Primary Department: Purchasing
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Kimberly J. Williams, JD
Secondary Department: County Engineer
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Milton Rahman
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Renewal
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Forerunner Industries, Inc.
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: Exempt - Interlocal/Cooperative Agreement
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Choose an item.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval of a State of Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) Cooperative Contract renewal option with Forerunner Industries, Inc. for Floodplain Management and Community Rating System (CRS) Software and related services for Harris County Revise for the period of September 30, 2026 - September 29, 2027, at a cost of $153,600, Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: Exempt - Interlocal/Cooperative Agreement.
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Background and Discussion:
Harris County entered into an initial Software as a Service (SaaS) agreement with Forerunner in October 2020 to support the storage, analysis, and reporting of elevation certificates. The solution validates data accuracy and streamlines reporting to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the Community Rating System (CRS). As part of the licensing agreement, the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit compliance module is also included.
Expected Impact:
To maintain current level of service as well as take advantage of enhancements and features covered under service maintenance.
Alternative Options:
Forerunner is the only vendor that provides a unique suite of software that allows communities to efficiently manage their floodplain management programs, monitor aspects of compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and streamline activities related to the Community Rating System (CRS) program. Forerunner is also the only vendor that has developed software customized for the extraction of data from Elevation Certificates and for parcel-level floodplain management analysis.
County Strategic Plan Goal: N/A
County Strategic Plan Objective: N/A
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan: N/A
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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6/11/2026 |
294 |
Contract Award |
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Location: N/A
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Choose an item.
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
Special Flood Hazard Areas & Community Rating Service |
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Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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1000 - General Fund |
$ |
$153,600 |
$153,600 |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$153,600 |
$153,600 |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Funding Sources |
$ |
$153,600 |
$153,600 |
$ |
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Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
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Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 7/21/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 9/30/2026
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Bashar Ahmed, Chief, Strategy & Business Operations, Office of the County Engineer; Aaron Saenz, Buyer, Purchasing Department
Attachments (if applicable): Letter