Title
Citywide Public Records Request System Indemnification and Liability Exemption Request (Ordinance S-48989)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to grant an exemption from the indemnification and liability provisions of section 42-18 of the City Code and allow inclusion of indemnification and limitation of liability provisions in the agreement with GovQA, LLC as previously authorized by Ordinance S-48022 for a Public Records Request System. No additional funds are needed.
Report
Summary
GovQA, LLC (GovQA) was selected to provide the City a cloud-based Software as a Services (SaaS) solution for a Public Records Request System ensuring security, transparency and flexibility. The solution will be used Citywide excluding the Police, Fire and Municipal Court departments. The City's current in-house public records request solution does not meet the business needs and security standards for the growing number of public records requests in the City. The GovQA solution is modern enterprise solution which will allow the public to securely submit public records requests, and provides secure end-to-end workflows and user-based roles for staff fulfilling the requests. The new solution reduces risk, improves efficiency, and provides robust reporting.
Information technology companies such as GovQA provide increasingly complex products and services and will not agree to fully indemnify the City nor accept unlimited liability. Granting an exception would authorize the City to negotiate indemnification and assumption of liability provisions that best protect the City while still being aligned to IT industry standards and acceptable to GovQA.
Contract Term
This contract is for a five-year term.
Financial Impact
There is no financial impact related to this request; funding for this agreement was approved as part of Ordinance S-48022. This request is only for authorization to grant an exception from the indemnification and liability provisions of City Code section 42-18.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This contract was originally approved by City Council on Oct. 27, 2021, Ordinance S-48022.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Inger Erickson and the Information Technology Services Department.