Resolution 2022-32342 •
RESOLUTION NO. 2022-32342 ,
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI
BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CITY MANAGER,
PURSUANT TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ("RFP") NO. 2022-450-KB, FOR OPEN-
SOURCE INTELLIGENCE ("OSINT") AGGREGATOR AND PROCESSING PLATFORM;
AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATION TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH
SKOPENOW, INC., AS THE TOP-RANKED PROPOSER; FURTHER, IF THE
ADMINISTRATION IS UNSUCCESSFUL IN NEGOTIATING AN AGREEMENT WITH
SKOPENOW, INC., AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATION TO ENTER INTO
NEGOTIATIONS WITH INTEGRATED SECURITY SYSTEMS, INC., AS THE SECOND-
RANKED PROPOSER; FURTHER, IF THE ADMINISTRATION IS UNSUCCESSFUL IN
NEGOTIATING AN AGREEMENT WITH INTEGRATED SECURITY SYSTEMS INC.,
AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATION TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH
SEMANTIC RESEARCH, INC., AS THE THIRD-RANKED PROPOSER; AND FURTHER
AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY CLERK TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT
UPON CONCLUSION OF SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATIONS BY THE ADMINISTRATION.
WHEREAS, on June 22, 2022, the Mayor and City Commission approved the issuance
of RFP 2022-450-KB for open-source intelligence ("OSINT") aggregator and processing
platform; and,
WHEREAS, on July 7, 2022, the City received proposals from the following four (4)
firms: Integrated Security Systems, Inc., Semantic Research, Inc., Skopenow, Inc., and Social
Links, LLC; and
WHEREAS, on September 7, 2022, the Evaluation Committee appointed by the City
Manager comprised of Andy Lozano, Lieutenant, Police Department; Bernadette Maher,
Detective, Police Department; Cilia Maria Ruiz-Paz, Crime Analysis Unit Manager, Police
Department; and Clifford Sparks, Senior Intelligence Analyst, Police Department, convened to
consider the proposals received; and
WHEREAS, the Committee was provided an overview of the project, information relative
to the City's Cone of Silence Ordinance, the Government Sunshine Law, and general
information on the scope of services and a copy of each proposal; and
WHEREAS, the Committee was instructed to score and rank each proposal pursuant to
the evaluation criteria established in the RFP; and
WHEREAS, the evaluation process resulted in the proposers being ranked by the
Evaluation Committee in the following order:
1st Skopenow, Inc.
2nd Integrated Security Systems, Inc.
3rd Semantic Research, Inc.
4th Social Links, LLC
WHEREAS, after reviewing all of the submissions and the Evaluation Committee
process, I concur with the Evaluation Committee and find Skopenow, Inc., the top-ranked firm,
to be the best-qualified firm to provide the OSINT aggregator and processing platform; and
WHEREAS, Skopenow, Inc. has provided excellent service to the City as the incumbent
firm during an 8-month pilot program and is proposing the same high-quality platform to the
Police Department; and .
WHEREAS, the second-ranked and third-ranked firms, Integrated Security Systems, Inc.
and Semantic Research, Inc., respectively, are well-qualified and should be considered, in order
of rank, if negotiations with Skopenow, Inc. are not successful; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and City Commission hereby accept
the recommendation of the City Manager, pursuant to Request for Proposals ("RFP") No. 2022-
450-KB, for open-source intelligence ("OSINT") aggregator and processing platform; authorize
the Administration to enter into negotiations with Skopenow, Inc., as the top-ranked proposer;
further, if the Administration is unsuccessful in negotiating an agreement with Skopenow, Inc.,
authorize the Administration to enter into negotiations with Integrated Security Systems, Inc., as
the second-ranked proposer; further, if the administration is unsuccessful in negotiating an
agreement with Integrated Security Systems Inc., authorize the Administration to enter'into
negotiations with Semantic Research, Inc., as the third-ranked proposer; and further authorize
the City Manager and City Clerk to execute an agreement upon conclusion of successful
negotiations by the Administration.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 6 day of a hV2022.
ATTEST: '
12—z41----___
RAFAEL . GRANADO, CITY CLERK DAN GELBER, MAYOR
;\ '.cti'''-., OCT 2 7 2022
r. �4,`\
IIUCORP�1ORATED`
Chi"26
APPROVED AS TO
FORM & LANGUAGE
& FOR EXECUTION
City Attorney g Date
Competitive Bid Reports -C2 D
MIAMI BEACH
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Alina T.Hudak, City Manager
DATE: October 26, 2022.
