To: Board of Supervisors
From: Sheriff
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
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Awarding of Security Screening Services for the Humboldt County Courthouse to American Guard Services and Exercise the Option to Extend the Current Agreement with Securitas to Allow for the Necessary Time to Transition Services
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Authorize the Chair of the Board to execute an Amendment to the contract with Securitas exercising the 1-year option to extend (Attachment 1);
2. Authorize the Sheriff, or a designee thereof, to enter into negotiations with American Guard Services for the provision of security screening services for the Humboldt County Courthouse;
3. Authorize the Sheriff, or a designee thereof, to enter negotiations with the alternate vendor First Security Services, if negotiations with American Guard Services are unsuccessful;
4. Authorize the Sheriff, or a designee thereof, to enter negotiations with the alternate vendor SOCO Private Security, if negotiations with First Security Services are unsuccessful; and
5. Direct the Sheriff’s Office staff to return to the Board once negotiations are successfully completed requesting authorization to enter into a contract for the provision of security screening services for the Humboldt County Courthouse.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
General Fund
Superior Court of California, County of Humboldt
DISCUSSION:
In 2008, the county entered into an agreement with Securitas for the provision of courthouse security screening services. Securitas has been the incumbent vendor for the last 11 years. The county’s current agreement with Securitas dated July 1, 2018 was for 1 year with two 1-year options to extend. The Humboldt County Superior Court (Court) and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) mutually agreed that it was time for a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the courthouse screening services.
On March 13, 2019 an RFP for courthouse security screening services was issued (RFP# SHF-2019-01). Due to a vendor request to extend the deadline submission, and due to the fact that no proposals were received during the initial response period, the RFP was re-issued on May 6, 2019 as RFP# SHF-2019-01A with a due date of May 17, 2019 (Attachment 2). HCSO ultimately received four vendor proposals (Attachments 3-6). A panel of four HCSO employees evaluated the proposals in accordance with county policies and rated the vendors. The panel included one Captain, two Lieutenants, and one Sergeant. Based on the evaluation process, HCSO recommends awarding the contract to American Guard Services for the following reasons:
• They have the necessary experience in courthouse and facility screening.
• They presented a very detailed plan as to how they will facilitate complying with the Sheriff’s and Court’s needs and requirements.
• Their company leadership is uniquely qualified to perform and manage the required duties and responsibilities of the contract.
• Their guards are highly vetted, trained and certified specifically to perform the duties required.
• Their proposal scored highest, independently, among all the evaluators.
• Their proposal had the lowest total 5-year contract cost of $1,189,840.
Based on the evaluation process, HCSO recommends First Security Services as the second choice, SOCO Private Security as the third choice, and Securitas as the fourth choice.
Due to the timing of the RFP process and the expiration date of the contract with Securitas, HCSO has been in discussions with Securitas regarding a month-to-month extension of the existing agreement or exercising the county’s option to renew the agreement for 1 year with the understanding that should a contract be executed with another vendor, the county would exercise its ability to terminate the agreement without cause by providing 60 days’ notice as provided in the agreement and re-affirmed in the proposed amendment (Attachment 1). Securitas advised HCSO that they would prefer the county exercise their option to extend for 1 year and provide a termination notice if necessary.
HCSO recommends the Board of Supervisors (BOS) approve the attached Amendment to the Agreement with Securitas, which would allow the county to extend security services to avoid any gaps in courthouse security screening services during the transition. Once the contract negotiations with a new vendor have been completed and an agreement is brought forth to the BOS for approval, HCSO would simultaneously request the BOS to approve a 60-day notice of termination without cause in accordance with the Securitas Agreement.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The agreement between the Court and the County of Humboldt provides for a reimbursement rate to the county of 83% for security screeners at the 4th and 5th Street public entrances of the courthouse. This agreement established the hours eligible for reimbursement to be 7:30am to 5:15pm. Since the inception of the original contract with Securitas in 2008, the county’s policy has been to make the courthouse available to employees and the public from 7 am to 5:30 pm. The additional expense for the .75 hours per day is the responsibility of the county. Costs for services beyond the regular hours are charged to the departments or agencies using the facilities.
HCSO budgeted $200,720 for security screening services expenses in FY 2019-20 based on historical performance of the Securitas Agreement. The proposed first year contract services with American Guard Services is $215,900, an increase of $15,180 over budget. Of this increased amount, 83% or $12,600 would be reimbursed by the Court. The remaining 17% or $2,580 would be absorbed by the Sheriff’s budget unit 1100-221. There is no additional funding request from the General Fund for FY 2019-20 for this contract.
The total 5-year contract cost with American Guard Services is $1,189,840. The Courts will reimburse 83% of the cost, with the remaining 17% annually budgeted in the Sheriff’s Budget Unit 1100-221.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by enforcing laws and regulations to protect residents.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board of Supervisors may choose not to authorize the Sheriff or designee to enter into negotiations however, this is not recommended as the RFP process is intended to result in the best security services vendor to meet the county’s needs.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Amendment to extend Security Services Agreement with Securitas
2. County RFP SHF-2019-01A
3. Proposal from American Guard Services
4. Proposal from First Security Services
5. Proposal from SOCO Private Security
6. Proposal from Securitas
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A
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Recommendation
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