Primary Department: Purchasing
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Kimberly J. Williams, JD
Secondary Department: Economic Equity and Opportunity
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Jie Wu
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Amendment
Project ID (if applicable): 220392
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Geocko, Inc. DBA FORWARD
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Choose an item.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request by the Office of the Purchasing Agent that the County Judge execute an amendment to an agreement with Geocko, Inc. DBA FORWARD to decrease funds in the amount of $500,000 to reduce the amount of grant funds appropriated, update the budget in Exhibit B, and replace Exhibit E (the Federal Award Identification Table) for small business technical assistance and administer accelerator grants for the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity for the period of June 6, 2023 - October 31, 2026 (220392).
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Background and Discussion:
On June 6, 2023, Commissioners Court approved the selection and award of an agreement with Geocko, Inc. DBA FORWARD to administer the accelerator grants application and data platform for the Harris Hub program. Harris Hub provides technical assistance and grant funding to support small and micro businesses in Harris County, with an emphasis on businesses and entrepreneurs facing multiple barriers.
This is the fourth amendment to the agreement and seeks to reduce the amount of funds appropriated for accelerator grants that are not anticipated to be expended prior to the ARPA grant end date. The amendment will align the available grant funding with anticipated program expenditures and the remaining period of performance.
The realignment will allow Harris County to redirect available ARPA funds to other eligible community investments and maximize federal resources to support Harris County residents and businesses before the applicable grant deadline.
Expected Impact:
Upon approval of this amendment, Geocko, Inc., DBA FORWARD, will continue implementing the Harris Hub small business program and processing direct grants to small businesses. The excess funding will be distributed among other ARPA projects to spend down the funds.
Alternative Options:
Failure to approve the Amendment between Harris County and Geocko, Inc. DBA Forward will limit the amount of ARPA funds that can be disbursed by the grant end date and may result in returning the funds.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 3. Make our economy more inclusive.
County Strategic Plan Objective: Choose an item.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): J3: Strengthen enabling support and processes for MWBE programming.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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11/15/2022 |
270 |
Approved advertisement of an RFP for Harris Hub program. |
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6/6/2023 |
250 |
Approved an award on the basis of best proposal meeting requirements and agreement(s) with BakerRipley; Geocko, Inc. DBA FORWARD; and Roads Consulting Group, LLC for small business technical assistance and administering accelerator grants for the period of June 6, 2023 - June 6, 2026 (Project ID: 220392) |
|
11/14/2023 |
16 |
Amendment to replace and update dollar amounts on a certain Exhibit for Harris Hub program at no additional cost to the county (220392). |
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6/25/2024 |
16 |
Amendment to update the budget, update the Administrative Fee, and transition the payment structure to milestone-based billing. |
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5/28/2026 |
48 |
Amendment to update scope of services, extend the term of the Agreement, reduce the amount of grant funds, update budget, replace Federal Award Identification Table. |
Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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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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Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 10/15/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Jie Wu, Interim Executive Director, DEEO; Paula Pineda, Assistant Director of ARPA Initiatives, DEEO; Clairisa Landry, Program Manager II, DEEO; Gisselle Zapata, Sr. Contract Manager, Purchasing
Attachments (if applicable): Letter