BALTIMORE COUNTY COUNCIL

NOTES TO THE AGENDA

LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2016

Issued: December 23, 2015

Work Session: NONE

Legislative Day No. 1 : January 4, 2016

The accompanying notes are

compiled from unaudited

information provided by

the Administration and

other sources.

OFFICE OF THE COUNTY AUDITOR

BALTIMORE COUNTY COUNCIL

January 4, 2016

NOTES TO THE AGENDA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Specialized Bereavement Counseling

The Administration is requesting approval of a contract with Ellen Schwartz Patterson, L.C.S.W.-C. to provide bereavement counseling services for families who have experienced the sudden, violent death of a loved one, including relatives of homicide and drunk driving fatality victims. The contract commenced October 1, 2015, continues until January 31, 2016, and may not exceed $25,000 unless approved by the Council. If approved, the contract will continue through September 30, 2016 and will automatically renew for four additional 1-year periods with the option to further extend the initial term or any renewal term an additional 90 days. The contract does not specify a maximum compensation for the initial 1-year term or for the entire 5-year and 3-month term. However, compensation may not exceed the amount of grant funds appropriated for these services in any contract year. Estimated compensation totals $21,250 for the initial 1-year term and $106,250 for the entire 5-year and 3-month term, including the renewal and extension periods.

Fiscal Summary

Funding Source	Initial Term		Total Compensation
County	—		—
State	—		—
Federal ⁽¹⁾	$ 21,250		$ 106,250
Other	—		—
Total	$ 21,250	⁽²⁾	$ 106,250	⁽³⁾
⁽¹⁾U.S. Department of Justice funds passed through the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention. ⁽²⁾Estimated compensation for the initial 1-year term. The contract does not specify a maximum compensation for the initial 1-year term. Compensation may not exceed the amount appropriated for these services. ⁽³⁾ Estimated compensation for the entire 5-year and 3-month term, including the renewal and extension periods. The contract does not specify a maximum compensation for the entire contract term. Compensation may not exceed the amount appropriated each year for these services during the entire contract term.

FM-1 (Contract) (cont’d) January 4, 2016

Analysis

The Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office operates a Victim Witness Assistance Program, which offers bereavement counseling services on an individual, family, and group basis. The contractor will provide specialized bereavement counseling to individuals who have experienced the sudden, violent death of a loved one, including relatives of homicide and drunk driving fatality victims. The contractor will provide services Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and during evening and Saturday hours when required. The contractor will be paid an hourly rate of $150. The contractor will utilize a subcontractor for up to 10% of the contract value.

The contract commenced October 1, 2015, continues until January 31, 2016, and may not exceed $25,000 unless approved by the Council. If approved, the contract will continue for 1 year and will automatically renew for four additional 1-year periods with the option to further extend the initial term or any renewal term an additional 90 days on the same terms and conditions, unless the County provides notice of non-renewal. The contract does not specify a maximum compensation for the initial 1-year term or for the entire 5-year and 3-month term. However, compensation may not exceed the amount of grant funds appropriated for these services in any contract year. Estimated compensation totals $21,250 for the initial 1-year term and $106,250 for the entire 5-year and 3-month term, including the renewal and extension periods.

Prior to the commencement of each renewal period, the County may entertain a request for an escalation in the hourly rate in accordance with the Consumer Price Index – All Urban Consumers – United States Average – All Items (CPI-U) as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics at the time of the request, or up to a maximum 5% increase on the current pricing, whichever is lower. The County may terminate the agreement by providing 30 days prior written notice.

The contract was awarded through a competitive procurement process based on qualifications and experience from two bids received. The other bid submitted was deemed non-responsive.

The State’s Attorney’s Office advised that as of December 15, 2015, counseling services totaling $1,200 have been expended under this contract and that an additional $900 is expected to be incurred for the month of December.

FM-1 (Contract) (cont’d) January 4, 2016

On July 2, 2012, the Council approved a similar 4-year and 3-month contract with the contractor that was retroactively effective August 6, 2011 with an estimated total compensation of $120,000. The Office advised that expenditures under the contract totaled $79,875. The contractor has been providing these services to the County since 1998.

County Charter, Section 715, requires that “any contract must be approved by the County Council before it is executed if the contract is…for services for a term in excess of two years or involving the expenditure of more than $25,000 per year….”

Keith Dorsey Fiscal Note January 4, 2016

FM-2 (Software Use Agreement) Council District(s) All_

Office of Budget and Finance

Maintenance, Support and Upgrades

The Administration is requesting approval of a Software Use Agreement (SUA) with Bold Technologies, Ltd. to provide licensing rights, annual maintenance, support, and upgrades for the ManitouPSIM software used by the County’s Emergency Communications Center (911 Center) to monitor fire and security alarms in County buildings. The SUA commenced March 1, 2015, continues until February 29, 2016, and may not exceed $25,000 unless approved by the Council. If approved, the SUA will automatically renew for five additional 1-year periods. Compensation for the initial 1-year term totals $8,095. Compensation for the entire 6-year term may not exceed $65,100, including the renewal periods. See Exhibit A.

Fiscal Summary

Funding Source	Initial Term		Maximum Compensation		Notes
County ⁽¹⁾	$ 8,095		$ 65,100		⁽¹⁾General Fund Operating Budget. ⁽²⁾ Compensation for the initial 1-year term. ⁽³⁾ Maximum compensation for the entire 6-year term, including the renewal periods.
State	—		—
Federal	—		—
Other	—		—
Total	$ 8,095	⁽²⁾	$ 65,100	⁽³⁾

Analysis

The Office advised that the County purchased the ManitouPSIM software platform in August 2011 from GTSI Corporation, a third-party seller of the contractor’s software products. 911 Center personnel use the software to monitor fire and security alarms in County buildings. The County’s current 1-year agreement with the contractor to provide software maintenance and support

FM-2 (Software Use Agreement) (cont’d) January 4, 2016

services expired February 28, 2015; the cost of services totaled $7,710. During discussions to extend these services, it was determined that the County had not entered into a Software User Agreement (SUA) when the software was purchased.

The proposed SUA provides the County usage rights for the Manitou software system and outlines the terms and conditions related to annual software maintenance, support, training, and upgrades. Licensing will allow the County software rights for 500 user accounts, 4 concurrent users, 2 monitoring groups, and 1 supervisor’s workstation. Software rights, including annual basic maintenance and upgrades, are being provided at an annual fee of $8,095. Hourly rates for a custom change to the data or custom development are $200 and $225, respectively. Reinstallation of the software to the server will cost $1,000. Further, the contractor may provide an 8-hour day of training on-site at a rate of $1,750 or via a webinar at a rate of $800.

The SUA commenced March 1, 2015, continues until February 29, 2016, and may not exceed $25,000 unless approved by the Council. If approved, the SUA will automatically renew for five additional 1-year periods on the same terms and conditions, unless the County provides notice of non-renewal. Compensation for the initial 1-year term totals $8,095. Compensation for the entire 6-year term may not exceed $65,100, including the renewal periods.

Prior to the commencement of each renewal period, the County may entertain a request for an escalation in unit prices in accordance with the Consumer Price Index – All Urban Consumers – United States Average – All Items (CPI-U), as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics at the time of the request, or up to a maximum 5% increase on the current pricing, whichever is lower. The County may terminate the agreement by providing 90 days prior written notice.

The contract was awarded on a sole-source basis since the contractor is the sole provider of the Manitou software system.

BALTIMORE COUNTY COUNCIL

NOTES TO THE AGENDA

APPENDIX A

Tags: Agenda, Baltimore Council, Baltimore County Council, Pending Legislation

Wade Kach