DATE: July 7, 2020
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: Agreement with Kofile Technologies, Inc. and adopt Budget Resolution increasing FY 2020-21 appropriations and estimated revenues for Public Works and Planning Org 43600200 in the amount of $315,000 for document preservation, archival protection, and imaging services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Adopt Budget Resolution increasing FY 2020-21 appropriations and estimated revenues for Public Works and Planning Org 43600200 in the amount of $315,000 (4/5 vote);
2. Approve and authorize the Clerk of the Board to execute Budget Transfer No. 23 for the Department of Public Works and Planning Org 8867 for the use of professional archival service to restore and preserve historical documents ($315,000); and
3. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Kofile Technologies, Inc for document preservation and imaging for historical records, effective upon execution, not to exceed three consecutive years, total not to exceed $315,000.
REPORT
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the recommended actions will authorize Kofile Technologies, Inc. (Kofile) to preserve and image the Department of Public Works and Planning’s historical records, which will allow County staff to access historical records and provide copies to the public. The recommended agreement utilizes rates negotiated by Alameda County under GSA Schedule 70 Contract Number: GS-35F-275AA, pursuant to the Purchasing Manager’s authority in compliance with the Purchasing Manuel. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may choose not to approve the recommended actions; however, the historical records will not be preserved or imaged, and will continue to degrade.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The recommended agreement has a total compensation amount not to exceed $315,000 for the entire three-year term of the agreement. Approval of the recommended action will increase appropriations and estimated revenues for Public Works and Planning - Development Services Org 43600200 for FY 2020-21. The funds were allocated to the Department as part of the adopted FY 2019-20 Budget in the Capital Projects - Parks Projects Org 8867.
DISCUSSION:
The Purchasing Manager is authorized to join with other public entities for collectively preparing specifications; requesting and receiving quotations or proposals for piggybacking purposes; and making an award to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder if the source selection method used is in compliance with the requirements of the Purchasing Manual. Purchasing may also use State of California Cooperative Purchasing Contracts if the items under a State contract meet the County's needs and if it is unlikely that a separate County bid would result in prices, terms and/or conditions that are more favorable. Contract buying groups are considered to take the place of competition if, in Purchasing's opinion, it is in the best interest of the County.
The recommended agreement utilizes rates negotiated by Alameda County under GSA Schedule 70 Contract Number: GS-35F-275AA, and Kofile’s billing under the recommended agreement will be based on the actual page counts, not to exceed $315,000. Approval of the recommended action will increase the Department’s revenues and appropriations for FY 2020-21 Org 43600200 to allow the Department to expend the funds as outlined in the Agreement and Kofile’s proposal.
The Alameda County staff conducted extensive research to identify companies that could provide historical document preservation, including companies suggested by the General Services Agency (GSA). It was determined that due to the specific and unique nature of this service, Kofile Technologies, Inc. is the only company that can meet the preservation standards of the County. Staff found that Kofile submitted the only response to all of the Requests for Proposals (RFP) issued over the last several years by other counties in the State for similar preservation services. Over the last decade, only two other companies have submitted bids for these services to Alameda County. By 2011, Kofile had acquired both of those companies, thereby confirming Alameda County’s findings that currently only one company, Kofile, can successfully perform this unique and comprehensive service. Kofile has demonstrated expertise in the field of preservation services, having successfully performed such services in all but five California counties in the past 20 years. The GSA approved a sole source procurement, and issued a Finding of Non-Competition-Sole Source No. 5536.
Under the recommended Agreement, the historical documents will be chemically restored, encapsulated in a material to protect them from further environmental breakdown, and imaged to preserve the data. The Assessor-Recorder’s Office has been using Kofile to preserve, image, and index documents since 2015, recently entering into an agreement for services in 2020. Kofile is serving government clients in most California counties, including Alameda County, which did extensive research to identify companies that could provide historical document preservation and imaging. Kofile was the only vendor with the unique qualities and/or capabilities to provide historical document preservation and archival storage systems.
The scope of work will include preservation and imaging of various historical documents, including right-of-way plats, survey field notes, and survey plats. Records housed by the Development Services Division date to the 1850s, and are in poor to very poor condition due to age and storage environments. Many of the documents are brittle, disintegrating, and/or torn. Further handling of the documents will result in the destruction of the historical records.
Kofile Technologies is proposing to use archival-quality document preservation methods to preserve and protect the documents, and will then image the documents for digital access. The documents will be inventoried by volume and page; binding, fastening, and old repairs by tape will be removed; and the paper will be chemically stabilized. After restoration, each document will be encapsulated in an archival polyester sleeve for protection from environmental contaminants, and be rebound. Kofile will safely package and transport all documents to their western facility and return them to the County when the preservation, protection, and imaging process is complete.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #34 - April 28, 2020
BAI #27 - August 11, 2015
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Alameda GSA Finding of Non-Competition-Sole Source No. 5536
On file with Clerk - Resolution
On file with Clerk - Budget Transfer
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Kofile Technologies, Inc.
CAO ANALYST:
Debbie Paolinelli