DATE: August 5, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
SUBJECT: Agreement with Justice System Partners
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 as Justice System Partners is the only authorized vendor to fully sustain the implementation and validation services for the Public Safety Assessment tool and that the best interests of the County would be served by entering into an agreement with Justice System Partners as Justice System Partners has demonstrated they can meet the scope of services outlined in the County’s request; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Justice System Partners to provide full implementation services of an evidence-based court assessment tool effective August 18, 2025, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $392,500.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended agreement will provide services to fully sustain the implementation and validation of the Public Safety Assessment (PSA) tool. The PSA is a pretrial assessment tool that does not require a face-to-face interview to assess an individual’s flight and safety risk of being released from custody prior to trial. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended actions are not approved, Probation will not be able to utilize Justice System Partners (JSP) to sustain the implementation and validation of the PSA tool. This would require a Request for Proposal (RFP), resulting in the use of additional county resources, and a potential lapse in services. Use of a validated assessment tool is required by SB 36, and a lapse in services may result in the Department being out of compliance.
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 of competition is warranted due to unusual or extraordinary circumstances, as JSP is the only vendor that provides services to fully sustain the implementation and validation of the PSA tool. In addition, JSP currently provides full implementation and validation services for the Department’s existing evidence-based risk needs assessment PSA tool. Based on this, a letter of interest was not necessary. The Internal 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 Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The maximum compensation for the full five-year term of the recommended agreement is $392,500. Funding for the recommended agreement is fully offset with the Public Safety Realignment Act (AB 109) revenue. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in Probation’s FY 2025-26 Org 3430 Recommended Budget. Funding for subsequent years of the recommended agreement will be included in the Department’s future budget request.
DISCUSSION:
On August 18, 2020, the Board approved Agreement No. 20-306 with JSP for full implementation services of an evidence-based PSA court tool within the Probation Department’s Pretrial Program. The PSA is a validated pretrial assessment tool that does not require face-to-face interviews, which provides significant efficiencies and eliminates the need for Probation staff to be located at the County Jail. This tool assesses individuals for flight and public safety risk. Importantly, the PSA complies with SB 36, which became law on October 1, 2019. This legislation mandates that pretrial programs use a validated assessment tool that is revalidated at least once every three years.
Since August of 2020, JSP has been providing services for the successful implementation and sustainment of the PSA tool. JSP trained the Department’s Pretrial staff and Stakeholders in the overall purpose, scoring, and use of the PSA tool.
JSP has consistently met the needs of the Courts, Probation, District Attorney, Defense Attorney, and other law enforcement agencies who benefit from the tool within Fresno County. JSP’s dedicated support team is familiar with the County’s system and needs, ensuring prompt and effective issue resolution, minimizing downtime. JSP continues to provide valuable services, which includes ongoing training and education to the County and the justice partners. The County wishes to continue utilizing JSP due to their ability to sustain the implementation and validation services for the evidence-based risk needs assessment PSA tool. A Suspension of Competition form was submitted to the Purchasing Department on April 15, 2025 and approved on April 28, 2025.
Under the recommended agreement, JSP will continue to fully sustain the implementation and validation services for the evidence-based risk needs assessment PSA tool, training stake holders, creating decision matrix, provide feedback to staff regarding the PSA, validation of PSA, and provide a public facing report. JSP will continue to fully sustain the implementation of the PSA with local validation to ensure the tool is integrated into the day-to-day function of the criminal justice system, and assess the long-term validity of the tool.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #33, August 18, 2020
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Suspension of Competition Acquisition Request Form
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Justice System Partners
CAO ANALYST:
Fine Nai