DATE: June 24, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Raymond T. Hunter, Director, General Services Department
SUBJECT: Agreement with AssetWorks Inc.
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 Sole Source-Suspension of Competition is warranted, and that the best interests of the County would be served by entering into an agreement with AssetWorks Inc. as AssetWorks Inc. is the sole provider of the Charging Management System, which is the only charging software that can integrate with the County’s current fleet management system; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with AssetWorks Inc. for zero-emission electric vehicle charging infrastructure installation and a five-year subscription to the AssetWorks Inc. Charging Management System, effective June 24, 2025, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $325,018.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions, which will allow the County to suspend the competitive bidding process under AP 34 and to enter into an agreement with AssetWorks Inc. (AssetWorks) for zero-emission electric vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure installation and provide a five-year subscription to AssetWorks’ Charging Management System (CMS). Although the charging stations are located in District 3, this item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended actions, the County will solicit bids for the requested services, which could result in having ZEV charging infrastructure and software that does not integrate with the current Fleet Management software provided by AssetWorks. Changing the provider of the charging infrastructure would also require the County to re-evaluate the budget within the awarded and acknowledged Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) and re-submit the grant application to the Department of Energy for consideration, which may result in grant termination for not meeting grant milestones.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
It is requested the County find under AP 34 that an exception to the competitive bidding requirement is satisfied and a Sole Source-Suspension of Competition is warranted as AssetWorks is the only vendor that offers an Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) solution that integrates with FleetFocus. FleetFocus has been used by the County since 1996 to efficiently operate various fleet-related business processes. General Services Department - Purchasing Division concurs that this satisfies the exception to the competitive bidding process under AP 34.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Costs for installation and CMS in the first year of the recommended Agreement will be covered by EECBG funds. The remaining four years of CMS charges will be recovered through chargebacks to user departments. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Internal Services Department’s Org 8910 FY 2024-25 Adopted Budget and will be included in future General Services Department Recommended Budget requests for the duration of the Agreement term.
DISCUSSION:
In 2021, GSD-Fleet, with the assistance of a consultant, developed plans for a ZEV pilot program to meet State compliance measures to electrify the County’s fleet, gather data to help with rate development, and create a more precise and defensible electrification strategic plan. The resulting ZEV Charging Infrastructure Pilot (Pilot) consists of the installation of two dual-port Level-2 chargers at four locations throughout the County. The four locations were specifically chosen to ensure that minimal construction would be needed as they already have the electrical capacity to support the installation of charging infrastructure.
In late 2022, GSD-Fleet researched and received pricing from three vendors, including ChargePoint, AssetWorks and Blink (formerly SemaConnect) through an informal bid process. During this time, GSD-Fleet also learned of a grant that could cover the cost of the Pilot. The Internal Services Department - Fleet Services Division, in consultation with the Internal Services Department - Purchasing Division, decided to work with AssetWorks as they had the lowest cost of the three vendors, and their CMS software would integrate seamlessly with FleetFocus. AssetWorks also ensured they were willing and capable of abiding by the Build America, Buy America Act and the Davis-Bacon Act, both requirements of the EECBG.
On March 5, 2024, the Board approved Resolution No. 24-060, which was created in response to California Executive Order N-79-20 and memorialized the County’s support of an 80% zero-emission electric fleet by the year 2050.
On February 25, 2025, your Board approved the County’s acceptance of EECBG funds. The Agreement between the County and the Department of Energy is effective as of September 1, 2024, not to exceed two-years and has a maximum compensation amount of $336,680.
Approval of the recommended Agreement with AssetWorks will allow GSD-Fleet to begin the installation of ZEV infrastructure and software integration for the County to use the AssetWorks CMS.
The recommended Agreement contains language that would limit vendor’s damages to the amount paid by the County during the year preceding the date on which the liability arose. The recommended Agreement also deviates from the County’s standard indemnification language, as it includes a mutual indemnification provision. Human Resources - Risk Management has recommended against including this liability and indemnification language; however, GSD-Fleet believes that the risks associated are an acceptable business risk to comply with the County’s Resolution.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #27, February 25, 2025
BAI #34, March 5, 2024
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Sole Source Acquisition Request Form
On file with Clerk - Agreement with AssetWorks
CAO ANALYST:
Amy Ryals