To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marc Shorr, Information Technology Director
Report Title: Contract amendment with Robert Half International, Inc.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Chief Information Officer, or designee, to execute a contract amendment with Robert Half International, Inc., to increase the payment limit by $2,000,000 to a new payment limit of $12,000,000 and extend the term through June 30, 2024 to provide temporary technical support staffing.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The cost will be charged to County departments that utilize the services of this contract. (100% User Departments)
BACKGROUND:
The information technology positions within the County continue to have a high vacancy rate despite the efforts by the Human Resources Department to recruit to fill vacancies. Public sector employment is facing some of the most significant hiring challenges of any segment in today’s hyper competitive job market. An exodus of workers to the private sector, increased competition in the job market, and a rise in job openings due to retirements have combined to force public sector HR departments into a hiring spin cycle. The Human Resources Department continues to post County-wide job openings to fill current vacancies within DoIT as well as other departments, however, the need for qualified job candidates leaves the County with a staffing shortage.
A 2022 survey conducted by NeoGov, the County’s online applicant tracking and onboarding vendor, cites that there has been a 45% increase in public sector job openings and a 56% decrease in applicants per job posting. On average, only 14.3 job seekers applied for every open job posting and that number does not consider whether the applicants even meet the minimum qualifications for the position. The trend for today’s job seekers is to look outside of public sector employment for higher pay and more flexible work options and the current public sector employee isn’t afraid to leave for better opportunities elsewhere.
Adding to the staffing dilemma is the fact that technology requests to support County business have increased significantly, which has required more staff or different skills sets to both maintain systems and implement new technologies. DoIT, as well as other County departments that leverage this contract, including the Employment and Human Services Department, the Public Works Department, the District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Child Support Services, the Library and most recently the Health Services Department, has joined the group of departments that are utilizing this service to achieve their business needs and to support their existing staff where there are vacancies.
DoIT is currently working with the Purchasing Division of the Public Works Department to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit proposals from other staffing agencies within the area who provide temporary staffing services and are interested in partnering with Contra Costa County. Once the proposals have been received, a qualifications appraisal board will be convened to rate those the proposals to determine which agency(ies) best meet the needs of the County. A recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to approve a contract(s) will be forthcoming within the next several months.
On January 9, 2024, a meeting was conducted with the Labor representatives, resulting in a mutual agreement for the Department of Information Technology (DOIT) to proceed with the Robert Half amendment. This collaborative decision underscores the commitment to advancing operational objectives through cooperative efforts between the parties involved.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this request is not approved, County departments will continue to function understaffed which will impact project delivery for current and future County wide projects, service delivery for daily operations and may impede critical monitoring activity to guard against cyber-attacks.