Title
Vote to approve competitive bid exemption and sole source for Cityzen Solutions, Inc. in the amount of $94,800 for three years of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) PublicInput PlatformTM.
Abstract
Action Requested: Vote to approve competitive bid exemption and sole source for Cityzen Solutions, Inc. in the amount of $94,800 for three years of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) PublicInput PlatformTM. The purpose of this is to expand public engagement outreach, particularly to residents with limited English proficiency (LEP) through various avenues available and trackable through the software.
Introduction & Background: The Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBS) Foundation awarded Chatham County grant funding to leverage, support, and expedite action items from the Building Integrated Communities (BIC) Action Plan for Immigrant Integration (the Plan). In the grant application, Chatham County outlined goals to eliminate language and information access barriers for LEP residents that align with the Plan’s strategic objectives of improving communication between [Chatham County] and [LEP] residents and enhancing leadership opportunities for [LEP] residents in Siler City and Chatham County (communication and leadership). This request for competitive bid exemption and sole source for the PublicInput PlatformTM aligns with the strategic objective of improving communication between Chatham County and LEP residents.
Discussion & Analysis: Currently, Chatham County staff use various means of communication with the public which spans from monolingual English social media posts, surveys via the website and other platforms, email correspondence, and mass communications platforms via Granicus and Mailchimp. The challenge with using multiple platforms is that it requires additional staff time to compile and synthesize feedback from the various platforms. PublicInput provides a platform where messaging can be translated and tailored by language to specific users and engagement data can be synthesized into one database instead of multiple platforms. Chatham County explored other platforms offering similar services, but most were still missing key elements that would make this engagement work well in Chatham County. For example, PublicInput allows for residents to complete surveys via text message without internet access which is beneficial in areas of low bandwidth throughout the County. PublicInput provides an efficient platform for Chatham County to track data to best reach an under-engaged population in the County, addressing goals of Chatham County, BCBS Foundation, and BIC.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan:
Budgetary Impact: Funds for this project have already been budgeted in the BIC BCBS Foundation grant application, totaling $94,800 for a total of three years.
Recommendation/Motion: Approve competitive bid exemption and sole source for Cityzen Solutions, Inc. in the amount of $94,800 for three years of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) PublicInput PlatformTM.