CITY OF SAN MATEO
CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 13 Section Name: CONSENT CALENDAR Account Number: 10-1711 File ID: 26-11525 TO: City Council
FROM: Prasanna W. Rasiah, City Attorney
PREPARED BY: City Attorney's Office
MEETING DATE: September 22, 2026
SUBJECT:
Public Records Act Review Software — Agreement
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve an agreement with Reveal Data Corporation for a software subscription to a Public Records Act review platform for a three-year term through September 30, 2029, in the amount of $238,770; authorize a contingency reserve of $23,900, for a total amount not-to-exceed, $262,670 over three years; and authorize the City Attorney to execute the agreement and order form in substantially the form presented.
BACKGROUND:
The volume and complexity of Public Records Act requests continue to rise as digital records like emails, texts, cloud files, and body-cam footage multiply. Legal actions filed by requestors challenging improper records withholdings and statutory deadlines have caused attorney fees and legal costs to increase substantially across local government agencies. Manual processes involving the review and redaction of responsive Public Records Act records can lead to inefficiencies and increased administrative burden on City staff. A software subscription to a Public Records Act review platform streamlines compliance and automates workflows for the review and timely release of responsive Public Records Act records.
When a Public Records Act request is received by the City, designated staff across departments are assigned to review public records request results that are pulled from Office365 and San Mateo Police Department digital records. For some Public Records Act requests, the records pulled from the digital data available can result in tens of thousands of records needing to be reviewed. Due to the rise in public records requests, Public Records Act litigation, and the large number of electronic records requiring review, staff requested to upgrade to a more robust, user-friendly, cloud-based E-discovery platform solution.
In Fall 2025, the City began evaluating options for a more efficient and user-friendly platform, with the City Attorney’s Office leading the selection process in coordination with departments that regularly receive Public Records Act requests.
Staff evaluated six platforms, conducted preliminary meetings with vendor representatives, and narrowed the field to four qualified vendors. The City then issued a Request for Qualifications to the four finalists, followed by in-depth platform demonstrations for departmental Public Records Act reviewers.
Following the submission of the Request for Qualifications, a multi-departmental selection committee, consisting of representatives from the City Attorney’s Office, Community Development, Public Works, Information Technology, Parks and Recreation, the Police Department, and the City Clerk’s Office, attended demonstrations of the platforms. Staff evaluated the platforms based on key functionality, including the ability to efficiently search and identify responsive
CITY OF SAN MATEO
electronic records, redact personal information, and collaborate on the review of voluminous record sets. The top-rated platform was Logikcull, part of the Reveal Data Corporation family of E-discovery solutions. Logikcull’s digital document processing capabilities for Public Records Act reviews are robust, and the platform is efficient and user-friendly. The proposed agreement is for a three-year term ending September 30, 2029, for $75,000 per year with 6% annual increases, and the platform would include 750 GB of active data storage. Staff is also seeking approval of a $23,900 contingency.
Logikcull is a leader in cloud-based Public Records Act review software. The Logikcull software subscription services would help Public Records Act reviewers to meet the challenges of rising data volumes, strict statutory deadlines and Public Records Act compliance, while maintaining public trust and transparency in the Public Records Act process the City abides by (California Public Records Act (CPRA) (Gov. Code § 7920.000 et seq.).
The City currently uses Exterro and GovQA for Public Records Act review and processing. The Exterro agreement, with an annual cost of $10,421.45, expires in December 2026, and the GovQA agreement, with an annual cost of $23,618.44, expires in December 2028. The implementation of Logikcull will allow the City to transition from these existing platforms as the current agreements expire or sooner, if operationally beneficial.
BUDGET IMPACT:
The costs associated with this new agreement will be absorbed within the existing 2026-27 budget, and no additional appropriation is requested at this time. Funding for subsequent contract years will be incorporated into future proposed budgets. Staff will continue to monitor expenditures, and, if additional funding is needed during the current fiscal year, will return to the City Council with an appropriation request as part of the year-end budget process.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This agreement is not a project subject to CEQA, because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).).
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
This staff report supports the Community Engagement and Communications initiative.
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – Proposed Agreement
Att 2 – Order Form
STAFF CONTACT
Charlotte Pfeiffer, Executive Secretary to the City Attorney [email protected]
(650) 522-7039