REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JENNIFER K. CLARK, AICP, Director
Planning and Development Department
BY: ROXANE MORSE, Business Manager
Planning and Development Department
CHRISTIAN CORS, Account-Auditor II
Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT
Title
Approve the award of a Services Agreement to ARC Document Solutions, Inc. of San Ramon, California to provide document imaging and indexing in an amount of $28,390 with a contingency not to exceed $10,000 (Bid File 12401718)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends Council approve the award of a Services Agreement to ARC Document Solutions, Inc. for document imaging and indexing services in an amount of $28,390.00 with a contingency not to exceed $10,000. Proposals were submitted and priced based on quantity estimates per page and file counts; therefore, actual proposal costs for the project could not be provided and requires a contingency to cover the overall cost.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Through the RFP process published on January 24, 2024, staff requested proposals from qualified and responsible vendors to provide document imaging and indexing services. A committee was selected and were provided seven proposals prior to the February 20, 2024, deadline. The committee met on March 11, 2024 to discuss and rate each proposal. Overall, the proposal from ARC Document Solutions, Inc. stood out as panelists noted several strengths in their proposal including, but not limited to:
1. Significant experience and resources in digitizing documents and administering similar services to public agencies;
2. Multiple facilities throughout California;
3. A guaranteed document retrieval within 24 hours;
4. Tracking every box using barcodes; and
5. Clear processes shown for each step of the project.
The committee concluded and determined that ARC Document Solutions, Inc. are the best value for the City of Fresno. ARC is a well-known company that scans and coordinates the archiving of documents, plan sheets, etc. for many cities, counties, and school districts nationwide including Fresno Unified School District, City of Sacramento, City of Stockton, Santa Clara County, California Department of Motor Vehicles and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Additionally, ARC provided the most economical and cost-effective rates for the overall proposals received. The committee unanimously agreed that ARC’s proposal demonstrated their ability to execute the program requirements outlined in the RFP and they are qualified to provide document imaging and indexing services.
BACKGROUND
As part of the previously required daily business operations of the Planning and Development Department, hard copies of files, plans, documents, permits, reports, etc. were generated and subsequently kept in perpetuity within City Hall. The department has approximately 250 boxes of files to maintain since the 1960s. Since 2020 the City of Fresno has converted most of its daily business activities to electronic submittals as it had to accommodate for the new change and keep up with the new industry standard. While staff anticipates maintaining the hard copy files in an off-site storage facility, the files, and documents, due to their age and exposure to the elements over the years they were deteriorating and taking up a lot of space. Furthermore, there is no backup to these documents, files, and plans should they be destroyed.
Through the RFP process staff requested proposals from qualified and responsible vendors to provide document imaging and indexing services and a review committee concluded ARC Document Solutions, Inc. (ARC) was the best value for the City of Fresno. ARC is a well-known company that scans and coordinates the archiving of documents, plan sheets, etc. for many cities, counties, and school districts nationwide. It is recommended that a contract between the City of Fresno and ARC Document Solutions be approved in the amount of $28,390.00 with a contingency not to exceed $10,000.
Once the documents, files and plans are scanned, indexed, and archived, the city will have an electronic version of the files for safekeeping and uploading into the departments permitting/planning software program for future use by staff and the public. Electronic files will also streamline the research process and assist with the Public Records Act for document retrieval. In addition, the hard copy files and documents will then be able to be stored away in boxes out of the elements, thus eliminating further damage to them and freeing up space in City Hall for other uses.
The awarded services will be required to provide document imaging and indexing for approximately 250 banker boxes.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, the award of this contract does not qualify as a “project” as defined by CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not applicable for this project.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funds are available in current budget allocation.
Attachments:
Signed Evaluation Form
Committee Report