Request for Information: 311 - Customer Relationship Management System

The City of Pittsburgh is seeking scope and cost information for the solicitation of a 311 - Customer Relationship Management System.

Background

Pittsburgh seeks more information on cost-effective options for a new set of solutions or a full system for their current 311 customer relationship management system. The 311 system would need to work across over a dozen departments and 3,300 staff and provide smooth interactions between customers and City services.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-RFI-089
• Department: Innovation & Performance
• Department Head: Sylvia Harris (Acting Director & CISO)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-06-04T21:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Scope of Work —

  The City of Pittsburgh seeks information on cost-effective, user-friendly options for their 311 system . The City has roughly 300,000 residents in 90 neighborhoods across 58 square miles. The 311 system is the primary venue for residents to report concerns and requests to the City for all City-managed issues and receives roughly 2000 requests a week.

  For widespread usage by 300+ City responders and external partner agencies, the City of Pittsburgh needs a solution set that is nimble, not cost prohibitive, and not constrained by limited licenses. The City seeks more information on vendors that will provide a variety of solutions that could provide the necessary functional requirements, and vendors that will provide the continued technical support and training to ensure success in execution and adoption of the solution set throughout the City. The City recognizes and is open to hearing from multiple vendors that provide excellent portions of the requested 311 solution set, as long as the solutions integrate well with other software.

  Respondents should possess the technical experience in managing CRM buildouts as well as leading complex change management processes. We are particularly interested in respondents’ interest and proven success influencing organizational CRM buy-in and fostering commitment to standardized, customer-service driven processes across the entire organization.

  More of the needed requirements are included in the functional and technical requirements, but a synopsis is below. 

  311 System 

  The 311 system would need to work across a dozen departments and over 3300 City staff and enable them to effectively:  

  • Maintain accurate data about Customers and Places and how we interact with them   

  • Intake, route, escalate, track, and respond to 311 service requests from the public  

  • Reduce internal waste and redundancy through a comprehensive package of integrations for the CRM with other key business applications 

  • Produce data for analysis that can be used to identify possible interventions City-wide  

  311 System User Groups and Needs 

  Specifically, the system would need to do the following for these three user groups: 

  311 Operators: City staff intaking requests and working most closely in the 311 database  

  • Allow for operators to easily track and identify customers who are submitting requests and look at their previously submitted requests and their history  

  • Provide robust internal search capabilities, including the ability to search by address range, block, or intersection; ability to display search results in multiple formats including a map, table, or filterable list  

  311 Customers: Residents submitting requests into 311  

  • Allow customers to easily access and understand data related to 311 service requests. 

  • Customers can easily submit and track their requests through multiple self-service channels, including calling 311, using a website portal, or sending a text. 

  • Provide customers with access to updates for the life of all 311 service requests 

  311 Responders: City staff and other outside entities (utility companies, others) working to resolve the actual request in the field 

  • Allow for 311 responders to easily access information needed to resolve a request and send updates on the requests.  

  • Currently, many employees use a paper-based ticketing system. The City would like the option to continue that paper-based system while also transitioning towards a functional mobile app where 311 responders can access necessary information, reassign requests, and resolve requests. 

  • Integrate with pre-existing applications that host other City-wide work order requests for 311 responders  

  • Allow for external entities, such as utility companies, to access the 311 system to 

  •  encourage more 311 utilization and partnerships  

  311 System Administrators: City staff who oversee the system's backend use and integration with the City’s other applications  

  • Provide efficient and straightforward ways to access data for metrics and reporting. 

  • Enable integrations with other existing applications.  

  • Provide continued technical assistance and training for the administrators. 

  • Provide system environments: Development/Configuration, Test, Training, Production, Individual Sandboxes for Admins.

• Responding to the RFI —

  All submitted responses shall follow the below format, and responses will be uploaded electronically through the Vendor Submissions section. Each numbered section is to be uploaded as a separate file.

