REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 4, 2025
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. 2 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 $6,700, from $507,451 to $514,151, and exercising the second option to extend the contract period by one year, for a total period of December 6, 2023 through December 5, 2026.
2. Authorize the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator or Undersheriff to execute change orders to Contract No. 23-1307 with Miller Mendel, Inc., as needed, subject to review by County Counsel, so long as the total aggregate amount of the change orders do not exceed $77,123, and the change orders do not amend the contract term.
3. Direct the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator or Undersheriff to transmit any change orders to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Carolina Mendoza, Chief Deputy Director, 387-0640)
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 not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The $6,700 annual cost, and if necessary, the cost of any change orders not to exceed $77,123, for the continued use of Miller Mendell, Inc. (MMI) electronic Statement of Personal History (eSOPH) software and support services to conduct pre-employment background investigations are included in the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator (Department) 2025-26 budget allocation. Sufficient appropriation will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department’s 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.
MMI’s 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 reduced the time spent by staff performing background investigations by up to 50 percent from the previous process and helps to make faster hiring decisions.
Before the use of eSOPH, the background investigations required the use of hard-copy printed forms and questionnaires. These forms were mailed or hand-delivered to and from applicants and references using email, when applicable, or standard United States Postal Service mail. The collected forms were individually sorted and classified by applicant. This paper-based system was time, cost, and labor-intensive.
On December 5, 2023 (Item No. 62), the Board approved Contract No. 23-1307 (Contract), 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 term by two additional one-year periods or one additional two-year period.
On November 19, 2024 (Item No. 55), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to the Contract, increasing the total amount by $284,975, from $222,476 to $507,451, and exercised the first option to extend the term by one year, for a total period of December 6, 2023 through December 5, 2025.
As part of the renewal process, the Department reviewed the usage of eSOPH, and all unused entries were rolled over and credited to the next contract period, resulting in a significantly smaller amount than the previous period. The Department recommends approval of Amendment No. 2 to the Contract with MMI, to extend the term by one year and increase the Contract amount by $6,700, 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.
Additionally, approval of Recommendation No. 2 will authorize the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator or Undersheriff to execute change orders to the Contract with MMI for additional applicant entries, fax, credit reports, or data storage, as needed and subject to review by County Counsel, for up to $77,123.
PROCUREMENT
The Department recommends exercising the last 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 6, 2025; Purchasing (Jason Cloninger, Lead Buyer, 387-0321) on October 6, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) on October 15, 2025.