DATE: November 17, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Susan Holt, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT: Agreement with LPC Consulting Associates, Inc. for Substance Use
Disorder Prevention Evaluation Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Under Administrative Policy No. 34 for competitive bids or requests for proposals (AP 34), determine that an exception to the competitive bidding requirement under AP 34 is satisfied and a suspension of competition is warranted due to unusual or extraordinary circumstances, and that the best interests of the County would be served by entering into an Agreement with LPC Consulting Associates, Inc. as the list of evaluators provided by the Department of Healthcare Services’ contracted agency did not meet the needs of the County of Fresno; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with LPC Consulting Associates, Inc. for substance use disorder prevention program evaluation services, effective January 1, 2027, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year and six-month base contract, one optional one-year extension, and one additional six-month extension, total not to exceed $540,000.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The recommended actions will suspend the competitive bidding process and allow the Department to continue to contract with LPC Consulting Associates, Inc. (LPC) for youth and young adult substance use disorder (SUD) prevention evaluation services for the duration of the agreement term. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended actions, the Department will fall out of compliance with State and federal monitoring and reporting requirements for substance use disorder prevention, potentially impacting future funding allocations for the County.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
It is requested that the County find under AP 34 that an exception to the competitive bidding requirement is satisfied, and a suspension of competition is warranted due to unusual or extraordinary circumstances due to LPC’s extensive experience working with both county alcohol and drug agencies and nonprofit organizations engaged in primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention initiatives alongside their experience providing evaluations of federally funded programs and active participation in state funded technical assistance and trainings about program evaluation for alcohol and drug services contractors funded by California Department of Healthcare Services (DHCS). In 2022 a suspension of competition (SOC) was approved and Fresno County contracted with LPC. Prior to requesting the SOC, Fresno County approached Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS), which is the DHCS contracted agency to provide technical assistance related to SUD prevention, and requested a list of evaluators. Upon further research, potential evaluators on the list were eliminated based on the needs of the County. DBH is requesting the suspension of competition be granted to allow LPC Consulting Associates, Inc. to remain the evaluator for the next prevention evaluation cycle based on the Department's challenge to find SUD evaluators suitable to the needs of the County. The General Services Department - Purchasing concurs with the Department’s assessment that this satisfies the exception to the competitive bidding process required by AP 34.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The maximum cost of the recommended Agreement ($540,000) is fully funded with Senate Bill (SB) 920 Alcohol Abuse Prevention funds and Realignment funds. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5630 FY 2026-27 Adopted Budget and will be included in future budget requests for the duration of the term of the Agreement.
DISCUSSION:
On July 13, 2021, the Board approved of Agreement A-21-270 with Youth Leadership Institute to provide SUD primary prevention services for youth and young adults ages 10-20. The agreement was amended five times to add funds, update requirements, and extend the agreement term.
SUD prevention evaluation is a required component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Framework for all SUBG funded SUD prevention programs and guides the statewide Substance Use Prevention Plan (SUPP). On January 4, 2022, the Board approved of Agreement A-22-006 with LPC Consulting Associates, Inc. for substance use disorder prevention program evaluation and strategic prevention plan services. On June 21, 2022, the Board approved Amendment No. 1 (No. 22-269) to the Agreement to add American Rescue Plan Act funding.
The Department requires services from a neutral, unbiased external evaluator to analyze the effectiveness of the County’s contracted substance use disorder prevention services and activities. Additionally, the program evaluator develops standardized measurement tools and data collection methods to accurately capture program effectiveness over time and their impact in the County.
The current prevention provider, focused on alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs, will work with LPC and Department to evaluate the prevention programs and services.
The new evaluation will be guided by the objectives stated in the FY 2026-31 State Substance Use Prevention Plan (SUPP) and incorporate the collection of quantitative and qualitative data to describe program implementation and measure impact. The process evaluation will document and describe a range of prevention services delivered. The outcome evaluation will measure changes in participant substance use disorder knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors using activity-specific and annual surveys that collect data from students in schools receiving recurring prevention programming.
LPC has served as the County’s substance use disorder prevention evaluator for the last three (3) prevention cycles (FYs 2010 - 2016, 2016 - 2021, 2022 - 2026) and has accumulated an intimate knowledge of related problems in the County with established provider and relevant stakeholder relationships.
Assembly Bill 339 noticing has occurred, and the Human Resources Department approved execution of the recommended Agreement.
Approval of the recommended actions will suspend the competitive bidding process consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34 and authorize the execution of the Agreement with LPC Consulting Associates, Inc. for the provision of substance use disorder prevention evaluation services. The agreement may be terminated by the Department or provider without cause by providing written 30-day advance notice.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
The Behavioral Health Board will be notified of the recommended Agreement during the November 2026 meeting.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #44, June 30, 2026
BAI #21, March 17, 2026
BAI #34, September 23, 2025
BAI #27, June 6, 2023
BAI #49, June 21,2022
BAI #32, April 19, 2022
BAI #19, January 4, 2022
BAI #12, July 13, 2021
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Suspension of Competition Acquisition Request
On file with Clerk - Agreement with LPC
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander Jr.