To: Board of Supervisors of Sonoma County
Department or Agency Name(s): Information Systems Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: Maryanne Morehead 565-1443
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Technical Staffing and Consulting Agreements
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize the Information Systems Director to execute Agreements with MGT of America Consulting, LLC (MGT), Tryfacta, Inc. (Tryfacta), and Nelson Technology (Nelson) for as-needed technical staffing and consulting services for the three-year period from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025 for a total not-to-exceed amount of $900,000 each over the term of the agreement.
B) Authorize the Information Systems Director the option to execute two extensions for a period of one year each for the periods July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 and July1 2026, through June 30, 2027 for a total not-to-exceed amount of $300,000 per year each.
end
Executive Summary:
The Information Systems Department (ISD) has a need for temporary staffing for highly technical project assignments. This includes a need for short- or long-term technical staffing or consulting services with expertise in particular information technology areas. Service agreements with multiple vendors will enable flexibility and timely responsiveness to meet technical temporary staffing and consulting needs with the most qualified candidates quickly, economically, and efficiently, resulting in consistent services to our County customers.
Discussion:
ISD anticipates multiple staff retirements over the next few years and may require short term assignments to back fill these positions to ensure continuity of service to ISD clients. Recruiting for these specialized needs has been challenging in our Bay Area market. This problem is not unique to Sonoma County; many government entities face difficulties competing for talent with private sector information technology employers. The Department's need for staffing and consulting services has also expanded as ISD continues to undertake programming and technical support for County-wide projects and initiatives. These complex systems require a high level of expertise in database applications and programming.
These staffing contracts are generally used when existing resources cannot address specialty needs or critical function coverage. Contract amounts provide flexibility and will not likely reach contract limits. The contracting will only occur when existing budgets are available to cover the expense. The contract expenditures are offset by fees charged for services, including general department client funded projects. Since January 2019, ISD has employed nine (9) temporary staff and one (1) contractor staff from outside agencies totaling approximately 7,000 hours.
Temporary staff will be hired through the contracts for 90-day limited-term assignments to augment current staff and assist on some project work. ISD also anticipates hiring consultants through these contracts as subject matter experts to meet technical needs for specific projects. They will perform development, implementation, and technical support functions along with training County staff for these strategic projects. Unlike temporary staff, consultants, as subject matter experts, can assist on a project for longer than a 90-day period of time.
To that end, on October 4, 2021 ISD released a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking firm(s) that are able to provide as-needed temporary staffing in a variety of technical job classifications, as well as, providing highly skilled consultants for special needs or projects quickly and efficiently.
The solicitation resulted in twenty-eight proposals. After a thorough weighted evaluation of the proposals, conducted by two Information Systems staff members and a member of Human Resources, four of the twenty-eight vendors were asked to participate in interviews by the evaluation panel. The evaluation criteria included vendor qualifications, recruiting methodology and processes, screening and assessment methodologies, and performance service guarantees. Thereafter, the evaluation panel selected three vendors to provide services as-needed and as requested within available appropriations. The final vendors selected were MGT of America Consulting, LLC, Tryfacta, Inc., and Nelson Technology.
ISD has held separate and distinct agreements with temporary and consulting services agencies since October 2008. County temporary staffing agencies contracted through the Human Resources Departments did not always meet technical needs for ISD. Human Resources and Purchasing concur with these separate and distinct agreements for professional services.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
2/21/2017 Item #13 Technical Staffing and Consulting Agreements
2/9/2014 - Item #40 Agreement with Hicks Professional Group
8/7/2012 -Item #5 Agreements with Hicks Professional Group and Signature Technology Group
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 21-22 Adopted |
FY22-23 Projected |
FY 23-24 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
$900,000 |
$900,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
|
$900,000 |
$900,000 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
$900,000 |
$900,000 |
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
|
$900,000 |
$900,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The expenditures for these contract services are already included in the Department's Fiscal Year 2022-23 recommended budget.
As stated above, each professional services agreement has a not-to-exceed amount of $900,000 for a three-year period to ensure sufficient capacity and provide flexibility in selecting candidates best suited to the needs of the particular assignment. The agreements also include options to extend two (2) one-year terms through June 30, 2027 for a total not-to-exceed amount of $300,000 per year. Vendors will not be guaranteed any minimum should services not be needed. Historically, expenditures have not exceeded budgeted amounts.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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|
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Attachment A: MGT Professional Services Agreement
Attachment B: Nelson Technologies Professional Services Agreement
Attachment C: Tryfacta Professional Services Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None