REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
June 25, 2020
FROM: JENNIFER K. CLARK, Director
Planning and Development Department
BY: SUMMER CECIL, Project Manager
Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the City of Fresno Accela Land Management System:
1. Approve the First Amendment to the Consulting Services Agreement with Accela, Inc., effective July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023 for a 3-year licensing renewal, implementation, and maintenance of the Accela Land Management System in the amount of $771,920.55.
2. Approve the Third Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement with Byrne Software Technologies, Inc., for professional services for Accela Land Management Support. The amendment is a request to extend the contract term length to June 30, 2021 with no additional allocation of funding.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council authorize the City Manager or designee to sign the First Amendment to the Consulting Services Agreement between the City of Fresno and Accela effective July 1, 2020 to June 20, 2023 to provide for a 3-year licensing renewal for implementation and maintenance of the existing land management system. Total cost for the 3-year renewal is $771,920.55, paid on an annual basis.
Staff also recommends City Council authorize the Director of Planning and Development or designee to sign the Third Amendment to the Consulting Services Agreement with Byrne Software Technologies, Inc. to extend the contract term length to June 30, 2021, with no additional funding, to continue providing technical support for the land management system.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2016, after the implementation of the Mayor’s Business Friendly Fresno (BFF) initiative, Accela Civic Platform LMS was selected as the new land management system for the City of Fresno. This amendment will allow for the continued implementation and maintenance of the Land Management System in which multiple divisions utilize.
In addition to the implementation and maintenance services that Accela offers through their licensing agreements, Byrne Software Technologies has provided additional support in configuration and customization within the system. These ongoing consulting services include assistance with training, custom scripts, reports, workflow changes, new record types, and quick fixes in the Accela system for the following: Building and Safety, Public Works, Public Utilities, Current Planning, Code Enforcement, and the Fire Department. Planning and Development is seeking continued expert assistance for enhancements to continue to improve the function of Accela for all divisions. Planning and Development will be undertaking a substantial software version upgrade and will require Byrne’s expertise to navigate through the implementation of the upgrade.
BACKGROUND
The City of Fresno entered into a contract with Accela in June of 2016 and went live with the system in April of 2018. This First Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement with Accela will allow the continued use, implementation, configuration, and integration of the land management services. Currently, Code Enforcement, Planning and Development, Public Utilities, Public Works, City Administration, and City Council offices all hold a portion of the 315 licenses available.
Additionally, for further implementation and configuration support, in Fiscal Year 2019, $150,000 was allocated for consulting services for Accela system enhancements; Byrne was the chosen service provider. This contract was approved by Council in October of 2018. A First Amendment was then entered into April 4, 2019 to increase the total contract amount by an additional $200,000. A Second Amendment was then entered into December 31, 2019 to increase the total contract amount by an additional $100,000.
Byrne has delivered continued expert assistance with system enhancements in order to continue to improve the functionality of this system. Byrne also provides assistance with day-to-day troubleshooting issues and making minor workflow changes as needed, while also providing training to staff on how to respond to and correct these smaller programmatic issues.
As part of this Third Amendment, Byrne will continue to develop scripts, reports and other technical deliverables on an as-needed basis; assist the City with the transition into the new Accela software Version 10; and continue to provide scripting training to programming staff.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15478, this item does not qualify as a “project” for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because these are amendments to existing agreements.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total contract amount of $771,920.55 will be paid on an annual basis as shown in Attachment 4 through the General City Purpose Fund.
Attachments:
1. Accela Original Contract
2. Accela First Amendment
3. Byrne Original Contract
4. Byrne Third Amendment