Indigo board approves IT licenses, vendor contracts and utility relocations tied to Blue Line project

The Indigo board of directors on Thursday, Feb. 20 authorized a series of contracts and license renewals that agency staff said are needed to maintain day-to-day operations and support construction of the Blue Line bus rapid transit project.

Board action covered technology licensing for Microsoft Office 365, cloud hosting and vehicle-location services, a construction project-management tool renewal, a new three-year contract for Indigo's customer call center and short-term transition services, and four utility relocation agreements with AES Indiana to move streetlights that conflict with Blue Line design.

The approvals affect agency operations and its ongoing Blue Line construction. Mike Roth, Deputy Chief Transportation Officer, described the care center as central to customer service: "The Indigo Care Center ... is a vital component to our customer service," and said the contracted vendor will handle trip bookings for paratransit customers and general traveler assistance for fixed-route and BRT riders.

The board approved the largest single contract in the packet: a three-year agreement with MV Transportation Inc. to provide call-center services for an amount not to exceed $4,758,657, with two option years that, if exercised, would bring the five-year maximum to $8,203,624. Staff said the contract will be funded through Indigo's operating budget and federal formula grant funding and that MV committed to a 10.5% DBE (disadvantaged business enterprise) participation goal. The motion passed unanimously.

Also approved was a separate, short-term contract with NISI Group Inc. to provide up to two months of transition services so MV can take over call-center operations; staff said the NISI Group contract is funded from the FY2025 operating budget and will count toward Indigo's DBE goal.

In information-technology items, Marcus Burnside, Chief Information Officer, asked the board to authorize renewal of Microsoft Office 365 licensing for the final year of the agency's three-year Microsoft Enterprise Agreement at an amount not to exceed $123,809. Burnside said recent Microsoft licensing changes replaced some lower-cost licenses with higher-cost products, producing the increase; the board voted to approve the renewal and keep pricing fixed through March 31, 2026. Burnside also presented an Avail (Veil Technologies) annual maintenance and cloud hosting purchase—covering the CAD/AVL vehicle-location system and related hosting and maintenance—at $226,483 for the 2025 production-year; that motion passed.

For capital delivery, Sarah Stents, senior project manager for capital facilities projects, recommended a one-year renewal with e-Builder (now rebranded under Trimble as Unity Construct) for up to $150,000 to continue using the construction and project-management software that staff said is central to managing change orders, pay applications, inspections and design documents across Indigo's BRT and roadway projects. Stents said staff will continue to evaluate pricing and an exit strategy for storing records when active construction concludes. The board approved the renewal.

Rachel Wilson, project manager, requested authorization to execute four utility relocation agreements (URAs) with AES Indiana for streetlight relocations tied to the Blue Line design, for an amount not to exceed $830,000. Wilson said the relocations are segmented by geography (west of downtown, downtown, near East Side and Far East Side) and will be coordinated with the Blue Line contractor; she did not provide a total count of poles at the meeting and said she would supply that detail later. The board approved the URAs.

Finance and foundation updates: Bart Brown, chief financial officer, presented the unaudited December 2024 year-end summary and said total 2024 revenues were over budget by $4,942,479 and total expenditures were under budget by $7,304,181; the audit is in progress and expected to conclude by June 30. Emily Moe, executive director of the Indigo Foundation, reported program growth—more than 250 nonprofit partners across pass-discount and grant programs—and said the foundation sponsored free fares for Transit Equity Day, producing roughly 18,400 free rides across fixed-route, BRT and paratransit. Moe also previewed a May "Ride and Seek" scavenger-hunt fundraiser and said proceeds from a new Indigo swag store will be retained by the Foundation.

Votes at a glance: All listed motions passed unanimously (all voting directors recorded "aye"). Key approvals included: - Care center services (MV Transportation Inc.): 3-year contract not to exceed $4,758,657; 2 option years; five-year maximum $8,203,624; funding: operating budget and federal formula grants; DBE goal 10.5%. - Care center transition services (NISI Group Inc.): up to 2-month transition contract; funded from FY2025 operating funds; counts toward DBE goal. - Microsoft Office 365 licensing renewal: not to exceed $123,809; final year of current Microsoft EA; funded by IT operating budget; pricing fixed through 03/31/2026. - Avail (Veil Technologies) annual maintenance and cloud hosting services (CAD/AVL): $226,483 for 03/01/2025–02/28/2026; funded by IT operating budget. - Construction and project management software renewal (e-Builder / Unity Construct): 1-year renewal not to exceed $150,000. - AES Indiana streetlight utility relocation URAs: up to $830,000 to relocate streetlights in conflict with Blue Line design.

Board procedure and next steps: Each procurement item was presented by staff and followed by director questions about vendor pricing, contract terms and operational impacts; staff answered questions without amending motions. Directors indicated they expect continued oversight during contract transitions and during Blue Line construction coordination. The board adjourned at the conclusion of staff reports and the foundation presentation; the next monthly meeting was not scheduled on the public record at the time of adjournment.