REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 10, 2025
FROM
LYNN FYHRLUND, Chief Information Officer, Innovation and Technology Department
SUBJECT
Title
Agreement with Gartner, Inc. for Information Technology Subscription-Based Research and Education Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 24-613 with Gartner, Inc., for information technology subscription-based research and education services, increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $3,415,280, from $454,820 to $3,870,100, to allow the services to be used Countywide, and extend the contract term by four years, for a total contract term of August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2029.
(Presenter: Lynn Fyhrlund, Chief Information Officer, 388-5501)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of the Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Innovation and Technology Department (ITD) operating costs are recovered via service rates approved annually by the Board of Supervisors (Board). The cost associated with Contract No. 24-613 (Contract) with the Gartner, Inc. (Gartner) for information technology (IT) subscription-based research and education services will not exceed $3,870,100 upon approval of Amendment No. 2 (Amendment) to the Contract. ITD currently has an annual cost of $454,820. Approval of the Amendment will increase the estimated annual cost to $853,820, which includes ITD’s annual cost of $454,820, known licenses for other Gartner services for additional County departments like the District Attorney and Information Technology and Support Division, which are estimated to total $174,000 annually, $100,000 annually for future added memberships for ITD and expanding the contract countywide, and an annual contingency of $125,000. The increase in the not-to-exceed amount to $3,870,100 will allow Gartner’s services to be used for the five-year term, as needed. Sufficient appropriation has been included in ITD’s 2025-26 Recommended Budget and will be included in future recommended budgets. County departments are required to ensure there is adequate appropriation within their respective annual departmental budgets for the cost of Gartner services during the term of the contract.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ITD is the County’s principal 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. ITD has worked with Gartner since 2014, as Gartner is an industry expert offering comprehensive IT research and advisory services, including functional and technical insights to senior leaders and their teams through customer service and support, communications, product management, as well as data analysis. These services are provided through memberships developed for specific job roles which provide daily access to data, reports, and other helpful tools; regularly scheduled advisory services based on the type of membership; and custom individual and/or team services on an as-needed basis.
From 2014 through 2023, the Purchasing Agent has issued purchase orders for Gartner services for ITD according to County Policy. Approval of this amendment will allow County departments to utilize Gartner services under Contract No. 24-613 from August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2029, and provide one centralized contract with common terms across the County. As IT services and support needs continue to increase, Gartner’s information technology subscription-based research and education services are needed Countywide.
On June 25, 2024 (Item No. 65), as a result of a non-competitive procurement, the Board approved Contract No. 24-613 with Gartner for subscription-based research and education services, in an amount not-to-exceed $403,820, for the period of August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2025.
On October 22, 2024 (Item No. 25), the Board approved Amendment No.1 to Contract No. 24-613 with Gartner to add a Software Engineering Leaders (SWEL) license to support ITD leadership in the development of digital products and software engineering in the additional amount of $51,000, increasing the total contract amount from $403,820 to $454,820, with no change to the contract period.
Through the continued use of Gartner services, ITD will further explore services that will impact not only how ITD functions, but how the County moves forward with innovative technology, including a focus on IT leaders and other leaders in the County. The expert guidance and tools available from Gartner enables smart decisions and stronger performance for the County’s IT priorities.
ITD recommends approval of the Amendment to the Contract with Gartner, to continue to provide Countywide IT leadership and technical staff with subscription-based research and education services through July 31, 2029.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Kaleigh Ragon, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 16, 2025; Purchasing (Dylan Newton, Buyer III, 387-2065) on May 16, 2025; Risk Management (Stephanie Pacheco, Staff Analyst II, 386-9008) on May 2, 2025; Finance (Ivan Ramirez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4020) on May 22, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 23, 2025.