REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
October 11, 2018
FROM: JENNIFER K. CLARK AICP, Director
Development and Resource Management
THROUGH: MIKE SANCHEZ AICP, Assistant Director
Development and Resource Management
By: BONIQUE EMERSON AICP, Planning Manager
Development Services Division, Development and Resource Management
SUBJECT
Title
Authorize the Director of the Development and Resource Management Department or designee to sign the Consulting Services Agreement for $150,000 with Byrne Software Technologies, Inc. effective September 28, 2018, to December 31, 2019, for Professional services for Accela System Support.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the Director of the Development and Resource Management (DARM) Department or designee to sign the Consulting Services Agreement between the City of Fresno and Byrne Software Technologies, Inc. (Byrne) effective September 28, 2018, to December 31, 2019, in an amount not to exceed $150,000; and authorize the Director of DARM or designee to extend this contract by $50,000 through a contract amendment, if needed.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno DARM Department has requested Byrne to provide Accela consulting services for a 16-month term. These 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 and Public Utilities, Current Planning, Code Enforcement, Neighborhood Revitalization, Reactive Rental Housing, and the Fire Department. DARM is seeking continued expert assistance for enhancements to continue to improve the function of the City’s new Land Management system (Accela).
BACKGROUND
The City of Fresno entered into a contract with Accela in June of 2016and went live with the system in April of 2018. For the 2019 fiscal year, $150,000 has been budgeted for consulting services for Accela system enhancements. DARM is seeking expert assistance with system enhancements in order to continue to improve the function of this system.
As part of this contract, Byrne will continue to develop scripts, reports and other technical deliverables for the City of Fresno on an as-needed basis. One enhancement that Byrne is currently working on is a mechanism to allow the public to pay fees online with electronic checks. Currently, payments made online through the Fresno FAASTER system (Fresno’s Accelerated Application System to Track Electronic Reviews) can be made by credit card or through a drawdown account. Accepting electronic checks was a request made by the Building Industry Association and will provide enhanced services to the general public.
The normal Request for Proposals (RFP) process was not used in the selection of this consultant because this type of technical consulting requires a specialized firm. There are very few consultants in this field who have hands on experience with Accela Civic Platform and also understand Fresno’s customized system. Byrne Software Technologies, Inc. is a consultant who has proven experience in this technical field. Byrne was the consultant hired by Accela to help the City of Fresno with our software implementation and knows the City’s land management system very well. Staff believes Byrne Software is in the best position to work to continue to improve our system and, thus, pursuant to Administrative Order 6-19, staff has requested an exception to the normal RFP process in order to allow for the selection of a consultant that is uniquely qualified. Pursuant to this Administrative Order, staff has received approval from the City Manager to bypass the RFP process in order to select a uniquely qualified firm and is asking council to affirm this exception.
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
Since there was no RFP or selection process because of a uniquely qualified consultant, local preference was not considered.
FISCAL IMPACT
The funding for this contract is currently allocated for the Accela project in the 2019 fiscal year.
Attachment:
Exhibit A: Consultant Contract
Exhibit B: Memo Authorizing the request to bypass the RFP process pursuant to Administrative Order 6-19