Philadelphia, PA "Smart City" Contract Documentation (The Office Of Transportation, Infrastructure, And Sustainability (otis))
Multi Request | Philadelphia, PA "Smart City" Contract Documentation |
Submitted | Dec. 17, 2020 |
Est. Completion | None |
MuckRock users can file, duplicate, track, and share public records requests like this one. Learn more.
Communications
From: Rebecca Williams
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Pennsylvania Right to Know Act, I hereby request the following records:
This request for contract documents related to all smart city technology purchased or in operation by this agency for the period from 1/1/2015 - present.
These smart city technologies include any contract document that contains:
- The terms “smart city.”
- Internet of Things (IoT) technologies (such as connected sensors, lights, and meters that collect data).
- Mobility data collection (such as “intelligent transportation system" or rideshare or cell-phone location data agreements).
- Video technologies (such as “closed-circuit television,” traffic, security, or streetlight cameras).
Specifically, I am requesting contract documents to which this agency and any smart city technology vendor are parties. These materials include:
- Any lists of related contracts.
- Any contracts, including any pilot, proof-of-concept, and public-private partnership agreements.
- Any data purchase, licensing, or exchange agreements.
- Any privacy policies or terms of use/service.
- Any vendor distribution lists for related requests for proposals.
If another office would be a more appropriate destination for this request, I would be happy to forward this request according to your direction. If additional agencies or jurisdictions would also have responsive or associated materials, the provision of the names of those entities would also be appreciated.
These records will be used to inform research on “smart city system” best practices as part of Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs’ Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Project that culminates in May 2020. To accommodate this deadline and inclusion in analysis please expedite this request so that it is filled by February 2020. Because of our not-for-profit status and the fact that this request is about a matter in the public interest, I request a fee waiver. If you have any questions or would like to discuss narrowing the request, please contact me directly at rebeccawilliams@hks.harvard.edu or (857) 400-0323.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Williams
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Pennsylvania Right to Know Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Pennsylvania Right to Know Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: The Office Of Transportation, Infrastructure, And Sustainability (otis)
Hello,
Right to Know Requests must be directed to Simran Dhillon, Open Records Officer, Civil Litigation Unit, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Three South Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Requests may be submitted by mail or hand delivery, by fax (215-686-9929), or by email (da.rtk@phila.gov).
Thank you,
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Pennsylvania Right to Know Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 17, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: The Office Of Transportation, Infrastructure, And Sustainability (otis)
Good afternoon,
Please redirect this request to the following City agency:
Jill Freeman, Esq.
1515 Arch St., 17th Fl, Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 683-5457
RightToKnowLaw@phila.gov<mailto:RightToKnowLaw@phila.gov>
Thank you,
Jennie Doran
Philadelphia District Attorney's Office
Paralegal, Federal Litigation Unit
jennie.doran@phila.gov<mailto:jennie.doran@phila.gov> | 215-686-9617
-
image001
From: The Office Of Transportation, Infrastructure, And Sustainability (otis)
THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA Re: Fw: Pennsylvania Right to Know Act Request: Philadelphia, PA "Smart City" Contract Documentation (The Office Of Transportation, Infrastructure, And Sustainability (otis)) Your receipt number is: 11908 Dear requests@muckrock.com,
Thank you for your correspondence. This is an automatic email. COVID-19 PROCESSING NOTICE: The City of Philadelphia
remains under an emergency declaration related to COVID-19. ’The
City is processing RTK requests. There are instances where
access to records may be limited or require additional processing time to
respond. COVID-19 continues to constitute a serious risk to public health
in Philadelphia with high risk of community transmission. You can find the
City's most up-to-date information about COVID-19 in Philadelphia as well as
announcements regarding current orders and City operations at: https://www.phila.gov/programs/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/
We encourage requesters to notify us if there is an urgent
need for information so that we can prioritize the processing of such requests
accordingly during this unusual time. Requesters may email
feige.grundman@phila.gov detailing the urgent need
for priority processing during the period of official emergency declaration -
please provide any relevant court date, agency deadline, or other urgent need
so that we can prioritize requests. Did you know that the City already releases a lot of information and open data online? You might be able to find the answer to your inquiry right now!
Here are some common types of requests we receive and where to find this information online right now:
Search for a property's L&I related permits, licenses, violations, and appeals with the L&I property history tool.
Search for a property's Real Estate Tax Balance with the Revenue Department's tax real estate lookup tool.
Find all of the City of Philadelphia's open data sets, including City employee salary data, on Open Data Philly, the Philadelphia region's open data portal.
Search information about professional service contracts online at eContract Philly.
Search information about procurement contracts online with PHL Contracts.
