TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Anthony Halstead - Director Library
REPORT BY: Michelle Carreon - Staff Services Analyst
SUBJECT: Amendment No. 1 to Agreement 190295B with Unique Management Services, Inc.
RECOMMENDATION
title
Director of Library Services and Community Outreach requests approval of and authorization for the Chair to sign Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 190295B with Unique Management Services, Inc. extending the term through June 30, 2026, increasing contract maximum by $20,000 with a new maximum of $50,000, and updating the scope of work to include pre-collection services.
body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On May 7, 2019, the Board of Supervisors authorized Agreement No. 190295B with Unique Management Services, Inc. to collect unpaid fines, fees and lost material costs owed to County as ordered or assessed by the Napa County Library.
Approval of Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 190295B will extend the term of the agreement through June 30, 2026, increase maximum compensation to $50,000, amend the scope of work to include pre-collection and additional services as requested by the Director of Library Services.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
|
Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
|
Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
|
Where is it budgeted? |
The Library’s General Operations budget: Fund 2020, Subdivision 2020000 expense account 52110. |
|
Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
|
Discretionary Justification: |
To provide patrons with a mailed pre-collection notice before sending collection notices. |
|
Is the general fund affected? |
No |
|
Future fiscal impact: |
This agreement is renewed annually and will be budgeted accordingly in future fiscal years. |
|
Consequences if not approved: |
Napa County Library patrons will not receive a mailed courtesy pre-collection notice for overdue materials before receiving a collection notice. |
|
County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Collaborative and Engaged Community |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California
Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
On May 7, 2019, the Board of Supervisors authorized Agreement No. 190295B with Unique Management Services, Inc. (UMS) for the term through June 30, 2024 and a contract maximum of $30,000. If approved, Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 190295B, will extend the term through June 30, 2026 adding an additional $20,000 to the contract maximum for a pre-collection notification service and additional services as requested by the Director of Library Services.
Unique Management Solutions (UMS) provide support in recovering unreturned library materials. Their services resulted in a significantly improved recovery rate from our previous process, which was handled in house and in the form of a letter sent by the library and a follow up sent by County's Central Collections staff.
UMS is the only collection agency which specializes in Library collections and can integrate with our integrated library system, Polaris. Because UMS works solely with libraries, it does not approach collections in the traditional way. The company's goal is to increase the return of materials or the payment of fees, not to alienate the patrons.
UMS will send a pre-collection notice before formal collection notice. The pre-collection notices are designed to be friendly with the goal of patrons returning to the library with no effect to the library’s goodwill or $10 collection services fee. The pre-collection process focuses on the recovery of overdue materials; not just a balance to get materials back to the library.
Unique Management Services, Inc. of Jeffersonville, IN is not a local vendor.