RE:Hayden AI in LA MetroIt's a 63-month firm fixed unit price Hayden AI Technologies, Inc. for the purchase of equipment and implementation of a Bus Lane Enforcement System on NextGen Tier One Network in the City of Los Angeles in an amount not-to-exceed $7,079,570 for the 39-month base term, and $1,710,000 for the first one-year option and $1,710,000 for the second one-year option, for a total not-to-exceed Contract Value of $10,499,570, effective December 1, 2023.
All documents (summary, scores, presentation, etc) related to this procurement can be found at the following link:
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LA Metro Board Meeting Main Points: There were 3 bidders for this solicitation
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Attachment A - Procurement Summary PET scores and rankings (Page 4): 1st: Hayden AI = 81.23
2nd: Seon Design = 77.50
3rd: Gatekeeper Systems = 76.55
What's moderately reassuring upon reviewing these scores is that in the "Technical and Functional Capability of the Proposed System" category, Gatekeeper scored 7.5, slightly lower than Hayden AI but notably better than Seon Design. This becomes particularly noteworthy considering the substantial funding Hayden has accumulated over the years. This suggests that, from a technical standpoint, Gatekeeper isn't significantly lagging behind its competitors.
However, there are more concerning aspects related to the poor scores in the "Qualifications of the Firm and Key Personnel" and "Understanding of the Work and Technical Approach" categories. Regarding the former, it seems Hayden garnered a higher score by surpassing the 6% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal for the solicitation, achieving 10.83% (refer to "Attachment B - DEOD Summary" in the first link). The scores in both these categories align with a recurring trend I've been noticing when going through various transit and school district procurement results where Gatekeeper receives average scores in these types of categories, contributing to losses in such solicitations.
Cost Analysis (USD) (Page 5): 1. Hayden AI: $13,694,205 (negotiated down to $10,499,570)
2. Seon Design: $8,011,570
3. Gatekeeper Systems: $10,784,421