City of PasadenaIssuing agency·Pasadena, CA·via the City of Pasadena OpenGov procurement portalPost Information
Posted At:
Tue, Oct 27, 2026 11:23 AM
Sealed Bid Process:
No
Private Bid:
No
The City of Pasadena is seeking information from qualified vendors regarding available solutions to replace its existing Public Records Act (PRA) request management system. The City aims to modernize its approach to managing public records requests, improve operational efficiency and coordination across departments, enhance the public experience, and ensure compliance with applicable legal and accessibility requirements.
Through this Request for Information (RFI), the City seeks to better understand available technologies, capabilities, implementation approaches, and emerging industry practices. Vendors are encouraged to present solutions that address the City's identified needs, highlight innovative approaches and opportunities for improvement, and provide information that will help inform the City's future procurement strategy.
1.2. Background
The City currently utilizes an internally developed Public Records Act request management system that has been in operation for more than a decade. While the system has supported the City's public records processes, its aging architecture and functional limitations have made it increasingly difficult to meet evolving operational needs, accessibility standards, and the growing complexity of records requests.
Feedback from City departments has identified opportunities to improve request intake and routing, cross-departmental coordination, communication tracking, document handling, redaction, reporting, and payment processing. Departments have also expressed interest in greater workflow flexibility, improved automation, and tools that reduce manual effort while maintaining appropriate oversight and accountability.
The City is evaluating the capabilities of modern public records management solutions to determine how best to address these challenges. The preliminary business needs and desired capabilities included in this RFI reflect departmental feedback and are intended to provide context for vendor responses rather than establish final system requirements. The City welcomes information regarding alternative approaches, emerging technologies, and industry best practices that may inform the development of a future competitive procurement.
1.3. Contact Information
Questions shall be in written format and be submitted ONLY via e-mail
Procurement Related Questions:
Department of Finance, Purchasing Division
Antonio Watson, Project Manager
awatson@cityofpasadena.net
General and/or technical questions:
Jim Scheel
Project Manager
Email: jscheel@cityofpasadena.net
Phone: (929) 744-7896
Department:
Information Technology Department
1.4. Timeline
Release Project Date:
October 27, 2026
Question Submission Deadline:
November 6, 2026, 5:00pm
Proposal Submission Deadline:
December 4, 2026, 5:00pm
2. Scope of RFI
2.1. Preliminary Business Needs and Desired Capabilities
The following outlines the City's preliminary business needs and desired capabilities for a replacement Public Records Act (PRA) request management system. These items are intended to help vendors understand the functionality and operational outcomes the City is interested in exploring, rather than establish final or mandatory requirements. Vendors are encouraged to identify alternative approaches, innovative capabilities, and relevant industry practices that may help the City achieve its objectives.
Desired capabilities include:
Automated, rules-based, or AI-assisted routing based on request content and context.
Clear departmental descriptions or other guidance to assist requesters.
Flexible assignment and reassignment of departments without duplicating requests or disrupting other departments' work.
Automated identification, categorization, and tagging of media-related requests.
1.2 Department Workflow and Queue Management
The City seeks greater flexibility in managing departmental workloads, particularly for requests involving multiple departments. Departments should be able to manage and complete their assigned work independently while maintaining visibility into overall request progress.
Desired capabilities include:
Department-specific queues, filtering, and views of assigned requests.
Independent completion of departmental assignments within multi-department requests.
Centralized visibility into overall request status and departmental progress.
Internal collaboration tools, including staff discussion threads and activity tracking.
Configurable workflows, assignments, and approval processes.
1.3 Communication and Correspondence Management
The City seeks to centralize communications associated with public records requests to improve coordination, continuity, and recordkeeping.
Desired capabilities include:
Centralized communication between City staff and requesters.
Ability for requesters to respond to messages through the system.
Complete, timestamped communication histories and audit trails.
Public-facing communications that do not unnecessarily disclose individual staff contact information.
Internal staff messaging and collaboration separate from requester-facing communications.
Integration with existing City email systems.
