DATE: December 9, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Termination of Agreement with Binti, Inc. for Resource Family Approval (RFA) Software-as-a-Service platform
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Retroactively approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services’ (DSS) previously submitted 30-day written notice to Binti, Inc. terminating Agreement No. 25-315 pursuant to Section 6(b), effective July 24, 2025; and
2. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services, and/or designee, subject to approval by County Counsel as to legal form, to execute any documents or certifications necessary to affect the termination of Agreement No. 25-315.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the approval of the recommended actions, which will allow for the termination of the Binti, Inc. agreement pursuant to the Term and Termination provision of the Agreement, which permits termination if funds are not appropriated to the County or are not otherwise available for the purpose of making payments. As this service agreement required State approval to access funding and approval was not received, the Department took initial steps to notice the vendor of no available funding. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There are no viable alternative actions. California Department of Social Services’ (CDSS) denial of the Advance Planning Document (APD) precludes the Department from acquiring or implementing Binti’s software platform.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. No payment was made or is owed to the vendor under this contract.
DISCUSSION:
On June 24, 2025, the Board approved Agreement No. 25-315 with Binti, Inc. for the purchase of licenses to access a Software-as-a-Service platform to support Resource Family Approval (RFA), Family Finding, Placement, and Engagement efforts. The platform streamlines pre- and post-approval processes, facilitates searching for placement, and provides real-time progress tracking, automated reminders, centralized documentation, and direct communication between applicants, families, and staff. As required by State guidelines, the Department submitted to the California Department of Social Services Child Welfare System Branch an Advanced Planning Document (APD) on May 16, 2025, requesting funding approval for the various modules available in Binti’s software platform. Binti’s software would have streamlined workflow processes, supporting efficiencies in resource family home approvals as well as possibly increasing the capacity in relative placements. It was expected that some of the functionality would eventually become available in the future statewide Child Welfare Services California Automated Response Engagement System (CWS-CARES). Binti services offered already built out functionality that the Department had hoped would be allowed as the Binti services are currently used in some child welfare agencies throughout the State.
On July 7, 2025, CDSS denied the Department’s APD for Binti’s software. The denial was based on the State’s concern of putting CWS-CARES federal funding in jeopardy as some of the Binti ready-built platform services requested reflected as a duplication of the functionality being built into the CWS-CARES system. As Fresno County is a pilot county for both CWS-CARES Version 1 implementation and the CWS-CARES RFA module, the State has agreed to provide Fresno with early access to additional modules in the new system that will support some of the family finding efforts requested in the APD. Early access to the additional CWS-CARES functionality will support a big portion of what the Department was trying to accomplish through the Binti contract and eliminates work that would eventually need to be decommissioned once CWS-CARES goes live.
As a result of the APD denial, the Department was not authorized funding to proceed implementation of the requested software and on July 11, 2025, the Department issued a 30-day written notice of termination via certified mail to Binti, Inc., pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Agreement, which allows termination for lack of available funding.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #77, June 24, 2025
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Binti Termination letter
On file with Clerk - CDSS Denial letter
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander