Primary Department: Purchasing
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Kimberly J. Williams, JD
Secondary Department: Institute of Forensic Sciences
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Dr. Pramod Gumpeni
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Award
Project ID (if applicable): 250214
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): VertiQ Software LLC
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): 0%
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: 0% - Non-Divisible
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Choose an item.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval of an award on the basis of best proposal meeting requirements and that the County Judge execute an agreement with VertiQ Software LLC for medical examiner services case data management system for the Institute of Forensic Sciences for the period of July 21, 2026 - July 20, 2027 with four (4) one-year renewal options (250214), Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: 0% - Non-Divisible.
end
Background and Discussion:
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (HCIFS) is seeking to streamline the process of maintaining, collecting, integrating, and storing medical examiner case and evidence data, including death reports, forensic examination results, and statistical data. The current system is not fully automated and difficult to manage.
An effective solution is an intuitive, all-in-one software package that is web-based, can accommodate and track the array of data collected and generated by the medical examiner service, facilitates transfer and tracking of evidence between the medical examiner and provides a means to track case milestones.
Expected Impact:
Internal HCIFS users are primarily impacted by the case management system. External HCIFS stakeholders include 80 different submitting law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, private attorneys, hospitals, funeral homes, families, media, researchers, and the public. These external stakeholders routinely rely on information provided by HCIFS.
Alternative Options:
HCIFS will continue to use its current system and associated business processes that require paper-based filing.
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:
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
8/26/25 |
336 |
Advertisement |
|
|
|
|
Location: 1861 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, TX 77054
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
|
|
|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
Existing Budget |
|
|
|
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
|
Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
|
CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
|
CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 7/30/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Cristina Juarez, Finance Manager, Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences; Jeremy Woodard, Senior Sourcing Manager, Purchasing Department
Attachments (if applicable): Letter, Agreement