RFI-10092025 Towing Management Services

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

TOWING MANAGEMENT SERVICES

BACKGROUND

The New York State Police (NYSP) has over 250 locations, spanning thirty counties and diverse geographical settings across New York State. The NYSP works to ensure the safety of the state’s roadways, prevent and investigate crime, and prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters across New York State.  These responsibilities include keeping the roadways clear of vehicles that have been in an accident, broken down, or abandoned.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this RFI is to conduct market research and gather information to identify the vendors available in the marketplace for Towing Management Services, as well as the services they offer.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES

• Outsource the administration of NYSP calls for towing services, including the oversight and dispatching of authorized towing vendors
• Establish a mechanism for the tracking and reporting of service calls including towed vehicle location, response time, and associated invoice information
• Eliminate any actual or perceived towing vendor bias or favoritism by NYSP or towing service administrator in the selection or dispatching of towing vendors
• Improve towing services for vehicle owners by establishing and managing reliable, and reputable companies, as well as ensuring fair, transparent rate setting
• Streamline the process for towing service calls
• Reduce tow response time
• Reduce scene clearing time

RFI RESPONSES

To help inform our requirements for a possible future Request for Proposals (RFP), please answer the questions that follow as they apply to the towing services your company offers.

RFI QUESTIONS

1) Please describe the towing management services you offer.

2) Approximately how many calls for towing services can you handle per year?

3) If your services include the management of authorized towing vendors, how do you establish your towing vendor lists? Please answer the following: 

a) What is the vetting process to establish a towing vendor? 

b) How do you ensure established towing vendors comply with the laws and requirements of the state or jurisdiction (e.g. inspecting tow operations, ensuring insurance compliance, verifying towing vendor employee licensing and/or background checks, etc.)? 

c) How do you establish the type and quantity of required equipment that must be maintained by towing vendors to meet the towing services? How do you verify that the equipment meets all required safety and registration requirements? If towing vendors and equipment are inspected, how often?  How are deficiencies addressed and resolved? 

d) If permissible, please provide a draft of the terms and conditions typically included in towing vendor agreements.

4) What is the process for rate setting, specifically across a wide geographical area? How often are rates updated?

5) How is the location of a towed vehicle tracked? Is this information accessible via a customer interface available to your customer agency (i.e. NYSP) and to vehicle owners?

6) Are towing dispatch services available 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays?

7) What is the process for resolving vehicle owner and towing vendor complaints?

8) What type of reporting is available to provide metrics on the number of calls for towing services in a particular area, associated response times, billings, etcetera?

9) How do you determine which established towing vendor to call for service? Do you use data analytics and/or customer feedback to inform this process?

10) What is your billing model/structure? If possible, please provide a sample quote for towing management services for a contract representing a geographical area roughly the size of New York State, with an estimated 40,000 calls for towing service annually.  The New York State Thruway should not be included in the roadways that make up the service area covered in the draft sample quote.

11) Can you offer a billing model that is cost neutral to the NYSP (i.e. administration & towing service costs billed to vehicle owner)?

12) How is customer agency (i.e. NYSP) and vehicle owner data securely stored?

13) Do you provide towing management services to other, similarly sized government or law enforcement agencies across a wide geographic location? If permissible, please list them.

14) Do your towing management services include tows for marine vessels or other heavy equipment?