To: Board of Supervisors
From: Anna Roth, Health Services Director
Report Title: Amendment #23-597-5 with Bitfocus, Inc.
☒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 Contract Amendment Agreement #23-597-5 with Bitfocus, Inc., a Nevada corporation, effective November 28, 2023, to amend Contract #23-597-4, to increase the payment limit by $90,000, from $285,942 to a new payment limit of $375,942 with no change in the term of October 18, 2022, through October 17, 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this amendment will result in additional annual expenditures of up to $90,000 and will be funded as budgeted by the department in FY 2023-24, by 100% by Hospital Enterprise Fund I.
BACKGROUND:
In October 2016, the county and contractor entered into a Software and Services Agreement to implement the contractor’s hosted Clarity Human Services Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), including software licensing, hosting, and support. The agreement meets the social needs of the county’s population by providing a streamlined case management, outreach, and coordination entry system accessible by the County’s Health, Housing, and Homeless Services Unit and its collaborative partners. Ad-hoc reporting and data analysis features help the county provide a solid foundation for whole-person care services and evidence-based decision-making for its homeless population.
This contract complies with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as Amended by S. 896 Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009, subject to California Government Code §31000 and approved by Health Services Personnel to ensure non-conflict with labor relations. In 2018, to meet the needs for this service, the Health, Housing, and Homeless Services Division solicited other HMIS software products (ServicePoint, ClientTrack, and CaseWorthy). Bitfocus, Inc., the current software service provider, was given a sole-source contract for its system for benefits such as its holistic approach regarding modules and reports and cost savings realized by not changing products.
On January 10, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract #23-597-4, with Bitfocus, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $285,942 for the provision of licensing, hosting, and support of the contractor’s HMIS application to provide software licensing, hosting, and support, to the Health Services Department’s Information Systems Unit, for the period from October 18, 2022, through October 17, 2025.
Approval of Contract Amendment Agreement #23-597-5 will allow the contractor to provide additional services related to software licensing, hosting, and support for their HMIS application through October 17, 2025.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Contract is not approved, the Health Services Department’s Information Systems Unit will not receive the software support and maintenance services needed for Homeless Management Information System application.