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We’ve received the following questions regarding the Pitch & Pilot calls for solutions. Some questions have been edited for clarity.
How is funding awarded? Can it be applied incrementally, or will it all be awarded as a lump sum?
The City of Philadelphia and the selected vendor will enter into a contract that specifies the payment amounts associated with specific deliverables of the project.
Can the solution provider be an individual, a group/consortium of individuals, or a company?
If our organization is not yet formally incorporated, can we apply as a sole proprietorship? If so, would the grant money be treated as income and subject to federal, state, and city taxes?
Yes, individuals and sole proprietorships are eligible, along with companies.
The selected vendor will be required to submit a W-9 or W-8 form to receive payment. Payments from the City may be subject to taxes, but we are unable to provide tax advice. We recommend you review the instructions on the W-9 or W-8 forms and/or consult with a tax professional to understand your tax liability.
Is the City of Philadelphia looking for technology and/or app-enabled solutions only?
Yes. As part of this program, we are focused on selecting technology- and app-enabled solutions only.
Will innovation and innovative approach-based solutions be considered?
Yes, as long as they are accompanied by a technology-enabled component.
The case being that the solution provider will be responsible for “[…] securing approval from OIT and other relevant City offices” and “[…] will have access to representatives of and resources from […],” can we assume their collaboration is expected and/or part of their commitment/contribution and/or guaranteed?
Yes. OIT and the relevant departments will work closely with the selected technology provider to ensure project success.
Are established companies and companies from outside of Philadelphia eligible to participate?
Yes! We welcome companies of all stages to participate. While local solution providers will receive preference over those from outside Philadelphia (where proposal quality is similar), we welcome participation from well-qualified innovators everywhere.
Can the City offer support if the pilot project requires IT/cloud infrastructure? Or, should the cost of hosting be factored into the requested funding amount?
The City will work with the selected vendor to provide cloud hosting for the development of the pilot project as relevant. Costs do not have to be included in the $34,000 budget. Please outline the anticipated needs for hosting during development and implementation in your proposal.
Is the City able to share the Miscellaneous Purchase Order (MPO) form, to which the MPO terms and conditions will be attached? (Referenced in “Section 2. Term.” of MPO terms and conditions.)
The Miscellaneous Purchase Order (PDF) is a data sheet completed by the Finance Department that summarizes the scope of the project, vendor information, and the contract amount.
Who are the representatives from the Department of Public Health, Office of Sustainability, and Philadelphia Water Department who will serve as the partners listed in the Partnerships (page 3) section of the Pitch & Pilot request?
We expect a broad range of proposed solutions. The specific individuals who will be involved in the pilot will depend on and be responsive to the type of solution proposed and the anticipated evaluation metrics. We encourage applicants to include information about proposed partners in their proposals.
If our solution involves developing a mobile application, will that mobile application become the property of the City of Philadelphia?
We are open to discussing the ownership structure of the proposed solution. If you have specific concerns or parameters around ownership, please discuss them briefly in your proposal.
Will solution providers have access to raw data or disaggregated results from existing programs like Hydrate Philly?
Some raw or disaggregated Hydrate Philly data can be shared with the selected solution providers in accordance with Institutional Review Board-approved protocols (e.g., anonymized and when informed consent documents allow). These would primarily be center-level variables.
How is the question addressed (water from tap vs. bottled water) currently being measured? Will solution providers have access to data from such measurements?
Our current understanding of the percentage of Philadelphians who prefer bottled water to tap water is based on PWD’s Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey. PWD and its partners will work with the selected vendor to help them better understand the underlying annual survey data while protecting the anonymity and privacy of survey respondents.
How is the waste collected? Would it be possible to provide the workflow of the City’s waste collection process?
Solid waste and single-stream recycling are picked up in separate trucks once a week for every residential, single-family property in the City. Multi-family residences under six units and commercial storefronts can pay a $300-per-year fee for weekly city pick-up as long as all they need is a once-a-week pick-up.
Otherwise, all other commercial properties of six units or more and facilities that need multiple pick-ups are picked up through private hauling contracts that the State of Pennsylvania regulates.
Do you track the waste collection to determine if all the bins have been picked? If so, how is it tracked?
Each sanitation truck for recycling and trash is responsible for confirming that they have completed their route. If for any reason a collection is missed, residents can call the Department of Streets or report it through 311.
How often is waste collected? How is the collection frequency determined?
Residential trash and recycling are collected weekly. Department of Streets staff sets collection routes for public bins, supplemented by daily data on full BigBelly bins. Parks & Rec staff sets collection schedules based on site-specific needs.
