REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 19, 2024
FROM
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Miller Mendel, Inc., for Electronic Statement of Personal History Software Subscription Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 23-1307 with Miller Mendel, Inc., for the provision of its electronic Statement of Personal History software and support services to conduct pre-employment background investigations, increasing the contract amount by $284,975, from $222,476 to $507,451, and to exercise the first option to extend the contract period by one year for a new total contract period of December 6, 2023, through December 5, 2025.
2. Authorize the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator or Undersheriff to execute change orders to the previously approved Master Software Subscription Services Agreement with Miller Mendel, Inc., as needed, subject to review by County Counsel, so long as the total aggregate amount of such change orders does not exceed $76,118 of Recommendation No. 1, and the change orders do not amend the contract term.
3. Direct the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator or Undersheriff to transmit copies of all change orders to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Kelly Welty, Chief Deputy Director, 387-3760)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will result in the future use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). A request for additional ongoing Discretionary General Funding in the amount of $284,975 is anticipated to be submitted to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for approval in the 2024-25 Mid-Year Budget report.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator’s (Department) Employee Resources Division (ERD) recruits potential employees and volunteers and conducts background investigations to determine their suitability for sworn and professional positions in a law enforcement environment. Additionally, ERD conducts investigations of applicants requesting a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Every year, ERD conducts approximately 3,500 background investigations for applicants seeking employment or to volunteer with the Department. A combination of sworn and contracted civilian staff are assigned to conduct those background investigations. Currently, background investigations require the use of hard-copy printed forms and questionnaires. These forms are mailed or hand-delivered to and from applicants and references using email, when applicable, or standard United States Postal Service mail. The collected forms are individually sorted and classified by applicant. This paper-based system is time, cost, and labor intensive.
Miller Mendel, Inc.’s (MMI) electronic Statement of Personal History (eSOPH) software is designed to process in-depth pre-employment background investigations conducted by law enforcement and public safety related agencies. eSOPH is an internet based, case management system designed to electronically conduct all steps of the background investigation process, from acceptance of an applicant’s background information to the hiring of the applicant. eSOPH is expandable and customizable to meet ERD’s needs. The use of eSOPH reduces the time spent by staff performing background investigations by up to 50 percent, helping to make faster hiring decisions.
On December 5, 2023, (Item No. 62), the Board approved Contract No. 23-1307, including non-standard terms, with MMI for the provision of its eSOPH software and support services to conduct pre-employment background investigations, in an amount not to exceed $222,476, for the period of December 6, 2023 through December 5, 2024, with the option to extend the contract term by two additional one-year periods or one additional two-year period.
The Department recommends approval of Amendment No. 1 to the contract with MMI, to extend the contract for one year, as it will enable the Department to continue using the streamlined software-based system to modernize the employment and volunteer applicant background investigation process, without compromising the quality of the investigations.
PROCUREMENT
The Department recommends exercising the first of the two one-year options available to extend the term under the originally approved contract.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Grace B. Parsons, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 29, 2024; Purchasing (Jason Cloninger, Lead Buyer, 387-0321) on October 24, 2024; Finance (Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) on October 30, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on November 4, 2024.