Fiscal Note
The Madison Department of Public Health would be responsible for $10,000, or half of the total cost of this contract. Expenditures are included in the 2006 Adopted Operating Budget for $7,500. The remaining funding of $2,500 is available through a grant from the Southcentral Wisconsin Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Consortium. There is no anticipated impact upon cost controls or the tax levy.
Title
Authorizing the Madison Department of Public Health to enter into a contract with Claudia Haack, an independent consultant, to assist with planning for the merger of data systems. The $20,000 contract would be shared equally between the Department and the Dane County Division of Public Health.
Body
PREAMBLE
The Madison Department of Public Health and the Dane County Division of Public Health are in the process of merging. Several programs have already been consolidated. The two agencies will be fully merged by January 1, 2008.
One of the major tasks in merging these two agencies is the merger of their data systems. Between the two agencies, there are about 50 applications that have been developed, ranging from a database to track cases of lead poisoning to large applications that are used by public health nurses to record client data.
The first priority in merging these data systems is the review of staff needs and an evaluation of whether the current applications meet the requirements of the merged agency. A core group has been created to work on the review process. The core group will select ad hoc groups to review each area of work and make a recommendation on whether to select either agency's application or determine that both are insufficient. The core group will collect information from each of the ad hoc groups and make recommendations on how to proceed.
Since it will be difficult for staff to be impartial in this review, both Dane County Information Management Division and the City of Madison Information Services have recommended that an outside consultant be used to guide the process.
Claudia Haack, an independent consultant, has been working with the core group on a pro bono basis to initiate the review of applications. She has already had meetings with staff and management to educate herself on the needs of the merged public health agency.
While this authorization falls outside of the normal Purchasing guidelines, it allows the current work to continue without interruption. If a different consultant were to be chosen through the request for proposal (RFP) process, it would take more than a month for the consultant to be selected, and that consultant would need to start all over with the process of educating themselves on the needs of the merged department.
The annual contract for Ms. Haack will be for $20,000 and will require between 15 to 20 hours per month. She will work as an independent contractor and will not be an employee of either Dane County of the City of Madison. The $20,000 required to complete this work will be shared equally between the County and City. This commitment of funds is contingent upon a similar commitment by Dane County. The City of Madison has agreed to prepare the contract for Ms. Haack.
The 2006 Adopted Operating Budget includes $7,500 for consultants. The Madison Department of Health is receiving a grant of $38,453 from the Southcentral Wisconsin Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Consortium, with $2,500 being set aside for this consultant (Resolution 03276: Amending the 2006 Public Health Operating Budget to allow for receipt of $38,453 in public health emergency preparedness funds.)
WHEREAS, the Madison Department of Public Health and the Dane County Division of Public Health are merging,
WHEREAS, the data systems for these two agencies will need to be merged and applications combined,
WHEREAS, Claudia Haack, an independent consultant has been working pro bono with a core group on this and has already proven to be a valuable part of this process,
WHEREAS, funds are available to pay for her services as a consultant,
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Clerk are authorized to sign an agreement with Claudia Haack as an independent contractor on behalf of the City of Madison Department of Public Health for the purpose of developing a plan to merge applications and data systems. The contract will be for $20,000 for the period May 1, 2006 to April 30, 2007, with the cost being shared equally between the Madison Department of Public Health and the Dane County Division of Public Health.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the release of these funds is contingent upon a similar release of funds by Dane County.