Is there a waste segregation process in place after waste collection? If so, how is the waste segregated?
Solid waste is either sent to an alternative fuel production or waste-to-energy facility, based on logistical and geographic considerations. All single-stream recycling goes to a material recovery facility that separates the materials by category (glass, plastic, mixed paper, cardboard, cartons, aluminum, tin, etc.)
Is there a waste audit process in place? If so, how often is the auditing done? Will the audit data be available for the pilot?
The Department of Streets has conducted audits for solid waste every 5–10 years but is considering increasing that frequency. Through our new recycling contract, Streets will begin quarterly audits of recycling. Audit data can be made available upon award.
Is there any rough percentage available of how much waste is recycled and how much ends up in landfills and incinerators? How frequently is the percentage evaluated?
You can find the relevant annual data about waste diversion rates on the Greenworks Dashboard. A more detailed breakdown of the most recent data is available in the 2019 Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet Update.
Is the City planning to replace all traditional bins with smart bins like BigBelly bins to enable efficient garbage collection?
That is not a project the City is currently planning.
How are the awareness programs designed? Are they targeted based on any metrics from the waste management data? (For example, certain areas might need more awareness on the waste segregation.)
Historically, we have relied on diversion data by the sanitation district to identify where more recycling outreach and awareness is needed. The City is divided into 13 sanitation districts. These awareness campaigns are developed through the Department of Streets with input from the Solid Waste & Recycling Advisory Committee. Much of the design is done by an advertising firm on contract.
Is there any process to measure a campaign’s performance and conversion rates?
For this pilot project, we look to the vendors to propose appropriate monitoring and evaluation procedures. Performance should be based on the proposal’s deliverables as outlined by the applicants. Those will be supplemented with the City’s expertise and we intend to work closely with the selected vendor to assess performance.
What kind of waste management data is available now that can be shared for the pilot project? What pre-existing data will the selected partner have access to in order to show pilot impact?
Current data includes tonnage for MSW and recycling, and tonnage for estimated contamination for recycling, by sanitation district. Historical tonnage data for MSW and recycling is stored going back five years. Recycling contamination data dates back to May 2019. Older tonnage data for MSW and recycling has been archived but can still be accessed.
The School District and SEPTA collect data on their own recycling and solid waste tonnages and Parks & Rec maintains tonnages on food recovery.
The Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet also collects waste management practices data on all municipal buildings through the Municipal Building Waste Audit. The Department of Streets collects data on the waste management practices of all commercial buildings through the Commercial Waste Report. This data allows us to see what waste management practices (recycling, composting, food recovery) these buildings are utilizing and where they need further assistance.
How is the waste collection data maintained now? Is any database or data warehouse used to maintain the waste management data? Can a brief overview be provided on the data storage infrastructure and data engineering pipeline?
Weight data is maintained in a database system, readily converted into Excel. The Weights subsystem manages the processing and downloading of data from different disposal sites. The data is stored in the Scale tables which are created for each contracted disposal and recycling vendor. Reports can then be generated that provide the tools to be able to access comprehensive and detailed historical weight information. All the data is compiled and maintained in-house by Department of Streets’ sanitation analysts.
Municipal building waste audit and commercial waste report information is collected through an online form and stored in Excel.
How many households does the Department of Streets service for recycling?
Approximately 585,000.
Does the City have personnel who regularly conduct street, litter, or on-foot surveys?
Yes, we have staff in five departments who conduct litter surveys once a year on all pieces of public property. We also have Streets and Walkways Education and Enforcement Program (SWEEP) officers who conduct inspections of residential/commercial waste and recycling set-outs and write fines if the set-outs are done improperly. This also includes dumpsters.
Can the selected partner pilot technology on a proposed number of Department of Streets vehicles?
This would be contingent on review of the proposal by the Department of Streets to see if this could be done.
What is the City’s current waste breakdown for residential, commercial, and municipal solid waste?
Our most current data is for 2017. The following includes both residential and commercial:
What is the scope of this challenge? (i.e. Which sector should we target? Residential? Commercial? Municipal? Are restaurants included?)
Any sector is permissible as long as the pilot supports the overall objectives outlined in the call for solutions. Applicants are encouraged to specify in their proposals the relevant sector(s) targeted by their solution.
What does the Solid Waste and Recycling Advisory Committee recommend?
The Solid Waste and Recycling Advisory Committee has not issued any recommendations specific to this challenge. Learn more about the committee’s work.