Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: John T. Keene, Chief, Probation Department
Subject: Agreement with Tyler Technologies, Inc. to provide room safety check hardware and software for youth housed in the Youth Services Center- Juvenile Hall facility.
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution waiving the Request for Proposal process and authorizing the President of the Board to execute an agreement with Tyler Technologies, Inc. to provide room safety check hardware and software for youth housed in the Youth Services Center (YSC)-Juvenile Hall facility for the term of January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2023, in an amount not to exceed $215,000.
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BACKGROUND:
Safety checks for youth housed in the Youth Services Center (YSC)-Juvenile Hall facility are a required operational function in the Juvenile and Institutions Services Division under Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations, as well as current Probation Department Policies and Procedures. Title 15, Article 3, Section 1328 - Safety Checks, states:
“The facility administrator shall develop and implement policy and procedures that provide for direct visual observation of youth at a minimum of every 15 minutes, at random or varied intervals during hours when youth are asleep or when youth are in their rooms, confined in holding cells or confined to their bed in a dormitory. Supervision is not replaced, but may be supplemented by, an audio/visual electronic surveillance system designed to detect overt, aggressive or assaultive behavior and to summon aid in emergencies. All safety checks shall be documented with the actual time the check is completed.”
Previously, Institutions Staff maintained a manual Safety Check Log on paper. The old Safety Check Log captured when a check was completed, notes, and staff initials of who completed the safety check. Staff would complete this log after they walked around and checked all the rooms that were occupied by youth. The log only captured the time staff did a ‘round’, not the times they checked each individual room. Staff frequently relied on timers as a reminder to perform a check.
With Tyler Technologies, Inc., safety checks are recorded on a handheld scanner, where staff scan a barcode on every youth door. Every staff has their own unique PIN that requires them to log into the device before they perform a check. As staff complete their checks, the device records the exact date, time, and the staff performing the check. The information is uploaded - via WiFi - to the Tyler Supervision application. Management can actively monitor checks from their office or remotely. The Tyler Supervision application provides audible reminders for staff of a when a room check is needed. If staff miss a check by 3 minutes, the application will send email alerts to all Institution Services Managers (ISMs) informing them of the missed check. These alerts will continue to be sent to ISM’s every minute, until the issue is resolved. If a missed check goes passed 10 minutes, the Superintendent will receive an email alert.
In addition, the application provides a detailed report, listing the various units, room numbers, date and time of checks, and the staff who conducted the check. These reports can be run by shift, daily, weekly, monthly, or as needed.
In 2018, the Probation Department reviewed safety check hardware and software solutions from three vendors, choosing to execute a pilot project with Tyler Technologies, Inc. based in part on the unique ability of the company’s products to interface with the department’s existing case management system for juvenile facilities.
From November 2018 through October 2019, the Probation Department piloted Tyler Technology, Inc.’s room check solution to assess feasibility of implementation. After three rounds of field testing involving two Youth Service Center (YSC) - Juvenile Hall housing units (Forrest 3 and Pine 5) and approximately 50 staff, all mutually agreed-to functional and technical requirements were met and successfully passed rigorous lab and field tests. Following the successful completion of the pilot, the County entered into a one-year contract with Tyler Technologies, Inc. for full implementation of the same hardware and software solution throughout the entire Youth Services Center (YSC) - Juvenile Hall facility. The proposed, three-year agreement would allow for the continuation of this important ongoing service within the juvenile hall.
DISCUSSION:
Through this agreement, Tyler Technologies Inc. will provide the Probation Department with hardware and software to run room safety checks within the Youth Services Center (YSC)-Juvenile Hall facility. Probation staff will be able to conduct safety checks and perform visual observation of youth that are housed in their room or in the holding room in Admissions, and electronically record the checks on a smart wand hardware. Tyler Technologies Inc. will provide a software system that can generate a Safety Check Detail Report and alert supervisors of missed checks through email notifications.
The Probation Department is seeking a waiver of the Request for Proposals process in order to execute this contract for the following reasons: 1) To allow for the continuation of an ongoing service or project; and 2) Tyler Technologies, Inc.’s technology offers unique performance factors - i.e. its safety check hardware and software solution configures with the Probation Department’s case management system for juvenile facilities. It is in the County’s and the Department’s best interest to execute this agreement with the Contractor to ensure compliance with Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations. The Department selected Tyler Technologies, Inc. because the base functionality met all Title 15 requirements with little or no customization. The application and scanner interface are simple and easy for Staff to operate. Tyler Supervision is a Cloud-based application, and all database maintenance is handled by the vendor. Tyler Technologies, Inc. has experience integrating with other applications could allow us interface with our Case Management System.
The Probation Department requests that the Chief Probation Officer or his designee be granted authorization to execute contract amendments that modify the County’s maximum fiscal obligation by no more than $25,000 (in aggregate), and/or modify the contract term and/or services so long as the modified term or services is/are within the current or revised fiscal provisions.
The term of the agreement is January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2023. The Agreement and Resolution have been reviewed and approved by County Counsel.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total obligation is $215,000 and will be funded through the department general fund. The funds have been included in the FY 2020-21 Adopted Budget and will be included in the FY 2021-22 and FY 2022-23 Recommended Budgets.