SOFTWARE SELECTION for a small OPERATION Arun Prem

FACT Mission Assist San Diego County residents with barriers to mobility to achieve independence through coordination of transportation services.

FACT Governance Board Majority Elected Officials; Experts and Advocates

FACT Role FACT is the CTSA* for San Diego County *Consolidated Transportation Services Agency - State law designation through a formal contract with SANDAG since 2006

FACT Role One stop shop for individuals, agencies for transportation assistance

FACT Services: Finding the best transportation options Providing subsidized trips to eligible riders Creating low cost contracted transportation solutions

Find low cost trip from Brokerage FACT Service Model   Refer to other service   FACT   If none available…     Diagram illustrating the FACT service model. Rider calls FACT FACT mobility coordinator listens to the request and ascertains the needs of the rider. A rider is then referred to a service that is currently available in their area and may be able to meet their need. Many of these referrals include connecting riders to NCTD’s LIFT program as well as MTS Access paratransit program. If a service is not available to fulfill the rider’s request, that person is then referred to RideFACT’s service. FACT finds the best fit provider based on cost and service availability from its Brokerage FACT books the trip with the provider The trip is then confirmed by the provider   Find low cost trip from Brokerage Refer to   Confirm

Top Referral Destinations FACT Top Referral Destinations Medical Social Shopping Diagram illustrating the FACT service model. Rider calls FACT FACT mobility coordinator listens to the request and ascertains the needs of the rider. A rider is then referred to a service that is currently available in their area and may be able to meet their need. Many of these referrals include connecting riders to NCTD’s LIFT program as well as MTS Access paratransit program. If a service is not available to fulfill the rider’s request, that person is then referred to RideFACT’s service. FACT finds the best fit provider based on cost and service availability from its Brokerage FACT books the trip with the provider The trip is then confirmed by the provider

FACT FY 2017 Ridership: Trips (subsidized) 13,845 Contracted/ Agency Trips 15,200 Total 29,045

FACT Brokerage AAA Transport AGTS Assisted Multicare Transportation Care 4U Mobility Caring Life Solutions Coronado Livery Cab Eleet Transportation Golden State NEM Transportation Home of Guiding Hands Lyft Renewing Life Safety First Transportation Venture Medical Transportation Yellow Cab

Software Selection is Challenging Organizations are under tremendous pressure to make the “right” software decisions. We’ve all read about software decision disasters and cost overruns in the news. Mitigating these risk factors is a top priority for organizations everywhere.

BASELINE PROCESS Requirements Profile – ranking requirements by importance Gap Analysis – ranking RFP responses against profile Software Selection: Demonstration Vendor response audit Reference Check Price Analysis

CHALLENGE OF I.T. SUPPORT Procuring Software without dedicated IT staff? CONSULTANT SUPPORT OPTION Clear time lines Clear scope of work PARTNER AGENCY STAFF SUPPORT OPTION Loss of Control Coordination Issues

Brokerage or software which comes first? FACT decided software should follow project implementation Experience with manual operations enhanced software profile development Needs can be defined in more depth Easier to compare against features or decide on customization

Selection Process Early Steps: Develop clear and detailed scope of work Use modular approach where possible Plan for longer term Factor in industry conditions Bleeding edge vs. “Safe” technology ?

PREPARING FOR YOUR PURCHASE Buy-in from Staff, Board, Stakeholders Outreach to vendors Seek recommendations from Peers Don’t get what everyone is getting – but know what others have Potential for interface with local service providers Recognize the bells and whistles for what they are Company size and culture should match yours Keep expectations at reasonable level

evaluation PROCESS REVIEWING SUBMISSIONS: Research TAILORED demos work better than readymade ones PROOF is better than assurances Involve Stakeholders Be aware of chemistry

evaluation PROCESS Your prepared script—a list of questions and issues of concern—should challenge the software vendor to make the case for why their solution is the best fit for your organization. Chances are no solution will offer 100% of your requirements, and there will be some compromise. This usually involves some sort of extra customization or purchase of a software patch. The trick is to find the closest match along with a vendor that feels like a good working partner.

Finalizing terms NEGOTIATE: Licensing Training Maintenance & troubleshooting Phased expansion Use leverage to get best price (your status in industry, partners, peers etc..)

IMPLEMENTATION Maintain control over timeline – pick timeframe that is least stressful Maintain redundancy Involve staff at all levels in training and implementation Keep stakeholders informed either way Manage expectations Have fun!

Thank You!

Thank you! Arun Prem Executive Director aprem@factsd.org Contact: Arun Prem Executive Director aprem@factsd.org (888) 924-3228 www.factsd.org Thank you!