REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 23, 2020
FROM
SHARON NEVINS, Director, Department of Aging and Adult Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Inland Counties Legal Services Inc. for Senior Legal Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with Inland Counties Legal Services, Inc., in the amount of $990,000, to provide legal services to seniors for the period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.
(Presenter: Sharon Nevins, Director, 891-3917)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The contract amount of $990,000 for senior legal services is 100% funded by the Federal Older Americans Act Title III-B (OAA) revenue. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) 2020-21 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The OAA was designed to maintain the welfare and dignity of older individuals and to meet the diverse needs of this population. As the designated Area Agency on Aging, DAAS has received funding to provide senior legal services since 1985. Examples of legal services most utilized by seniors are estate planning; wills and trusts; consumer/finance, especially bankruptcy and debt collection; housing concerns such as landlord-tenant issues, foreclosures, reverse mortgages; and advance health care directives.
The target population for these services includes older individuals (60 and older) in rural areas; older individuals with greatest economic and/or social need (with particular attention to low-income minority individuals and older individuals residing in rural areas); older individuals with severe disabilities; older individuals with limited English proficiency; older individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders with neurological and organic brain dysfunction; and older individuals at risk for institutional placement. DAAS estimates that approximately 710 seniors will be provided approximately 4,756 hours of services per year at a cost of $465 per client.
PROCUREMENT
On February 18, 2020, the County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified agencies to provide senior legal services. The RFP was posted on the Electronic Procurement Network (ePro) and mailed to prospective vendors on February 24, 2020 and bids closed March 23, 2020. A formal procurement was conducted for contracts effective July 1, 2020. There was one proposal received as follows:
|
Agency |
Proposed Regions |
Proposed Cost |
|
Inland Counties Legal Services, Inc. |
Countywide |
$287,327 (per year) |
An evaluation was conducted by Human Services Administrative Support Division staff. The proposal was evaluated on the following criteria: costs, geographical areas, ability to provide required matching funds, ability to identify and provide service to targeted population, program description, detailed plan of activities, experience, personnel and qualifications, and administrative capability. Based on the evaluation, Inland Counties Legal Services, Inc. was recommended for award because the proposal was determined to offer a high level of case management, documented extensive experience working with the targeted population, and met the overall needs of the County. No protests were received as the contract was awarded to the only vendor who submitted a proposal.
The amount recommended in the contract with Inland Counties Legal Services, Inc. is slightly higher than the vendor’s proposal as over the course of the prior two years expenditures for these services were higher than proposed. In an effort to meet the anticipated needs of the customers, and without having to modify the contract, DAAS set the value with roughly a 10% increase to allow for modest increases over the contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.
Contractor performance will be measured by reviewing monthly reports and annual site visits by County staff to monitor compliance with the administrative, fiscal, and program requirements of the contract. The contract may be terminated by the County immediately in the event that funds are not available and without cause by serving a written notice to the Contractor 30 days in advance of termination.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Jennifer Mulhall-Daudel, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on June 1, 2020; County Counsel (Michael Markel, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5289) on June 9, 2020; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on June 9, 2020; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on June 9, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on June 9, 2020.