Title
a. Approve a Professional Services Agreement (Agreement) with Justice Works, L.L.C. (Contractor) to provide ongoing customer support for the case management system of the Office of the Public Defender in the amount of $30,000 for the period beginning July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
b. Authorize the Contracts/Purchasing Officer to execute the Professional Services Agreement and up to three (3) future amendments where the total amendments do not exceed 10% of the original contract amount, and do not significantly alter the scope of work or change the approved Agreement amounts. (ADDED VIA ADDENDUM)
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve a Professional Services Agreement (Agreement) with Justice Works, L.L.C. (Contractor) to provide ongoing customer support for the case management system of the Office of the Public Defender in the amount of $30,000 for the period beginning July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
b. Authorize the Contracts/Purchasing Officer to execute the Professional Services Agreement and up to three (3) future amendments where the total amendments do not exceed 10% of the original contract amount, and do not significantly alter the scope of work or change the approved Agreement amounts.
SUMMARY:
Justice Works, L.L.C. provides ongoing customer support for the Office of the Public Defender's client case management system. This agreement adds $30,000 for FY 2014-15 for a total amount of $210,000 in the aggregate.
DISCUSSION:
The Public Defender's Office contracted with Justice Works, L.L.C., formerly known as defenderData, L.L.C., in August 2007 after an exhaustive search for a vendor, in collaboration with the Superior Court, and the County IT and Purchasing Departments. Justice Works provides an internet-based system that replaced an internally developed database that could no longer meet the needs of the Department. This system includes an automated load routine for all case data transferred from Superior Court, which is a significant upgrade from the legacy system. It has enhanced office efficiency in terms of service to the public and maximizes utilization of staff resources. It also provides statistical reports and other customized reports that assist management in making administrative and programmatic decisions.
BACKGROUND:
The Public Defender's Office received Court case data via a link in the Court's Justice Partners' Website from December 2004 through July 2006. This data was uploaded to a basic Access case management system that supported the business processes of the Department. The link was cancelled effective July 1, 2006 due to an update of the Sustain Justice Partner Website. In addition, statutory and data privacy requirements that became effective at that time required the Courts to limit the data provided to the Department to those cases in which the attorney of record is a current or past member of the Public Defender staff. This required the Department to adopt a new download process or revert to manual processes to obtain data from the Justice Partners Website and enter it into the Public Defender Case Management System. Neither County IT nor any external vendor was allowed to design and implement a replacement process for the data extraction and download due to data ownership and authorization issues. The design and implementation of any new process had to come from the Superior Court. The Department needed to continue to receive court case data in an automated fashion for efficiency in the provision of customer service and to maximize utilization of its limited legal support staff. The Courts recognized the value of the data download and agreed to work with the Department, County IT, and the Contractor to revise the process. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Superior Court and the Office of the Public Defender included a one-time programming and implementation cost, an annual cost of $6,000 for ongoing system maintenance, and an hourly charge for additional services.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel and the Auditor-Controller have reviewed and approved this Agreement as to legal form and fiscal provisions respectively. All the insurance and indemnification terms are compliant with the standard requirements set forth by the Risk Manager with the exception of terms addressed in Exhibit B, which have been approved by Risk Management.
FINANCING:
The cost of this Agreement has been funded in the FY 2014-15 Adopted Budget.
Prepared by: Emilie Espinosa, Finance Manager, x5805
Approved by: James Egar, Public Defender, x5806
Attachments:
Exhibit A - Scope of Services/Payment Provisions
Exhibit B - Insurance Exemptions/Modifications
Exhibit C - FY 2013-14 Agreement Renewal
Exhibit D - FY 2010-13 Agreement
Exhibit E - Amendment #1, Vendor Incorporation
Exhibit F - FY 2007-10 Initial Agreement