1.4 Document and File Management
The City seeks to improve the collection, organization, review, and delivery of responsive records, including large and complex files such as video recordings, engineering drawings, audio recordings, and other evidentiary materials.
Desired capabilities include:
Support for large file uploads, downloads, and transfers, exceeding the current system's 25 MB limitation.
Compatibility with common document, image, audio, video, and spreadsheet formats.
Secure electronic delivery of records to requesters.
Centralized storage and organization of records associated with requests.
Efficient handling of large collections of responsive records.
Flexible methods for uploading, organizing, and managing files.
1.5 Redaction and Legal Review
The City seeks to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of redaction and legal review processes while maintaining appropriate human oversight.
Desired capabilities include:
Integrated tools for reviewing and redacting responsive records.
Automated or AI-assisted identification of potentially sensitive or exempt information.
Manual review, modification, and approval of proposed redactions.
Support for identifying common types of sensitive information, including personal identifiers and contact information.
Documentation of redaction actions and associated audit histories.
Configurable workflows for City Attorney review and approval.
Ability to preview and verify redacted documents before release.
1.6 Reporting and Analytics
The City seeks enhanced reporting capabilities to support operational oversight, workload management, performance evaluation, and identification of trends across departments.
Desired capabilities include:
Dashboards showing open, closed, pending, and overdue requests.
Reporting on request volumes, processing times, and departmental workloads.
Categorization and analysis of request types and trends.
Ability to identify recurring requests and requester activity.
Configurable reporting and filtering capabilities.
Export of reports and underlying data to commonly used formats, including Excel, CSV, and PDF.
1.7 Payment Processing
The City seeks to simplify payment coordination and improve visibility into fee-related activities associated with certain types of records.
Desired capabilities include:
Integration with existing payment processing systems or support for secure payment workflows.
Calculation and tracking of applicable fees.
Visibility into payment status within individual requests.
Support for departmental differences in fee structures and processes.
1.8 California Public Records Act Compliance
The City seeks a solution that supports the operational and procedural requirements of the California Public Records Act, including statutory deadlines, legal review, and records production.
Desired capabilities include:
Tracking of statutory response deadlines and applicable extensions.
Configurable notifications and escalation processes.
Support for clarification requests and communications with requesters.
Management of partial or rolling records productions.
Documentation of exemptions, withholding decisions, and legal review activities.
Complete request histories and audit trails.
2.1 Accessibility
The City seeks a solution that meets applicable accessibility requirements, including WCAG 2.1 Level AA under the U.S. Department of Justice's Title II web accessibility rule.
Desired attributes include:
Accessible public-facing request forms and portals.
Compatibility with assistive technologies, including screen readers.
Accessible navigation, forms, communications, and document delivery processes.
Availability of accessibility conformance documentation, such as a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) or Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR).
2.2 Security and Privacy
The City seeks a solution that provides appropriate safeguards for sensitive, confidential, and legally protected information throughout the request management and records production process.
Desired attributes include:
Role-based access controls and configurable permissions.
Encryption of data in transit and at rest.
Comprehensive audit logging of user and administrative activities.
Secure storage, access, and transmission of records.
Appropriate separation of internal and public-facing information.
Secure authentication and integration with enterprise identity management.
Clear data ownership, retention, and protection practices.
2.3 Scalability and Performance
The City seeks a solution capable of supporting departments with varying request volumes, complexity, and file management needs.
Desired attributes include:
Efficient searching and retrieval of historical requests and associated records.
Support for large files and substantial document collections.
Reliable performance across concurrent departmental workflows.
Capacity to accommodate changing request volumes and storage needs.
2.4 Reliability and Notifications
The City seeks reliable tools to support timely request processing, deadline management, and visibility into departmental responsibilities.
Desired attributes include:
Configurable reminders for deadlines and outstanding assignments.
Notifications and escalations for overdue or approaching deadlines.
Visibility into request status and departmental responsibilities.
Reliable system availability and notification delivery.
Administrative tools for monitoring system activity and resolving issues.
