Council returns proposed OpenGov sole‑source pavement software extension to staff after oversight concerns

City transportation staff asked the council to authorize a sole‑source amendment extending the city’s existing OpenGov Cartograph pavement management software agreement by five years and adding roughly $659,000 for years 6–10, bringing total projected contract value over 10 years to about $1.2 million. Staff argued Cartograph is integrated with the city’s GIS and historical pavement data, that migrating to a different platform during an upcoming pavement condition assessment would create operational risk, and that continuity would preserve apples‑to‑apples comparisons for the PCI (payment condition index).

The Independent Budget Analyst (IBA) Charles Monica told the council the office did not have adequate time to review the direct docket and raised procedural concerns about the sole‑source justification: the IBA said transportation’s memo indicated limited market competition but provided no procurement backup showing an RFI or formal market outreach. The IBA recommended that if council approves an extension, it should be for the minimum period necessary to run an RFI (the IBA suggested two years rather than five) so the city can ensure competitive pricing and validate vendor options.

Multiple public commenters urged caution about no‑bid extensions and suggested alternatives ranging from pressure‑washing sidewalks to community‑driven inventories. Commenters also asked about data ownership and public tools such as streetssd.gov. Councilmembers questioned staff on timing, contract escalation clauses (3% currently, 5% in years 6–10 as negotiated), whether an RFI could be completed quickly, and the operational implications of migrating a decade of pavement data to a new platform.

After extended questioning and cross‑departmental exchanges (transportation, purchasing and contracting, and the IBA), Council President Lacava exercised his privilege of the chair and called a vote to return the item to staff for redocketing after an RFI and additional IBA review. The motion to return the item to staff passed unanimously, 7–0, with Councilmembers Moreno and Campillo absent. Staff committed to issue an RFI before the council’s return from legislative recess and present findings and recommendations at that time.