City seeks proposals for cell-phone parking app systems (joy!)

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Parking app RFP has been sent into the virtual vortex. Who will answer the call?

MANCHESTER, NH – This just in: The city is in hot pursuit of a “pay-by-cell” system that would allow payments for on- and off- street parking to be made using a mobile app.

Joy!

As described in the RFP below, this type of parking system will lend itself to the current target Manchester resident and city-goer, which includes those who do everything from ordering delivery meals via Grub Hub and Door Dash to Lyfting and Ubering around the city.

Shortly after taking office, Mayor Craig said that this was something she had her staff researching and it sounds like the process is taking shape.

So, this RFP goes out to all of those out there who can make our parking app dreams come true. Submission deadline is March 15. Below is the preamble to the technical stuff, and a full copy of the RFP.


The City of Manchester is seeking a pay-by-cell system that enables parking payments for the city’s on-street and off-street parking meters, mobile application “app”, and/or text.

The City of Manchester is a progressive, growing community with a population of approximately 100,000 located in southern New Hampshire. The city offers a unique combination of strong downtown commerce with the amenities typically associated with a larger urban city. Information about the community is available on our website located at www.Manchesternh.gov. Currently, the City of Manchester’s on- and off-street paid parking is managed by CALE pay and display meters and Mackay coin operated meters as well as several Cale pay-by-space meters.

The City of Manchester currently manages Downtown on-street and Millyard on-street spaces along with parking lot and garage spaces with two different time limits, 2 hour and 10 hour, all at .75 per hour Monday-Friday 8 a.m. -8 p.m. as determined by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Elm Street spaces are enforced on Saturday 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. The hourly rate may be adjusted periodically so the proposer needs to recognize that eventuality.

Parking enforcement is currently conducted by the City utilizing Two Technologies N5Z1 handhelds interfaced with Cardinal Tracking/Ticketrak software/database. The vendor will need to accommodate any future changes. Vendors should provide a list of handheld and interface software that is commonly used in conjunction with proposed pay-by-cell service.

Project Goals

The City of Manchester’s goals for this project are to:

• Select a vendor with expertise in providing pay-by-cell parking services, particularly in on-street and municipal parking lot environments at no net cost to the city.

• Choose a vendor that charges a reasonable convenience fee for services offered

• Employ a system where rates and operational schedules can be programmed and re-programmed easily and quickly in a manner that does not require any down-time

• Access to real-time analytics dashboard

• Require the vendor to provide all first-round of decals and provide best practices to accompany the signage and to also develop, coordinate and execute (with the assistance of the city) a marketing campaign to increase use of functionality. City of Manchester will install new signage, should it be necessary.

• Select a vendor that can offer and develop added value services to users of the system.


Read below for the technical stuff.


Addendum #1 March 5, 2019

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!