REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 22, 2024
FROM
LYNN FYHRLUND, Chief Information Officer, Innovation and Technology Department
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Gartner Inc. for Subscription-Based Research and Education Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1, to Contract No. 24-613, with Gartner Inc., for subscription-based research and education services to add a Software Engineering Leaders license subscription in a total amount of $51,000, increasing the total contract amount from $403,820 to $454,820, with no change to the contract period of August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2025.
(Presenter: Lynn Fyhrlund, Chief Information Officer, 388-5501)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
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 Innovation and Technology Department’s (ITD) operating costs are recovered via service rates approved annually by the Board of Supervisors (Board). The cost of the Software Engineering Leaders (SWEL) license subscription addition is $51,000 for a nine-month period. Sufficient appropriation has been included in ITD’s Business Solutions Development 2024-25 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ITD is the County’s principal information technology (IT) department that provides comprehensive IT support and infrastructure services. ITD strives to stay up to date with the latest trends and innovations in the IT field, which includes the use of consultants and other industry experts for research and advisory services, benchmarking, leadership tools, and professional development. ITD has worked with Gartner since 2014, as Gartner is an industry expert, offering comprehensive IT research and advisory services, including government-specific analysis. Since 2014, the Purchasing Agent has issued purchase orders for Gartner services according to County Policy.
ITD is interested in adding the SWEL license subscription to assist ITD developers with building and delivering new digital products as well as various leadership tools to improve effectiveness, specifically in the context of software engineering. The SWEL services would be effective November 1, 2024, through July 31, 2025.
On June 25, 2024 (Item No. 65), the Board approved the contract with Gartner for subscription-based research and education services, in an amount not-to-exceed $403,820, for the period August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2025.
ITD recommends approval of the Amendment with Gartner, to secure a SWEL license that will support ITD leadership in the development of digital products and software engineering.
PROCUREMENT
ITD has been utilizing Gartner for their expertise in consulting services since 2014 and they have continued to meet the needs of ITD with proficiency in IT innovation. Gartner is recognized as an industry expert in IT research and advisory services, including government-specific analysis. The SWEL licenses are proprietary to Gartner, granting access to exclusive software engineering content, emerging technology trends and analysis, and road maps. The Purchasing Department concurs with the non-competitive procurement of specialized training/expertise for the purchase of subscription-based research and education services offered by Gartner.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Bonnie Uphold, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 11, 2024; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on October 9, 2024; Risk Management (Loretta Acuna, Staff Analyst II, 386-9039) on September 10, 2024; Finance (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4205) on October 3, 2024; County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on October 4, 2024.