Primary Department: Universal Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Sindhu Menon, Executive Director and CIO
Managing Department: Universal Services
Managing Department Head/Elected Official: Sindhu Menon, Executive Director and CIO
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Investment Memo
Investment Memo Type: Final Investment Memo
Project Name: Application Repair Replace
Project ID (if applicable): NI032
Vendor Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Achievement (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE 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): N/A - Not a grant item
Incremental Authorization Requested: $2,545,000
Total Estimated Project Cost: $5,490,000 (FY26-27)
Request Summary:
title
Request for approval of the Final Investment Memo for the Application Repair Replace project for an incremental authorization of $2,545,000 for a total authorization of $2,745,000 for FY2026 and commercial funding in the amount of $2,000,000.
end
Project Description:
Much like physical infrastructure, applications and software packages have a defined shelf life. Technology and development methodologies change over time to improve capabilities and efficiencies. Software packages become obsolete as vendors stop supporting them or the underlying technology gets replaced. Based on a defined ranking methodology, Universal Services ranks and classifies applications that need attention and/or replacement. This is a lifecycle management project to address the updates, replacement, or redevelopment of various applications and website redesigns.
Website Redesigns aim to overhaul websites across Harris County to improve user experience, visual appeal, performance, and alignment with the organization’s brand and business goals. The redesigned site will provide a modern, responsive, and accessible interface optimized for all devices and user types, including mobile and tablet users.
This initiative will focus on enhancing the website's usability, navigation, content structure, SEO readiness, and integration analytics platforms. Redesigns will incorporate feedback from departments to ensure the new design meets the needs of its audience while aligning with the latest web standards and technologies. This project can create positive impacts many of the County Strategic Goals. Harris County departments effectively utilize websites to communicate objects in their area.
For the next fiscal year (FY2026), the focus will be on the following applications: Building DR for Point-of-Sale application, upgrade Frequent Courthouse Visitors (FCV), continue SharePoint to Cloud, Web NDD sites, ServiceNow, and JIMS/Juvenile application.
Anticipated Project Expenditures and Timeline:
|
Project Scope Breakdown |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Completion |
|
SharePoint Re-platforming |
$290,000 |
09/30/2026 |
|
Web DNN |
$280,000 |
09/30/2026 |
|
Contracting resources 7 (FCV 1, JIMS2 2, ServiceNow 2, Point of Sale 1, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 migration to Dynamics 365-1) |
$1,310,400 |
09/30/2026 |
|
Full time resources 3 (ePermits 1, SharePoint 1, JIMS2 1) |
$561,600 |
09/30/2026 |
|
Contingency |
$303,000 |
09/30/2026 |
|
FY26 Total Authorization |
$2,745,000 |
|
|
Unencumbered existing project balance to carry into FY26 |
($200,000) |
09/30/2026 |
|
Total |
$2,545,000 |
- |
Contracting resource calculation is based on $90 per hour for a standard 40-hour work week.
Justification & Alternatives:
The repair/replacement of these applications is critical to ensure continuity of county services. This reduces the overhead costs required to support the current applications. The upgraded applications also ensure Harris County departments and end-users do not have to work with unsupported technology or out-of-date processes, which would be more susceptible to failure and vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
The new utilized applications will reduce overhead costs required to support current applications and processes. The new applications, will have DR established in the cloud and will be updated to the latest available version of Java and will provide the following benefits:
• Better support
• Improved performance
• Improved security features
• User access to enhancements not provided in the original design
• Enable the team to clean up some of the current JIMS2 table information
• Faster recovery time during a disaster
• Enhanced scalability and flexibility
• Reduced Physical Infrastructure dependency
• Ease of deployment to DR
This Repair and Replace CIP request is to address the updates, replacement, or redevelopment of end-of-life processes and applications/software packages. If we elect not to upgrade the applications and improve processes, we will continue to see increase in maintenance costs, application outages and potential exposure to increased security risks, impacts to customer functionality, and the ability to service the constituents (currently version of Java is near end of life and could go unsupported at any time).
A significant risk of not moving forward with upgrading the JIMS2 application from its current framework is the current code base is highly complex. The current JIMS2 application is based on deprecated frameworks and code libraries, which do not have simple upgrade paths and present security risks. Upgrading would improve development productivity, provide cleaner and more concise code and access to more modern features.