SUBJECT:A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF
THE CITY MANAGER, PURSUANT TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
("RFP") NO. 2022-450-KB, FOR OPEN-SOURCE INTELLIGENCE ("OSINT")
AGGREGATOR AND PROCESSING PLATFORM; AUTHORIZING THE
ADMINISTRATION TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH SKOPENOW,
INC., AS THE TOP-RANKED PROPOSER; FURTHER, IF THE
ADMINISTRATION IS UNSUCCESSFUL IN NEGOTIATING AN
AGREEMENT WITH SKOPENOW, INC., AUTHORIZING THE
ADMINISTRATION TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH INTEGRATED
SECURITY SYSTEMS, INC., AS THE SECOND-RANKED PROPOSER;
FURTHER, IF THE ADMINISTRATION IS UNSUCCESSFUL IN
NEGOTIATING AN AGREEMENT WITH INTEGRATED SECURITY
SYSTEMS INC., AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATION TO ENTER INTO
NEGOTIATIONS WITH SEMANTIC RESEARCH, INC., AS THE THIRD-
RANKED PROPOSER; AND FURTHER AUTHORIZING THE CITY
MANAGER AND CITY CLERK TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT UPON
CONCLUSION OF SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATIONS BY THE
ADMINISTRATION.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Commission approve the Resolution authorizing
Administration to enter into negotiations with Skopenow, Inc., as the top-ranked proposer;
further, if the Administration is not successful in negotiating an Agreement with Skopenow, Inc.,
authorizing the Administration to enter into negotiations with Integrated Security Systems, Inc.
as the second-ranked proposer, further, if the Administration is not successful in negotiating an
Agreement with Integrated Security Systems, Inc. authorizing the Administration to enter into
negotiations with Semantic Research, Inc., as the third-ranked proposer, and,further, authorizing
the City Manager and City Clerk to execute an Agreement upon conclusion of successful
negotiations.
This project is under the cone of silence.
BACKGROUND/HISTORY
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The Police Department carries out a wide range of criminal investigations that may require
open-source information to identify subjects and leads in a case. Open-source intelligence
(OSINT) is the gathering of data from such sources as social media, news sources, and the
internet that allows public safety agencies to stay informed and better prepare for potential
community impacts. As such, the Department implemented an eight (8) month pilot program to
utilize an OSINT tool through Skopenow, LLC. At the conclusion of the pilot program, the
Department determined it was in the Citys best interest to seek a longer-term contract with an
OSI NT provider through a formal procurement process.
Accordingly, the Administration developed Request for Proposals (RFP)2022-450-KB to seek
proposals from qualified contractors for an Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) aggregator and
processing platform.
ANALYSIS
On June 22, 2022,the Mayor and City Commission authorized the issuance of RFP 2022-450-
KB for the OSINT aggregator and processing platform. On June 24, 2022, the RFP was
issued. A voluntary pre-proposal conference to provide information to proposers submitting a
response was held on July 7, 2022, and 51 prospective bidders accessed the advertised
solicitation. RFP responses were due and received on August 18, 2022. The City received a
total of four(4)proposals from the following firms:
Integrated Security Systems, Inc.
Semantic Research, Inc.
Skopenow, Inc.
Social Links, LLC
On August 10, 2022, the City Manager appointed the Evaluation Committee via LTC # 331-
2022. The Evaluation Committee convened on September 7, 2022, to consider the proposals
received. The Committee was comprised of Andy Lozano, Lieutenant, Police Department;
Bernadette Maher, Detective, Police Department; Cilia Maria Ruiz-Paz, Crime Analysis Unit
Manager, Police Department; and Clifford Sparks, Senior Intelligence Analyst, Police
Department.
The Committee was provided an overview of the project, information relative to the Citys Cone
of Silence Ordinance, and the Government Sunshine Law. The Committee was also provided
with general information on the scope of services and a copy of each proposal. The Committee
was instructed to score and rank each proposal pursuant to the evaluation criteria established in
the RFP. The evaluation process resulted in the ranking of proposers as indicated below and in
Attachment A.
Evaluation Committee Final Ranking:
1st ranked—Skopenow, Inc.
2nd ranked - Integrated Security Systems, Inc.
3rd ranked-Semantic Research, Inc.
4th ranked—Social Links, LLC
A summary of each top-ranked firm follows:
Skopenow. Inc.
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Skopenow, Inc. ("Skopenov►r')has been in business since May 2016. Skopenow provides threat
intelligence to some of the largest organizations in the world. Skopenow is a U.S.-owned
venture-backed Techstars company delivering actionable insight to over 20,000 users and
1,500 enterprise customers. Skopenow works with top Federal, State, and Local Law
Enforcement Agencies, Prosecuting Attorneys, Insider Threat, and Protection Units, National
and Regional Fusion Centers, and multi jurisdictional Task Forces to help aggregate, centralize,
and automate investigations.
