COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY

DATE:

February 27, 2002

BOARD MEETING DATE:

March 5, 2002

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Maureen Borland, Director, Human Services Agency

SUBJECT:

Approval of an agreement with the SPHERE Institute for the Outcome-Based Management and Budgeting Implementation Project

Recommendation

Adopt a resolution:

1.

Authorizing execution of an agreement with the SPHERE Institute in the amount of $249,896 for consulting services in connection with the Outcome-Based Management and Budgeting Implementation Project for the term of February 1, 2002 through December 31, 2002; and

2.

Requesting a waiver of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process.

Background

The Human Services Agency (HSA) previously retained the SPHERE Institute for consulting services in the first year of its Agency-wide Outcome-Based Management and Budgeting (OBM) implementation project.

The SPHERE Institute was selected for the Human Services Agency Outcome-Based Management and Budgeting Implementation Project based on the highly specialized and unique information this contractor can provide, which is not available to the Human Services Agency from other local contractors or professionals in this field.

Due to SPHERE's prior contributions to the OBM implementation project and the increasingly technical nature of the work required to further OBM implementation, the SPHERE Institute has been selected to provide consulting assistance for the next phase of the Human Services Agency's OBM implementation project.

Discussion

HSA's Research and Planning Unit does not have the staffing capacity to undertake every aspect of OBM implementation independently. Over the past two years, the SPHERE Institute has provided exceptionally competent and professional assistance to HSA in connection with the OBM implementation project, including technical instruction, performance measure development and definition, and assessment of HSA data collection practices. In order to further OBM implementation, the Human Services Agency must continue to refine the definitions of newly developed performance measures, locate and conduct an analysis of potential data sources, and develop data collection, maintenance, and reporting strategies. The SPHERE Institute will accomplish data development activities that will enable HSA to generate reports on its OBM Headline Measures by August 2002, which is the deadline set by the County Manager's Office.

Under oversight provided by HSA's OBM Project Director and Coordinator, SPHERE will assess Core Service Agency, Family Resource Center and Child Care Payment Provider preparedness to deliver data required to support OBM. SPHERE will conduct an assessment of these organizations' data collection, maintenance and reporting capacities. SPHERE will design site visit protocols, conduct site visits to map organizational client and information flows, assess data collection and exchange strategies, and analyze data and system requirements. The primary deliverable will consist of a report summarizing findings, evaluating processes, and making recommendations regarding feasibility of alternative solutions to identified needs. SPHERE will also provide technical assistance on preparation of the data development plan that will be generated based on the results of the assessment.

In addition, SPHERE will develop, administer, and analyze findings from a survey of HSA's Peninsula Works One Stop Career Center clients. This survey is required to generate information for several of HSA's OBM Headline Measures. SPHERE will design the survey instrument, select the sample, administer the survey, analyze results, and format data for OBM reporting purposes.

Vision Alignment

The contract with the Sphere Institute keeps the commitment of responsive, effective, collaborative government and goal number 21: County employees understand, support and integrate the County vision and goals into the delivery of services. The contract contributes to this commitment and goal since the Sphere Institute will assist the Human Services Agency (HSA) in developing systems to collect and report data for OBM outcome measures. Outcome measure data that demonstrates HSA's success in contributing to the County vision and goals will be published and distributed to HSA staff and to the Agency's community partners for use in program and budget planning.

Fiscal Impact

The term of this agreement is from February 1, 2002 through December 31, 2002. The total cost for this agreement is $249,896 over the eleven-month period of the contract. Appropriation for this agreement was included in the Adopted Budget for FY 2001-02. There is no increase in Net County Cost as a result of approving this agreement.