To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Water Agency, Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, Board of Commissions of the Community Development Commission, and Board of Directors of the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District
Department or Agency Name(s): Human Resources
Staff Name and Phone Number: Andrew Lemen, 707-565-2940
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Occupational Safety and Health Consulting Agreements
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Human Resources Director to execute agreements with the following nine providers: Briotix Health; BSI Services and Solutions; California Industrial Hygiene Services, Inc.; Futures Rehab, Inc.; Harris & Lee Environmental Sciences, LLC; Intrinsic Environment, Health and Safety; LG Consulting Solutions, Inc.; Rizikon, Inc., and Santa Rosa Junior College to provide occupational safety and health consultation services in various amounts from $75,000 up to $375,000 during the initial term effective January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026 with an option to enter into amendments to renew for two additional one-year terms increasing contract capacity not to exceed one third of the initial contract amount per year, per agreement.
end
Executive Summary:
The County of Sonoma has a long history of commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace in which to deliver governmental services beginning with safety program inception in 1956. In 2008, the Board adopted a Safety Management Policy and Safety Management Program that reaffirm the County’s commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace and defines the responsibilities of department, district and agency heads in implementing and administering the Safety Management Program.
There are circumstances that warrant the use of safety consultants with expertise in a particular area to develop programs and/or respond to workplace hazards. The selected consultants have specialized qualifications in the areas of occupational safety, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, environmental, regulatory compliance and/or training to address County employee safety needs.
The requested Board action authorizes the Human Resources Director to execute new master agreements for safety consulting services with nine vendors.
Discussion:
To ensure the County receives the best safety consulting and training services at the most competitive rates, and to ensure an adequate number of available resources for the County Safety Management Program, Human Resources conducted a Request for Proposals (RFP) on September 27, 2023. Nine proposals were received, and a comprehensive evaluation was conducted involving representatives of HR and County Counsel.
Safety Management Program includes provisions and methods that direct the development of effective programs to manage occupational health and safety, injury prevention, hazardous materials management, fire prevention, and emergency preparedness. These programs are developed based on the specific hazards and exposures for each worksite. Examples of specific safety programs include: Aerosol Transmissible Disease (ATD); Bloodborne Pathogens; Confined Space Entry; Construction Safety; Equipment Operation; Emergency Action Plans; Ergonomics; Fall Protection; Hearing Conservation Program; Indoor Air Quality; Infectious Disease Control; Injury & Illness Prevention Program; Lab Safety; Lead Exposure Control Program; and Respiratory Protection Program.
As a result of the selection process, HR recommends the County execute agreements, administered by the Human Resources Department with the following nine firms as it is believed that they are best qualified and, accordingly, most appropriate to meet both the anticipated and unanticipated needs of the County. The table below outlines each consultant and their contract dollar limits during the initial three year term.
|
Vendor Selected |
3-Year Contract Limit |
Description of Services |
|
Briotix Health |
$180,000 |
Body mechanics and Ergonomics Consultation and Training |
|
BSI Services and Solutions |
$150,000 |
General Occupational Health, Safety, Industrial Hygiene Services (Large Scale Response) |
|
California Industrial Hygiene Services |
$90,000 |
General Occupational Health, Safety, Industrial Hygiene Services (Indoor Environmental Quality and Lead Exposure Specialty) |
|
Futures Rehab, Inc. |
$90,000 |
Body Mechanics and Ergonomics Consultation and Training |
|
Harris & Lee Environmental Sciences, LLC |
$375,000 |
General Occupational Health, Safety, Industrial Hygiene Consultation & Training (Respiratory Protection, Fall Protection, Construction) |
|
Intrinsic Environment, Health and Safety |
$225,000 |
General Occupational Health, Safety, Industrial Hygiene Services (Policy/Program review, Aerosol Transmissible Disease, and site sampling) |
|
LG Consulting Solutions, Inc. |
$75,000 |
“Stop the Bleed”, CPR, First Aid Training |
|
Rizikon, Inc. |
$225,000 |
General Occupational Health, Safety, Industrial Hygiene Services (Large Scale Response) |
|
Santa Rosa Junior College |
$180,000 |
County Defensive Driving Training Provider (Hands on Training for General Defensive Driving & Refresher, Trailer Pulling & Refresher, Individual Driving Skills Services) |
These agreements are all fee-for-service contracts with no minimum amount of work guaranteed to any firm. Fees range from $90 to $460 per hour, depending on the level of expertise, experience, and area of specialty. With the establishment of a pool of qualified safety, industrial hygiene, environmental and training vendors, HR will be able to more appropriately provide County departments with the level and expertise needed.
