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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: June 24, 2008 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~- --~ <br />SUBJECT: RFP Award and Contract Approval -Electronic Document Management System <br />for Social Services <br />DEPARTMENT: Purchasing Department PUBIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Social Services & IT <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Pam Jones, 245-2652 <br />Nancy Coston, 245-2800 <br />Todd Jones, 245-2285 <br />PURPOSE: To consider awarding a Request for Proposals (RFP) and approving a contract for an <br />Electronic Document Management System for the Orange County Department of Social Services to <br />Northwoods Consulting Partners, Inc. of Dublin, Ohio. <br />BACKGROUND: The Department of Social Services provides crisis assistance and social work services <br />to residents of Orange County. The caseloads in major program areas have increased 50-100% in the <br />last eight years. During this time, relatively few new staff have. been added to meet this demand <br />increase. This combination has caused a workload crisis. <br />Most of the agency programs are mandated by the state or Federal governments and have very specific <br />rules and regulations attached. Meeting these standards requires substantial paperwork. Social Services <br />agencies generate thousands of paper documents a week that accumulate in massive file rooms requiring <br />extensive amounts of space. At the Orange County Department of Social Services' two locations; two <br />large file rooms are full. Filing cabinets line all major hallways and most staff members have multiple <br />filing cabinets inside their offices. Additionally, older case files are stored in several facilities off site. <br />Storing and accessing these files is extremely difficult and new case files are created daily. <br />Staff within Social Services, Information Technology and the County Manager's Office have reached the <br />conclusion that an automation solution is paramount to allow the agency to continue a high level of <br />service under these parameters. <br />In recognition and support of this need, the Board of County Commissioners approved funding for an <br />Electronic Document Management system in the FY2007-08 budget. <br />The Departments of Social Services, Information Technology and Purchasing developed the system's <br />functional requirements and corresponding Request for Proposals. North Carolina General Statute 143- <br />129.8 authorizes local governments to use a "request for proposals" process to purchase information <br />technology goods and services. This procedure provides flexibility in procuring these potentially complex <br />