DATE: October 22, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
SUBJECT: Agreement with Sierra Education and Coordination Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Make a finding that it is in the best interest of the County to waive the competitive bidding process consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34 for unusual or extraordinary circumstances for the solicitation of Behavioral Health Coordinator(s) to supervise local doctoral candidate interns providing treatment services to youth housed at the Juvenile Justice Campus; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Sierra Education and Research Institute (SERI) to provide Behavioral Health Coordination services for the Juvenile Justice Campus, effective October 22, 2019 not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $625,000.
REPORT
Approval of the Agreement will continue the existing coordination of behavioral health services and treatment to youth involved in the Juvenile Justice System by doctoral candidate interns overseen by clinical psychologist(s). There is no Net County Cost, as these services are paid for with Youthful Offender Block Grant funds. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board does not approve the recommended actions, the services included in this Agreement and provided by interns would be discontinued.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
The Department’s request to waive the competitive bidding process is consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34, as SERI is the only accredited clinical psychology doctoral program in the Fresno area that provides clinical supervision of PhD or doctoral candidate interns. SERI currently provides services for the Department’s existing program, which utilizes doctoral candidate interns to provide the services recommended in this Agreement. The interns are required to complete mandatory clinical hours in order to be certified as psychologists. The interns will be providing the services at no cost. Based on this, a letter of interest was not necessary. The costs under this Agreement are for supervision and coordination of the interns, as well as costs for office supplies and overhead. Purchasing concurs with the Department's request to waive the competitive bidding process.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Sierra Education & Research Institute (SERI) will provide the supervision and coordination services at an all-inclusive rate of $59.25 dollars per hour, up to the maximum cost of $125,000 annually. The previous agreement was for a maximum of $95,000. The costs associated with the recommended agreement will be paid for with Youthful Offender Block Grant funds. Sufficient appropriations to cover the proposed Agreement are included in the Probation Org 3430 Adopted Budget for FY 2019-20, and will also be included in subsequent years.
DISCUSSION:
SERI has been providing treatment services to youth housed at the Juvenile Justice Campus (JJC) since a pilot program in 2008. The most recent agreement expired on September 30, 2019. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates a majority of juvenile offenders have a mental disorder of some variety, with many suffering from a serious mental disorder as defined by the federal government. Juvenile Court is one of the first places to identify youth who have a mental illness. Over the last three years, SERI has provided over 13,000 hours of services to youth housed at the JJC, which have been provided by interns and volunteers. The recommended agreement will provide services to youth at the JJC by doctoral candidate interns at no cost. The agreement will pay for the supervision and coordination of the interns.
The recommended Agreement is effective October 22, 2019 through October 21, 2022, with the option for two additional one-year extensions based on satisfactory performance.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI # 38, August 19, 2014
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk -Agreement with SERI
Suspension of Competition Acquisition Request
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck