DATE: January 26, 2021
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
SUBJECT: Agreement with BI, Incorporated
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize Chairman to execute an Agreement with BI, Incorporated to provide re-entry employment readiness services effective February 1, 2021, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed, $1,703,240.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended agreement will provide re-entry employment readiness services to in-custody and out-of-custody offenders on probation and/or in the Probation Department’s Pre-Trial program, as well as those in the Justice Accountability Grant (JAG) Adult Re-Entry Planning Program (ARPP). There is no net County cost associated with the recommended action as all costs for the recommended agreement are fully offset with the Public Safety Realignment Act (AB 109) and JAG revenue. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended action is not approved, the services provided in the recommended agreement will not be provided unless an alternative vendor is located and selected to provide these services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no net County cost associated with the recommended action. The annual maximum compensation for this agreement is $340,648 and is funded with $271,411 from AB 109 and $69,237 from JAG revenue. The maximum compensation for this agreement for the full five-year term is $1,703,240. There are sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues in Probation’s FY 2020-21 Org 3430 and Grant Org 3432 Adopted Budgets. Funding for JAG will end December 31, 2022 (if the likely one-year extension is approved). The JAG portion of the contract will not continue to be utilized after that date unless a new grant is awarded or an alternate funding source is identified. Funding for subsequent years will be included in the Probation Department’s future budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
On December 2, 2014, the Board approved adding re-entry employment readiness services to be funded with available AB 109 funds as a part of the third amendment to the Community Corrections Partnership (CCP) Plan. On January 26, 2016, the Board approved a five-year agreement for these services which is set to expire on January 31, 2021. On August 31, 2020, the CCP Executive Committee recommended these services be continued through the issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP also included these services to be provided to participants in the ARPP.
On October 15, 2020, the County issued RFP Number 21-010, Addendum Number One on October 30, 2020, and Addendum Number Two on November 4, 2020. This RFP solicited proposals from qualified vendors to provide re-entry employment readiness services for a minimum of 30 JAG participants and referred AB 109 participants. The RFP closed on November 12, 2020; three organizations submitted a proposal. A five-member review team met to review and rank each proposal. The committee consisted of members from the Probation Department, the Department of Social Services, the Sheriff’s Department, and the Community Justice Center in Fresno. Based on their review, the committee recommended awarding the contract for these services to BI, Incorporated (BI). The committee concluded BI’s proposal was the most comprehensive of the three proposals received. BI’s proposal demonstrated vast experience with the target populations; provided a detailed program model addressing criminogenic needs, detailing their relationships with local community-based organizations and resources available to assist in obtaining long-term employment using a holistic approach, and a reasonable implementation and start-up plan.
In accordance with the recommended agreement, BI will provide comprehensive evidence-based re-entry employment readiness services to both in-custody and out-of-custody participants referred from AB 109 and JAG’s ARPP program to facilitate sustainable long-term employment. To achieve this BI will:
• Conduct an orientation and complete assessments on each participant to identify criminogenic risk and need, pinpoint employment deficits and barriers, and identify participants interests, strengths, and talents.
• Develop an Individual Employment Plan (IEP) for each participant which will have a plan of action to address deficits and barriers, set goals, and provide job coaching for obtaining employment and developing a lasting career.
• Determine enrollment in the appropriate program track(s) or the ability of the participant to bypass the tracks and go directly into seeking employment. The tracks consist of the Employment Readiness track to develop skills to obtain and retain employment; Vocational Track to complete job necessary certifications; and the Placement Track to provide job search assistance, and placement.
• Provide Resources from within the community, as needed, to address childcare, housing, mental health, abuse, substance abuse, GED assistance, higher education, or vocational training programs.
• Collect data on participants assessments, participation, and progress using GEOtrack, their data collection, tracking, and management system. Enabling the tracking and reporting of Outcome Measures regarding public safety, assistance with positive re-entry and reduction of recidivism.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #30, January 26, 2016
BAI #40, December 2, 2014
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with the Clerk - Agreement with BI, Inc.
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck