Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: John T. Keene, Chief Probation Officer
Subject: Waiver of the Request for Proposal Process and Acceptance of a Contract Amendment with Cognisen
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing:
A) A waiver of the Request for Proposal process; and
B) The execution of an amendment to the agreement with Cognisen to provide PearlChat artificial intelligence tool for the term of September 15, 2026 through April 10, 2030, to add the provision of PearlChat services to increase the contract amount by $659,081.84, for a new not-to-exceed amount of $3,313,650.75; and
C) The Chief Probation Officer or his designee to execute contract amendments and minor modifications not to exceed $25,000 and/or modify the contract term and/or services.
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BACKGROUND:
In January 2024, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution affirming the importance of maintaining County jobs during advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). The Board of Supervisors acknowledged the potential benefits of incorporating AI technologies in the County’s operations for increased efficiency and service improvement. The Probation Department’s agreement with Cognisen demonstrates a clear commitment to this resolution by ensuring that any AI implementation will focus on assisting staff, not replacing them.
In July 2024, the Probation Department entered into a pilot agreement with Cognisen for the contractor to demonstrate the capabilities of their PEARL AI. This collaboration demonstrated the potential of PEARL AI to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Deputy Probation Officers (DPOs).
In April 2025, the Probation Department entered a five-year agreement with Cognisen to adopt the two tools introduced in the pilot program, DocAssist and FieldAssist. DocAssist streamlines DPOs’ court report drafting by automating repetitive tasks and enhancing accuracy and consistency, while FieldAssist streamlines client prioritization, optimizes routes for field operations, and automates routine case documentation. Prior to contract execution, the Probation Department presented Cognisen’s AI specifications, risk management strategy, and quality assurance mechanisms to the Board of Supervisors.
DocAssist and FieldAssist are being rolled out incrementally and have thus far improved departmental efficiency by drafting preliminary content that Probation Officers in turn edit and use to build reports. DocAssist has streamlined the court report writing process by automating repetitive tasks and improving the accuracy and consistency of reports. In addition, the early phases of FieldAssist implementation have equipped Deputy Probation Officers with tools that simplify client compliance tracking and provide the foundation for more effective face-to-face service delivery to clients. Building on these early successes, the entire Department will eventually utilize these AI tools to support case management.
DISCUSSION:
The Probation Department proposes amending its agreement with Cognisen to incorporate the PearlChat software for the remainder of its five-year contract. PearlChat is a CJIS-compliant conversational AI assistant that can integrate with the Probation Department’s internal Case Management System, allowing authorized users to directly ask questions about the department’s case data, policies, and internal documents.
The Probation Department’s case management system is complex, often requiring users to navigate multiple screens to reference client information, case history, and documentation from across the case record. PearlChat is a secure, conversational AI interface that allows officers to ask plain-language questions and receive immediate, synthesized answers in a single conversational query. It would significantly reduce the time officers spend on tasks that rely on toggling between manual look-up or cross-referencing multiple sources, freeing them up to focus on direct supervision and client-facing work.
PearlChat would solely operate within departmental systems, retrieving information from the department’s case management system and policy documents. It would assist with tasks such as summarizing key information for a specific client, highlighting recent activity, and answering follow-up questions. It would enable officers to surface documentation gaps and pull longitudinal case history without having to leave their workflow. It can also draft content such as travel permits, violation narratives, client correspondence, or other standard documents using information available for that client.
PearlChat would not eliminate or replace human judgment. It simply lightens the administrative burden of locating and organizing case information so that users can spend more time on decisions that require their expertise and experience. PearlChat provides users ease of access to information; users may then use that information to make decisions or determinations.
PearlChat operates within the same CJIS-compliant, closed-tenant architecture as existing Cognisen platform tools. It retrieves information directly and securely from the case management system at the moment of query. No data is stored separately or transmitted to external systems or third-party AI providers. All interactions are audit-logged, and the platform is backed by Cognisen's completed System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type II audit without exceptions.
The resolution and agreement have been reviewed and approved as to form by County Attorney.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Performance Measures |
FY 2026-27 Target |
FY 2027-28 Target |
FY 2028-29 Target |
FY 2029-30 Target |
|
Percent of Deputy Probation Officers reporting a reduction in time spent retrieving case data, policies, and internal documents. |
95% |
95% |
95% |
95% |
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
The implementation of Cognisen's AI technology has the potential to promote equity by enhancing resource allocation and streamlining operations. If effectively implemented and monitored, PearlChat will complement the DocAssist and FieldAssist tools, optimizing resource allocation and ensuring that limited resources are directed towards impactful work. Automating routine tasks may free up staff time for more higher-priority responsibilities, such as providing individualized support to clients and building stronger community relationships.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the agreement is September 15, 2026 through April 30, 2030, in an amount not to exceed $3,313,650.75; and authorizes the Chief Probation Officer or his designee to execute contract amendments and minor modifications not to exceed $25,000. Funds for this agreement have been included in the FY 2026-27 Adopted Budget and will be included in future budgets for the term of the contract.