Anticipated Impact on Other Funds (If Applicable):
|
Fund Code |
Description |
Estimated Cost |
Funding Method (Existing or Future Budget Request Required) |
Estimated Date of Needs |
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$- |
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- |
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$- |
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- |
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Total |
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$- |
|
- |
County Strategic Plan Goal: N/A
County Strategic Plan Objective: R: Enhance disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resiliency.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Decision Analysis Matrix Score (rubric on last page): 12
Previous Court Action:
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
11/12/2019 |
4.f.1 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $880,000 |
|
7/28/2020 |
4.f.3 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $870,000 |
|
5/25/2021 |
21-2395 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $2,860,000 |
|
4/5/2022 |
22-2255 |
Request for SFY22 authorization of $778,000 |
|
9/13/2022 |
22-5417 |
Request for an additional incremental authorization of $2,000,000, FY23 total authorization of $4,000,000 |
|
11/15/2022 |
22-7252 |
Request for approval to decrease commercial paper funding for $1,000,000 |
|
3/14/2023 |
23-1417 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $500,000 |
|
8/29/2023 |
23-4792 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $1,000,000 |
|
9/19/2023 |
23-5277 |
Request for an additional incremental authorization of $4,757,500 for FY24 |
|
10/10/2023 |
23-5840 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding $500,000 for a total of $5,610,000 |
|
12/5/2023 |
23-7154 |
Request for approval of decrease commercial paper funding $400,000 for a net CP funding $5,210,000 |
|
6/4/2024 |
24-3062 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for $995,000 |
Address:
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
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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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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request |
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Commercial Paper |
$ |
$2,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$2,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
$ |
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Total Funding Request |
$ |
$2,000,000 |
$2,000,000 |
$ |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Court Date: 08/26/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 10/1/2025
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Legal funding compliance confirmed by: Paige Abernathy, Special Assistant County Attorney, 7/22/2025
Department Approval by: Heather Merkel, Director of Budget, Universal Services 8/8/2025
OMB CIP Team Approval by: William McGuinness, Director-Capital Projects & Infrastructure, 8/6/2025
________________________________________
Commercial Paper Request (For OMB use only):
Receiving Department: Universal Services
Project PeopleSoft ID: NI032
CP Series Description: Commercial Paper Series D can be used for (1) construction of public works, (2) the purchase of automobiles, equipment and machinery, including computers, materials and supplies for the operation of the County’s precincts and departments (3) Professional services, including services provided by engineers, architects, attorneys, auditors, financial advisors, and fiscal agents, in connection with the contractual obligations described in (1) and (2).
Commercial Paper is being requested for the Application Repair Replace project and is expected to be repaid within the next three fiscal years either through bonds, budgetary means or pay-as-you-go sources.
OMB Financial Management contact: Amy Perez, Deputy Executive Director, Office of Management and Budget
Decision Analysis Matrix scoring tool - Commissioners Court has approved the rubric below for scoring capital projects. Please complete the last two rows for OMB review.
|
Scoring option |
Strategic Plan alignment (3x weighting) |
Evidence base |
Impact on outcomes |
Cost effectiveness |
Ease of implementation |
Collaboration / partnerships |
Environmental sustainability |
Equity |
Total |
|
-1 |
Antithetical to one or more aspects of the Strategic Plan |
Evidence shows net negative impact on the intended goal |
Impact is clearly negative |
Costs expected (or shown) to outweigh benefits |
County has no/limited existing capabilities and dependencies are likely to impede |
Could negatively impact relationships with partners |
Negatively impacts environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Inequitable |
n/a |
|
0 |
Does not align to a Strategic Objective |
Evidence base is not well defined or measurable |
Size of impact on one or more strategic outcomes is negligible or unclear |
Net comparison is unclear |
County has no/limited existing capabilities or dependencies are likely to impede |
Does not involve collaboration with partners |
Net neutral impact on environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Does not consider equity to a meaningful degree |
n/a |
|
1 |
Aligns to a Strategic Objective but not to a Strategic Initiative |
Limited evidence-based research on outcomes; may have qualitative/theoretical support |
Outcomes are defined but without target levels and/or expected impact is moderate |
Moderate direct/indirect benefit relative to costs |
County has existing capability to implement, or dependencies are unlikely to impede |
Moderately expands County leverage through collaboration with partner(s) |
Marginally positive impact on environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Considers equity to a meaningful degree, but not comprehensively |
n/a |
|
2 |
Aligns to a Strategic Objective and a Strategic Initiative |
Outcomes are directly supported by evidence base or credible research supports anticipated outcomes |
Outcomes are clearly defined and include target levels; expected impact on outcomes is high |
Significant direct/indirect benefit relative to costs |
County has existing capability to implement, and dependencies are unlikely to impede |
Significantly expands County leverage through collaboration with partner(s) |
Positively impacts environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Considers equity meaningfully and comprehensively |
n/a |
|
Score (-1,0,1,2) |
3 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
|
Rationale |
Alligns to Objective R |
As example - Case management system used by justice community 24/7 Redesigned websites could target broader audiences |
VIPS application provides a streamlined payment process for Attorneys and improved transparency in workflows. JIMS2 Application supports critical Juvenile justice functions 24/7 and reduce delays in case processing. Websites reach different sizes of audiences |
Applications are used by various Agencies within Justice community ex. DCA, DCO, JPD, DAO, MAC, and LE Agencies Modern websites can reduce cost by having smaller footprints |
Justice Community dependencies are well understood and do not pose risk to implementations by current applications. System is already in place |
The JIMS2 and VIPS applications continuously use leverage input through ongoing collaborative discussions from Justice community partners. Stakeholder engagement is routine and integral to system updates and usage. Websites can communicate through communities |
Does not impact. |
N/A |
n/a |