REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: BILLY ALCORN, Fire Chief
Fire Department
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the Fresno Fire Department’s Scheduling, Evaluation and Learning Management systems:
1. Affirm the City Manager's determination that Vector Solutions is uniquely qualified to provide software for Scheduling, Evaluations and Learning Management System
2. Renew Vector Solutions software license for Scheduling, Evaluations and Learning Management System (LMS) in to a 5-year contract, not to exceed $335,735
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends Council approve the uniquely qualified memo from City Manager’s Office to renew Vector Solutions software license for Scheduling, Evaluations and Learning Management System (LMS) into a five (5) year contract, not to exceed $335,735 based on unique features and continuity of operations.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Fire Department (Department) has been using Vector Solutions software for the past 14 years with great success and would like to continue with the same platform. The Learning Management System and Evaluations + modules have ensured that the Department remains compliant with all government regulations regarding delivering training and tracking performance management and accountability. The scheduling module was implemented 4 years ago and is an essential day to day tool used to track department wide personnel time as well as perform hiring functions to maintain minimum daily staffing levels. These modules were previously all processed on two separate agreements. The Department would like to combine both agreements into a single contract that includes all services to meet the City purchasing guidelines.
BACKGROUND
The Fire Department (Department) has been using various modules of Vector Solutions software for 14 years. It began in 2009 with the Learning Management System (LMS) and Evaluations + modules formally provided by Target Solutions. The LMS is designed specifically for the public safety and fire service sectors. Due to the unique characteristics and demands of the Department as a public health and safety agency, firefighters are unable to attend routinely scheduled training courses provided by the City. LMS allows Department members to continue meeting not only the training needs of the City but also comply with NFPA standards for training as well as track and report hours for compliance with contracts which reimburse the department for training hours. In addition, LMS maintains a course library that features over 450 hours of fire training which includes 250 hours of accredited CAPCE training and 60 hours of OSHA safety training covering HIPAA, CDC, and first aid.
As an Accredited Local Academy through the California State Fire Marshal and State Board of Fire Services, the Department must adhere to stringent training and performance monitoring guidelines for its trainees. The Evaluations + modules enables the Department to readily design a variety of performance evaluations that comply with State Fire Trainings requirement for reporting accurate results.
In 2019, the Department moved from a server-based staffing program (Telestaff) to a cloud-based program (CrewSense, now called Vector Scheduling). The reason for this move was operationally driven. Telestaff was phasing out the support for the version being used by the Department and issues with access to the information being limited caused delays in meeting staffing needs.
Each of these modules has been individually processed on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. Now that Vector Solutions is the intellectual property owner of all three programs, the department is moving towards a single consolidated annual agreement to meet City purchasing guidelines.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This item is not a project as defined by CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
This contract would be awarded as uniquely qualified, meaning local preference would not apply since there is a single provider of the specified software.
FISCAL IMPACT
The contract will be part of General Fund requests each budget year for FY 2025, FY 2026, FY 2027, and FY 2028. The budgetary need is $67,147 per year for each of the five fiscal years.
Attachment: Vendor Agreement with Vector Solutions
UQ Memo - CMO Approval