Digital Smart City Strategy Call for Submissions from Industry REQUEST FOR IDEAS (RFI) This document contains a Request for Ideas (RFI) on how the City of Cape Town (the City) can apply digital technology and data to enhance government performance and enable residents and businesses to engage more effectively and actively with the City. The information obtained from this RFI will be used by the City as a basis for further discussion and help guide the City in planning future initiatives. Interested parties wishing to respond to this RFI should read this document carefully and follow the guidance for responding. Using Technology and Data to Create a Digital Smart City Posted: 19 January 2018 Response Due: 16 February 2018 ATTENTION: Mark Humphry, Head: IT Programme Office Information Systems and Technology Mark.Humphry@capetown.gov.za
Introduction The City of Cape Town s Information Systems and Technology Department (IS&T) deploys a three-pronged strategy to ensure that information and communication technology (ICT) is used to enable improved corporate governance and service delivery to citizens. As a strategic partner to business it aims to be a catalyst for the transformation of public services, thereby contributing to the City becoming a more efficient and effective local authority. This ICT strategy, known as the Digital City Strategy, aims to be a business enabler that will ensure: Improving the efficiency of the City administration, Improving services delivery to citizens and business, and Enable social and economic development within communities. The City s information, knowledge and records are key assets of the organisation that are required to support planning, service delivery, decision-making, compliance and more efficient management. The Information and Knowledge Management department aims to improve the accessibility to corporate information assets and provides specialized information services to City departments and external stakeholders. REQUEST FOR IDEAS 1. Administrative Information This Request for Ideas (RFI) is not a request for proposal, request for quotation, offer or invitation for bid, nor does its issuance restrict the City of Cape Town in its eventual implementation activities. This is an RFI only, and all information received will be used for planning purposes only. 2. Context Buying existing technology from the shelf isn t that interesting, but identifying a collective challenge for business, citizens and the City and inviting all to help us to solve it, that makes effective service delivery and economic growth for all citizens a real possibility, that is interesting Cllr Raelene Arendse: Mayco member Corporate Services. The global challenges of rapid urban population growth, climate change, and pressure on resources, infrastructure and the provision of services, need to be addressed at city scale. The many challenges that cities face worldwide present big opportunities for digital businesses. It is therefore the belief of the City of Cape Town that Cape Town based companies and public service providers can contribute through the increasing use of data and digital technology, to support the City in delivering services, fostering job creation in the digital space and being able to respond to Capetonians needs. The City of Cape Town has a vision of becoming the first truly digital smart city in Africa and has made significant advances in harnessing the power of technology to: broaden access to high-quality digital public services, create new digital channels for interaction with our government and citizens, build the competitiveness of the City s ICT-enabled industries, provide a platform to bring about a new municipal service delivery and management system, open up the City s data to be utilised by the business and social sectors, and empowering residents and bring them closer to opportunities through connecting them to the internet. The City must continuously re-evaluate its interventions in the ICT space, and keep searching for new and innovative ways to deliver on its objectives as an organisation. To this end, the City seeks inspiration from the marketplace of innovators, technologists, engineers, marketers, programmers, academics and city enthusiasts to come up with new uses for existing assets that provide public value and generate revenue applying technology and data to enhance government performance and enable residents and businesses to engage more effectively and actively with the City. The City is interested in exploring various business models that will further the City s goals, make meaningful advances in Smart City applications and forming partnerships that will take advantage of the City s significant investment in optic fibre deployment, CCTV camera s and Wi-Fi connectivity, to improve City services and quality of life for its citizens. Page 2 of 5
Therefore, it is the intention of the City to bridge the gap relating to the emerging relationships between Cities and disruptive technology, based on the following ten principles: City platform must enable services that improve the quality of life in cities; benefiting residents, the environment, and helping to bridge the digital divide. City platform must bring together both public and private stakeholders in digital ecosystem; City platform must support sharing economy principles and the circular economy agenda; City platform must provide ways for local start-ups and business to innovate and thrive; City platform must enforce the privacy and security of confidential data; City platform must inform political decisions and offer mechanism for residents to make their voices heard; City platform must involve local government in their governance and curation and are built and manage by the most competent and merited organisations; City platform must be based on open standards, industry best practice and open API s to facilitate a vendor neutral approach, with industry agreed architecture models; City platform must support a common approach to federation of data or services between cities, making it possible for cities of all sizes to take part in the growing data economy; and City platform must support the principles of UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 3. Areas of Interest The City is seeking information and ideas on any products and technologies or other offerings that could leverage existing infrastructure and data as a platform to improve City operations and services. Areas of Interest include, but are not limited to: 1) public safety; 2) public infrastructure maintenance; 3) energy efficiency; 4) transportation; 5) water management; 6) waste management; 7) health and assisted living; 8) platforms for economic, digital and social inclusion; and 9) quality of life