Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Civil Service Commission Executive Director to enter into a contract with Excelsoft Technologies, Inc. for exam item bank management and administration software as a service (SaaS) for the City’s uniformed and non-uniformed testing programs. This ordinance seeks authority to establish the contract for a SaaS solution for the period July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.
Essential to the exam development and review process is the need for test item metadata that is complete, detailed, and easily accessible for analysis. The analysis process is critical to ensuring test items, and the exam overall, are valid, reliable, and eliminate adverse impact in the selection process. While there are a number of exam item bank management and administration solutions available on the market, the Commission’s review of those products revealed Excelsoft offered the most breadth and depth of functionality and features necessary for our detailed analysis of test item performance both upon initial use and over multiple exam administrations.
Because Commission research and the use of the software for a multi-month trial period has confirmed Excelsoft is the product currently available that will best meet the needs of the Commission’s testing programs, this ordinance also seeks authority to waive the competitive bidding provisions of Columbus City Code, Chapter 329.
Fiscal Impact: This legislation authorizes an expenditure of $70,000.00 from the General Fund with Excelsoft Technologies, Inc. for exam item bank management and administration software as a service for the City’s uniformed and non-uniformed testing programs. These funds are available within the Commission’s 2020 General Fund budget.
Contract Compliance Number: 46-1278817, expires 5/20/2022.
Emergency action is requested so that the contract can be established as quickly as possible to utilize the SaaS functionality as part of the test development process for upcoming exams.
Title
To authorize the Civil Service Commission Executive Director to enter into a contract with Excelsoft Technologies, Inc. for exam item bank management and administration software as a service (SaaS) for the City’s uniformed and non-uniformed testing programs; to waive the competitive bidding provisions of Columbus City Code, Chapter 329; to authorize the expenditure of $70,000.00 from the General Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($70,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the Civil Service Commission has a need for exam item bank management and administration software as a service for its uniformed and non-uniformed testing programs; and
WHEREAS, based upon informal solicitation of product/service offerings and pricing conducted in late 2019 and the subsequent six month trial use of the Excelsoft product, Excelsoft Technologies, Inc. has been determined to be the most responsive vendor offering the needed services that meet the Commission’s exam item bank management and administration requirements, and has the necessary experience, skills, and infrastructure to provide the needed hosted software solution; and
WHEREAS, based upon the previously conducted informal solicitation of vendor product/service offerings and pricing the Commission is seeking authority to waive the competitive bidding provisions of Columbus City code, Chapter 329; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Civil Service Commission in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Civil Service Commission Executive Director to enter into a contract with Excelsoft Technologies, Inc. to allow for the use of the needed solution for upcoming uniformed promotional exam development, thereby preserving the public health, peace, property, safety, and welfare; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Civil Service Commission Executive Director is hereby authorized to enter into a contract with Excelsoft Technologies, Inc. for test item bank management and administration SaaS.
SECTION 2. That the expenditure of up to $70,000.00, or so much thereof as may be needed is hereby authorized in Fund 1000 General Fund in Object Class 03 per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That this Council finds it is in the City's best interests to waive the relevant provisions of Chapter 329 of the Columbus City Codes regarding competitive bidding, and they are hereby waived.
SECTION 4. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 5. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.