To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: KEITH KAUFFMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
TITLE
title
APPROVE AN ADDENDUM TO THE MARCH 16, 2021 AGREEMENT WITH ZENCITY TECHNOLOGIES US, INC., FOR PUBLIC OPINION AND ENGAGEMENT SOFTWARE, FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $40,950 FOR THE TERM OCTOBER 19, 2021 THROUGH OCTOBER 18, 2022
end
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Zencity provides public opinion and engagement tools for Cities and Police Departments across the United States. In early 2021, Zencity acquired Elucd and maintained the polling services that the Police Department has been utilizing since 2019 through the Elucd platform. The proposed addendum to the agreement with Zencity will continue the Blockwise key performance indictor surveys to measure trust and identify concerns, and the Pulse survey ad-hoc limited time survey feature used to answer specific questions.
BACKGROUND
In March 2019, City Council approved an agreement with Elucd Inc. providing access to the Elucd public opinion research platform which delivers surveys to Redondo Beach residents via targeted digital advertisements. The responses assisted the Police Department through survey results that identify critical matters of perception and provide actionable data through a robust platform to allow for analysis and follow-up on items of concern with residents and visitors to Redondo Beach. In early 2021, Zencity acquired Elucd and maintained the polling services that the Police Department has been utilizing. On March 16, 2021, City Council approved a contract with Zencity for continued use of the public opinion and engagement tools. Approval of this addendum will allow for continued use of Zencity products through October 2022.
Zencity delivers short, confidential surveys to Redondo Beach residents through digital advertisements. The surveys are delivered to residents through commonly used apps and websites using technology to reach all corners of our city’s population. Using highly targeted digital advertisements allows to reach a very wide group and put together a diverse and highly representative sample of respondents. The surveys find the right respondents based on the precision of Zencity’s targeted outreach. Zencity uses the US Census data for demographic statistics and dynamically adjusts sampling to reach demographic audiences that match the population of Redondo Beach. Survey respondents are asked to provide their zip code in the survey so that responses from people outside of Redondo Beach can be filtered out.
Zencity provides two types of surveys for the Police Department: Blockwise and Pulse.
Blockwise is a constantly operating version of survey research that measures key performance indicators. Blockwise surveys are designed to measure how safe city residents feel, how much they trust local police, and to identify the main concerns residents want police to address. Trust and Safety Scores are generated from rating scale questions that people answer in the surveys. The scores on the dashboard are updated monthly. Zencity collects survey responses every day all across the city, and then generates a score each month on a scale of 0-100, based on the latest data. Those scores represent the average response among respondents in that neighborhood, weighted to match that neighborhood’s demographic makeup.
Blockwise scores reflect the diversity of a city’s neighborhoods and incorporate voices from all aspects of the community. In the process of gathering raw data from the respondents directly, the survey system ensures that it gets responses from people across all major demographic groups so that scores reflect the demographic composition of the neighborhood they represent. Zencity makes sure each data point-representing an individual voice from the community or area-is equally heard and weighted, without the risk of getting lost or overlooked. Zencity ensures the security and privacy of its data. Survey responses are confidential, and unless a respondent chooses to share their email address for follow-up purposes, remain completely anonymous. No personal information is collected when a respondent takes a survey.
Pulse is an ad-hoc survey, that is limited in time, and is designed to answer specific questions only once. Pulse surveys sample a statistically representative portion of any population, by race, sex, age, and area through targeting similar to the Blockwise methodology.
During August 2021, Zencity conducted a Pulse survey to assess public opinion in Redondo Beach regarding the Fire Department. The survey sampled 279 residents recruited via the internet, the survey was conducted in English and Spanish and was fielded from August 15th to September 1st. Data was weighted to represent the population in Redondo Beach. Detailed results from this Pulse survey will be included in a presentation to City Council on the Fire Department at a future City Council meeting.
The use of this survey and communication technology through Zencity allows for a broader reach and closer examination of how Redondo Beach residents feel, how much they trust the Police Department, and to identify concerns they want the Police to address. The survey results are used by the Police Department to consistently gauge priorities, community concerns, and resource allocation to provide the highest level of law enforcement services to the City of Redondo Beach. Approval of this agreement addendum will allow for continued use of the Blockwise and Pulse public opinion and engagement tools for the term of October 19, 2021 through October 18, 2022.
COORDINATION
The City Attorney’s office approved this agreement addendum as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT
The full amount of this agreement addendum $40,950 will be funded using one-time funding from the Emergency Communication Fund for technology included in the Police Department Emergency Communications Operations budget for FY 2021-22.
APPROVED BY:
Joe Hoefgen, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
Zencity Agreement Addendum
Zencity Original Agreement
Zencity Certificate of Insurance