SLED Market Research Recap: Telematics

The State, Local and Education (SLED) transportation team recently conducted research on telematics within the procurement market across the SLED government spectrum.

Telematics involves a wide variety of technology for vehicles ranging from communications, data collection and transfer, and navigation to name a few. With such a wide scope of technology within one critical and important subject, the acquisition of such technology can be, and is, acquired within larger procurements or independent of larger procurements. When the need is specific to just telematics, we will tend to see solicitations hit the market as such, but more frequently we will see telematics as a component of a solicitation looking for multiple technologies or integrations of various solutions. SLED governments may also issue a request for information (RFI) in advance of a solicitation to see how viable the technology is to procure by itself or as part of a larger project.

It is important to remember that telematics is used for road/vehicle safety and various road transportation purposes. As a result and depending on the specifics, multiple awards may be issued from a solicitation to accommodate all the necessary technology needed for a project. Telematics solicitations may also not use the keyword “telematics” in the title of a procurement; alternative titles we have seen SLED governments use have been “GPS Tracking System”, “GPS Services” and “Fleet Management Technologies”. Lastly, telematics solicitations are not limited to just transportation and transit departments. Telematics can be acquired by any department that manages a fleet of vehicles, and thus it is important to remember if you’re looking for telematics solicitations, consider any department that has a fleet of vehicles.

Below are some examples of pre-RFP telematics projects currently being tracked in GovWin. Some of these are specific, and others include references to or components of fleet telematics:

• TELEMATICS SOLUTIONS – Virginia Department of Corrections
• FLEET TELEMATICS – Florida Department of Management Services
• FLEET MANAGEMENT SERVICES – Judicial Council of California
• CHARGE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS – Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority