REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 1, 2026
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Acting Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with SAS Institute, Inc. for Data Warehouse, Mining Software, Maintenance and Support Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 24-1127, with SAS Institute, Inc., for the provision of data warehouse, mining software, and maintenance and support services, increasing the contract for additional licenses and maintenance costs by $49,524, from $1,342,133 to $1,391,657, with no change to the contract period of November 3, 2024 through November 2, 2027.
(Presenter: Joshua Dugas, Acting Director, 252-5142)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
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 $49,524 recommended amendment increase to the contract with SAS Institute, Inc. (SAS) for data warehouse (DW), mining software, and maintenance and support services, is included in the total contract amount of $1,391,657, is funded by the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA). Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2026-27 budget and will be included in the 2027-28 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services to San Bernardino County (County) residents experiencing severe mental illness and/or SUD. SAS provides the DW infrastructure, data mining software, maintenance, support, consultation, and reporting tools that enable DBH to analyze and improve client access to services, monitor quality of care, enhance treatment outcomes, and maximize revenue opportunities associated with delivery of behavioral health services. DBH relies on SAS's proprietary software and specialized technical expertise to ensure the continued operation, maintenance, and optimization of the DW Outcomes Solution. Ongoing maintenance and support services are necessary to maintain system functionality, ensure reliable reporting capabilities, and support DBH's operational and regulatory reporting requirements.
DW receives, stores, and organizes large volumes of data from multiple sources, while ensuring data integrity. It also compiles and maintains metadata that describes how data is collected, stored, and used, enabling efficient data retrieval and analysis. These functions support business intelligence capabilities, including reporting, analytics, dashboard visualization, and data mining, which provide DBH with the information necessary to make informed operational and strategic decisions. The County’s Innovation and Technology Department hosts the servers supporting the SAS DW environment. Since 2010, SAS has provided custom software maintenance, technical support, and consulting services for DW, ensuring the system continues to produce accurate, reliable, and compliant reports that meet federal, state, and local reporting requirements.
Data maintained within the SAS-powered DW supports a growing portfolio of dashboards and analytical tools, including hospitalization tracking, staff activity reporting, and analyses used to monitor services provided to foster youth, forensic populations, integrated care participants, and other priority program populations. DW also supports DBH’s reporting and performance monitoring efforts by integrating data from Full-Service Partnerships, service transactions, and client-based instruments to produce meaningful client and clinic-level reports. These reports support treatment planning, program evaluation, and the measurement of behavioral health outcomes, including those associated with BHSA, while enabling DBH to meet state and federal reporting requirements and make informed, data-driven decisions.
DBH relies upon the robust reporting and statistical capabilities provided by SAS to meet mandated state reporting and support the coordination of client care. The DW facilitates the integration of analysis of data received from managed care partners, the County’s Children and Family Services, Probation Department, and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, including data supporting Enhanced Care Management initiatives under California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal. DW’s advanced analytics support the implementation and evaluation of key DBH initiatives, including Recovery-Based Engagement Support and Treatment, Treatment Engagement Support Teams, and Innovative Remote Onsite Assistance Delivery. These analytics enable data-driven decision-making, performance monitoring, and continuous quality improvement, contributing to DBH’s recognition as a leader in the use of behavioral health analytics.
As a data-driven organization, DBH has expanded its analytics workforce across multiple programs to support increasing operational, clinical, and reporting needs. In response to the Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Information Notice 24-004, which established the Behavioral Health Accountability Set (BHAS) reporting requirements, and through data-informed forecasting of the department’s growth over the three-year SAS contract period, DBH’s Research and Development Division has added 15 analytical positions within six divisions responsible for calculating, monitoring, and reporting BHAS performance measures. These additional positions require access to SAS Enterprise Guide to perform advanced data analysis and reporting functions.
The additional licenses ensure employees have the necessary tools to meet regulatory obligations while supporting DBH’s continued efforts to strengthen evidence-based planning, decision-making, and service delivery. Ultimately, expanding SAS access enhances DBH’s ability to effectively use data to support members and meet operational and regulatory requirements.
On November 19, 2024 (Item No. 16), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 24-1127 with SAS, including non-standard terms, for a perpetual license for DW and mining software, in addition to maintenance and support services, in the amount not to exceed $1,342,133, for a term of November 3, 2024 through November 2, 2027.
Amendment No. 1 provides funding for additional software licenses and maintenance costs needed to support the expanded analytics workforce and ensure DBH’s continued compliance with state reporting requirements. The increase of 15 licenses is $41,031, and the increased maintenance costs associated with the additional licenses are $8,493, for a total increase of $49,524.
DBH anticipates that the SAS custom software will support the processing, analysis, and reporting of data for:
• An estimated 55,000 unduplicated clients annually
• At an average cost of $8.13 per client.
Approval of this item will enable DBH to continue to provide DW, mining software, and maintenance support services, and increase the number of SAS licenses needed to support DBH’s analytics workforce. DBH will continue to implement mechanisms to regularly review, the reporting and statistical functions and continue to fully meet all state reporting requirements; and provider invoices administratively and programmatically to ensure accuracy prior to payment processing.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Marianna Martinez, Administrative Supervisor II, 383-3940) on July 21, 2026; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on July 27, 2026; Risk Management (Stephanie Pacheco, Staff Analyst II, 386-9039) on August 10, 2026; Innovation and Technology (Don Le, Chief Information Officer, 388-5501) on August 14, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on August 17, 2026.