To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Contract #74-679-1 with Relias LLC
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Health Services Director, or designee, to execute on behalf of the County an Order Form (County Contract #74-679-1) with Relias LLC, a limited liability company, in an amount not to exceed $173,192 to provide behavioral health compliance and performance training software and support for the period from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 for Contra Costa Health Behavioral Health Services (CCBHS).
FISCAL IMPACT:
This Contract will result in contractual service expenditures of up to $173,192 over a 2-year period and will be funded 100% by Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funds.
BACKGROUND:
This Contract meets the needs of the County by executing a formal agreement for CCBHS’ renewal of the Relias Learning Management System (LMS). The LMS allows CCBHS to automate processes to provide, monitor, track, and report compliance to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), including staff-mandated training compliance regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and cultural humility, adhering to statutory requirements including the Behavioral Health Information Notice (BHIN) 22-064, Welfare and Institutions Code Section 14132.57, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319); allowing staff direct access to the Relias electronic LMS to complete the required training.
The LMS also provides training to CCBHS and contracted Community-Based Organization (CBO) agency staff to fulfill licensing and continuing education requirements and meet criteria set by various behavioral health licensing boards, to track training compliance in other areas such as 5150/Lanterman-Petris-Short Act procedures, State mandated Crisis Training for staff working in the Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime (A3) Miles Hall Crisis Call Center, and training related to billing procedures for Medi-Cal, particularly with the implementation of California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), while affording the ability to create internal training specific to CCBHS, such as new employee orientation, cybersecurity, and billing procedures with modules accredited by licensing boards such as the California Board of Registered Nursing, California Board of Behavioral Sciences, American Psychological Association, California Association of Drug Educators, California Association of DUI Treatment Programs, and California Consortium of Addiction Program & Professionals.
CCBHS began issuing purchase orders to Relias for its LMS in 2013 for its extensive online library of virtual pre-recorded training tailored to the behavioral health field, automated reminder function, and the ability to automate reoccurring reports. This Contractor was approved by the Public Works Department’s Purchasing Division on June 11, 2025. CCBHS will monitor measurable service contract deliverables regarding its access to the software maintenance and support services in compliance with Section III(B)(7) of the Purchasing Policy. Contra Costa Health Personnel approved this contract renewal to ensure no conflict with labor relations.
On August 1, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved the Mental Health Services Act Three-Year Program and Expenditure Plan, Fiscal Years 2023-2026, that included a Workforce Education and Training (WET) component, to expand training and outlined the need for specialized training due to the implementation of CalAIM. Training expansion efforts for CalAIM include CCBHS and CBO staff and caused the need for more virtual seats in the LMS to train staff on new billing processes. Funds approved in the Mental Health Services Act Three-Year Program and Expenditure Plan, Fiscal Years 2023-2026, were allocated for WET to support these training needs for CalAIM.
Under this Contract #74-679-1, the parties will execute an Order Form under the July 2023 Master Services Agreement (MSA) obligating the County to indemnify Relias for violation of the acceptable use provisions, confidentiality, infringement of a third party's intellectual property rights, and County’s use or reliance on the services and provided content. Relias' liability under the contract is limited to the fees paid during the twelve months preceding the claim, excluding its indemnification and confidentiality obligations under the MSA.
Approval of Contract #74-679-1 will allow the Contractor to provide services through June 30, 2027. The Division is requesting a retroactive effective date due to an administrative oversight caused by staffing vacancies.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Contract is not approved, CCBHS will lose its subscription to the LMS, causing non-compliance with training housed in the LMS, such as HIPAA and cultural humility training. Additionally, County and CBO staff will lose access to training regarding the new billing processes required under the CalAIM implementation. CCBHS may lose funding, as staff would not be trained in the most recent billing processes, making it difficult to be reimbursed for Medi-Cal services.