The fee-for-service contracts range in various amounts from $75,000 up to $375,000 during the initial term effective January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026 with an option to enter into amendments to renew for two additional one-year terms and increase the maximum cap by an amount not to exceed one third of the initial contract amount per contract, per year at the discretion of the Human Resources Director in a form approved by Counsel.
Contract limits were set based on the historical spend amounts for similar services, the nature of services offered, and an inflationary increase overall of approximately 23% compared to prior agreements. High dollar contracts (Harris & Lee, Intrinsic, and Rizikon illustrated in the table above) offer a vast array of services for planned use by HR-Risk and growing usage by departments in relation to project work, unplanned activities, and disaster response.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
The Human Resources Department, Risk Management Division is responsible for the administration of the County’s Occupational Safety and Health Program, in compliance with California Code of Regulations, Title 8. As an employer, the County of Sonoma is committed to provide a safe and healthy workplace in which to deliver critical governmental services and to provide for the protection and well-being of County employees and the public. This aligns with the Strategic Plan’s Mission “To Enrich the Quality of Life in Sonoma County through Superior Public Service”.
Pillar: Organizational Excellence
Goal: Goal 1: Strengthen operational effectiveness, fiscal reliability, and accountability
Objective: Objective 4: Streamline routine administrative procedures and workflows and delegate more signature authority to department heads in order to re-direct work force resources to more strategic priorities.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
02/05/2019: Authorized agreements with Briotix Health, BSI Services and Solutions, California Industrial Hygiene Services, and Harris & Lee Environmental Sciences, LLC.
12/12/2017: Authorized amendments to agreements with Bickmore and Associates Inc., The Cohen Group, SCS Engineers, Briotix Health (formerly Ergo Concepts), Kathy Burwell, California Industrial Hygiene Services, Ergocation, and Harris & Lee Environmental Sciences, LLC, extending the term of each agreement an additional twelve months from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018.
12/8/2015: Authorized amendments to agreements with Bickmore and Associates Inc., California Industrial Hygiene Services, Environmental and Occupational Risk Management, Ergo Concepts, Ergocation, Harris & Lee Environmental Sciences, LLC, Kathy Burwell Consulting, the Cohen Group, and SCS Engineers for occupational safety, industrial hygiene, ergonomic and environmental safety services.
10/28/2014: Authorized amendments to agreements with Environmental and Occupational Risk Management, Ergocation, Harris & Lee Environmental Sciences, LLC, and Kathy Burwell Consulting.
12/4/2012: Authorized initial agreements with Bickmore and Associates, California Industrial Hygiene Services, Environmental and Occupational Risk Management, Ergo Concepts, Ergocation, Harris & Lee Environmental Sciences, LLC, Kathy Burwell Consulting, the Cohen Group, and SCS Engineers.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY23-24 Adopted |
FY24-25 Projected |
FY25-26 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$174,000 |
$350,000 |
$350,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$174,000 |
$350,000 |
$350,000 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
$174,000 |
$350,000 |
$350,000 |
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$174,000 |
$350,000 |
$350,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Costs associated with occupational safety and health consultation services provided by these agreements are budgeted in the Workers’ Compensation Internal Services Fund 51220; however, departments may request to utilize these services and fund them through their respective budgets.
The Workers’ Compensation Internal Services Fund is funded by an internal services payroll rate charged to General Fund and non-General Fund departments.
The cost of the agreements will be absorbed within existing budget appropriations in FY 2023-24. The costs for subsequent years will be included in the recommended budget process.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
N/A |
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
1. New agreement with Briotix Health
2. New agreement with BSI Services and Solutions
3. New agreement with California Industrial Hygiene Services
4. New agreement with Futures Rehab, Inc.
5. New agreement with Harris & Lee Environmental Sciences, LLC
6. New agreement with Intrinsic Environment, Health and Safety
7. New agreement with LG Consulting Solutions, Inc.
8. New agreement with Rizikon, Inc.
9. New agreement with Santa Rosa Junior College
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None