CTC staff recommends hybrid procurement and funding approach for AB 744 statewide data tools

Sheila Ennis, who manages the Assembly Bill 744 initiative at the California Transportation Commission (CTC), briefed the Data Implementation Subcommittee on the draft AB 744 proposal and staff'recommended implementation approach.

Ennis told the committee that AB 744 (enacted 2023) requires the commission to assess procurement and implementation options to expand access to transportation data modeling and analytics tools for state, regional and local agencies and to submit a proposal to the Legislature. The draft proposal staff presented recommends a hybrid approach that combines a competitive funding program with a centrally procured option.

CTC staff described a multi-method stakeholder engagement process conducted in 2024'2025 that included a kickoff webinar, three workshops and multiple surveys of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), regional transportation planning agencies (RTPAs), rural counties and state partners. Ennis summarized the engagement findings: commonly requested outputs include travel time, vehicle miles traveled and safety; widely used GIS tools include Esri ArcGIS and QGIS; MPOs rely on mobility analytics platforms such as Replica and StreetLight while state users combine modeling tools with scripting and cloud platforms (R, Google Earth Engine). Barriers reported by jurisdictions included limited technical expertise, staff capacity, procurement complexity and constrained budgets.

To address those gaps, CTC staff recommended the hybrid option. Under that approach, the Legislature would allocate funds that a designated state entity would distribute through a competitive program. Recipients could use awarded funds to procure tools that fit local needs or opt into master-contract, centrally procured solutions. The hybrid model is intended to preserve local flexibility while enabling shared licensing, master contracts through the Department of General Services, and consortium applications to reduce costs for small and resource-limited jurisdictions.

Ennis said the draft proposal underwent a 30-day public comment period (June 13'July 13, 2025); most comment letters supported a flexible hybrid approach and staff received no letters in opposition. The CTC approved the final proposal the previous week and staff expects to submit it to the Legislature by September for consideration.

Committee members asked about data quality, interoperability and sustained interagency coordination. Ennis said those issues emerged repeatedly in stakeholder feedback and that the hybrid proposal is intended to pair funding with technical assistance and opportunities for joint procurement so smaller agencies can access advanced tools without duplicative purchases. Ennis and subcommittee members noted that implementation details'including the convening role for a state entity, budget allocations for technical assistance, and how a clearinghouse would be maintained'remain to be finalized through the legislative process and subsequent program guidance.

Several members praised the proposal as a means to expand access to data and to help jurisdictions translate qualitative community input into quantifiable datasets that support funding applications and planning.