J ntegrated Security Systems Inc
Integrated Security Systems Inc ("ISS") was founded in 1963 and is a leading systems
integration company specializing in complex, technology-driven security system solutions. ISS
is a dedicated, dynamic, and driven company of security professionals focused on delivering
cutting-edge, engineered systems. I SS is centrally located in Miami, Florida, with a team of 102
employees. I SS's growth is a result of consistently and successfully delivering large, complex
projects across multiple domains that achieve the unique mission of its clients.
Semantic Research. Inc
Semantic Research, Inc. ("Semantic Research") has more than ten years of working with
multiple Federal, State, and Local Government public safety agencies, including Federal, State,
Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), the Department of Defense, and the
Intelligence Community. Semantic Research employs experts with experience in and
knowledge of program data requirements,analytics, intelligence,threat monitoring, data science,
data ingestion, coding, and software development. This expertise will support the City's daily
requirements of analysis, data integration, data visualization, and report formatting.
SUPPORTING SURVEY DATA
According to a 2019 Community Satisfaction Survey conducted by ETC Institute, with more
than 83% of survey respondents recommending family and friends to live in the City and 79%
of local businesses satisfied with the City's police services, it is evident that the City's public
safety is paramount and is deliberately protected by the investigative efforts of the Police
Department.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The following is the fiscal impact of the initial term of the contract (5 years) for the top-ranked
proposers. Skopenow, the top-ranked firm, offered an annual cost of approximately $230,000.
SkopenoWs total is based on an unlimited plan. The alternate budget and mid-tier annual
packages are priced at$70,000 and $120,000. ISS, the second-ranked firm, offered a cost for
the first three (3) years in the amount of $479,200 for year one (1), $328,000 for year two (2),
and $344,400 for year three (3). It is important to note that ISS did not provide costs related to
years four(4) and five (5). Lastly, Semantic Research, the third-ranked firm, offered a total cost
of$1,400,000.00 for the initial term of the contract.An annual cost was not provided however it
was estimated that the annual cost would be$280,000.
Amounts)/Account(s):
Account No. 011-1150-000325-20-401-595-00-00-00-
CONCL_USION
After reviewing the submissions and the Evaluation Committee's rankings and commentary, I
concur with the Evaluation Committee and find Skopenow to be the best-qualified firm for the
Page 49 of 1166
project.As discussed by the Evaluation Committee, the solution proposed by Skopenow offers
straightforward and user-friendly reporting functionality, audit tracking, a 24/7 live-chat feature,
and a strong emphasis on anonymity by eliminating the need for investigators to create false
accounts which is a common practice when performing investigations to conceal an
investigator's digital footprint when researching a case. The Department has also verified that
the references provided by Skopenow are positive and meet the requirements of the RFP.
Additionally, Skopenow is the lowest priced solution and whose costs include software
maintenance, technical support, and training. Further, as the incumbent vendor, the Department
has provided positive performance evaluations of using the Skopenow system in previous
investigations.
For the reasons stated herein, I recommend that the Mayor and City Commission approve the
Resolution authorizing the Administration to enter into negotiations with Skopenow, Inc. as the
top-ranked proposer; further, if the Administration is not successful in negotiating an Agreement
with Skopenow, Inc., authorizing the Administration to enter into negotiations with Integrated
Security Systems, Inc., as the second-ranked proposer, further, if the Administration is not
successful in negotiating an Agreement with Integrated Security Systems, Inc., authorizing the
Administration to enter into negotiations with Semantic Research, Inc, as the third-ranked
proposer; and, authorizing the City Manager and City Clerk to execute an Agreement upon
conclusion of successful negotiations.
Applicable Area
Not Applicable
Is this a"Residents Right Does this item utilize G.O.
to Know" item. pursuant to Bond Funds?
City Code Section 2-14?
Yes No
. Legislative Tracking
Police/Procurement
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
❑ Attachment A-Score and Rank
❑ Resolution
Page 50 of 1166
•
ATTACHMENT A - Score and Ranking
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Integrated Security Systems 73 0 73 2 90 0 1 90 3 81 1 0 81 2 85 0 80 •2 h 9 2
Semantic Al 66 0 66 4 3 1 89 + 0 l 89 4' 79 0 1 79 443 74 4 0 1 74 3 a 13 '3
.Skopencw 82 0 ; 82 .1 i 96 4 0 96 i 1 t 84 0 I 84 1 83 I 0 83 4 1 41 4 4 1
Social Links 63 I 0 63 ,4. 92 0 92 '2 I 75 4 0 , 75 ,4 72 0 72 4 r 14 ;4
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1;Semantic AI 5 0 0
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Social Links 5 , 0 0 ,
•
Page 51 of 1166