COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Treasurer – Tax Collector

 

DATE:

March 22, 2010

BOARD MEETING DATE:

April 13, 2010

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

 

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Lee Buffington, Treasurer – Tax Collector

Girdie Bernard, Revenue Services Manager

SUBJECT:

Agreement with RevQ – a Columbia Ultimate Company

 

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a resolution authorizing:

 

    A) Waving the Request for Proposal Process and authorizing the President of the Board to execute an agreement with RevQ – a Columbia Ultimate Company to provide bill/invoice printing and mailing of collection notices for the period March 1, 2010 through February 28, 2013, in an amount not to exceed $750,000.00 and

 

    B) The Treasurer – Tax Collector or their designee to execute notices, options and documents including but not limited to extension or termination of the agreement under the terms set forth therein;

 

BACKGROUND:

The Revenue Services Division of the Treasurer – Tax Collector’s Office recovers funds due to the County from individuals for the Courts, San Mateo County Medical Center, the Human Services Agency, the Probation Department, the Sheriff’s Office, and various other County agencies. As part of the collection effort, the organization mails out approximately 200,000 collection notices annually on outstanding debts owed to the County.

 

In November 2006, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors authorized the President of the Board to execute a three year agreement with Columbia Ultimate Business Systems to provide bill/invoice printing and mailing services for the Revenue Services Division.

 

DISCUSSION:

This Agreement with RevQ will provide bill/invoice printing and mailing services for accounts identified by the County. RevQ will also provide an in-house technical service department which is available 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, with turnaround times that must be 24 hours or less. We are recommending that this agreement be approved for the time period March 1, 2010 through February 28, 2013 with an amount not to exceed $750,000.00.

 

It is in the County’s best interest to waive the RFP process since RevQ – a Columbia Ultimate Company has been providing this type of service to our division for several years. The Immedia Software is a feature of the RevQ proprietary collection software that has been used by our Revenue Services Division. The use of this feature has shown that it is more cost-effective and efficient to utilize this vendor for these mailing services than other contractors due to the ability to transmit data electronically between the County's database and the vendor's mailing system. The material costs for envelopes, paper, printing, folding, inserting, and sorting are competitive with other agencies. This feature enables us to obtain postage discounts while meeting all postal requirements. In addition, the integration of this feature with our existing collection software allows us to maintain a history of all outgoing correspondence.

 

County Counsel has reviewed and approved the Resolution and Agreement as to form.

 

Risk Management has reviewed and approved the Insurance Coverage.

 

Approval of this Resolution will contribute to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of a Collaborative Community as our leaders forge partnerships, promote regional solutions, with informed and engaged residents, and approach issues with fiscal accountability and concern for future impacts.

 

Performance Measure(s):

Measure

FY 2008-09
Actual

FY 2009-10
Projected

Dollars Collected

$17,534,793

$15,000,000

Percent of debtors contacted within five days of receipt

100%

100%

 
 

FISCAL IMPACT:

The amount of the contract will not exceed $250,000 per fiscal year. The cost of the contract for the three year term is fully offset with revenue collected and there is no impact to the General Fund or Net County Cost. Appropriation for the first year of this contract has been included in the FY 2009-10 budget. The remaining contract amount and offsetting revenues will be included in the FY 2010-13 budgets.