REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 16, 2025
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Statement of Work and Agreement with Hedgerow Software US, Inc. for Platform Migration Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Statement of Work with Hedgerow Software US, Inc. for Hedgehog Platform Licensed Programs for services to migrate from the Accela EnvisionConnect Platform to automate services related to permitting, billing, inspections, complaints, investigations and service requests, in a one-time not to exceed amount of $180,700 for the period of January 5, 2026 through January 4, 2031.
2. Approve License and Support Agreement, including non-standard terms, with Hedgerow Software US, Inc., for Hedgehog Platform Licensed Programs, which include platform licenses, technical support, and platform maintenance to support automated permitting, billing, inspections, complaints, investigations and service requests, in a not to exceed amount of $1,627,900, for the period of January 5, 2026 through January 4, 2031.
3. Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Chief Executive Officer, or the Director of the Department of Public Health to execute non-substantive amendments to the Statement of Work and License and Support Agreement with Hedgerow Software US, Inc., subject to review by County Counsel.
4. Direct the Director of the Department of Public Health to transmit any non-substantive amendments to the Statement of Work and License and Support Agreement with Hedgerow Software US, Inc., to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Joshua Dugas, Director, 387-9148)
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 Statement of Work for the Department of Public Health (DPH) consists of a one-time cost of $180,700 in implementation costs and recurring annual licensing, technical support, and maintenance costs of $325,580, totaling $1,808,600 over the five-year term. The Hedgehog Platform Licensed Programs (Hedgehog Platform) by Hedgerow Software US, Inc. (Hedgerow) will be funded primarily from environmental health services fee revenue. Adequate appropriation and revenue are included in DPH’s 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DPH’s Environmental Health Services Division (EHS) is dedicated to improving the quality of life for county residents and visitors by protecting public health, promoting safety and preventing environmental hazards. DPH’s Health Services-Environmental fee revenue supports EHS’s public health protections in the following areas: food, recreational health, housing, detention facilities, body art, solid waste, water and wastewater, medical waste, land use, and vector control. EHS currently manages the majority of its permit process through the Accela EnvisionConnect Platform (EnvisionConnect).
The Hedgehog Platform is the selected permitting and data tracking solution for numerous California counties, including Ventura and El Dorado. Approval of this item will allow DPH to transition from the EnvisionConnect Platform to an updated cloud-based Hedgehog Platform. The upgrade is necessary because as of June 30, 2025, EnvisionConnect stopped providing enhancements or security patches to their platform.
EHS must provide accurate data tracking, reporting and have a central platform to monitor thousands of health permits, inspections, complaints, and investigations each year. The Hedgehog Platform offers a cloud enterprise application that receives security updates regularly, and includes the required functionality and features to be in compliance with current State laws and regulations. This includes built-in reporting dashboards, automated workflow and notifications, integrated electronic plan review, and mobile workforce application support. The Hedgehog Platform presents many benefits including greater data security, streamlined maintenance and updates, and reduction in cost and risk to the County by not hosting the application and data locally.
The terms and conditions of the License and Support Agreement (Agreement) includes terms that differ from standard County contract language. The non-standard terms include the following:
1. The liability to the County is limited to two times the fees paid during a 12-month period.
• 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.
2. The agreement does not require Hedgehog Platform to meet the County’s insurance standards as required pursuant to County Policy 11-07.
• County policy requires contractors to carry certain insurance coverage as determined by the County’s Risk Management Department.
• Potential Impact: The County has no assurance that Hedgerow will be financially responsible for claims that may arise from the County’s use of the software, which could result in expenses to the County that exceed the total Agreement amount.
3. Payment terms are Net 30 days.
• The standard County contract payment term is Net 60 days.
• Potential Impact: The County is required to make payment Net 30 days. Failing to pay timely may result in a material breach of the Agreement, which could allow Hedgerow to terminate the Agreement and seek other legal remedies, including charging the County interest at a rate of 2%, which could exceed the Agreement amount.
4. The Agreement is silent on governing law.
• The County standard contract requires California governing law.
• Potential Impact: Having no specified governing law in the Agreement results in uncertainty over which state’s laws will govern the interpretation of the Agreement, and leads to ambiguity in interpretation of the Agreement terms. Any questions, issues or claims arising under this Agreement could require the County to hire outside counsel competent to advise on the applicable state law, which may result in fees that exceed the total Agreement amount.
DPH recommends approval of the Statement of Work and Agreement, including non-standard terms, as these will provide the DPH with the necessary migration services to move to the Hedgehog Platform and allow DPH to continue to meet the critical EHS needs related to permitting, tracking, and oversight.
PROCUREMENT
No additional procurement is required for this item as it was competitively bid by El Dorado County. The Purchasing Department supports DPH becoming a Participating Agency as defined in Hedgerow’s License and Support Agreement No. LSA-C0ED-2024-01 (Appendix A Section 17.12) with El Dorado County.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 20, 2025; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on October 3, 2025; Risk Management (Stephanie Pacheco, Staff Analyst, 386-9039) on November 19, 2025; Innovation and Technology (Lynn Fyhrlund, Chief Information Officer, 388-5501) on December 1, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4205) on December 1, 2025.