DATE: May 17, 2022
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja K. Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Agreement with Superior Court of California for Mediation Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Make a finding that it is in the best interest of the County to suspend the competitive bidding process consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34 as the Superior Court of California is a state governmental agency and is the only provider of a dependency court mediation program; and,
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Superior Court of California for the provision of mediation services, effective July 1, 2022, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $990,180.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended actions will suspend the competitive bid process and allow for the continuation of mediation services provided by the Superior Court of California (Court) for families involved with Child Welfare Services (CWS). Mediation services provide a non-adversarial mechanism for resolution of Juvenile Dependency Court (Dependency) cases. The recommended agreement will be financed with CWS 2011 Realignment funds in lieu of State funds, with no increase in Net County Cost. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board choose to not approve the recommended actions, Dependency cases will be prolonged, and children will spend additional time in out-of-home care.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
The Department of Social Services' request to suspend the competitive bidding process is consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34 as the Court is a state governmental agency and is the only provider of juvenile dependency court mediation services in the County. The Internal Services Department - Purchasing Division concurs with the Department's request to suspend the competitive bidding process.
FISC...
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