To: Board of Supervisors
From: Warren Lai, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Report Title: APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent to execute an amendment to a participating addendum with EPIC Business Essentials
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent, or designee, to execute, on behalf of the County, an amendment to a participating addendum with EPIC Business Essentials, LLC, and amendments to blanket purchase orders with AAA Business Supplies and Interiors and Blaisdell’s Business Products, to extend the terms of the participating addendum and purchase orders by one year, through May 31, 2025, with no change to the payment limits or remaining terms, for office supplies required by County departments. (No fiscal impact)
FISCAL IMPACT:
No Fiscal Impact.
BACKGROUND:
Contra Costa County’s Purchasing Services Division desires to continue offering County departments the opportunity to make office supply purchases from AAA Business Supplies and Interiors (AAA) and Blaisdell’s Business Products (“Blaisdell’s”). AAA and Blaisdell’s are independent distributors of EPIC Business Essentials, LLC (EPIC), and distribute office supplies on EPIC’s behalf under the terms of a cooperative purchasing contract between EPIC and Region 4 Educational Service Center, a Texas public agency (Region 4 ESC). The County and EPIC entered into a participating addendum to allow the County to obtain favorable pricing under that cooperative purchasing contract. Under the participating addendum, purchases are fulfilled by AAA and Blaisdell’s. The participating addendum with EPIC, the purchase orders issued to AAA and Blaisdell’s, and the cooperative purchasing contract between EPIC and Region 4 ESC all were set to expire May 31, 2024, but the cooperative purchasing contract and participating addendum each provided for up to five one-year extensions.
In August 2023, Region 4 ESC exercised its first extension of the cooperative purchasing contract with EPIC, through May 31, 2025. To ensure County departments can continue to purchase office supplies on favorable terms, the participating addendum with EPIC will be extended through May 31, 2025, with the possibility of up to four additional one-year extensions, and the purchase orders with AAA and Blaisdell’s will be extended through May 31, 2025, as well.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Without these amendments, the participating addendum with EPIC Business Essentials, and blanket purchase orders with AAA Business Supplies and Interiors and Blaisdell’s, will expire May 31, 2024.