City Seeks Partners to Support Long Beach Collaboratory Smart City Initiative Program

• Extra Large
• Large
• Normal
• Small

PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach is seeking to partner with qualified organizations to support the new Smart City Initiative program, the Long Beach Collaboratory (LB Co-Lab), to provide technology solutions that address neighborhood challenges sourced by community participants from four Long Beach neighborhoods.

The LB Co-Lab engages local Long Beach stakeholders in a collaborative community engagement process to scope and implement a pilot technology project. Participants are also taught technology skills to thrive in our "smart" economy. The technology implemented in this program ensures the City invests in technology enhancements based on community-identified needs for Ramona Park, Hamilton, Westside and Wilmore neighborhoods. With these four, challenge-based Requests for Proposals (RFPs), the City seeks to partner with a wide variety of highly skilled and innovative organizations to support the City's technological enhancements without prescribing a detailed scope of work and requirements.

To support this effort, the City has launched the following four challenge-based RFPs:

• Long Beach Collaboratory: Connectivity in the Ramona Park Neighborhood
  • Ramona Park is seeking an accessible, technology-based solution to provide efficient and reliable internet connectivity across the neighborhood's public spaces for the community's residents, businesses and visitors. This RFP is available now until 5 p.m. on Friday, June 30, 2023. Specific details related to this RFP, including project scope, eligibility requirements and submission instructions, are available through Long Beach Buys.

• Long Beach Collaboratory: Pedestrian Safety in the Hamilton Neighborhood
  • Hamilton is seeking a technology-based street improvement solution to promote pedestrian safety, enhance visibility, and encourage positive neighborhood experiences for community stakeholders such as residents, businesses and students. This RFP is available now until 5 p.m. on Friday, June 30, 2023. Specific details related to this RFP, including project scope, eligibility requirements and submission instructions, are available through Long Beach Buys.

• Long Beach Collaboratory: Park Utilization and Safety in the Westside Neighborhood
  • Westside is seeking a secure, accessible and community-building technology-based solution to propel park utilization and improve safety at Silverado Park for neighborhood residents, businesses and visitors. This RFP is available now until 11 a.m. on Friday, June 30, 2023. Specific details related to this RFP, including project scope, eligibility requirements and submission instructions, are available through Long Beach Buys.

• Long Beach Collaboratory: Safe Streets in the Willmore Neighborhood
  • Willmore is seeking a human-scale, accessible, simple and non-threatening technology-based solution to promote pedestrian and cyclist safety and create a sense of community wellbeing for the Willmore neighborhood. This RFP is available now until 11 a.m. on Friday, June 30, 2023. Specific details related to this RFP, including project scope, eligibility requirements and submission instructions, are available through Long Beach Buys.

There will be an optional pre-proposal meeting for interested organizations on Wednesday, June 13, at 1 p.m. via Zoom. The meeting will touch on the four RFPs and will then transition to breakout rooms for each respective RFP. Questions regarding the RFP can be submitted to [email protected] by 5 p.m. on June 16.

To learn more about the Smart City Initiative, including guiding principles, pilot programs and exciting new projects, go to the Smart City Initiative webpage. To read more about the LB Co-Lab, visit https://longbeach.gov/smartcity/pilot-programs/lb-co-lab.

The Long Beach Collaboratory aligns with Goal 4 of the Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative, to increase funding and other resources for technology efforts for resident, workers and business owners.

This program is made possible in part by the Long Beach Recovery Act, a plan to fund economic and public health initiatives for Long Beach residents, workers and businesses critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. More information about the Long Beach Recovery Act is available at longbeach.gov/recovery.

Media inquiries may be directed to Ryan Kurtzman, Smart Cities Program Manager, Department of Technology and Innovation, at 562.570.6911 or [email protected].

For more news, pictures, videos and announcements of what's happening in Long Beach, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.