MOTION TO APPROVE Second Amendment to Agreement between Broward County and Groupware Technologies, Inc., for Hosting and Maintenance Support for the Provide Enterprise Management Information System, including new releases and future upgrades of the software for the Community Partnerships Division, Health Care Services Section, Ryan White Part A Program, for an additional five-year term beginning on November 1, 2017 through October 31, 2022, in the not-to-exceed annual amount of $325,000 per year, with an additional $205,000 annually for optional services, for a potential not-to-exceed total Amendment amount of $2,650,000; authorize the Director of Purchasing to exercise the annual extensions; and to authorize the Mayor and Clerk to execute the same.
ACTION: (T-10:49 AM) Approved.
VOTE: 9-0.
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THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS DIVISION AND THE FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DEPARTMENT/ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES DIVISION/PURCHASING DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTION.
This action supports the Board’s Value of “Approaching human services collaboratively and compassionately, with special emphasis on the most vulnerable” as well as the Goals to “Deliver evidence-based services to the public, and connect customers and their family members, to sustainable support, with special emphasis on financial supports” and “Effectively advocate for and acquire municipal, state and federal financial support to equitably address health and human services needs of the entire community, through a truly coordinated system of care.” Maintaining this software system will facilitate the County to provide an integrated service delivery system for eligible persons living with HIV/AIDS in Broward County.
The Second Amendment covers increased service modules in Provide Enterprise Management Information System software (Provide Software) to meet updated Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) reporting requirements and provides for the continuation of hosting and maintenance support services. Extension of the existing contract is requested to avoid interruptions in the following areas: reporting of data to the federal government, data in the system shared with the City of Fort Lauderdale, and services provided to clients. Additionally, it allows continued access to competitive pricing and terms and conditions that are advantageous to the County.
The Ryan White Part A Program is authorized by the Public Health Act, Sections 2601-2610 (42 USC 300ff-11 - 300ff-20), as amended by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-87). Part A funds provide direct financial emergency assistance to Eligible Metropolitan Areas (EMA) that have been severely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic eligible areas in developing or enhancing access to a comprehensive continuum of high quality, community-based care for low income individuals and families affected by HIV. Federal grant funding requires the County to report Program data, including established client-level data requirements and performance measures. These reports include the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Services Report and HRSA's Clinical Performance Measures. Software support is an eligible grant expense.
The Broward County HIV Health Services Planning Council (Planning Council), created through Resolution No. 1990-3469 on November 27, 1990, is legislatively mandated to establish service priorities and allocate Ryan White Part A Grant funds on the basis of size, demographics and needs of the population living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS. Provide Enterprise Software (Provide Software) by Groupware Technologies, Inc. has been in use by the Ryan White Part A program on a sole source basis, since 2001 (Exhibit 4).
Since its initial use, Provide Software has enabled the County to comply with required Conditions of Grant Award and establish collaborations with other federal and state funded HIV programs. This has allowed reporting of client-level data elements, coordination of client care among service providers, avoidance of duplication of services, and ensuring collaboration among funded providers. The Provide Software is used across a network of 14 Broward County service providers and 150 end-users and is user friendly and provides real-time access to essential data. The Software offers a direct connection to electronic medical records (EMR) used by many local service providers, and allows for an easy exchange of information in order to ensure continuity of care. Additionally, the State of Florida Department of Health, Section of HIV/AIDS through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) utilizes the Provide Software to provide a check and balance to prevent duplication of services to mutual clients served by the State and local Ryan White Part A. The Provide Software is also utilized in two other Florida counties, Orange and Palm Beach Counties, as well as the City of Fort Lauderdale Housing Opportunities for Persons With HIV/AIDS (HOPWA). Many programs throughout the nation (Illinois, South Carolina, Washington, Texas, Arizona, Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) currently utilize the Provide Software to manage the care and treatment of their residents impacted by HIV/AIDS. In Broward County, over 8,100 residents are able to benefit from the interconnectivity of the Provide Software.
On January 17, 2012, Groupware Technologies, Inc. was approved by the Director of Purchasing as the only one reasonable source for the Provide Software hosting and maintenance support services for the program, in order to negotiate a new Agreement. On June 26, 2012, (Item No. 53), the Board of County Commissioners approved the Agreement which commenced on July 29, 2012 and continued through July 28, 2017. On April 18, 2017, the Director of Purchasing approved a request by the Community Partnerships Division to extend the current Two-Party Agreement with Groupware Technologies as a Sole Reasonable Source and amend the Agreement for an additional five years, then present to the Board for approval (Exhibit 5). On July 28, 2017, the Director of Purchasing approved the First Amendment to the Agreement (Master Agreement No. D0689718Q1) for a 90-day extension to October 31, 2017, to allow time for Board consideration and approval of the Second Amendment.
Two Sunshine meetings were held on August 2, 2017 and on August 29, 2017 to negotiate the Second Amendment and representatives from Groupware Technologies, Inc., the Office of the County Attorney, the Risk Management Division, the Enterprise Technology Services Division, the Community Partnerships Division and the Purchasing Division were in attendance. The Second Amendment was developed in coordination with the Enterprise Technology Services Division to ensure compliance with Administrative Code 22.148, the County's established Computer Software Policy. The County ETS recommends a SOC II Type 2 Report. Groupware Technologies Inc. provides a SOC I Type 2 Report for the data center where the data is hosted, which is completed by an independent 3rd party as required. A copy of the ETS Security Questionnaire and a copy of the most recent audit report dated January 17, 2017 are on file with ETS. The Ryan White Part A program is not a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). Provide Software has been used by CPD since 2001 and is critical to the operations of the Ryan White Part A Program.
The Second Amendment was reviewed and approved as to form by the Office of the County Attorney and the Risk Management Division.
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