HomeMy WebLinkAbout29 - CC-12 - PSA with Scientia Consulting Group Inc. - 9/15/2015CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: September 15, 2015 ITEM NUMBER: CC -12
SUBJECT: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH SCIENTIA CONSULTING GROUP,
INC.
DATE: September 10, 2015
FROM: Information Technology Department
PRESENTATION Steven Ely, I.T. Director
BY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Ely, 714-754-4891
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the following:
1. Approve the Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with Scientia Consulting Group, Inc.
(Scientia) in an amount not exceeding $175,440.
2. Authorize the City's Chief Executive Officer (City CEO) to sign the PSA with Scientia Consulting
Group, Inc. in the amount not to exceed $175,440 annually.
3. Authorize the City CEO to sign for any justified rate increase to the contract within his signing
authority and to renew the PSA for four (4) additional one-year terms.
BACKGROUND:
The City entered into a PSA with Scientia on June 5, 2012 for an I.T. consultant to provide onsite computer
technology assistance for desktop and software support. Three amendments have been issued to extend the
PSA, the latest (Amendment No. 3) of which has expired on May 5, 2015. There are three full-time network
administrators under one supervisor serving the City, which includes the Police Department and the Fire
Department. Only one full-time network administrator is currently assigned at the Police Department. Due to
budget constraints, we have only budgeted for interim support. The Police Department has requested
additional I.T. staff to supplement the staff supporting the Police Department to accomplish operations and
complete high priority projects faster.
For the past three years, the City has relied on support from Scientia to supplement staffing requirements.
The support was previously approved as part of the 2015-16 budget process, and funding is available in the
appropriate account. This position would continue to be used on an interim basis until such time as a regular
employee could be hired in the next fiscal year.
Scientia has provided us a Network Administrator with the ability to effectively support the Police Department.
This person has in-depth specialized knowledge of our PD CAD/RMS services. The consultant also has a
variety of technical skills that are handy when working on day-to-day issues, such as PD specific expert
knowledge of PowerShell that has helped in scripting and automating processes. Additionally, the technician
has extensive knowledge of VMWare, HP Pro Curve switches, Sonicwall firewalls, and NetMotion, to name a
few. The consultant is currently heavily involved in several projects including upgrading the System Center
Configuration Manager server and VMWare ESXI host patch services. In-house staff currently does not
possess the knowledge to upgrade these systems which would result in extra costs should we need to contract
these upgrades out. This contractor mitigates this cost by performing these upgrades in house. I.T. plans to
use this person's knowledge on other projects to help automate systems administration throughout the
organization.
ANALYSIS:
Information Technology staff support a critical segment of the City's computer infrastructure. Because we
cannot as yet hire a full time network administrator, alternatives need to be exercised in order to maintain
computer systems and provide time for the existing staff to implement time sensitive projects. To that end we
have begun to look at outside consulting resources to supplement our staff.
Due to the technical requirements, as well as the legal requirements, our use of agencies is limited. As part
of the process we have contacted multiple organizations who have a background in supporting Public Safety
Agencies to determine viability, availability and cost. Four of those agencies responded to our inquiry.
Scientia was chosen based on these factors and reasonable cost.
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED:
Staff has considered discontinuing the contract with Consultant once the funds have been exhausted and the
existing agreement has expired. However, the Police Department has requested additional assistance to
accomplish PD specific operations and complete high priority projects in a timely manner. In order to provide
a timely interim solution, we have turned to a consulting solution to provide qualified staff.
FISCAL REVIEW:
Funding for the extension of the Consultant's services have been included in the Information Technology
Department's adopted budget for Fiscal Year 2015-16.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney's Office has prepared the attached Professional Services Agreement. No further legal
review is required.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Professional Services Agreement with Scientia
Consulting Group, Inc., and authorize the Chief Executive Officer to sign the PSA and renewal options.
STEVEN A. ELY
I.T. Director
STEPHEN DUNIVENT
Interim Finance Director
Tom Duarte
City Attorney
ATTACHMENTS: 1. Professional Services Agreement with Scientia Consulting Group, Inc.
2. Scientia's Proposal
2