Explanation
BACKGROUND: This ordinance authorizes the Board of Health to modify an existing contract with Decision Support Services, Inc. (DSS) to add additional funding to provide evaluation services for Columbus Public Health’s Healthy Start Project. The modification increases the current contract by $20,000, bringing the new total contract amount to $40,000.00 The contract term will remain April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026.
The original contract was based on a partial federal award, which limited available funds at the time of execution. Since then, the full award has been received, creating additional evaluation and reporting requirements to meet federal and local standards. DSS already possesses a deep knowledge of the Healthy Start Project, its evaluation framework, and associated federal reporting standards. Issuing a new procurement would delay critical evaluation work, risk duplication of effort, and threaten compliance timelines. Continuing with DSS ensures continuity of services, timely reporting, and cost efficiency. The $20,000.00 increase reflects DSS’s detailed scope-of-work expansion to address new data-collection, analysis, and reporting obligations associated with the full award. This pricing was reviewed and deemed reasonable based on the added hours, specialized staff time, and deliverables required.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: Emergency action is requested to avoid a gap in these critical evaluation services and to ensure continued compliance with program requirements. Approval is necessary to sustain ongoing Healthy Start activities and to maintain accountability for public health funding and outcomes.
FISCAL IMPACT: Expenditures to provide these services are budgeted in the 2025 Healthy Start Grant within the 2025 Health Department Grants Fund, Fund No. 2251. ($20,000.00)
Title
To authorize the Board of Health to modify an existing contract with Decision Support Services, Inc. to add additional funding to provide evaluation services for C...
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