2.5 Integration and Technical Architecture
The City seeks a solution that can operate effectively within its existing technology environment and minimize unnecessary duplication of data, processes, and administrative effort.
Desired attributes include:
Describe the solution's architecture and supported integration methods.
Identify available out-of-the-box integrations.
Describe support for Microsoft Entra ID single sign-on, MFA, and role-based access controls.
Compatibility considerations for Microsoft Government Community Cloud High (GCC High) environments, where applicable.
Describe integration capabilities with Microsoft 365 for email notification, request correspondence, reminders, and related workflows.
Describe how the solution can integrate with Document management systems like Tyler Content Manager, SharePoint and other electronic data repositories.
Integration options for existing payment processing platforms.
Describe capabilities for importing and exporting request data, documents and related information for reporting, analytics, and record management.
Describe how data is protected during integration and data exchange.
2.6 System Administration and Configuration
The City seeks to minimize ongoing administrative complexity and enable authorized City personnel to manage routine system changes independently.
Desired attributes include:
Configurable departmental assignments, workflows, and routing rules.
Administration of user roles, permissions, and organizational structures.
Management of templates, notifications, and reporting configurations.
Tools for monitoring system usage and administrative activity.
Clear delineation of responsibilities between City administrators and vendor support.
2.7 Data Migration, Retention, and Portability
The City seeks to preserve historical request information and maintain continuity of operations during and after a transition to a replacement system.
Desired attributes include:
Migration of historical requests, associated records, correspondence, and metadata.
Preservation of relevant request histories and audit information.
Support for applicable records retention and disposition requirements.
Ability to export City data in commonly used, accessible formats.
Clear data ownership and transition processes if the City changes systems in the future.
City departments have identified several additional capabilities that may further improve efficiency, requester experience, and service delivery. The City is interested in understanding the availability and maturity of these features, as well as other capabilities vendors may recommend.
Additional capabilities of interest include:
Self-service public records access, allowing requesters to search, view, and download previously released or publicly available records without submitting a new PRA request.
Self-service requester access to request status and released records.
Automated suggestions to help requesters clarify or narrow broad requests.
Identification of duplicate or substantially similar requests.
Automated identification of potentially responsive records.
Tools for identifying duplicate documents across requests.
E-discovery tools for searching, collecting, reviewing, and producing electronically stored records across City systems.
Drag-and-drop or bulk file uploads.
Preconfigured or customizable City Attorney response templates.
Flexible text-entry and editing tools for staff.
Tracking of staff time and effort associated with individual requests.
The City welcomes information regarding additional capabilities not identified above that may improve public access, reduce administrative workload, strengthen compliance, or enhance the overall management of public records requests.
The information obtained from this RFI process may contribute to, and be used for, the guidance of a formal solicitation. The City is interested in identifying whether Contractors responding to this RFI are ultimately willing to respond to a formal solicitation, and potentially accomplish the tasks described in this RFI. Contractors are welcome to schedule a meeting with Jim Scheel, Information Technology Department for coordination of a presentation. THERE WILL BE NO CONTRACT AWARDED AS A RESULT OF THIS RFI PROCESS. This RFI is a public solicitation of information designed to assist the City in determining an optimal solution and procurement strategy.
No payment shall be made to individuals, contractors, suppliers, or manufacturers that represent for information and solutions provided in response to this RFI.
Attached documents:
• P-60214_Public_Records_Act_System_Replacement_(RFI).pdf
We post new it & software opportunities in California as agencies publish them. Get them in one email — free, and unsubscribe whenever.
Most California work asks for the two below, and the solicitation documents are where it’s stated. One prequalification covers both — on this bid and the next.
A surety’s written statement that it expects to bond you up to a stated amount, subject to final underwriting. It’s what an agency asks to see before they take your bid seriously.
Source: City of Pasadena (solicitation 2026-RFI-0561), retrieved via the City of Pasadena OpenGov procurement portal. View the official posting, and always confirm requirements and deadlines with the issuing agency.