Search City legislation and related hearings online with Legistar.
Obtain financial disclosure forms from the Department of Records.
If you seek a police incident report, you can obtain the proper form from the Department of Records. Please note that police incident reports cost $25. If you seek audio, visual, or bodycam records from the Philadelphia Police Department, you will need to make a request following the instructions in 42 Pa.C.S.A. Sec. 67A03 at https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=42&div=0&chpt=67A. Such requests are not processed under the Right-to-Know Law. The City of Philadelphia does not process Right-to-Know requests for the organizations listed below. If you want to submit a request to one of these entities, please click the links below to be directed to their Open Records Policies:
Philadelphia Parking Authority
School District of Philadelphia
City of Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority
First Judicial District (Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas)
If one of these sources has solved your inquiry, please let us know! Otherwise, thank you for your patience, and we will be in touch soon. Sincerely, The City of Philadelphia Please Note: To help make sure that future emails from us don't end up in your spam or junk folder, please add this email address to your safe sender list.
From: The Office Of Transportation, Infrastructure, And Sustainability (otis)
CITY OF PHILADELPHIA LAW DEPARTMENT One Parkway Building 1515 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19102 Diana P. Cortes City Solicitor BY EMAIL: requests@muckrock.com Re: Fw: Pennsylvania Right to Know Act Request: Philadelphia, PA "Smart City" Contract Documentation (The Office Of Transportation, Infrastructure, And Sustainability (otis)) Request #: 11908 Dear Rebecca Williams: Thank you for writing to the City of Philadelphia (City) with your request for information. This correspondence serves as an acknowledgement and receipt of your request as well as notice of the City’s Open Records Policy pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law. Written requests for records to state and local agencies in Pennsylvania are generally governed by the Commonwealth’s Right-to-Know Law (RTKL), 65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104. In accordance with the RTKL, the City has promulgated an Open Records Policy, which requires the standard statewide Right-to-Know Form be used for the submission of written requests pursuant to the RTKL. See 65 P.S. § 67.504(a); Dekok v. Lancaster County, AP 2010-1197, 2011 PA O.O.R.D. LEXIS 25 at *5 and n.1 (Pa. O.O.R. Jan. 17, 2011) (holding that in accordance with the RTKL, an agency may adopt a policy requiring the use of the standard statewide form established by the Office of Open Records in order to file a RTK Request); accord Pa. Gaming Control Bd. v. Office of Open Records, 48 A.3d 503 (Pa. Cmmw. 2012). As your request was not submitted on or with the standard statewide form, the City does not consider your request to be a Right-to-Know Request pursuant to the RTKL and will process it as an informal request. You do not have to resubmit your request for the City to respond unless you are specifically informed otherwise. The City reserves the right to require a formal RTK Request be submitted pursuant to the RTKL before releasing records. The City is continuing to process the request you have submitted as an informal request outside the RTKL and will be in touch with you further to respond to your request. However, if you would like to file a RTK Request, please submit your request on or with the standard statewide Right-to-Know Form and address your request to the appropriate open records officer in accordance with the City’s Open Records Policy. Please include this notice with your RTK Request. Please note that if you resubmit your request as a written request pursuant to the RTKL, the City will deem your informal request to have been withdrawn. The City’s Open Records Policy can be found here: http://www.phila.gov/privacy/pdfs/FinalCityOpenRecords.pdf The statewide form appears at the end of the City’s Open Records Policy. If you require a hard copy of the form and/or policy, please let me know and one will be provided. The City reserves the right to assert any and all grounds of denial in its final response to your request. Respectfully, Jill I. Freeman Deputy City Solicitor Tracking #: Williams 11908 Request Summary: Contracts related to all smart city technology purchased or operated by the City from 1/1/15 to present. Original Request:
Rec'd
4/7/2021
From: The Office Of Transportation, Infrastructure, And Sustainability (otis)
Dear Rebecca Williams: Thank you for writing to the City of Philadelphia (“the City”) with your request. At the outset, please be advised that requests for records to state and local agencies in Pennsylvania are generally governed by the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law, 65 P.S. § 67.101, et seq. (the “Act”). Item 1: contract documents related to all smart city technology purchased or in operation by this agency for the period from 1/1/2015 - present. ** As explained in correspondence sent to you on October April 7, 2021, written requests for records to state and local agencies in Pennsylvania are generally governed by the Commonwealth’s Right to Know Law (RTKL), 65 P.S. §§ 67.101–67.3104. In accordance with the RTKL, the City has promulgated a Right to Know Policy, which requires submission of the standard statewide