Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Steve Monowitz, Director of Planning and Building
Subject: Agreements with Gray Quarter Inc. to provide online permitting capabilities for all planning permits and ongoing maintenance support services for the online Accela permitting system
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution:
A) Authorizing an agreement with Gray Quarter Inc. for the provision of online permitting capabilities for all planning permits for a term of December 1, 2024 through December 1, 2026, in an amount not-to-exceed $599,677.50; and
B) Authorizing an agreement with Gray Quarter Inc. for the provision of ongoing maintenance and support services for the Accela platform, for a term of December 1, 2024 through November 30, 2027, in an amount not-to-exceed $370,908; and
1. Authorizing an option to extend the ongoing maintenance and support services agreement for up two additional years, from December 1, 2027 to November 30, 2029, in an amount not-to-exceed an additional $266,189.24, at the sole discretion of the Director of Planning and Building, or designee.
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BACKGROUND:
In 2013, the Planning and Building Department (Department) implemented an externally hosted online permitting system known as Accela in order to calculate and invoice fees, route project applications through various regulatory agencies, and track workflow throughout the permitting process. A public-facing online portal, Accela Citizen Access (ACA), provides real time access to information regarding planning permits, building permits, and violation cases.
The Department recently completed an expansion of its ACA capabilities that provides applicants with the ability to complete all aspects of the building permit application process online. The Department is now seeking to develop the same capabilities for its planning permits, and to continue to build on the improvements that have been made to all aspects of its online permitting systems. This planning permit upgrade will complete the transition to fully online permit applications, and will streamline the submission, review, and processing of planning permit applications. Additionally, having a fully online permit system allows the department to be more sustainable by reducing paper usage and allows applicants to submit permit applications completely online.
Accordingly, Request for Proposals (RFP) number PLN24-0109 was released on January 9, 2024, seeking an experienced provider adept at designing and delivering online Accela permitting systems; supporting staff in their use of these and other integrated systems; and implementing upgrades to these systems that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of electronic permitting procedures.
The Department received seven proposals. After careful review by the RFP evaluation committee, the Department recommended that the contracts be awarded to Gray Quarter Inc. (Gray Quarter).
DISCUSSION:
As noted in the original RFP, this RFP has resulted in two agreements: an agreement for the planning permit design upgrade project and an agreement for ongoing maintenance and support services. Under these agreements, Gray Quarter will design, deliver, and upgrade the online Accela permitting system for planning permits and provide ongoing maintenance and support services for the Department’s Accela online permitting system. The planning permit system upgrades will enable applicants to apply for all planning permits online via the ACA portal as well as develop back-end automation and tools that will streamline permit processing for staff. This project will also utilize learnings from the recent building permit Accela upgrade project completed in 2023 with the goal of creating a remarkable experience for all involved in the permitting process.
The Department is requesting approval of two agreements with Gray Quarter: one for the planning permit design upgrade project, with an amount not-to-exceed $599,677.50 for a term of December 1, 2024 to December 1, 2026, and one for ongoing maintenance and support services for the Department’s Accela system in its entirety, in an amount not-to-exceed $370,908 for a term of December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2027. Additionally, the ongoing maintenance and support services agreement includes an option for the County, in its sole discretion, to extend the agreement for up to an additional two years, for an additional amount not-to-exceed $266,189.24.
The resolution contains the County’s standard provisions allowing amendment of the County fiscal obligations by a maximum of $25,000 (in aggregate) to each agreement.
The agreements and resolution have been reviewed and approved by the County Attorney’s Office as to form.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
The following measures will be used to evaluate Gray Quarter’s performance for the planning permit upgrade project.
Measure |
FY2024-25 Projected |
FY2025-26 Projected |
Percent of planning permits fully automated through Accela permitting system (from application through issuance). |
60% of planning permit types |
100% of planning permit types |
Percent of Sprints accomplished with no severity 1 or 2 faults remaining. |
>80% |
>80% |
The following measures will be used to evaluate Gray Quarter’s performance for the maintenance services agreement.
Measure |
FY2024-25 Projected |
FY2025-26 Projected |
Percentage of tickets resolved within stated service levels. Specifically, Agent worktime which is computed as hours that can be worked. This SLA is paused when on-hold while waiting for agency feedback and testing and stopped once approved for release. |
80% |
80% |
FISCAL IMPACT:
Sufficient appropriations have been included in the FY2024-25 Adopted Budget and there is no additional net county cost associated with these agreements.