Camarillo City Council
AGENDA REPORT
Date: February 29, 2024
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: Kristy Buxkemper, City Clerk
Subject: Charles Abbott Associates, Inc. Second Amendment to Professional Services Agreement No. 2020-48 - Additional Scope of Services
BACKGROUND
Charles Abbott Associates, Inc. (“CAA”) provides Building and Safety services for the City, including plan check, permit issuance, inspections, and documentation. The City has contracted with CAA for building and safety services since July 1, 1994. Under subsequent agreement(s), services to the City by CAA are extended through June 30, 2024.
Two major projects to improve public-facing operations include the implementation of the online permit application and workflow platform, and digitization of public records, including building plans. Additional services provided by CAA are needed beyond normal day to day building and safety services. These services require a significant amount of time by additional contract staff and are not included in the current scope and agreement.
These tasks consist of: 1) additional staffing time to complete the indexing and preparation of plans for digitization; 2) creation and building of workflow for online building permits.
DISCUSSION
The City continues to streamline internal and public-facing operations and processes for greater efficiencies, and this includes efforts to increase accessibility to City records and a digital permit submittal and review platform.
Indexing and Preparation of Plans for Digitization
In February 2023, an agreement with Document Systems (URM Technologies, Inc.) was approved to digitize all commercial and residential building plans in off-site storage. This transition to electronic plans will preserve historical records for the City, allow staff to
Charles Abbott Associates - Agreement Amendment 2020-48B February 29, 2024
1 7
0 4
increase response time to one of the most in-demand documents requested through the Public Records Act, and will provide greater access to the public. It will also help significantly reduce off-site storage costs and provide a more effective and efficient way to store large-scale records.
Staff began scanning in July 2023 and while significant progress has been made to date, approximately 175 boxes remain to be prepared for scanning. In an effort to expedite the completion of the project by June 30, 2024, CAA agrees to extend its scope of services to complete the Building Plans Scanning Project.
Preparing boxes of plans for scanning is a tedious task that takes approximately 7.5 hours per box and requires attention to detail and precision to ensure data is entered correctly for successful digitization and electronic retrieval. Current department staff time is limited due to other priority projects and workload, and it is estimated that approximately 1,320 work hours remain to properly prepare the remaining boxes for scanning. The project is anticipated to take approximately 22 weeks to complete for a projected cost of $75,240.
The proposal requires a contract amendment with CAA to provide the additional staff and scope of services. Acquiring additional support, by Scanning Preparation Specialists will ensure the project can be completed in a timely manner by providing dedicated contract staff to prepare and expedite stored plans for digitization. The project will give valuable access to the public and streamline internal efficiencies. Additionally, it aligns with the Citywide initiative to transition to electronic retention and will help create a paperless workplace, among other cost-saving and space-saving benefits. In the future, digital plans will be submitted and stored, eliminating paper rolls.
Developing and Building Workflows for Building and Safety Permits The City is also working to implement an online permit submittal and review software called OpenGov. This system allows the public to submit permit applications digitally for City review, track the review process, and communicate directly with City staff. In order for OpenGov to operate properly, staff needs to build a workflow or step by step digital review process for each permit. Since the City has a contract with CAA for Building and Safety services, a contract amendment is needed to expand CAA’s scope of services to include building out the necessary workflows in OpenGov for the permits associated with the Building and Safety Division.
It is estimated that it will take 200 hours to build out the Building and Safety Division permits in an eight-week period. Time will be billed monthly within CAA’s regular monthly invoice at a rate consistent with level of position providing the work. For the purpose of this proposal, a rate of $145 per hour is used since the Building Official is most familiar with the Open Gov online permitting system. Staff recommends adding the OpenGov permit and workflow build out to CAA’s scope of service, with a not to exceed amount of $29,000 to be completed within an eight-week period. Day to day building and safety services will not be impacted, as additional staff will be brought in to cover.
Charles Abbott Associates - Agreement Amendment 2020-48B February 29, 2024
1 7
0 4
The amount for the proposed Second Amendment to Professional Services Agreement No. 2020-48B is $104,240. Staff recommends including a 10% contingency amount ($10,424) to the proposed amendment, which brings the total amendment amount to $114,664.
FISCAL IMPACT
An appropriation of $114,664 for additional services in Community Development Account No. 101-1701-417.32-01 from available General Fund Unassigned Fund Balance is required.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve Second Agreement Amendment 2020-48B with Charles Abbott Associates, Inc. for $114,664.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Proposed Second Agreement Amendment 2020-48B
2. First Agreement Amendment 2020-48A
3. City Council Agreement 2020-48
REFERENCE MATERIALS – AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT CITY HALL None