Right to Know Form with written requests pursuant to the RTKL. See 65 P.S. § 67.504(a); Dekok v. Lancaster County, O.O.R. Dkt. AP 2010-1197, 2011 PA O.O.R.D. LEXIS 25 at *5 and n.1 (Pa. O.O.R. Jan. 17, 2011) (holding that in accordance with the Right to Know Law, an agency may adopt a policy requiring the use of the standard statewide form established by the Office of Open Records in order to file a Right to Know Request); accord Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board v. Off. of Open Records, No. 1134 C.D. 2009, 2012 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 174 (Pa. Commw. June 11, 2012). As you did not submit your inquiry on or with the standard statewide form, the City does not consider your request to be a written request pursuant to the RTKL and has processed it as an informal inquiry. The City nonetheless referred to the RTKL for guidance in determining whether records should be released in response to your inquiry. Investment pool information relating to the performance of all the real estate funds the City is invested in. This constitutes the City’s response to your request. After a review of its files, the City has determined that it does not have records responsive to your request. “It is not a denial of access when an agency does not possess records and [there is no] legal obligation to obtain them . . . .” Jenkins vs. Pennsylvania Department of State, Docket No. AP 2009-0065 (OOR April 2, 2009). [Or: “It is not a denial of access under the Act if the records requested do not exist. Cf. Jenkins vs. Pennsylvania Department of State, Docket No. AP 2009-0065 (OOR April 2, 2009).” If Applicable: Moreover, the City is not required to “create a record which does not current exist or to compile, maintain, format or organize a record in a manner in which [the City] does not currently compile, maintain, format or organize the record.” 65 P.S. § 67.705.] The City reserves its rights to assert bases for denial if additional responsive records are located after a review of such records, including but not limited to records and or information: Please be advised that this correspondence will serve to close this record with our office as permitted by law. Respectfully, Nora Day Legal Assistant
On
Wed, Apr 14 at 8:58 AM
, City of Philadelphia Right to Know <righttoknow@phila.gov> wrote:
CITY OF PHILADELPHIA LAW DEPARTMENT One Parkway Building 1515 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19102 Diana P. Cortes City Solicitor BY EMAIL: requests@muckrock.com Re: Fw: Pennsylvania Right to Know Act Request: Philadelphia, PA "Smart City" Contract Documentation (The Office Of Transportation, Infrastructure, And Sustainability (otis)) Request #: 11908 Dear Rebecca Williams: Thank you for writing to the City of Philadelphia (City) with your request for information. This correspondence serves as an acknowledgement and receipt of your request as well as notice of the City’s Open Records Policy pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law. Written requests for records to state and local agencies in Pennsylvania are generally governed by the Commonwealth’s Right to Know Law (RTKL), 65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104. In accordance with the RTKL, the City has promulgated an Open Records Policy, which requires the standard statewide Right-to-Know Form be used for the submission of written requests pursuant to the RTKL. See 65 P.S. § 67.504(a); Dekok v. Lancaster County, AP 2010-1197, 2011 PA O.O.R.D. LEXIS 25 at *5 and n.1 (Pa. O.O.R. Jan. 17, 2011) (holding that in accordance with the RTKL, an agency may adopt a policy requiring the use of the standard statewide form established by the Office of Open Records in order to file a RTK Request); accord Pa. Gaming Control Bd. v. Office of Open Records, 48 A.3d 503 (Pa. Cmmw. 2012). As your request was not submitted on or with the standard statewide form, the City does not consider your request to be a RTK Request pursuant to RTKL and will process it as an informal request. You do not have to resubmit your request for the City to respond unless you are specifically informed otherwise. The City reserves the right to require a formal Right-to-Know Request be submitted pursuant to the RTKL before releasing records. The City is continuing to process the request you have submitted as an informal request outside the RTKL and will be in touch with you further to respond to your request. However, if you would like to file a Right-to-Know Request, please submit your request on or with the standard statewide Right-to-Know Form and address your request to the appropriate open records officer in accordance with the City’s Open Records Policy. Please include this notice with your Right-to-Know Request. Please note that if you resubmit your request as a written request pursuant to the RTKL, the City will deem your informal request to have been withdrawn. The City’s Open Records Policy can be found here: http://www.phila.gov/privacy/pdfs/FinalCityOpenRecords.pdf The statewide form appears at the end of the City’s Open Records Policy. If you require a hard copy of the form and/or policy, please let me know and one will be provided. The City reserves the right to assert any and all grounds of denial in its final response to your request. Respectfully, Jill I. Freeman Deputy City Solicitor (215) 683-5069 (fax) Tracking #: Williams 11908 Request Summary: Contracts related to all smart city technology purchased or operated by the City from 1/1/15 to present. Original Request:
Rec'd
4/7/2021