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TO: Mayor Ricard C. Irvin
FROM: Joshua Ream, Director of Development Services
DATE: July 24, 2023
SUBJECT:
Resolution authorizing the approval of service agreement between Selectron Technologies and the City of Aurora for SelectTXT, a texting interface, with TRAKiT system.
PURPOSE:
The reason for this purchase is to provide City of Aurora customers, both constituents and contractors, increased flexibility in scheduling inspections, reviewing results, and following permit progress throughout the course of their project. The product will also provide staff with additional tools to reduce wait times and provide better overall customer service.
BACKGROUND:
This request stems from the frequent complaints, mostly from contractors, about the need to more quickly and easily setup inspections. When doing work in the field contractors do not typically have ready access to computers and web applications for our system can be difficult to navigate on a phone's web browser. Contractors will then try to call into our office to schedule various inspections, sometimes across multiple permits, tying up clerks for long periods of time, which results in unanswered phone calls, emails, or people waiting in the lobby. Nearly all of them frequently communicate with inspectors and other staff via text messages because of the convenient access of their cell phones and speed of communication.
DISCUSSION:
The overall benefit of this project will be to provide additional means to communicate with the Building and Permits Department when phones are busy, or computers are unavailable at a job site. It will also provide immediate results to contractors so they know when they can schedule their next inspections, or what items caused a failure and thus need correction. In addition it should help with the availability of clerks to help out customers with more complex problems, as they will be less frequently tied up scheduling sequences of inspections or providing inspection results over the phone or email.
The initial cost of the project will be $22,500. Then there is a $8,000 per year service contract for 5 years. The initial year of the maintenance agreement is credited $3,000 from the initial startup cost. The total cost of the project comes in at $59,500.
Funding for the services would come from account #101-1820-424.38-11.
Funds are available in the amount of $27,000.
Selectron is a Strategic Alliance Vendor with CST due to product type and interface with TRAKiT. They are the only company with an established IVR interface with CST
IMPACT STATEMENT:
This product will increase the capability of the Development Services Department, most especially the Building & Permits Division, to provide outstanding customer service and better facilitate the increasing demands of development in the City of Aurora. It will also provide another layer of communication between the departments and customers to additionally ensure the communication of information. All of this should lead to better and more efficient building practices in the City of Aurora both for customers that use this service and those that do not. In addition, clerks will have increased availability to address concerns customers may have with Property Standards, Planning and Zoning or Economic Development questions.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That approval be given for the purchase of SelectTXT and associated annual agreement between Selectron Technologies, Inc. and the City of Aurora to interface with the TRAKiT system."
cc: Alderwoman Juany Garza - Chairperson
Alderman Theodoros "Ted" Mesiacos - Vice Chairperson
Alderman Michael B. Saville
Alderman Emmanuel Llamas
Alderman-at-Large John Laesch
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution authorizing the approval of service agreement between Selectron Technologies and the City of Aurora for SelectTXT, a texting interface, with TRAKiT system.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora already uses Selectron Technologies for similar functions and employs TRAKiT for development services and desires these two systems to interface; and
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora would like pursue a system startup and 5 year agreement totaling $59,500 coming out of account 101-1820-424.38-11 with fully budgeted funds; and
WHEREAS, this type of interface has only a single Strategic Alliance vendor; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: to authorize purchase of SelectTXT from Selectron Technologies and the Director of Purchasing to issue the necessary orders.