By Colin Heffron, Jr.
The way parking agencies approach technology is evolving. Not long ago, RFPs typically solved one problem at a time: pay stations, permit software, citation management, enforcement equipment. Today, agencies are asking a broader question. Instead of “What product do we need?” parking leaders are increasingly asking, “How do we modernize our entire operation?” What were once standalone technology purchases are becoming larger modernization initiatives, considering customer experience, data visibility, compliance, and integration as one strategy.
Consider a common starting point: three separate contracts for pay stations, permitting, and enforcement software. Each vendor solves its piece well, but none were ever asked to talk to each other, because none were procured together. A modernization approach scopes that same need as a single integrated RFP, where data sharing and long-term fit are requirements from day one.
Compliance is also viewed through a wider lens: not just enforcement, but a driver of availability, turnover, and revenue. A permit system that doesn’t talk to enforcement is lost revenue and a worse experience for the driver circling the block. This is changing vendor expectations too, as agencies want partners that fit a long-term strategy.
Frank Ching recently asked whether parking RFPs find the best operator, or just the safest one. We’re seeing agencies answer that in practice, using RFIs to shape scope around outcomes before a requirement is locked in.
In practice, that shift shows up in a few ways:
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Scope written around the ecosystem, not the category.
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Integration requirements built into the RFP itself.
- Evaluation criteria that weigh long-term fit.
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Compliance scoped as a system-wide outcome.
Agencies that keep procuring standalone tools will keep solving today’s problem in isolation. Those that procure for the whole system won’t pay that bill later.
Colin Heffron, Jr., is the President of Barnacle Parking. He can be reached at colin@barnacleparking.com.