internal mail or delivery services, customer service enhancements just to name a few. Our goal is to pilot autonomous solutions that could elevate City services which could allow staff to continue to provide a more focused customer experience while maintaining staff levels. All pitches will be reviewed and considered in accordance with the rated criteria. Below is a list of city departments and services: City Departments (as a reference) Next Steps after Pitch Upon closing of the Pitch application period, each pitch will be evaluated in accordance with the Rated Criteria. A shortlist will be established and those shortlisted will have an opportunity to Pitch their solution in person at a Solutions showcase and submit additional details of their proposed pilot project. Upon selection of the successful pitch(s), the City representatives would meet with the successful vendors to work out the final details of the deliverables, duration and cost of the pilot. They would be incorporated into a form of agreement document and the expectation would be that both the successful vendor and the City would execute, and the project would kick off and the pilot(s) begin. Ability to Pilot and Future Work The City of Kitchener is hoping to pilot solutions. Upon completion of a pilot, if the City determines if offers continued benefit to improving City service delivery, then it would be the intent to negotiate a longer-term agreement with the successful vendor. Other Interested Parties The Region of Waterloo, the City of Cambridge and the City of Waterloo have expressed interest in this pitch. Depending on the success of the pilots and the service delivery improvements, would look to leverage one or more through the Pitch Kitchener program if it could bring value to their organization. Application Process The City is partnering with Communitech Fast Track Cities to execute the intake of pitch proposals. Applications will be received through their platform. All applicants are required to provide responses to the below questions and criteria within the platform. Those selected to pitch at the Solutions Showcase are shortlisted and will submit further details regarding their proposed pilot project. Company Profile for Pitch Kitchener When completing your profile on the Communitech intake platform please be thorough when providing the following information: Rated Criteria The following sets out the categories, weightings, and descriptions of the rated criteria of the RFP. Rated Criteria Category Weighting (Points) i. Creativity and Innovation 10 points ii. Alignment with Strategic Plan 10 points iii. Resources Required 20 points a) Time & Price 10 points b) Non-Price Resources 10 points iv. Viability/Feasibility of Pitch 10 points Total Points 50 points Creativity and Innovation Alignment with Strategic Plan Resources Required a) Time & Price 5. The City is looking to ensure that any solution pitched could be successfully piloted. If selected for a pilot, how long do you estimate your project to take? (in months) 6. How long would it take you to be prepared to start a pilot project from now? (in months) 7. What is the estimated cost of a pilot project of your solution? (estimate in dollars to the best of your ability) b) Non-Price Resources 8. What resources (ie, technology, human, data, or other) do you have available to implement your pitch? 9. What City resources (City staff, Facilities, Land, Public right-of-way, City infrastructure, Equipment, Software, Hardware, Data, etc.) would you need access for your pilot? 10. What training and skills do users need for your solutions, both before implementation and during operation? How do you plan to facilitate this training and support their ongoing needs? Viability/Feasibility of Pitch 11. Please identify any anticipated risks or challenges and explain how you plan to mitigate or address them. 12. Please identify at least one quantitative metric to measure the success of your solution. 13. Has your solution already been piloted or implemented at other municipalities? If so, please provide examples of active users and the length of implementation. The remaining questions are administrative and for the purposes of disclosure and necessary demographic information. 14. Is your company headquartered in Canada or majority (More than 50%)? (Yes/No) 15. Are you a current member of Communitech? (Yes/No) 16. How did you hear about Communitech Fast Track Cities Collaborative with Pitch Kitchener? 17. Have you read and do you accept the Terms of Service (see link in challenge description)? (Yes/No) 18. Do you give Communitech permission to use your company title and description provided in your profile in promotional materials? (Yes/No) Selected Shortlisted Applicant Request for Additional Information If your company is selected as a shortlisted candidate for a pilot project, you will be asked to assemble the detailed information outlined below before your pitch presentation on November 21. You can utilize information included on your original application but please elaborate on the details and scope of the proposed project 1) Organization Interest and Competitive Advantage a) In 500 words or less, tell us why your organization is interested in this opportunity, and what you believe your competitive advantage is, i.e., differentiator in your industry, and why you are appropriately suited to pitch your solution and pilot it here in Kitchener. 2) Viability/Feasibility of Pitch The City is looking to ensure that any solution pitched could demonstrate that it has a potential to be successfully used for the purpose outlined in this challenge. (a) Provide a proposed workplan to implement and conduct a pilot with timelines for key milestones. (expected pilot length is up to 6 months) (b) Describe any supporting necessary training, technical assistance, customer support, and onboarding to ensure successful adoption and optimization of your proposed solution. (c) Please identify any anticipated risks or challenges and explain how you plan to mitigate or address them. (d) Given the scale and deliverables of the pilot, please identify at least one quantitative metric per objective to measure the success of your solution. 3) Resources Required (a) Has your solution already been piloted or implemented at other municipalities? If so, please provide examples and the length of implementation. (b) What is the potential scope of your pilot project? Ie goals, objectives, duration, resource requirements, outcomes? (c) What resources (ie technology, human, data, or other) do you have available to implement your pitch? (d) What foundational items (ie data, processes, technology, would currently need to exist to allow your solution to be piloted? (e) What City resources (City staff, Facilities, Land, Public right-of-way, City infrastructure, Equipment, Software, Hardware, Data, etc.) would you need access to for your pitch? (f) What do you expect the pilot of your solution to cost over the anticipated duration? (indicate in dollars and what goes into that number) Procurement Innovation Project Compass Kitchener Follow-Up 1. What criteria were used to select the successful participants of the first Pitch Kitchener pilot? City of Kitchener, Request for Pitches for Pitch Kitchener Autonomous Technology 2. How were the city's pre-selected problem statements developed, and was there any public engagement to inform them? Each division proposed internal opportunities through a central portal, where the corporate leadership team reviewed the submissions and selected the initiatives to move forward. 3. What were the key takeaways from the pilot? The Pitch Kitchener pilot delivered a variety of valuable benefits, including: i. Provides opportunity for procurement innovation, a strategic direction of the Digital Kitchener Lab ii. Enable local businesses to participate therefore supporting Buy Local, another city initiative iii. Provides a platform for innovative solutions to city problems and allows business iv. Offers vendors of all sizes a centralized entry point for engagement with the City, while enabling staff to thoroughly evaluate proposed pilot programs that include established funding and an effective support framework.