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Council directs staff to pursue competitive RFP process for land-management and permitting software after debate
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Summary
Council debated whether to hire a consultant directly or run a competitive procurement for a modern land-management/permits platform. After questioning staff about cost, hours and vendor selection, council voted to direct staff to issue a formal RFP to solicit competing proposals and evaluate software solutions.
City staff told the council that the city’s existing permitting and land‑management systems are aging, poorly integrated and increasingly inefficient for electronic plan checks, online permitting, inspections and code-compliance tracking. Community Development Director Sue Ostrander described day-to-day workflow problems: multiple systems that do not communicate, email-driven submittal processes, repeated manual touches and legislative mandates (e.g., for solar and other e‑permits) that push the city to modernize.
Staff proposed hiring a specialist consultant (ClientFirst) to assess needs and carry an RFP process for a target enterprise solution. Several council members expressed concern about awarding professional services without a broader competitive solicitation, and asked for competitive proposals so the city could compare scope, hours and fees. After extended debate about procurement policy (the city’s purchasing rules allow professional-service awards without a formal RFP) the council directed staff to go out to a formal RFP for consulting and/or software solutions to ensure multiple proposals and price/approach comparisons.
Council and staff emphasized implementation risk and cost: staff estimated implementation of a new enterprise permitting system could run in the low hundreds of thousands (implementation, licensing and professional services) and would require long‑term licensing and staff training. The council asked staff to design a robust RFP, engage planning-commission reviewers for vendor evaluation, and return with the recommended award for council approval. The motion to run the RFP passed after debate; the council asked staff to attempt to limit consultant hours where feasible and to return results for formal award.
