To: Board of Supervisors
From: Alison McKee, County Librarian
Report Title: Novation with Imperial County Office of Education for high-speed networking services through June 30, 2026
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the County Librarian, or designee, to execute a contract, including mutual indemnification, with Imperial County Office of Education in an amount not to exceed $364,943, annually, to provide county libraries with high-speed networking services, for the period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
100% Library Fund. The annual payment will be $364,943. Applied e-Rate discounts will reduce the payment by $291,954 to make the annual net cost $72,989.
BACKGROUND:
On May 12, 2020, the Board authorized the County Librarian to execute a contract, including mutual indemnification, with Califa Group, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $378,706 annually, to provide county libraries with high-speed networking services, for the period of March 18, 2020, through March 18, 2025. The Califa Group, Inc. provided these services acting on behalf of the California State Library as part of the California State Library Broadband Services Project.
On March 3, 2022, the California State Library appointed Columbia Telecommunications Corporation (dba CTC Technology and Energy) to provide these services in place of the Califa Group. On November 30, 2022, the County Librarian signed a novation with CTC and Califa Group acknowledging and agreeing that Califa, on behalf of the California State Library, has transferred and assigned its duties and responsibilities of the Statewide Broadband Aggregator to CTC pursuant to the terms of the grant program administered by the California State Library. This novation was signed with the understanding that it was an intermediate step to executing a new contract with CTC in 2023.
On January 1, 2024, the California State Library appointed Imperial County Office of Education to provide these services in place of CTC. Upon approval from the Board, the County Librarian will sign a novation, effective July 1, 2024, with Imperial County Office of Education and CTC acknowledging and agreeing that CTC, on behalf of the California State Library, has transferred and assigned its duties and responsibilities of the Statewide Broadband Aggregator to Imperial County Office of Education pursuant to the terms of the grant program administered by the California State Library.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The Library will not be able to provide Internet access in library facilities to the residents of
Contra Costa County.