REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
April 29, 2025
FROM
LEONARDO GONZALEZ, Director, Human Resources Department
LYNN FYHRLUND, Chief Information Officer, Innovation and Technology Department
SUBJECT
Title
Agreement with Gartner, Inc., for Consulting Services for the Human Capital Management System
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Agreement, including non-standard terms, with Gartner, Inc., to provide consulting services for the replacement of the County’s existing Employee Management and Compensation System to a new human capital management system, with a total contract amount of $1,080,000, for the contract period of May 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.
2. Authorize the Purchasing Agent to extend the use of Purchase Order No. 4100359002 with Gartner Inc., with a purchase order amount of $1,800,000, for the services referenced in Recommendation No.1, for the contract period to May 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.
(Presenter: Leonardo Gonzalez, Director, 387-8304)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost associated with this Agreement is $1,080,000 and is funded by the Human Resources Department (HR). The cost for the consulting services as detailed in the Statement of Work remains as a fixed amount. Sufficient appropriation for these services is included in the HR 2024-25 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets. Optional services are available dependent on the needs of HR. Optional services may include ongoing implementation oversight, assessing readiness and risks for key milestones, reviewing and assessing vendor deliverables, accelerating business transformation, and research and advisory services. HR will return to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for approval of additional services beyond the current scope, as necessary.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The County implemented the current Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle) PeopleSoft human capital management system (HCM), for payroll and benefits, known as the Employee Management and Compensation System (EMACS), approximately 20 years ago. In recent years, it was determined that a full replacement of EMACS was necessary due to the age of the system, which has caused limitations in managing and enhancing the system as needed and has required extensive resources to implement ongoing updates.
On May 7, 2024 (Item No 29), the Board authorized participation in County of Ventura (Ventura) Contract No. 7914, as amended, which provided subscription-based information technology (IT) research and advisory services and is in effect through April 30, 2025. The Board simultaneously approved Proposal No. 24-369 (Proposal) with Gartner Inc. (Gartner) to provide consulting services for the replacement of the County’s existing EMACS to a new HCM system in an amount not to exceed $1,800,000, plus optional services, beginning May 7, 2024, through April 30, 2025.
Under the Proposal, Gartner provides support to HR related to HCM strategy development, readiness assessment, and preparation of a Request for Proposal (RFP). Gartner is an industry leader in offering comprehensive technology research and advisory services, including government-specific analysis. The Proposal was awarded under the provisions of Ventura County’s (Ventura) competitive contract with Gartner, Contract No. 7914, which includes a participation clause, and incorporated its terms by reference. Ventura’s contract is set to expire on April 30, 2025. Ventura has not extended or awarded a new contract to Gartner.
On November 18, 2024, HR released RFP ISD125-TOPS-5669 with an amendment released on February 14, 2025. The overwhelming response from vendors has resulted in a larger than anticipated pool of successful bidders, which has extended the RFP process beyond the initial timeline. As a result, consulting services with Gartner must be extended. However, the Proposal cannot be extended because the parent Ventura contract expires on April 30, 2025 and, to date, Ventura has not extended or awarded a new contract to Gartner. To continue services beyond that date, a new standalone agreement with Gartner is required due to the expiration of the parent contract.
The recommended agreement with Gartner (Agreement) is based on the County standard template and negotiated by the parties to include terms that differ from the standard County contract. The non-standard and missing terms include the following:
1. Gartner’s maximum liability to the County is limited to the fees paid by the County under the specific state of work under which the liability arises, excluding liability for personal injury, death, or property damage caused by Gartner’s negligence or willful misconduct.
• The County standard contract does not include a limitation of liability.
• Potential Impact: Claims could exceed the liability cap and the Agreement amount leaving the County financially liable for the excess.
The total cost of the consulting services provided by Gartner will not exceed the $1,800,000 originally authorized by the Board on May 7, 2024, per the approved Proposal with Gartner. To date, $720,000 has been expended under the Purchase Order No. 4100359002 (PO), issued for these services in fiscal year 2023-24. This PO encumbered the full contract amount issued under the Proposal, which will expire on April 30, 2025. The recommended agreement is being brought forward to ensure legal continuity and proper contracting authority for services to be rendered between May 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025. However, issuance of a new PO is not necessary, as sufficient funds remain encumbered under the original PO.
Approval of the recommended Agreement will allow Gartner to continue to provide consulting services through the RFP process through December 31, 2025, in an amount not to exceed $1,080,000. This amount represents the remaining value of the Proposal with Gartner. HR and the Innovation & Technology Department recommend approval of this Agreement, including the non-standard terms.
PROCUREMENT
Gartner’s proposal to the County for consulting services for the HCM replacement was provided under the provisions of Ventura Contract No. 7914, which includes a participation clause, and incorporated its terms by reference. To date, Ventura has not extended or awarded a new contract to Gartner, which is currently set to expire on April 30, 2025. Due to the services being started under the previous contract and the continued need, HR is requesting approval as a non-competitive agreement with Gartner to continue consulting services through the ongoing RFP process. The Purchasing Department concurs with the non-competitive selection of Gartner for consulting services for the EMACS replacement.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Bonnie Uphold, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 07, 2025; Purchasing (Dylan Newton, Buyer III, 387-3377) on April 3, 2025; Risk Management (Gregory Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst, 386-9008) on April 2, 2025; Finance (Garrett Baker, 387-3077, and Ivan Ramirez, 387-4020, Administrative Analysts) on April 11, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on April 14, 2025.