COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder

 

DATE:

July 29, 2002

BOARD MEETING DATE:

August 6, 2002

 

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

   

FROM:

Warren Slocum, Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder

   

SUBJECT:

Agreement with James H. Tapscott for Professional Services

   

Recommendation

Adopt a resolution waiving the request for proposal process and authorizing the execution of an agreement with James H. Tapscott for information technology management services for the period July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003, in an amount not to exceed $156,000.

 

Background

This department's information technology (IT) positions include two co-equal managers with system specialties, and two supporting programmer-technicians. As the complexity of our computing systems and business operations has grown, so has the need for high-level IT strategic and tactical planning.

 

Mr. Tapscott previously worked with Easy Access, Inc. (EAI), the Texas-based creator of our assessment computing systems for which he provided, as an independent contractor, assessment system project management services under EAI's agreements with our office and the San Francisco County Assessor-Recorder. In March 2001, our need for post-implementation technical support had become minimal, as anticipated. Accordingly, EAI and Mr. Tapscott agreed to amend their agreement such that he would render his performance in our office alone, as interim master planner of IT activities, on a trial basis, to develop strategic and tactical IT plans and document existing systems and processes. We continued to pay EAI its usual agreement rate for these and other EAI services. Mr. Tapscott's contract with EAI ended in December 2001.

 

In December 2001, we entered into a direct contract with him for these and other consulting services. Although not required by our agreement with EAI, we solicited and obtained its cordial endorsement of this transaction. The County Manager waived the request for proposal process, based on Mr. Tapscott's special knowledge of our systems and the amount of the agreement, and approved the agreement, and Risk Management waived the standard insurance requirements. Our on-going maintenance and support agreements with EAI do not encompass these services.

 

Discussion

Mr. Tapscott possesses deep understanding and experience in public sector IT project management and planning. Unburdened by routine, day-to-day, operational tasks that consume the full attention of regular staff, he is able to provide highly valuable long-view analysis, planning, coordination, and documentation of system processes and the related interfaces with fiscal and other departments, customers, and the general public.

 

Going forward in the current fiscal climate, his contributions will be key to completing projects to achieve optimum performance of our revenue-generating programs, enhanced system reporting and data management capabilities, new document-handling protocols for County's new GIS system, improved systems documentation and security, and expanded e-government and e-office service options. For example, data entry will be reduced by new online filing of annual business property statements, and appraisal tasks will be simplified by a new computation module for possessory interests and consolidation of affiliated business records into new master accounts, document management will be further automated, and additional training for all users will increase proficiency in our growing array of desktop systems.

 

For these reasons, we believe it is in the County's best interests to waive the request for proposal process for these services. Risk Management has again waived the insurance requirement.

 

The proposed agreement has been reviewed and approved by County Counsel and ISD.

 

Vision Alignment

This agreement keeps County's Shared Vision 2010 Commitment to "responsive, effective collaborative government" and accomplishes its Goal of making "decisions based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain." It engages a uniquely qualified professional to achieve core improvements in our IT infrastructure as we strive to do more with fewer fiscal resources, including: (1) organize and focus our IT staff activities; (2) improve IT systems security, reliability, and reporting-analysis of fiscal and operational benchmarks and market and business trends that directly affect the County's fiscal health; and (3) facilitate progress toward e-government alternatives.

 

Fiscal Impact

There is no Net County Cost. Agreement costs will be funded from the State-County Property Tax Loan Program (AB 1036) grant.