  1. Executive Summary – Please briefly describe your company’s qualifications for responding to the City of Pittsburgh’s RFI for the 311 solution set. List at least three (3) municipalities or government entities of similar size to the City of Pittsburgh for whom you have provided this solution to in the last five years and how they have used it for their 311 system. (1 page maximum).
  2. 311 Solution Informational Packet – provide information on the 311 solution offered by the proposing vendors that may be a fit for the City. Informational packets should, at minimum, contain a list of software modules offered within the proposing vendor’s core 311 solution, as well as operational/additional modules that may be purchased. Informational packets may also contain materials describing key features and differentiators of 311 modules, system screenshots, case studies, testimonials, descriptions of relevant governmental experience (including those in the State of Pennsylvania), etc. (20 pages maximum).
  3. Functional and Technical Requirements – the provided table (Attachment A and B) should be filled out in full. The functional requirements outline the required (R) functions of the system and the desired wish-list (W) functions of the system. Applicants for the RFI should respond by noting how their system meets the requested requirements.
  4. 311 Solution Quotation – provide an overview of the price for the demonstrated 311 solution(s) with a 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year cost estimate for all ongoing costs. Cost proposal should break out the price for implementation, a base version, each module, and licensing costs (if applicable) at different levels of access.
     1. Each cost proposal should include the total one-time implementation costs and also any additional licensing fees by module (if applicable).
     2. The provided one-time implementation cost should include estimates for the following services:
        1. Project management
        2. Integration development
        3. Data conversion services
        4. Training services
        5. Solution testing
        6. Modifications
        7. Other implementation services

  If applicable, respondents may submit screenshots, demos, or other visual information to demonstrate how their product is displayed. 

Submission Requirements

• Information Documents (required) —

  Please upload the Executive Summary, 311 Solution Informational Packet, and Qualifications here

• Proposal (without Cost Proposal) (required) —

  Please Upload your COMPLETE Proposal here. Upload fee proposal separately in the next step.

• Separate Cost Proposal (required) —

  Confirm that your fee proposal is not attached in your Proposal and is attached separately here.

• Bid Bond (required) —

  Each bid shall be accompanied by a certified cashier’s check, or bid bond, in the amount of XXXXXof the total bid price, payable toCity of Pittsburgh, as a guarantee that the bidder, if its bid is accepted, will promptly execute the Agreement. The bidder shall guarantee the total bid price for a period of 60 days from the date of the bid opening.

  Please scan and upload a copy of your bid bond/cashier's check. Bidder must also MAIL bid guarantee with a postmarked date no later thanThursday, June 18, 2026 addressed to:

  City of Pittsburgh
  Matthew Marshman
  City-County Building
  Pittsburgh,PA15219

  Please have the Bidder Name, Contract Title ("Request for Information: 311 - Customer Relationship Management System"), and Contract Number ("2026-RFI-089") listed clearly on the outside of the envelope.

• Contract Execution, Payment Bond, Performance Bond, and Certificate(s) of Insurance (required) —

  The contract shall be executed by the successful bidder and shall be returned, together with the Payment Bond, Performance Bond and Certificate(s) of Insurance to City of Pittsburgh so that it is received within 14 working daysafter the bidder has received the contract for execution. Failure to do so shall be just cause for forfeiture of the proposal guaranty.

• Functional and Technical Requirements (required) —

  Please complete and upload "Functional Requirements" and "Technical Requirements" here.

• Cost Response (required) —

  Please upload Cost Response here.

• Bid Bond (required) —

  Will this solicitation require a bid bond?

• Electronic Pricing Table (required) —

  Would you like to have bidders respond to an electronic pricing table through ProcureNow?

  Choose this if:

  1. This is a quote for a finite set of goods or commodities
  2. This is a public works bid, but you want the bidder to list their total project cost here.
  3. Seeking services for hourly rate schedules
• Separate Fee Proposal Upload (required) —

  If you are NOT using the Electronic Pricing Table option, will you want your bidder to separate a Price Proposal from the rest of their Response? You'll want to do this if you open your bids initially WITHOUT showing price, and then come back in after a technical evaluation to unseal pricing later.

• Evaluation Committee? (required) —

  Will there be an evaluation committee to review the proposals and score them based on weights and multiple criteria?

• Pre-bid meeting (required) —

  Please select the correct option for this bid