Agenda Item Wording:
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Authorize Purchase of Timekeeping System: Authorize the City Manager to enter into a (5) year service and software license agreement with Kronos SaasHR for an employee time and attendance system, as well as a Public Safety employee scheduling system, for a total of $512,000, and appropriate $93,700 for the Public Safety scheduling system.
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Deadline for Action: 9/16/2024
Submitting Department: Finance and Technology Services
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Israel Luna, Information Systems Analyst, 559-713-4106 israel.luna@visalia.city
John Howson, IS Manager, 559-713-4122 john.howison@visalia.city
Renee Nagel, Finance & Technology Director, 559-713-4375 renee.nagel@visalia.city
Department Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Visalia City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into a (5) year service and software license agreement with Kronos SaasHR for an employee time and attendance system, as well as a Public Safety employee scheduling system, for a total of $512,000, and appropriate $93,700 from the General Fund for the Public Safety scheduling system. Both systems, including implementation, will cost $195,744 in year 1 of the contract. The remaining four years of the contract will be for annual maintenance of $79,000. The annual maintenance for years 2-5 has already been included in the departmental budgets.
Background Discussion:
The City of Visalia's current on-premises Time and Attendance software, called Stromberg Enterprise, went live in 2009. Although this software has fulfilled both timekeeping and reporting requirements, its technology has become obsolete and lacks modern application enhancements. In 2010 Stromberg was acquired by Kronos and the City was notified that support and updates would end in 2020. Since 2020 the system has been unsupported by the vendor and has received no updates, and staff are unable to add employees beyond the originally purchased 900 user licenses. Continued use of this technology runs the risk that new employees cannot be added to the system, and the lack of updates provides a substantial security risk.
All City employees interact with the Stromberg Enterprise time keeping system. While the majority utilize a web browser interface, deployed at certain sites are bio-metric hardware-based clocks. These clocks serve positions in the field, and are strategically placed at City facilities, such as at the Corporation Yard, Convention Center, and recreational facilities. It has become increasingly difficult to replace hardware due to modern hardware being incompatible with the Stromberg Enterprise software.
The Public Safety Department on-premises scheduling software was acquired in 2009. This system too has had a lengthy time in service. Additionally, its original deployment did not encompass all available modules. Both departments also share common scheduling methods for safety personnel. The scheduling complexities make the current manual and partially automated methods particularly cumbersome, resulting in inefficient use of employee hours and placing a great burden on scheduling staff. Current scheduling methods potentially lead to errors in employee time records. The current manual process is particularly slow and cumbersome in responding to last-minute vacancies, which could result in unnecessary overtime or under-scheduling.
An RFP was issued (RFP-23-24-01) seeking a replacement time and attendance system with an optional component for a public safety scheduling solution.
As part of the project due diligence, a Steering Committee composed of City employees from multiple departments was formed. Over the course of many weeks from November 2023 through April 2024, the Committee evaluated 8 RFP responses focusing on time and attendance as well as scheduling solutions. After numerous meetings to screen and narrow down the candidates, they selected the top four; Kronos SaasHR, TeleTime, TCP, and Andrews Technology. Interviews and demonstrations were conducted with each proposer.
Following further discussions and consultations with referrals, the committee chose Kronos SaasHR as the recommended selection.
Fiscal Impact:
The timekeeping and biometric timeclock system implementation will cost $102,044 and will be funded by the America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) CIP. Kronos SaasHR has agreed to follow all federal guidelines and has submitted certificates certifying their compliance. They have also provided the required bond for professional services.
The Public Safety scheduling system was not included in the ARPA project, but the timekeeping system and scheduling system are closely tied together, upgrading this and the same time provides many enhancements to the Police and Fire departments. Staff is recommending funding this system and implementation from the General Fund for an amount not to exceed $93,700.
Both systems, including implementation, will cost $195,744 in year 1 of the contract. The remaining four years of the contract will be for annual maintenance of $79,000. The annual maintenance for years 2-5 has already been included in the departmental budgets. As shown in the table below, the total contract for five years is $511,744.
Prior Council Action: N/A
Alternatives: Direct staff to re-issue the RFP. The ARPA funding would not be available for this.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
Authorize the City Manager to enter into a (5) year service and software license agreement with Kronos SaasHR for an employee time and attendance system, as well as a Public Safety employee scheduling system, for a total of $512,000, and appropriate $93,700 from the General Fund for the Public Safety scheduling system.
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Attachments:
Attachment 1- Draft Agreement
Attachment 2 - RFP-23-24-01, 00 Supply and Implementation of Time and Attendance Application.pdf