REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 28, 2022
FROM
JEANY ZEPEDA, Interim Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contracts for Service of Process Services for Juvenile Court Notices
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 2 to contracts with the following agencies to provide Service of Process services for Juvenile Court Notices, revising the fee schedule, amending Attachment C - Assurance of Compliance, increasing the combined amount by $350,000, from $1,050,000 to $1,400,000, and extending the contract period one year, for the contract period of July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2023:
1. American Eagle Attorney Services, Inc., Contract No. 18-273, increasing the total contract amount by $250,000, from $750,000 to $1,000,000.
2. Team Legal, Inc., Contract No. 18-274, increasing the total contract amount by $100,000, from $300,000 to $400,000.
(Presenter: Jeany Zepeda, Interim Director, 387-2792)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not require additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total increase of $350,000 for this service is 100% 2011 Realignment funds. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Human Services Administrative Claim 2022-23 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Children and Family Services (CFS) is required and obligated to serve custodial and noncustodial parents of dependents with notice of proposed actions by the Juvenile Dependency Court. In these cases, CFS uses a contract agency to serve the required notices. Service of Process is the procedure by which a party gives an appropriate notice of legal action to another party to enable that party to respond to the proceeding before the court. In this instance, Service of Process is the personal delivery of the State of California, Superior Court notice(s) to all prospective parents of dependent children that a lawsuit has been initiated against them or there is other pending legal action. Contractors are paid based on the geographic location of the Service of Process services provided. Services provided outside the County are paid at a higher rate. CFS currently has approximately 5,500 children in out-of-home placement. CFS has provided these services through contracted vendors since 1999.
The recommended amendments will ensure the required notices continue to be served through June 30, 2023. The amendments will also update the assurance of compliance attachment and increase the total contract amounts due to an increase in services and cost of services. The recommended amendment to Contract No. 18-274 also corrects an error to the contract amount, which has not affected the delivery of or reimbursement for services.
Contractor performance will be monitored by reviewing monthly reports. Contractor charges must be for services provided under these contracts. County staff will monitor compliance with the administrative, fiscal, and program elements of the contracts. The County reserves the right to request additional fiscal reports to facilitate this review.
PROCUREMENT
On May 22, 2018 (Item No. 50), as the result of a formal procurement, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 18-273 with American Eagle Attorney Services, Inc., in the amount of $750,000, and Contract No. 18-274 with Team Legal, Inc., in the amount of $300,000, both for the contract period of July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021.
On April 6, 2021 (Item No. 17), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to these contracts to update contract language, and extend the contract period for an additional year through June 30, 2022, with no change to the contract amounts.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on May 27, 2022; County Counsel (Kaleigh Ragon, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 3, 2022; Finance (John Hallen, Administrative Analyst, 388-0332) on June 3, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on June 13, 2022.