In an effort to better integrate city-owned vehicles, Cincinatti is making the first steps toward adopting a cloud-based GPS system across its fleet departments.  

According to a Jan. 6 request for propsoals, the city's fleet have previously been utilizing indivdiual solutions to leverage GPS functionality resulting in a "non-unified state." The city also noted that the different systems have complicated the maintenance and upgrade processes, as "there is no guarantee that emergent technology will be compatible with legacy systems currently in use."

The new vehicle-based GPS system the city is looking to incorporate will need to provide up-to-date information on vehicle location and routes while being able to interface with and pull data from the multiple OEMs.

A GPS system that provides dedicated support infrastructure, emergent technologies, and value-added options is preferred, according to city notes.

In addition to providing real-time location services, the GPS system will also need to provide turn-by-turn directions for drivers in cab with audible alerts and dynamic re-routing, with the ability to push new routes to drivers in the field.

The winning contractor will serve as the "sole source of hardware, installation, activation, infield product support, cellular service and subscription agreements, and web-based hosted reporting." The contract resulting from the RFP will be for a four year initial period with two optional renewals for three years each.

The submission deadline is March 1.