REDEFINING CIVIC INNOVATION

Government and bureaucracy are often synonymous with long, cumbersome processes. The new SMART Grant program by the USDOT is trying something different. This iterative approach is essential to civic innovation but is often at odds with the systems and processes of government. In an OpEd for Forbes written more than a decade ago, Jennifer Pahlka said, “If there’s one thing government needs desperately, it’s the ability to quickly try something, pivot when necessary, and build complex systems by starting with simple systems that work and evolving from there, not the other way around.”

If there’s one thing government needs desperately, it’s the ability to quickly try something, pivot when necessary, and build complex systems by starting with simple systems that work and evolving from there, not the other way around.

– Jennifer Pahlka

The USDOT SMART Grant program was established to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart city or community technologies and systems that will improve transportation efficiency and safety. It funds purpose-driven innovation and focuses on building data and technology capacity and experience for State, local, and Tribal governments. The program is unique in that it encourages a rapid “build, measure, learn” cycle that helps push innovation forward and allows organizations to solve problems more effectively and efficiently.

The SMART Grant Collaborative is an initiative of the Open Mobility Foundation (OMF) that brings together eight public agencies awarded USDOT SMART Grants around curb management: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Miami-Dade County. While each city’s project is unique, all share a similar problem and technological approach, specifically to digitally gather and analyze curb information to reduce congestion, enhance livability, and provide the tools to address equity and improve safety on city streets. The shared, open-source Curb Data Specification (CDS) stewarded by the non-profit Open Mobility Foundation (OMF) lies at the heart of this collaboration. CDS enables data to be gathered and analyzed such that cities can more optimally use their curbs and dynamically respond to emerging policy needs through experimentation, piloting, and prototyping.

TACKLING PROCUREMENT

Often the first and biggest challenge of them all is simply buying the needed software and services, known as procurement. A procurement process alone can take years, which doesn’t account for the time required to ramp up and implement the chosen product or solution. With that timeline, forward-thinking startups serving public agencies struggle to survive. Far too often, the technology government acquires is out of date. And, teams and departments within public agencies are unable to deploy modern solutions that best serve their communities.

That’s why finding innovative procurement approaches that align with city values and utilize CDS was a key issue to tackle in the early days of the SMART Grant Collaborative. The members of the group began with their internal research and processes. Then, they participated in a series of workshops and discussions on the issue. Topics discussed included components, privacy, security, interoperability, and data standards – culminating in a review of different strategies to secure the right technology and services to ensure successful, timely delivery of program goals. One of the strategies that stood out was collaborative procurement: the practice of multiple organizations coming together to order the common goods and services they share.

A COLLABORATIVE MODEL

Sourcewell is an organization that helps government, education, and nonprofit organizations with cooperative purchasing. A self-sustaining government agency based in Minnesota, their team helps streamline the procurement process by developing RFPs and managing the process for national, competitive solicitations that meet or exceed local requirements. Sourcewell awards supplier contracts and any government entity can quickly and easily use those contracts to serve their individual project needs.

In service of the SMART Collaborative, Sourcewell developed and managed an RFP for “Curb Management Technologies with Related Services,” awarding contracts to 17 companies that provide advanced technologies and systems to improve transportation efficiency, including:

• Digitization of curb inventory and regulations
• Historic and/or real-time monitoring and performance reporting
• Curb availability (parking, loading, etc.), reservations, and driving directions
• Predictive modeling
• Data management and integration

Of the 17 awardees, many are OMF members and have demonstrated a willingness to work alongside cities to develop open standards that help public agencies accomplish their mobility policy goals. Furthermore, membership in the OMF indicates a deeper knowledge and understanding of the Curb Data Specification (CDS). Sourcewell has a unique, collaborative process: these contracts are now available for any government agency to use, whether they are part of the SMART Collaborative or not.

Learn more about OMF’s members and see Sourcewell details, where relevant here:

SHARED VALUES

While strategies like collaborative procurement, bench contracts (i.e. those that establish a prequalified list of vendors), and piggybacking (i.e. using an existing contract) stood out, another trend that emerged from discussions around procurement was a set of shared values. While public agencies often seek different components, there is a common set of goals and values that many seek in their vendors.

Readiness
Cities want to deliver results in an effective, efficient manner, which means they often prefer to work with vendors who are knowledgeable on the state of practice and ready to deploy their technology on day one.

Cooperation and collaboration
The open-source Curb Data Specification (CDS) lies at the heart of the SMART Collaborative – and many innovative curb management projects like it. Demonstrating a willingness to collaborate with others around this standard and co-create better solutions for all is a priority for many public agencies.

Established track record
Whether big or small, being able to demonstrate clear wins and staying power in the ecosystem helps companies stand out.

To sum it up, the OMF’s SMART Collaborative’s cooperative approach to civic innovation is reshaping how cities tackle curb management. By embracing shared values and leveraging collaborative tools – from Sourcewell to open-source standards like the Curb Data Specification (CDS) – these public agencies are overcoming longstanding challenges in government. Beyond that, the SMART Collaborative is providing a window into how cities can effectively pilot, test, and iterate on a timeline rarely seen in government.

Follow along for more lessons learned by the SMART Grant Collaborative, and tools and solutions for all to share.

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