Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Executive Officer
Justin W. Mates, Deputy County Executive
Subject: Resolution Approving a Fifth Amendment to the Agreement with Certified Languages International to Continue to Provide Language Access Services to San Mateo County Departments, Extending the Term through July 1, 2023 and Increasing the Amount by $50,000, for a New Not-to-Exceed Amount of $400,000
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution approving a fifth amendment to the agreement with Certified Languages International to continue to provide language access services to San Mateo County departments extending the term through July 31, 2023 and increasing the amount by $50,000, for a new not-to-exceed amount of $400,000.
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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 of 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 in 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 on February 17, 2021 to extend the term through July 31, 2022, with no increase in the not-to-exceed amount. To continue to support normal usage by all County departments and increased Pandemic Recovery Efforts, the agreement was amended a fourth time on November 9, 2021, with the not-to-exceed amount increased to $350,000.
During the contract period, the Office of Community Affairs has managed and tracked usage by departments and recommends an extension of the agreement to allow each department to continue to have access to language 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 four 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 Choose Local, Small Business/Microfood Grant applications, and others. The Office of Community Affairs recommends extending the term of the agreement through July 31, 2023, and increasing the amount by $50,000, for a new not-to-exceed amount of $400,000.
The resolution contains the County’s standard provisions allowing amendment of the County fiscal obligations by a maximum of $25,000 (in aggregate).
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the attached resolution as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The maximum amount payable under the agreement is $400,000, through July 31, 2023. Budgetary appropriation for this agreement will be included in the FY 2022-23 Recommended Budget.