To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Contract Amendment #23-274-18 with Echo Consulting Services of California, Inc.
Recommendation: Recommendation of the County Administrator
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Health Services Director, or designee, to execute on behalf of the County Contract Amendment No. 6 to Agreement #23-274-12 with Echo Consulting Services of California, Inc., a corporation, effective July 1, 2026, to increase the payment limit by $290,367, from $5,326,000 to a new payment limit of $5,616,367, for maintenance and support of vendor’s behavioral health accounting and scheduling software with no change in the successive one (1) year periods until terminated.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this Contract Amendment will result in additional annual expenditures of up to $290,367 as budgeted by the department and funded 100% by Hospital Enterprise Fund I.
BACKGROUND:
This Contract meets the needs of the County’s Behavioral Health Department by providing a billing system. Since 1999, the Department has used the Echo Insyst System to process the Department’s Behavioral Health Divisions’ client registrations, service charges, billing, accounts receivable, and scheduling function. On December 6, 2016, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract #23-274-12 in the amount of $1,900,000 with Echo Consulting Services of California, Inc., to replace the Insyst system with the Echo ShareCare System and to provide hardware, software, support, maintenance, and implementation services for Echo ShareCare System for the Behavioral Health Division’s billing system for the period from December 15, 2016, through June 30, 2019. Contract #23-274-12 is governed by the Master Information System Agreement (MISA) by and between Echo Consulting Services of California, Inc., d/b/a The Echo Group, and Contra Costa County. The MISA is effective beginning December 6, 2016, and will remain in effect until terminated. The MISA includes the terms under which Echo Consulting Services of California, Inc. provides services to the County. Health Services Personnel approved this Contract to ensure no conflicts with labor relations. This Contractor was approved by the Public Works Department’s Purchasing Department on May 7, 2026.
On December 6, 2016, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract #23-274-12 with Echo Consulting Services of California Inc., in an amount not to exceed $1,900,000 for the provision of hardware, software, maintenance, and implementation services for vendor’s Echo ShareCare System for the Behavioral Health Division’s billing system, for the period from December 15, 2016 through June 30, 2019.
On January 23, 2018, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract Amendment #23-274-13 with Echo Consulting Services of California, Inc., effective January 1, 2018, to include InSyst support and maintenance services with no change in the payment limit of $1,900,000 and no change in the original term of December 15, 2016 through June 30, 2019.
On May 8, 2018, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract Amendment #23-274-14 with Echo Consulting Services of California, Inc., effective May 1, 2018, to increase the payment limit by $247,500 to a new payment limit of $2,147,500 for additional InSyst support and maintenance services, with no change in the original term of December 15, 2016 through June 30, 2019.
On July 9, 2019, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract Amendment #23-274-15 with Echo Consulting Services of California, Inc., effective July 1, 2019, to increase the payment limit by $1,450,000 to a new payment limit of $3,597,000 and to extend the termination date from June 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022 for additional maintenance and support of ShareCare software.
On August 2, 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract Amendment #23-274-16 with Echo Consulting Services of California, Inc., effective June 30, 2022, to increase the payment limit by $1,202,500 to a new payment limit of $4,800,000 and to extend the termination date from June 30, 2022 to December 31, 2024 for additional maintenance and support of ShareCare software.
On December 17, 2024, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract Amendment #23-274-17 with Echo Consulting Services of California, Inc., effective December 31, 2024, to increase the payment limit by $526,000 to a new payment limit of $5,326,000 and to extend the Contract term for successive one (1) year period until terminated, for maintenance and support of ShareCare software.
Approval of Contract Amendment #23-274-18 will allow the Contractor to provide additional software support and maintenance services for the ShareCare system through June 30, 2027. The Agreement shall continue for successive one (1) year periods until terminated. The Division is requesting a retroactive effective date for this Contract due to delays caused by Contractor’s limited responsiveness to requests for additional information and documentation.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Contract Amendment is not approved, the County will not receive ShareCare support and maintenance services from the Contractor, which could negatively affect billing and services provided by the Behavioral Health Division, including non-compliance with Department of Health Care Services mandated reporting, resulting in Corrective Action Plan and potential sanctions.