To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Information Systems and Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector
Staff Name and Phone Number: Dan Fruchey 565-2703, Erick Roeser 565-3295
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Agreement with Bluemont Consulting, LLC to Provide Technical Services and Support for the Enterprise Financial System (EFS)
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Information Systems Director and Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector to amend the existing professional services agreement with Bluemont Consulting, LLC for technical services and support for the Enterprise Financial System (EFS), in an amount not to exceed $1,662,500 for the period of October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2027. This period includes a three-year agreement with two (2) options to extend the term of the Agreement for an additional one (1) year each.
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Executive Summary:
The Enterprise Financial System (EFS) provides integrated accounting, procurement, and budgeting functions countywide and is supported by functional and technical staff from the Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector Office (ACTTC) and Information Systems Department (ISD), supplemented with a contracted technical resource through Bluemont Consulting, LLC (BC). The existing BC resource has been with EFS since the original implementation effort and is a subject matter expert in the PeopleSoft Financials and Supply Chain Management applications; specifically, as to how the applications are installed, configured, and customized to meet the specific business requirements and needs of the county as a whole, individual county department, and other governmental entities utilizing EFS.
Discussion:
The County of Sonoma has supplemented existing technical resources in supporting the Enterprise Financial System (EFS) with specialized contracted technical support services since the implementation of EFS in 2014. The consultant for which this contract extension is being requested originally provided support services as a consultant under the existing managed services agreement with Cherry Road Technologies, and later established an independent contract with the Information Systems Department, who provides technical support services to EFS. ISD and ACTTC are seeking to extend the existing contract to ensure continuity of systems operations and enhancement.
Having been with EFS since the original implementation effort, the BC resource is a subject matter expert in the PeopleSoft Financials and Supply Chain Management applications; specifically, as to how the applications are installed, configured, and customized to meet the specific business requirements and needs of the county as a whole, individual county department, and other governmental entities utilizing EFS
Retention of the BC resource is critical to the EFS Support Organization, especially within the current environment of multiple ‘legacy’ support members having retired or known to be retiring in the very near future, which detrimentally impacts the ability to provide timely, knowledgeable, and experienced system support and enhancement. Extending the base service agreement with BC ensures continuity of critical knowledge and experience and serves to mitigate the loss of institutional knowledge leaving the support organization. Continued collaboration with, and support of, the existing County EFS resources is desired due to the critical nature of ensuring a stable and secure accounting and reporting platform. This will also provide a dedicated, knowledgeable, and experienced resource to support new EFS Support Organization staff members and to provide crucial knowledge transfer services to both technical and functional staff.
Key functions provided by BC include:
• Primary liaison with Oracle (creator of the software in use)
o Primary resource for researching and troubleshooting all technical matters which cannot be resolved by County resources
o Point of contact for all service requests with Oracle
o Translates technical specifications from vendor to functional requirements for staff
o Oversees implementation of change requests
o Monitors product updates, releases, and features and identifies solutions to offer business process improvement and/or resolve system bugs
• Provides project management for upgrade events
• Assists in training of staff on system functionality
• Provides direct end user operational support
The proposed amendment, consistent with current practice, will be billed to EFS as part of the monthly ISD service billings and will be financed through existing internal service rates capacity. The proposed hourly rate is slightly above the current ISD hourly rate of $150, but well within the established billing structure. Refer the payment schedule below for hourly rates and annual spending thresholds.
|
Year |
Rate/Hr. |
Hours |
Total |
|
Year 1 |
165 |
1900 |
$313,500.00 |
|
Year 2 |
170 |
1900 |
$323,000.00 |
|
Year 3 |
175 |
1900 |
$332,500.00 |
|
Year 4 |
180 |
1900 |
$342,000.00 |
|
Year 5 |
185 |
1900 |
$351,500.00 |
|
|
|
Contract Total |
$1,662,500.00 |
The proposed annual increase in the hourly billing rate represents approximately a 3% annual increase and is reasonable in light of the current economic environment, is in line with Social Security COLA history, and takes into consideration that the current agreement does not address salary escalation and has remained static since October 2019.
The proposed amendment will continue to be a partnership between ACTTC and ISD staff and if approved will be co-managed by the two departments. The continued utilization of BC is due to the specific expertise of the key staff that will be providing services under the agreement. This individual has provided technical support to EFS throughout the two phases of implementation, the upgrade, and the annual catch-up events. This individual is uniquely qualified in that they have both expert level technical skills in all of the EFS applications coupled with an extremely in-depth understanding of County practices and processes. This particular combination of skills and knowledge is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to find and has been supported by County Purchasing.
Prior Board Actions:
9/24/2019 Agreement with Bluemont Consulting, LLC to Provide Technical Services and Support for the Enterprise Financial System (EFS).
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 22-23 Adopted |
FY23-24 Projected |
FY 24-25 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$285,000 |
$320,115 |
$329,430 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
21,375 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$306,375 |
$320,115 |
$329,430 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
$306,375 |
$320,115 |
$329,430 |
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$306,375 |
$320,115 |
$329,430 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The requested not-to-exceed amount of the proposed agreement is $1,662,500 for an initial three-year term of October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2025. Which will also fund the two one-year options to extend. The proposed agreement will be funded utilizing the existing EFS internal service rate structure.
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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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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None