Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Louise F. Rogers, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Kimberlee Kimura, Director, Health Administration
Subject: Amendment to the Agreement with Avantpage Inc. for Language Translation Services
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Adopt a resolution authorizing an amendment to the agreement with Avantpage Inc. for language translation services, extending the term by two years through June 30, 2024 and increasing the amount by $150,000 to an amount not to exceed $350,000.
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BACKGROUND:
In October 2006, this Board accepted the “Linguistic Access Study: Summary of Findings and Recommendations Report.” A key recommendation noted in the report was to expand the availability and use of oral language services and translation services to wider a range of settings and languages.
Since 2010, County Health has contracted with various agencies to provide translation services to various Health divisions, bridging the language gap between County staff and the County’s limited English proficient residents to support the provision of high quality and timely care to our most vulnerable clients. Staff utilize translation services throughout the County in various capacities such as preparing letters, pamphlets, surveys and/or medical records for patients, translating navigation signs and announcements for buildings, translating websites, and translating other types of instructions.
In 2019, Health Administration (HA) released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for qualified contractors to provide interpretation and translation services for all divisions of Health. Avantpage, Inc. (Avantpage) was selected to provide translation services based on its 20 years of experience in the industry, capacity to service in over 150 languages with a network of more than 1,000 linguists, and clear understanding of the County’s service needs.
On July 1, 2019, HA entered into an agreement with Avantpage to provide translation services for San Mateo County Health for the term of July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2022, for an amount not to exceed $100,000.
In November 2019, HA amended its agreement with Avantpage to add instructions for rapid fire translation services, with no change to the contract amount and the agreement term.
In December 2020, HA amended its agreement with Avantpage to increase the amount payable by $60,000 to an amount not to exceed $160,000, with no change to the agreement term.
In May 2021, HA amended its agreement with Avantpage to increase the amount payable by $40,000 to an amount not to exceed $200,000, with no change to the agreement term.
DISCUSSION:
On March 1, 2022, the Contract Compliance Committee approved a three-year waiver request allowing HA to waive the RFP requirement and to instead, extend its current agreement with Avantpage.
HA is now exercising its option to extend the contract with Avantpage for two additional years through June 30, 2024. The amendment will increase the contract amount by $150,000 to an amount not to exceed $350,000.
The resolution contains the County’s standard provisions allowing amendment of the County’s fiscal obligations by a maximum of $25,000 (in aggregate).
The agreement and resolution have been reviewed and approved by the County Attorney as to form.
It is anticipated that 99% of all translation requests will be filled.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2022-23 Estimated |
FY 2023-24 Projected |
|
Percentage of interpretation requests filled |
99% |
99% |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the amended agreement is July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2024. The amount of the amended agreement is not to exceed $350,000 for the five-year term. Funding is included in individual division Recommended Budgets for FY 2022-23; such funding is provided by a variety of sources, including Net County Cost. Similar arrangements will be made for future budget years.