HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12032002 - SD7 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier ,. Contra
Costati
DATE: DecemberAr, 2002
County
SUBJECT: Opening and Standardizing Contract Services
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION: Direct the County Administrator to develop guidelines to standardize
the County's Request for Proposals for contract services. Included in the guidelines should be a
mechanism to trigger performance reviews and the re-issuance of an RFP for multi-year
contracts.
It is the intent of the Board of Supervisors to ensure that the County has an open and fair bidding
process for contracted services and that its RFP process stands up to public scrutiny. Currently,
there is a concern that some multi-year contracts are rolled-over at the end of the agreement
period rather than being sent back out for bid thus becoming perpetual contracts.
In addition the County purchases a wide variety of goods and services annually and while
typically a contract of$75,000 or$100,000 could trigger a Request for Proposals, it doesn't
always and there is no standardized process when it does.
BACKGROUND: Many cities and counties throughout the state and nation are reforming and
standardizing their contracting process to make sure the parameters for bidding on contracts are
competitive and that the public is receiving the best service or product for the best price. Whether
it's the private sector or the public sector,procurement extends beyond the actual cost of goods
and services. It is the ability of the organization to perform its primary mission,which for
counties is delivering services to constituents.
Last year,the City of Chicago implemented the Chicago Procurement Accountability and Control
(CPAC). The initiative was co-sponsored by the City's law Department and demonstrates how
government can adopt the best practices of private industry. Chicago's re-engineered contracting
process was achieved through the use of technology,procurement teams,cycle time reductions
and an on-going focus on MBE and WBE inclusion. This system uses "procurement teams"that
compile a list of contracts in their area and determine how the contracts are to be prioritized and
managed. Under Chicago's City Ordinance,the formal RFP process kicks in for contracts for
goods or services with a value greater than$10,000,
In the County of Los Angeles,the Board of Supervisors must award service contracts over
$100,000.For architect, engineer, and construction contracts, that figure is $75,000 and cost-
effective service privatization contracts the figure is anything over$25,004. Nearly all the
information required for doing business with L.A. County can be found on-line under the heading
"Doing Business with Us."The site includes policies and standard terms and conditions as well
as registration information for potential vendors.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT, YES SIGNATURE: � ga.
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMME ATION OF BOARD COMMITTE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATITR
ACTION OF BOARD ON December 3. 2002 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER X
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS See attached
V&RTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
XX UNANIMOUS(ABSENT Bone 3 AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON TIME MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ATTESTED December 3, 2002
JOHN SWEETEN,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
Contact:
cc: o
1%0 BY DEPUTY
l�.T,J•-t�.
ADDENDUM TO ITEM S D.7 T
December 3, 2002
On this date, Superz iso-,DeSm nfer presented background int-on-nation concerning the openI
and szanda diving of contract services, and he eeulaned tale -intent oftl;is request is to strealiillne
a process to bake sure that there is soine kiiid of performance re ievvs that are standardized and
,-' assure that community based orcrani at,ons or contractors have the abilit�7 to 'participate in a
con-ipetltive nature. Supervisor DeSaulrner moved the recommendation directing the Count"Y
Administrator to develop guidelines to standardize the Count",s- Request for Proposals for
contract seri ices.
Supt=.�.Jiso-DeSaulnier also directed the C i u iY) Adrninistrators staff to returi,to the Board in si_;i.
Tit7nt' s v isci sortie pronosais and to outreac, with the Coi;tra. CC?sta Cotitractor'b Alliance and
other con-imunity based LrManiZati Jns.
Silpe 'rsoi" { iota'iegi-Tested that tYie purchase order process he ;revikev ed, particularly those
purchase orders that are renewed under the thres-hold amounts.
Su;-f r-isor Gerber also recommended that the report should include an este ate of the cost;fcr
additlonal procedural require nents in tern-is of the benefits arid the cost.
The rnot on "tii'as Seconded IJV Supervisor Glover,
It ir= by the Boar d orderea .'nat: ale (ti`r}.my Adi-n n strator is DIItL� TED d � ri s to
to evelo .iiide,'i -e
standardize the County's request to,- proposals 'RFP) process for recrwitinQ contract services,
that the County Administrator is DIRECTED to re[urn to the Board in six months With, sortie
proposals and to outreach -vlth the Contra Costa. contractor's Alliance and other Community
based organizations, and it is REQITESTED that:the purchase order process he rej'iewea'
part•cularly those purchase orders that are renewed cinder die threshold amounts, and it is further
R—F-.QI BESTED that the County Adinitit stratoCs report. include an estiniate of the cost for
additional procedural recquirements in terms of the benefits and tie cost.