SR-6-D (88)
,'UN 2 2 1999
CoD
F \HSD\SHARE\STREPTS\COMPSYS JS
Council Meeting June 22, 1999 Santa Monica, CA
To Mayor and City Council
From CIty Staff
Subject Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute
a Contract with Data Systems InternatIonal (OSI) for the Purchase,
Installation and Maintenance of a Computenzed Case Management System
for Homeless Services, for an Amount Not to Exceed $130,000
Introduction
ThiS report requests that City Council authonze the City Managerto negotiate and execute
a contractforthe purchase, Installation and maintenance ofChentTrack software, including
training of case managers at City-funded homeless services agencies, and mtenslve traln-
In9 of a contract Systems Administrator, for an amount not to exceed $130,000
Background
In FY 1994-95, City Council authonzed the purchase and Implementation ofthe Automatic
Case Management Systems (ACMS) CaseWatch computer software for tracking chents
uSing homeless services funded by the City ThiS system made It possible for the City to
count, for the first time. the number of undupllcated homeless IndiViduals served through
the many programs It funded as well as track the chents' outcomes (e g , Job placement,
school enrollment. permanent hOUSing) ThiS ability In turn reduces the duplication of
servIces proVIded to the same client It also reduces the clIent and case manager's need
to re-reglster client InformatIOn at any subsequent service proVIder once the mdivldualls
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registered In the system The system also provides for greater coordmatlon of services,
as each servIce provider can see each client's case plan (with the client's consent) and
determine the services being provIded by each agency The system's standardized case
management tools have reqUIred a high level of accountabIlity from programs providing
services and, thus. have Improved the quality of case management throughout the system
At the time the system was purchased, ACMS was the only vendor whIch provided
software capable of tracking clients over a Wide Area Network (WAN), which was a
necessary specification for linking the variety of homeless service programs which the CIty
funded Since November 1996, a grant through HUD's SupportIve HousIng Program has
funded the installation and maintenance of the ACMS system
While the current ACMS software met the City's needs In 1994, there has been a need to
upgrade the system Most significant are the follOWing (1) reports have not attained 100%
accuracy due to programming dIfficulties, (2) the system IS written In an antiquated
database language no longer used In the computer Industry which slows report
generation, (3) the system IS DOS-based (keyboard-driven, rather than mouse-dnven) and
has thus presented obstacles for staff, (4) the amount oftramlng time and level oftechnlcal
support needed has been high, and (5) the current version of CaseWatch IS not Wlndows-
compatible, and a Windows verSion of the ACMS software has been indefinitely
postponed. Fmally. a survey of agency staff who use the CaseWatch system IdentifIed
dissatisfaction With the system because It IS difficult to learn and lacks suffiCient tools to
manipulate and report data In a meaningful format
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On October 31, 1999, the City's contract with ACMS to provide maintenance and support
servIces ends, although the CIty'S HUD SupportIVe HousIng Program grant was renewed
for an additIonal two years (from November 1,1999 to October 31,2001) The renewal
funding Includes support for a computerized case management system at the same level
offundlng as the final year of the prevIous HUD grant City staff has reViewed the growing
field of computerized case management systems and views the end ofthe current contract
with ACMS as an opportunity to sWitch to a more modern, accurate, user-friendly and cost-
effective system After extensive analysIs oHive competitive systems, City staff, In consul-
tation with City-funded CaseWatch users, has Identified CllentTrack, a product of Data
Systems InternatIonal (DSI), to best meet the needs of the City and City-funded homeless
servIces providers
DISCUSSion
While the City was on the cuttmg edge nationally when the CIty CounCil recommended
Implementation of CaseWatch, In the last several years computerized case management
has become a growing trend In major Cities around the country Consequently, now there
IS a wide selectIon of vendors who proVIde client-tracking software The City hired a
software consultant to evaluate available systems, and City staff analyzed software and
attended demonstrations of different systems DUring the past SIX months, demonstrations
of three of the best systems were proVIded to City-funded agency staff for companson to
the ACMS CaseWatch software Offlfteen program directors and case managers who saw
the demonstrations, thIrteen expressed a strong preference for ClfentTrack; the other two
expressed a wlllmg ness to walt until ACMS developed a Windows version ofthelr software
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The preference for CllentTrack IS based on several factors (1) The system IS Windows-
based and user-friendly, (2) It operates vIa the Internet, ellmmatlng the need for an expen-
sive dedicated network, and (3) It Includes a variety of features which case managers
found appealing, such as the ability to scan documents Into the system, several levels of
confidentiality bUilt In, and the ability to customize screens wlthm each agency without hav-
Ing to rely on programmers An add Itlonal pomt of Interest IS that over forty Pnvate Industry
CounCIls (PIC's) In Los Angeles County have sWItched to CllentTrack, whIch Will help link
the employment sector wIth homeless services agencies CllentTrack has been selected
to track employment services In Ventura, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernar-
dino Counties The City of Long Beach has also Just selected CllentTrack to manage their
homeless services Finally, the ongoing maintenance costs considerably less than ACMS's
projected charges
The cost of purchaSing and mstalllng CllentTrack, Includmg tralnmg and ongoing mainte-
nance, IS fully covered by HUD funding under the current Supportive Housmg Program
grant and Its two-year renewal CIty staff antIcIpates that future traIning needs Will be slgm-
flcantly reduced due to the SimpliCity of learnmg and managing the system DSI mainte-
nance and support will remain under $8,000 annually In addition, the program WIll reqUire
a contract System Administrator for approxImately $55,000 per year, which the HUD re-
newal grant Will fund Current HUD funds allocated toward the City'S administrative costs
have been approved by H U D for the purchase of state-of-the-art computers to replace the
current antiquated hardware currently In use Therefore, staff foresees no need to secure
additional fundmg to make thiS conversion and, In fact, anticIpates reduced maintenance
and support costs In the future
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BudgetlFmanclallmpact
The cost of purchase, installation, traIning and maintenance of CllentTrack, In an amount
no to exceed $130,000, IS funded by the HUD Supportive Grant program and General
Funds earmarked for the computerized case management system To Implement this
contract, It IS necessary to Increase the appropriation at account number 20-700-695-
00000-7830-00000 by $65,467 and to Increase the associated revenue estimate at
account number 20-400-262-00000-0383-10000 by $65,467 to bring total revenues mto
balance wIth expenditures General funds of $64,533 earmarked for the computerized
case management system are available In our FY 1998-99 budget at account 01-400-262-
00000-4439-00000
Recommendation
Staff recommends that City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute
a contract with Data Systems International forthe purchase, installation, tramlng and main-
tenance of ItS CllentTrack homeless software, not to exceed $130,000, and approve the
budget changes set forth above
Prepared by Barbara Stinchfield, Community and Cultural Services Director
Julie Rusk. Human Services Manager
Joel Schwartz, Homeless Services Coordinator
Tracy Scruggs, Human Services Supervisor
Jory Wolf, Information Systems Manager
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