Richmond city staff is recommending a new parking meter contractor for the city’s 61 public meters.
Impark has been providing parking meter services to the city, but the recommendation is to go with J.J. MacKay for five years, a contract estimated at about $1.04 million.
A two-step bidding process resulted in this recommendation, although other bids came in lower.
City staff outline in a report to city council that J.J. MacKay can provide more secure services, and both better hardware and software.
“In short, J.J. MacKay Canada Ltd. provided a better plan for upkeep and quick servicing of parking meter equipment throughout the relatively long duration (10-15 years) of their operational use,” the staff report noted.
All 61 meters are expected to be replaced this year.
The current meters no longer meet payment standards for Visa, Mastercard and Europay, city staff say, and “pose security risks”
“Frequent maintenance issues, service disruptions, and lost revenue further highlight the need for modernization,” the report noted.
Later this year, the city plans to find a long-term provider for mobile parking payment.
The current meters were installed in 2013.
The parking meter contract will be dealt with at next week’s general purposes committee meeting.
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