HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 19 INFO/REC'S MGMNT 1-21-91DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
_71
JANUARY 21, 1991
WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DEPARTMENT
INFORMATION/RECORDS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
RECOMMENDATION:
CONSENT CALENDAR NO. 19
1-21-91
Inter - Com
Authorize Director of Administrative Services to execute an agreement with Susan
Bigelow Associates in the amount of $22,000 for consulting services to provide
an Information/Records Management Program, Phases I and II, for the City Clerk's
Office.
BACKGROUND
The current filing system in the City Clerk's Office is twenty-two years old.
The system is numeric and requires manual tracking and cross-referencing to
access and maintain; record retention schedules are non-existent; thus few
records have been destroyed or transferred. No automated indexing or retrieval
system exist at this time; however, the City Clerk's office has computer
capability to manage portions of the proposed program which lend themselves to
computerization. Having recognized that records management problems exist, the
City Clerk's Office issued a Request for Proposal for consulting services to
provide an Information/Records Management System.
The City Council allocated $22,000 during the 1990/91 budget process. Staff will
return to Council during the 1991/92 budget process for allocation of funds
necessary to complete Phases III and IV; an amount not to exceed $13,000.
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The objectives for the Request for Proposal are designed to establish a
comprehensive records management program in the City Clerk's Office. Once the
Records Management Program is successfully established and implemented, the
program will be expanded to include all departments for organizing, mainta-ining
and preserving City records in a consistent, efficient, and computerized manner.
A four -phased description to achieve these goals was recommended by the Chief
Deputy City Clerk:
PHASE I - Filing System
Analyze and evaluate the filing system used in the City Clerk's Office.
Recommend a specific functional filing system for the City Clerk's Office that
has the capability for expansion into a city-wide records management program.
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INFORMATION/RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
PHASE II - Information Retrieval System
Design and develop computer programs (using dBase III Plus software and Advanced
Netware network version which is currently installed) that will enable the City
Clerk's Office to automatically retrieve information generated by City Council
action: Ordinances, Resolutions, Agreements, Deeds, Claims and Legislative
History. This system would desirably have the potential for expansion into a
city-wide information retrieval system that could be accessed by other
departments.
PHASE III - Inventory of Records
Organize and coordinate a complete inventory of all records stored by the City
Clerk's Office.
PHASE IV - Record Retention Program
Establish a record retention program (retain, store, destroy) for the City
Clerk's Office. This Record Retention Program would eventually be utilized in
a future Civic Center -wide Records Center. All final record retention schedules,
which specify how long a document will remain in storage and when that document
will be destroyed, will be submitted to the City Attorney and City Council for
final approval.
Proposals were received and opened on December 7, 1990 in the City Clerk's
Office. Of the twelve proposals mailed, three proposals were received,
registered with the City Clerk's Office, and remain valid for ninety (90) days.
Staff contacted the organizations that chose not to submit a proposal. Each
organization expressed that their workload at that time would not accommodate the
City's proposal, in fact some stated that the scope and size of the proposal was
the main reason a response was not submitted; the project was too small for many
of the larger companies. Of the three responses received, one submitted by
Gamlin Industries did not demonstrate or meet the required criteria and the
proposal was disqualified.
SUMMARY
Proposals were evaluated by appropriate staff members based upon the following
evaluation criteria: responsiveness, knowledge, experience of organization,
adequacy of technical proposal, and references. The proposal submitted by
Kattlove & Associates, while it was the lowest cost, did not meet the scope of
the proposal in offering a comprehensive final product as outlined in the Phase
Summary Sheet. Phase I would result in only an expansion of the current system;
Phase II lacks consultant's cross-referencing all prior Council action (Minutes)
to the proposed filing system and index; and Phase III lacks cross-referencing
index, segregating file contents, and inactive records program.
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INFORMATION/RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Detailed analysis led to the attached Phase Summary Sheet and staff
recommendation to sign an agreement with Susan Bigelow Associates. Because of
the specialized development and training required of this project, a Request for
Proposal enables the City to contract with the most qualified respondent
pursuant to City purchasing Ordinance No. 871 - Bidding Exceptions criteria.
Ms. Bigelow demonstrated a superior combination of product knowledge, municipal
filing system experience, and the ability to successfully redesign and
computerize the existing information and documents within the City Clerk's
Office. The final determining factor was the combination of Susan Bigelow
Associates' ability to problem solve, train, and work with all levels of staff
to create an efficient and effective Information/Records Management System.
Valerie Whiteman
Chief Deputy City Clerk
Attachment "A": Phase Summary Sheet
A:RECMANG.RAW
Ro een A. White, Director
Adm -4 ' rative Services
CONSULTING SERVICES
CITY b► AUSTIN
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
FOR INFORMATION/RECORDS
Phase Summary Sheet
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
ORGANIZATION NAME PHASE
NUMBER AND
DESCRIPTION OF
WORK
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Phase IV
Susan Bigelow Associates
( $35,000 )
Kattlove & Associates
( $12,000 )
Design functional
filing system
(Municipal Unified
Functional Filing
System - MUFFS)
which is expand-
able to city-wide
use; develop color
coding for files
defining depart-
ments, projects,
retention; provide
computerized cross
reference user
index; train staff
Analyze current
filing system;
examine files;
with staff input,
define problem
areas; prepare
final filing
system
Establish computer
legislative index
for rapid retrieval
of Council action;
create cross-
reference index to
Minutes and filing
system for rapid
retrieval of back-
ground information
(ordinances, resol-
utions); numerical
coding of Minutes
to conform with new
filing system
Evaluate and
recommend software
program; designed
computerized index
for retrieval of
documents cross-
referenced; train
staff to index
document
Train and supervise
staff in completing
physical inventory
of all records;
identify record
categories; create
cross-reference
index; segregate
file content into
active, inactive,
and obsolete
categories; organize
and establish
inactive records
program; establish
color -coded
destruction dates
Organize and coord-
inate a formal
records inventory;
assist staff in
analyzing each type
of document; demon-
strate for staff how
to accurately
measure volume of
record series
NOT[: Gamlin Industries ( S18,000 ) was incomplete; responded only on Phases II and IV.
Research legal
retention
requirements;
submit list of
documents
requiring reten-
tion clarifica-
tion by Council/
City Attorney;
categorize record
series; prepare
detailed records
retention
schedule reflec-
ting historic,
research, evid-
ential and admin-
istrative value
of records; pre-
pare a Records
Management Manual
Develop records
management pro-
gram to reduce
volume of records
prepare draft
retention
schedule; preform
appropriate re-
search to
identify length
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