To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: Purchase Order with Quebit Consulting LLC and continue the International Passport Advantage Express Agreement with IBM for Cloud Services.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent, to execute, on behalf of the Public Works Department, a purchase order with Quebit Consulting LLC in an amount not to exceed $150,000, and the Public Works Director, or designee, to continue the International Passport Advantage Express Agreement with International Business Machines Corporation for cloud-based road project budgeting software for the period July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2029.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The cost to provide these services will be funded with local road funds. (100% Local Road Funds).
BACKGROUND:
In 2023, the Public Works Department (PWD) executed a purchase order with Quebit Consulting LLC to execute the International Passport Advantage Express Agreement with International Business Machines Corporation for cloud-based budgeting software for the period July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026, to manage the County’s Road Program budget and project data. Under the agreement, the PWD upgraded outdated software and moved budget and project data from aging, locally hosted servers to cloud-based servers, significantly streamlining complex budgeting processes, improving staff productivity, and providing more robust data backup and recoverability. The data are also used in production of the Capital Road Improvement and Preservation Program (CRIPP), a programming document that provides a strategic plan and schedule for engineering and maintenance work for the upcoming years. As program use continues and becomes increasingly familiar, additional process improvements are anticipated.
The PWD has determined that continuing to work with Quebit Consulting LLC is beneficial to the County for business continuity, and changing vendors at this juncture would provide no cost benefit to the County. During the 2023-2026 term, three (3) one-year purchase orders were issued; license rates increased ten percent (10%) annually. The PWD requested quotes for both one-year and three-year renewal terms and savings of approximately $10,000 can be realized available by choosing a three-year term. Additional savings will be made by negating the need for two additional purchase orders, removing costs of County staff time for processing.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the agreement is not approved by the Board, the PWD will need to explore other options for managing the County’s Road Program budget and project data, which may include purchasing new servers and software. The lengthy time required to research and procure this would cause significant delays in ongoing efforts to evaluate the road program and administer the large, complex transportation budget including maintenance and capital programs.