Title
a. Retroactively approve the Agreement with Biddle Consulting Group, Inc., in the amount of $1,538 for the period January 1, 2015 to January 1, 2016;
b. Accept the non-standard County Liability and Indemnification Provisions pursuant to the recommendation of the Director of Emergency Communications;
c. Authorize the Contracts/Purchasing Officer to sign the Agreement with Biddle Consulting Group, Inc.; and
d. Authorize the Contracts/Purchasing Officer to sign annual maintenance of the software and upgrades of the software Agreements and/or Agreement extensions under similar terms and conditions, with annual dollar amounts not to exceed 10% of the original amount, through January 1, 2020.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Retroactively approve the Agreement with Biddle Consulting Group, Inc., in the amount of $1,538 for the period January 1, 2015 to January 1, 2016.
b. Accept the non-standard County Liability and Indemnification Provisions pursuant to the recommendation of the Director of Emergency Communications; and
c. Authorize the Contracts / Purchasing Officer to sign the Agreement with Biddle Consulting Group, Inc.
d. Authorize the Contracts / Purchasing Officer to sign annual maintenance of the software and upgrades of the software Agreements and/or Agreement extensions under similar terms and conditions, with annual dollar amounts not to exceed 10% of the original amount, through January 1, 2020.
SUMMARY / DISCUSSION:
The Emergency Communications Department (ECD) serves the County of Monterey by providing 9-1-1 emergency call taking and public safety dispatch services across the County. ECD evaluates applicants for positions as public safety dispatchers to determine their suitability for the call taking and dispatch environment. Biddle Consulting Group Inc. provides and supports the CritiCall Public Safety Dispatcher pre-employment software program used as part of applicant testing.
The initial Purchase Requisition for this service was approved during FY 2008/09. As had been the practice, in November 2014, ECD anticipated the renewal of their maintenance support contract as of January 5, 2015 and requested an invoice for service for the upcoming year from Biddle Consulting Group. The initial attempt to pay the invoice was unsuccessful due to the lack of a current contract. Biddle Consulting was requested to sign the County’s standard agreement and provide a Statement of Work and pricing information. The delay providing an acceptable contract has caused the payment in arrears.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Agreement has been reviewed by the Office of the County Counsel but has not been approved due to the existence of non-standard terms, specifically limited/lack of vendor liability, indemnification and/or warranty resulting from the use of their services and software.
FINANCING:
The annual cost of maintaining and supporting the training room are included in the annual operational costs of the Emergency Communications Department. The annual operating budget is derived through General Fund contributions, Dispatch Service Fees, Proposition 172 and grant funds when available. In any future year if funds are not available the agreement will not be extended
Prepared by: Lara Lee Pangburn, Administrative Services Assistant, (831)769-8883
Approved by: William Harry, Director of Emergency Communications, (831)769-8880
Attachments:
Biddle-County Agreement
Biddle-County Agreement Exhibit A Scope of Services-Payment Provisions.pdf
Biddle-County Agreement Exhibit B Criticall Annual Maintenance Contract.pdf
Biddle-County Agreement Exhibit C Criticall End User License Agreement.pdf