DATE: March 24, 2020
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Delfino E. Neira, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Amendment I to Agreement 18-123 with Public Consulting Group, Inc. for Consultation and Program Assessment Assistance for the Department of Social Services’ Service Center and Call Center
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute Amendment I to Agreement 18-123 with Public Consulting Group, Inc. for Consultation Services, extending the term by one year from April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021, and increasing the maximum compensation by $356,132 to a total of $1,648,660.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will extend the term of the Agreement by one year to add consultation services for the Department’s Call Center and update insurance requirements to the current standard.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your board not approve the recommended action, the Department will retain the current Agreement and continue working with Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG) to assess Service Center operations, evaluate Department programs, and develop solutions for implementation. Termination of these services may hinder the Department’s ability to effectively implement identified solutions and enhancements to identified gaps in Service Center including Call Center and data management.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with this recommended action. The total maximum cost of the Agreement will be fully offset with State and Federal Social Services Funds ($1,419,902), 2011 realignment ($147,608) in lieu of State General Funds for Child Welfare services and Adult Protective Services Programs that were realigned to counties through Assembly Bill 118, 1991 Social Services Realignment ($71,408) and the required Net County Cost of $9,742, which offsets the General Relief Program share of cost. Sufficient appropriations and revenues are included in the FY 2019-20 Adopted Budget for the Department of Social Services, Org 5610 and will be included in the FY 2020-21 budget.
DISCUSSION:
On May 16, 2013, the Department of Social Services transitioned from an application or case-based service delivery model to a client needs-based service delivery model (Service Center). The Service Center enabled the Department to upload workloads into a cloud-based case bank that can be processed by staff at any location as opposed to the previous case-based model wherein individual workers were responsible for full case management. The goal of the Service Center is to streamline the client experience, increase access to services, reduce client visits to Department offices, and decrease wait times in all lobbies and the Call Center.
On March 20, 2018, the Board authorized an Agreement with PCG after a review committee identified them as the most qualified vendor due to PCG’s experience with consulting for Federal, State, and County government agencies and their knowledge, experience, and familiarity with the CalWORKs, Welfare-to-Work, CalFresh, and Medi-Cal programs.
Services provided by PCG included ongoing Service Center assistance and a comprehensive three-month assessment of the Welfare-to-Work and General Relief programs. To support these services, PCG provided general project management, analyzed current business processes, identified service and technology gaps, developed and enhanced data management practices, and provided training support to the Department’s Staff Development section. The Department has identified additional consulting needs to support the Department’s Call Center, which is an integral part of its Service Center restructuring. This requirement was not identified or included in the original Agreement as the Department has only recently started a restructuring process to enhance services and ensure continued compliance with State and Federal mandates.
The term of the current Agreement is effective April 1, 2018 through March 31, 2020 unless terminated by any party by written notice provided no later than 30 days prior to the specified termination date. The recommended Amendment I will extend the term of the Agreement by one year from April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021. All projects are planned to be completed and delivered by the expiration date of Amendment I.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #53, March 20, 2018
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment I to Agreement No. 18-123 with Public Consulting Group
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander