REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 15, 2022
FROM
MARIE GIRULAT, Director, Department of Child Support Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Public Knowledge, LLC for Operational Assessment
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with Public Knowledge, LLC to lead, manage, and complete a comprehensive assessment of the Department of Child Support Services’ operations to achieve alignment with the holistic case management approach, in the amount of $697,000, for the contract period of December 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.
(Presenter: Marie Girulat, Director, 478-6949)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
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 $697,000 is funded 66% ($460,020) by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Federal Financial Participation (HHS-FFP) and 34% ($236,980) by the State of California Health and Human Services Agency, Department of Child Support Services (CA DCSS). Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Child Support Services’ (DCSS) 2022-23 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The recommended contract with Public Knowledge, LLC will provide DCSS with a comprehensive, detailed, operational assessment identifying current deficiencies and opportunities for improvement, outline goals, and provide a plan to achieve the DCSS vision for a holistic family-focused child support program. Holistic case management includes evaluating the entire case to identify strategies and resources that will remove any barriers preventing payment of consistent child support.
Through the operational assessment, DCSS is seeking to identify any gaps, inefficiencies, or redundancies in case management and the overall operational units, which will bolster DCSS’ ability to provide high quality services to San Bernardino County residents. The recommended contract will help improve County government operations by evaluating DCSS’ operations and identifying strategies to improve DCSS operational efficiency, effectiveness, and collaboration.
DCSS has received additional funding from HHS-FFP and CA DCSS to improve service delivery through the hiring of staff, implementing identified efficiencies, and increasing engagement with customers. To meet the goals/requirements of the additional funding, DCSS is looking for a systemic and objective assessment of its child support operations. The assessment will provide findings and recommendations that, when fully implemented, will result in improved operational efficiencies and identified business practices that are in alignment with a holistic case management approach. These will include an expansion of customer engagement strategies, improved performance outcomes, and responsive and timely customer service that will meet all regulatory, legal, and compliance requirements.
DCSS’ vision is to partner with parents and the community in delivering reliable child support services and to make a positive difference in the lives of the children through integrity, trust and respect, commitment to excellence, and transparency. To assist DCSS achieve that vision and meet the goals/requirements of the additional funding, the recommended contractor, Public Knowledge, LLC, will complete a systematic, thorough, and objective assessment of child support operations with the goal to improve program performance for the benefit of the children and parents DCSS serves.
The Operational Assessment is scheduled for completion by May 31, 2023. Public Knowledge, LLC will provide a final in-person presentation of the Operational Assessment report plan to achieve the vision for a holistic family-focused child support program to the DCSS Director and leadership team no later than June 6, 2023. DCSS will review the draft plan with the Chief Executive Officer and the Assistant Executive Officer of Department Operations before finalizing it for implementation.
PROCUREMENT
On May 11, 2022, the County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified and interested vendors to provide Operational Assessment services for DCSS via the County Electronic Procurement Network (ePro), Bid No. DCSS22-DCSS-4423. The RFP was publicly advertised through direct mailings to agencies with related experience and posted on ePro.
Three agencies attended the mandatory proposal conference on May 25, 2022. Three proposals, from the agencies listed in the table below, were received in response to the RFP by the established deadline, met the minimum requirements, and continued through the evaluation process.
|
Agency |
Proposed Amount |
|
Change and Innovation Agency, LLC |
$646,704 |
|
PFM Group Consulting, LLC |
$648,850 |
|
Public Knowledge, LLC |
$697,000 |
An evaluation team, comprised of representatives from DCSS and Riverside County Department of Child Support Services, reviewed and evaluated the proposals based on the criteria included in the RFP. Those criteria included, but were not limited to: cost, ability to provide proposed services within a six-month time frame, experience providing proposed or similar services, qualifications and experience of key assigned personnel including direct and recent California child support program experience, proposer reputation, quality of recently completed similar projects, proposer’s approach to the Operational Assessment and understanding of DCSS’ goals, and proposer’s team and structure to conduct the Operational Assessment. In addition, the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector completed evaluations of the annual financial statements included in each proposal.
Based on the evaluation results, Public Knowledge, LLC is recommended for contract award, as it best meets the needs of DCSS. The agencies not recommended for contract award were notified by mail and advised they could submit a formal written protest based on the criteria in the RFP. No written protests were received.
Contractor performance will be monitored by review of reports and by County staff to ensure compliance with the administrative, program, and fiscal terms and conditions of the contract. DCSS will review invoices and other documents submitted by the contractor to ensure charges are for eligible services prior to payment. The contract may be terminated by the County immediately in the event funds are not available to the County and without cause by the County 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 (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on August 29, 2022; County Counsel (Ramona Verduzco, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 13, 2022; Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on September 22, 2022; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on September 22, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on October 6, 2022.