REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 27, 2020
FROM
BOB DUTTON, Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Gartner, Inc. for Consulting Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 19-380 with Gartner, Inc. for consulting services, extending the term by one year from June 23, 2020, for a total agreement term of June 24, 2019 through June 30, 2021, with no change to the contract amount of $530,200.
(Presenter: Bob Dutton, Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, 382-3207)
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 additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total contract amount of $530,200 would remain unchanged.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On June 11, 2019 (Item No. 13), the Board of Supervisors approved Agreement No. 19-380 with Gartner, Inc. to provide consulting services for upgrading the Assessor’s Property Information Management System (PIMS) from June 24, 2019 through June 23, 2020, in the amount of $380,200. On March 24, 2020 (Item No. 15), the Board of Supervisors approved Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 19-380 with Gartner, Inc. to expand the scope of work to include the development of detailed future state specifications for enhancing the functionality of PIMS after or in parallel with the initial modernization or refactoring scope, in the amount of $150,000. The scope of work that was outlined in the original contract and Amendment No. 1 could not be completed prior to June 23, 2020, because of an unavoidable convergence of issues related to COVID-19, completion of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process for the PIMS Modernization Project, and limited availability of subject-matter experts for development and review of documents. Approval at this time will not impact the contract amount as services have been postponed.
Assessor staff recommend extending the term of the agreement to June 30, 2021, making the full agreement term from June 24, 2019 through June 30, 2021, to allow Gartner, Inc. the time necessary to complete the scope of work. All other terms of the contract would remain unchanged. Approval of this item would improve County government operations and allow the Assessor’s office to operate in a fiscally-responsible and business-like manner. Gartner is an industry leader in offering comprehensive technology research and advisory services, including government-specific analysis. Since June 2019, Gartner has been supporting Assessor staff with PIMS strategy development, readiness assessment, preparation of a RFP for PIMS modernization, and documenting current processes.
PROCUREMENT
In 2003, the California County Information Services Directors Association (CCISA) solicited bids from industry research firms to obtain better volume pricing through consolidated government demand for services. As a result of this process, Gartner was selected to provide technology advisory services. In order to provide reduced rates for these services, Gartner requested that one of the CCISDA members administer a contract with them for the benefit of all CCISDA members, including San Bernardino County. The County of Ventura assumed this role and contracted with Gartner. The initial three-year contract between Gartner and the County of Ventura ended in 2006, but has been renegotiated and extended each year thereafter. The County of Ventura’s current contract term commenced on March 12, 2019, and is in effect through March 11, 2024, as a result of an RFP conducted by CCISDA in 2019. In 2017, the County of Ventura ended their role as fiscal agent for the contract and no longer assesses an administrative fee. Members pay Gartner directly for their subscriptions, but are still able to benefit from the County of Ventura’s contract terms and pricing.
County Policy No. 11-04 requires departments to obtain Board of Supervisors approval for the procurement of services over $200,000 annually.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Kristina M. Robb, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 17, 2020; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on September 30, 2020; Risk Management (LeAnna Williams, Director of Risk Management, 386-8623) on September 23, 2020; Finance (Carl Lofton, Finance Analyst, 387-5404) on October 9, 2020; County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-4342) on October 9, 2020.