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MOTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A RENEWAL AGREEMENT WITH GOGOVAPPS FOR CITIZEN REQUEST MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ASKSTOCKTON) SERVICES
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that City Council adopt a motion authorizing the City Manager to execute, on behalf of the City of Stockton, a three-year renewal agreement with GoGovApps to provide Citizen Request Management System services, in the amount of $29,904 for the period May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027; $31,392 for May 1, 2027 through April 30, 2028; and $32,952 for May 1, 2028 through April 30, 2029, for a total not-to-exceed amount of $98,388.
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Summary
Authorize a three-year renewal agreement with GoGovApps to continue providing the City's Citizen Request Management System, publicly branded as AskStockton, at a total cost not to exceed $98,388. AskStockton has served as the City's primary platform for receiving, routing, and tracking citizen requests across all departments since 2007. This item is before the City Council in accordance with updated Procurement Division guidance requiring Council authorization when cumulative contract expenditures exceed the amount originally approved by Council.
DISCUSSION
Background
In 2006, the City issued a Request for Proposals (PUR 06-072) for a Citizen Request Management System. Following a competitive evaluation involving 17 vendors and a selection committee that included the Mayor and representatives from most City departments, Government Outreach, now GoGovApps, was selected and awarded a five-year agreement authorized by City Council Resolution No. 06-0566 on November 28, 2006 (Attachment A). According to contract records, the agreement provided for annual renewals contingent upon City Council adoption of the budget and appropriation of funds.
Present Situation
AskStockton facilitates the intake, routing, and tracking of citizen requests and inquiries across all City departments. The platform is accessible to residents through the City's website and through a branded mobile application available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, launched in 2020. Public submissions received through AskStockton are integrated with the City's CityWorks asset management system, enabling automatic conversion of requests into work orders without manual re-entry by staff. Usage data reflects consistent and growing public utilization: the platform received 17,293 requests in 2023, 19,505 in 2024, and 20,087 in 2025. Of the 20,087 requests received in 2025, approximately 17,955, nearly 90 percent, originated directly from the public through the platform's citizen-facing interfaces.
The current contract expires April 30, 2026. GoGovApps has provided a renewal quote (Quote No. 26-086, dated January 15, 2026) for a three-year term at a total of $98,388, with annual price increases consistent with the approximately 5 percent year-over-year trend in prior contract years. A sole/single available source justification has been reviewed and approved by the Procurement Division. The platform's long operational history, its integration with CityWorks, and the volume of citizen records accumulated since 2015 make transition to a replacement system a significant undertaking that is not in the City's operational or financial interest at this time.
Findings
Stockton Municipal Code Section 3.68.070.A.4 provides an exception to the competitive bidding process in cases where the City Council has approved findings that support and justify the exception. The proposed findings are as follows:
• The City has relied on the GoGovApps Citizen Request Management System, publicly known as AskStockton, since 2007, and the platform has become an essential operational tool used across all City departments and Council offices to receive, route, and manage public service requests.
• AskStockton continues to demonstrate consistently high and increasing public utilization, with residents submitting 17,293 requests in 2023, 19,505 requests in 2024, and 20,087 requests in 2025, of which nearly 90 percent were submitted directly by members of the public through the system’s web and mobile interfaces.
• The system is deeply integrated with the City’s CityWorks asset management system, enabling automatic conversion of citizen submissions into work orders without requiring manual staff entry, and years of accumulated operational data further reinforce the need for continuity.
• GoGovApps is the sole provider of the AskStockton platform, including the customized mobile application introduced in 2020, and transitioning to a different vendor would require extensive multidepartmental outreach, system mapping, and redevelopment, resulting in substantial impacts to staff resources and operational continuity.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
The total cost associated with this request for purchase authority is $98,388. There is sufficient budget available for this expenditure in the Technology Fund, Equipment Repairs/Maintenance, Account #3020-000-630013-510-511-00-30-000-000-, for the FY 2025-26 expenditure in the amount of $29,904. Future annual costs will be included in the annual budget development approval process.
Attachment A - Resolution 06-0566