Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Manager
Justin W. Mates, Deputy County Manager
Subject: Resolution Approving Amendment to Agreement with Certified Languages International
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution approving a fourth amendment to the agreement with Certified Languages International to continue to provide language access services to San Mateo County departments, keeping the term through July 31, 2022 and increasing the amount by $75,000 for a new not-to-exceed amount of $350,000.
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BACKGROUND:
In August of 2017, this Board formed an ad-hoc committee to study the County’s need for a Language Access Policy. This committee researched existing national and state law, conducted a countywide assessment of existing language services, and identified existing gaps in language access services.
In August of 2018, this Board approved an agreement with Certified Languages International in order to provide language access services, such as over-the-phone interpretation and document translation, to County departments. This Board also waived the RFP process. The original agreement was for a term from August 7, 2018, through July 31, 2019, with a not-to-exceed amount of $150,000. On May 1, 2019, the agreement was amended to extend the term through July 31, 2020 to allow for increased utilization by County departments, with no increase to the not-to-exceed amount. On May 19, 2020, with the increased usage of language services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the term of the agreement was extended through July 31, 2021 and the not-to-exceed amount was increased to $275,000. The agreement was amended for a third time to extend the term through July 31, 2022, with no increase to the not-to-exceed amount.
During the contract period, the Office of Community Affairs has managed and tracked usage by departments and recommends increasing the funding to respond to growing Pandemic Recovery needs due to the COVID-19 crisis. The increase will allow each department to continue to have access to language services as well as continue to provide support to the Emergency Operations Center for interpretation and translation services.
DISCUSSION:
According to the 2015-2019 U.S. Census data from the American Community Survey, nearly half of San Mateo County residents (46%) speak a language other than English in their homes. Collectively, the County’s residents speak more than 100 different languages from across the world with the most prevalent being English, Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog. The purpose of a countywide language access service is to achieve consistency across departments and to facilitate the use of language services.
Over the past three years, the Office of Community Affairs has managed and tracked utilization of both over-the-phone interpretation and translation services. More than 15 County departments have utilized interpretation and/or translation services. In addition to the County’s top languages referenced above, the County has also received requests for others, including Arabic, Burmese, Japanese, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Samoan, Tongan, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
Now more than ever, language access continues to be crucial to the safety and health of San Mateo County’s community at large. The current agreement has largely been used for translation requests for COVID-19 related messages from the Emergency Operations Center since March 10, 2020, and it continues to be used for Pandemic Recovery efforts such as Colu, Small Business Grant applications, and others. Considering the current utilization by County departments with the projected estimated continued usage, the Office of Community Affairs recommends that the not-to-exceed amount of the agreement be increased by $75,000 for a total of $350,000, with the term of the agreement remaining the same.
The resolution contains the County’s standard provisions allowing amendment of the County fiscal obligations by a maximum of $25,000 (in aggregate).
County Counsel has reviewed and approved the attached resolution as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The maximum amount payable under the agreement is $350,000, through July 31, 2022. Budgetary appropriation for this agreement will be included in the FY 2021-22 Recommended Budget.