REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 4, 2026
FROM
MIGUEL FIGUEROA, Director, Land Use Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Proposal with Gartner, Inc. for Structured Applied Research and Advisory Services for a Permitting Transformation Office
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Authorize the County to participate in County of Ventura Contract No. 9658, previously assigned as County Contract No. 26-182, for the provision of subscription-based information technology research and structured applied research and advisory services, approved on April 29, 2025 through April 28, 2028.
2. Approve Proposal with Gartner, Inc., including non-standard terms subject to Contract No. 26-185 in Recommendation No. 1, to provide structured applied research and advisory services for the creation of a Permitting Transformation Office for the optimization of Accela platforms, in an amount not-to-exceed $2,160,000, beginning August 4, 2026 through February 4, 2028.
3. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasure/Tax Collector to post the necessary budget adjustments to the Land Use Services Department’s Administration Division’s 2026-27 budget, as detailed in the Financial Impact section, to support the Permitting Transformation Office (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Miguel Figueroa, Director, 387-4431)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote and Fulfill the Countywide Vision.
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). This item authorizes a one-time use of $2,160,000 from existing Enterprise System Replacement reserve for costs associated with establishing the Land Use Services Department (LUS) Permitting Transformation Office.
The following budget adjustments are requested to support the LUS Administration Division’s LUS Permitting Transformation Office.
|
Fund Center |
Commitment Item/GL Account |
Description |
Action |
Amount |
|
1000 |
37008798 |
Fund Balance Assigned- Enterprise System Replacement Reserve |
Decrease |
$2,160,000 |
|
6910001000 |
52002445 |
Other Professional & Specialized Services |
Increase |
$2,160,000 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
LUS is committed to providing excellent customer service to its customers, as well as improving operations for the County’s benefit. Currently, LUS is facing operational challenges as it relates to the effective utilization of the Accela system, and determined there is an urgent need to improve the speed and transparency of its customers’ permitting process.
In Fiscal Year 2025-26, the County Administrative Office tasked Gartner, Inc. (Gartner), with conducting an objective assessment of LUS’s licensing and permitting processes supported by the Accela platform, evaluating current configuration and effectiveness, and delivering a clear, actionable roadmap for technical, process, and organizational enhancements. Their findings determined that LUS has an opportunity to improve permitting operations by strengthening governance, process alignment, and data integrity, rather than through changes to Accela's technical capabilities. Gartner recommended establishing and operating the LUS Permitting Transformation Office dedicated to carrying out a plan for the optimization of Accela. The Permitting Transformation Office, is a dedicated office that will turn the Accela Optimization Roadmap into measurable operational improvement.
Approval of Recommendations No. 1 and No. 2 will enable Gartner to provide structured applied research and advisory services to LUS in support of the LUS Permitting Transformation Office. LUS recommends approval of the proposal with Gartner, to advance this initiative in a timely and strategic manner. Gartner will provide specialized expertise in strategy development and project management to support the successful implementation of this effort. Given Gartner's extensive experience with Accela, deep understanding of industry best practices, and familiarity with LUS’ current operational challenges, the firm is uniquely positioned to help establish a strong governance structure and objective decision-making framework. These efforts will support the effective implementation of the Permitting Transformation Office, optimize LUS’ use of Accela, and maximize the value of the County's investment in its contracted Accela services.
The Proposal contains non-standard contract terms as follows:
1. Gartner’s total liability is limited to the fees paid by the County under the contract.
• The County’s standard contract does not limit a contractor’s liability in performance of a contract.
• Potential Impact: In the event Gartner breaches the contract the County’s cap on recovery will be limited to the amount of fees that have been paid by the County with a maximum recovery of $2,160,000.
LUS recommends approval of the contract notwithstanding the non-standard terms because the services provided under the Proposal will benefit the public by improving County permitting operations and the limited liability provision for similar consulting services is appropriate for this type of service.
PROCUREMENT
On January 2025, the General Services Agency (GSA) of Ventura County (Ventura) released Request for Proposal No. 6203 for Information Technology Research and Advisory Services via Ventura’s GSA Procurement website. Ventura, working in cooperation with the California County Information Services Directors Association (CCISDA), sought competitive proposals from qualified vendors to provide subscription-based information technology research and advisory services. Ventura received six proposals which were evaluated by a multi-jurisdictional team comprised of members from both CCISDA and Ventura.
Gartner’s proposal to LUS to provide structured applied research and advisory services for the creation of a LUS Permitting Transformation Office was provided under the provisions of Ventura Contract No. 9658 and incorporates its terms by reference. The Purchasing Department concurs with the competitive procurement of Gartner for structured applied research and advisory services for the LUS Permitting Transformation Office.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Jason Searles, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on July 17, 2026; Innovation and Technology Department (Don Le, Chief Information Officer, 388-5501) on July 22, 2026; Purchasing Department (Jessica Barajas, 387-2065) on July 28, 2026; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Charlene Huang, Auditor-Controller Manager, 382-7022) on July 27, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 286-8392) on July 28, 2026.