DATE: September 10, 2024
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Agreement with Rising Social Strategies LLC, for Child Welfare Staff Consultation
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 Rising Social Strategies LLC as this vendor is uniquely qualified to provide consultation services for Child Welfare Staff and is able to assist the Department immediately; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Rising Social Strategies LLC for consultation services, effective upon execution through June 30, 2027, which includes the base contract and one optional one-year extension, total not to exceed $300,000.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action will allow Rising Social Strategies LLC (RSS), to provide consultation services in areas of Child Welfare Services (CWS), specifically regarding youth with high-level needs and difficult to place youth in out-of-home placements. Additionally, RSS will continue to help the Department implement the Children’s Crisis Continuum Pilot Program (CCCPP) in Fresno County. The agreement maximum, including the optional one-year extension, is $300,000 and will be funded with State, Federal, and Realignment funds. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your board not approve the recommended actions, the Department will be unable to continue utilizing RSS consultation services and the Department’s CCCPP implementation plans would be impacted.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
It is requested that the County find under AP No. 34 that an exception to the competitive bidding requirement is satisfied, and a suspension is warranted due to unusual or extraordinary circumstances, as Mr. Ken Berrick, principal consultant of RSS, is uniquely qualified through his expertise in child and family services, integrated models of care, and funding mechanisms. Mr. Berrick and the RSS team have committed to working with the Department to implement CCCPP in Fresno County. The Internal Services Department - Purchasing Division 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 action. The maximum cost for the recommended agreement, including the optional one-year extension, is $300,000 and will be offset with State and Federal funds ($257,640), 2011 Realignment in lieu of State General Funds ($20,782), 1991 Social Services Realignment funds ($21,578). Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues have been included in the Departments Org. 5610 FY 2024-25 Recommended Budget and will be included in subsequent budget requests. To the extent permitted by State and Federal regulations, advance payment of up to ten percent of the maximum compensation may be requested of the County by the Contractor.
DISCUSSION:
The Department seeks to assist all children and youth who are in out-of-home placements and recognizes that all efforts must be made to minimize the mental and emotional trauma they may experience due to placement disruptions. The Department has experienced numerous youth with multiple placements and various therapeutic supports struggle to maintain placement. As the Department aims to provide all children and youth in out-of-home placements with a safe, appropriate, and permanent place, it was determined that there was a need for consultation services to provide training for child welfare staff and care providers to better connect with and support youth who have a history of rotating and returning from placements.
On August 2, 2022, the Internal Services Department - Purchasing Division approved a procurement agreement with RSS as a suspension of competition as RSS was determined to be uniquely qualified to meet the needs of the Department based on the principal consultant, Ken Berrick’s extensive experience working with high-level needs and difficult to place youth, expertise in child and family services, expertise in integrated models of care and funding mechanisms, and extensive experience working in a consulting capacity for various California counties. The extension to the procurement agreement expires September 30, 2024 or when the agreement reaches the $200,000 threshold, whichever comes first.
Since September 2022, Mr. Berrick has provided his expertise in assisting the Department with implementing the CCCPP, which is intended to provide a highly integrated continuum of care of services for foster youth in crisis, by providing interventions and stabilization that will enable a seamless transition between appropriate levels of care and/or placement settings.
The Department has been in conversation with Risk Management regarding the Professional Liability Insurance limits in the County’s boilerplate agreement for one million dollars per occurrence and three million dollars for the annual aggregate. RSS, to the best of their abilities, sought to meet these requirements but is unable to secure insurance coverage amounts as this is cost-prohibitive. RSS currently has insurance coverage for Professional Liability for one million dollars per occurrence and one million dollars for the annual aggregate. Risk Management’s recommendation is for insurance limits set in the County’s boilerplate agreement but concedes to the Department’s decision to not require RSS to increase their Professional Liability coverage and approves of maintaining the existing coverage amount. The Department will move forward due to low risk and need for immediate and continued services.
Approval of the recommended action will allow RSS to continue to work directly with CWS staff and assist with program development and contract negotiations with the contracted providers who will provide CCCPP services to Fresno County’s high-level needs youth. Additionally, the recommended agreement will supersede the existing procurement agreement, No. 22-332, as amended.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Suspension of Competition Acquisition Request
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Rising Social Strategies LLC
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander