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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: March 6, 2008 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. .~- - -~ <br />SUBJECT: Restaurant Inspection Field Software <br />DEPARTMENT: Health Department / IT <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Draft Contract <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Rosemary Summers, 245-2411 <br />Todd Jones, 245-2285 <br />PURPOSE: To consider approval of a software purchase for Environmental Health. <br />BACKGROUND: The Environmental Health Section of the Orange County Health Department <br />is responsible for permitting, tracking, and inspections of restaurants, meat markets, lodging <br />facilities, schools, daycares, public swimming pools, and a variety of other establishments that <br />operate in Orange County. <br />The Environmental Health staff are equipped with regular wireless computer laptops and <br />portable printers to conduct field inspections. However, these staff are employing an inspection <br />software program supplied by the State that is inadequate in its functionality. Anew software <br />product developed in-house by the State was proposed in 2007 and beta tested by Orange <br />County staff, but it has been found to be problematic and its rollout date has been postponed <br />indefinitely. <br />Challenges with the current data management include: <br />• Dual .entry of all inspection data into a duplicate Access database so that staff has <br />tracking and reporting capabilities, <br />• Inability of the State to provide current forms as rules are changed, <br />• Inability of the State system to allow field technology use for any establishment other than <br />restaurants, requiring triple entry of inspection data, <br />• Lack of useful and accurate report generation from the State system, and <br />• Frequent loss of data by the State system that requires re-entry and upload of data. <br />Central Data Processing (CDP) is a software company that has developed software to meet the <br />needs of the NC environmental health food and lodging program. This specific inspection <br />software has been successfully implemented in over 40 North Carolina counties. This software <br />is a web-based platform that is maintained by the vendor. No customization will be needed <br />