TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Jon Gjestvang - Chief Information Officer, Information Technology Services
REPORT BY: Julia Bordona - Staff Services Manager
SUBJECT: Budget Amendment for RFP/Bid Solution Software and Implementation
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve a Budget Amendment to increase appropriations in Information Technology Services for the purchase of a new Requests for Proposal Bid Solution Software and related Implementation costs. (Fiscal Impact: $83,165 Expense; General Fund; Not Budgeted; Discretionary)
[4/5 Vote Required]
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BACKGROUND
Napa County issues approximately 200 bid solicitations and Requests for Proposals (RFP) every year. The County’s Public Works Department and Health & Human Services Agency issue the majority of these although many other departments may issue them on a less frequent basis. It is estimated that 100 County staff and outside reviewers participate in the bid/RFP management process.
Bid packages are compiled by Public Works and RFPs are compiled by the issuing departments.
Responses are currently received by US mail in hardcopy format with one original and an equal number of copies representing the number of evaluators. These are date/time stamped upon delivery to ensure compliance with the response deadline. The responses are handled by the issuing department in the case of RFPs. Bid packages are handled by the Clerk of the Board. The management and evaluation of responses is a manual process. There is no centralized software used for this process and no centralized document repository aside from the RFP/Bid listing on the County’s website at https://www.countyofnapa.org/Bids.aspx.
This process is labor-intensive for County staff and both expensive and inefficient for respondents. There are no electronic controls to ensure compliance with timelines and other procedures.
In March the County Executive Office convened a meeting of individuals who are involved with the management of construction bids, RFPs and related solicitations. During this meeting, the group was tasked with implementing an electronic platform to automate the solicitation process. The overall goal was to implement a system that would allow the County to contract for services and products efficiently and cost-effectively in a collaborative environment that ensures fairness and transparency for all parties. The cross-functional team of County staff formed to complete this goal consisted of members from the following departments: Purchasing, Public Works, ITS, HHSA, County Counsel, and the CEO’s office.
In May the team released a Request for Proposal. There were seven vendor responses to the RFP. The scores for five of those vendors were sufficiently close to qualify them for a product demonstration. After the demonstrations were conducted in July, OpenGov was the clear winner with a significant scoring advantage over the next best vendor.
Members of the project team conducted an additional in-depth demonstration with OpenGov for the solicitation creation process using an RFP template from HHS. This demonstration validated the ease-of-use of the platform and its capabilities.
The team also conducted informal reference checks with the City of Napa and the County of Solano who had both started using OpenGov within the last year. Both agencies were very positive about the software’s functionality and user-friendliness. They also spoke highly of their interactions with OpenGov and the ongoing support they are providing. Due diligence and formal reference checks were completed in August. The project team has recommended the purchase of OpenGov as the most desirable option, after a thorough and fair evaluation of vendor offerings to solve the County’s stated business needs.
Today’s requested action is for the approval of a budget amendment to release $83,165 from General Fund - available fund balance to provide funding for the new RFP/Bid Solution software system. This project total includes the purchase of software in the amount of $62,460 for the first year, and a one-time fee for professional services in the amount of $20,705.
Requested Action:
Approval of Budget Adjustment for the following:
1. Fund 1000 General Fund - Increase transfer-out expense by $83,165 (Sub-division 1050000, Account 56100), using available fund balance; and
2. Fund 4200 Information Technology Fund - Increase transfer-in revenue by $83,165 (Sub-division 4200001, account 48200); and
3. Fund 4200 Information Technology Fund - Increase appropriations in Computer Software/ Licensing Fees in the amount of $83,165 (Sub-Division 4200001, Account 53415).
[4/5 vote required]
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Implement a system that would allow the County to contract for services and products efficiently and cost effectively in a collaborative environment that ensure fairness and transparency for all parties. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
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Future fiscal impact: |
Future software and licensing fees will be included in ITS’s budget and will be charged out in the rates to all customers. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
The current process is labor-intensive for County staff and both expensive and inefficient for respondents. If not approved, the management and evaluation of RFPs and Bids will continue to be a manual process, with no controls to ensure compliance. |
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.