Board of Supervisors Response to Civilgrand Jury Report No. 1004:*

Use of multiple providers results in higher costs and inhibits the ability to achieve and maintain optimal cost efficiency. Response: Agree. Grand Jury Recommendation: Within 90 days, the Board of Supervisors shall select one provider to reduce cost per minute for all users. Response: The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not reasonable. Coverage quality is an important factor in choosing a cellular provider. Due to the topographical make-up of Contra Costa County, there is not currently a single provider that is able to provide service to all areas of our County. Advances in cell phone technology may soon solve this problem and at that point, the County will seriously consider a single contract. Individual departments manage and administer their own cell phone contracts, resulting in higher cost and inefficiency: i.e., tracking of minutes purchased vs. minutes used, equipment inventory control and simplified invoicing and payment. Response: Partially disagree. Although many individual departments do manage their own cell phone contracts, they are managing them through Government rate plans including California Multiple Award Schedules (CMAS). The CMAS contract, for instance, offers a wide variety of commodities, non-IT services, and information technology products and services at prices which have been assessed to be fair, reasonable, and competitive. The use of these contracts is optional and is available to both California State and Local Government agencies Grand Jury Recommendation: The Board of Supervisors shall centralize contract management and administration immediately upon conversion to a single provider contract. Response: The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not reasonable. Although the County agrees that greater standardization of cell phone administration is needed, centralized administration of this function would require greater resources than are currently available. The County agrees that more thorough review of individual use and adjustment of plans can save money. The County Administrator's Office has surveyed other County governments and is in the process of developing an Administrative Bulletin on Cellular Phone and Smartphone Policy. The purpose of the policy is to standardize the guidelines for issuance and use of cellular phone and/or smart phones. Additionally, and 11/12/2010 1:54 nup://10.10.11.216/frs/publish/print ag memo.clm?seq=4510&rev LITHE AGCINIA HEITH KOURCEST perhaps more importantly the policy will describe the proper internal controls to use in review of rate plans and individual use. The policy will be forwarded to the Internal Operations Committee and issued this summer.

Multiple providers result in charges for cell to cell communication between provider networks. Response: Partially disagree. Some of the County's plans are for unlimited minutes, therefore there are no additional charges for cell to cell communications between providers; however, it is true that the majority of County phones are on individual department, specific carrier, pooled minute plans. Grand Jury Recommendation: One provider shall be utilized unless required services are not available. Response: The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not reasonable (see response number one). Additionally, although Countywide pooled plans would save money over-all they would by definition include interdepartmental subsidies. These subsidies would likely cause federal and State claiming issues. Push to talk, an essential no cost communication tool which includes group calling, is only possible