for the residents and businesses of Cape Town, and 10) Institutional or Policy changes in the support of the above. Listed below are some examples of ideas that would enhance the City s ability to deliver quality services to Capetonians. Proposed solutions should be designed to allow for adapting, upgrading and integrating additional functionality. The list is not intended to be exhaustive and responders are encouraged to share additional ideas. Meter Reading: Remote/automated meter-reading that allows information to be collected and forwarded to the Electricity and Water Departments for billing purposes. Street Lighting Controls: Dynamic lighting systems that can be controlled remotely, react to citizens, provide valuable data, and/or reduce energy costs. Gunshot Detection: Detection devices that can identify a gunshot and send the information to the City s 107 Response Centre while simultaneously alerting the City s cameras in the vicinity to focus in on the location. (Note: ShotSpotter technology has been implemented in some areas in Cape Town). Transportation Analytics: Technologies that can detect changes in traffic flows, pedestrian and cyclist activity, and parking availability. Infrastructure Monitoring: Detection and monitoring of the City s critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, airports, water, and power systems. Public Safety Surveillance: Additional video surveillance points and cameras, used exclusively for public safety purposes, which police could monitor, especially in high crime areas. Free, high-speed public Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi that would support communities of mobile/flexible workers and improve overall lifestyles in the form of greater productivity and services, improved planning and development, collaboration in the digital era, and economic growth. Sensor Technology: Combined monitoring with sensor technology that collects data in real time. For example, the City would know when a traffic signal is out of service, so that a repair crew can be dispatched to fix the problem. Public Engagement/Participation: Systems for facilitating dynamic public input in order to develop consensus and creative opportunities for enhancing service delivery. Page 3 of 5
Open Data: The City s Open Data Portal aims to make City data available to the public in order to improve access to information and promote open and transparent government whilst possibly stimulating economic activity. Therefore, the development of applications or analytical tools using the City s data may lead to efficiencies, costsavings income generation or positive service delivery benefits. Social Transformation through ICT / Digital skills: Enhancing the lives of our citizens and communities by creating sustainable solutions that drive digital access and improve ICT skills, that catalyses social transformation in the digital age through initiatives that promote low-cost access to ICT resources, social collaborative development efforts (i.e. Hackathons) that address social and service delivery related challenges and enhance digital literacy levels through digital learning (e-learning) environments. Also, please include the methodologies used to measure these initiative. The City seeks submissions that address one, some or all of the capabilities above. Any additional ideas that advance city operations are welcome. 4. City Infrastructure The City's Broadband Network, public Wi-Fi service and other digital inclusion projects are part of a broader Digital City Strategy, which aims to make Cape Town the most digitally connected city in Africa. Other elements of the strategy include investment in digital infrastructure, digital business initiatives, and a focus on digital government. The City's Broadband Network Roll-out Project has to date connected 360 City buildings and is committed to installing fibre-optic cables and switching capacity in areas where there was previously no broadband infrastructure, such as Khayelitsha, Atlantis, Delft, Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain, Nyanga, Hanover Park and Seawinds to name a few. The City has to date installed 872 free Wi-Fi access points at 227 locations that are spread out across the metro. The City has also installed the SmartCape service in its 102 public libraries which provides residents with free access to the internet to search for learning materials, job opportunities and information for general knowledge. 5. Submitting a Response 5.1 Who Should Respond The City welcomes ideas from innovators, technologists, telecommunications specialists, advertising agencies, social entrepreneurs, engineers, architects, designers, academic organisations, NGOs, and general city enthusiasts working locally or internationally. 5.2 How to Respond Logon to the City s website at: http://www.capetown.gov.za/city-connect/have-your-say and complete the online response form and attach an electronic copy in machine-readable format (MS Word format or PDF) of your response. Please use the RFI response template provided in Appendix A for your responses. It s encouraged that you limit the size of your response to approximately 10 pages including supporting documentation. Responses must be received by no later than close of business on 16 February 2018. You may make one or more submissions, depending on which areas of interest you are addressing. Questions regarding this RFI are to be submitted via email to Mark.Humphry@capetown.gov.za, by no later than close of business on 2 February 2018. All questions received by this date and time will be answered appropriately. The title of such comment should read, CCT Digital Smart City RFI [insert firm name]. The City expects to respond by 9 February 2018, to questions received by that date and time. The City anticipates the following schedule for the RFI process: (1) RFI release 19 January 2018 (2) Questions regarding the RFI due 2 February 2018 (3) Responses provided 9 February 2018 (4) RFI submission due date 16 February 2018 Page 4 of 5
5.3 RFI Review and Clarification Process This RFI is issued with the intent to obtain information that provides guidance to the City in formulating future initiatives. To fully comprehend the information contained within a response to this RFI, the Review Committee may request further clarification in the form of brief verbal communication by telephone, written communication, electronic communication, or a presentation to the Review Committee. Only those responses which will be considered, will receive formal feedback from the City. 5.4 Confidentiality Both parties shall keep all information obtained by them in the context of this RFI confidential and shall not divulge it without the written approval of the other party. Page 5 of 5