Department: County Attorney
Department Head: Christian Menefee - County Attorney
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Investment Memo
Investment Memo Type: Preliminary Investment Memo
Project Name: Harris County Attorney’s Office Matter Management System
Project ID (if applicable):
Vendor Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Achievement (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Managing Entity: Harris County Attorney’s Office
Incremental Authorization Requested: $1,581,250
Total Estimated Project Cost: $1,581,250
Request Summary:
title
Request by the County Attorney for approval of an Investment Memo for the Harris County Attorney’s Office Matter Management Software Project for an initial authorization of $1,581,250 to replace the existing antiquated legacy case management system and initial commercial paper funding in the amount of $905,000.
end
Project Description:
The Harris County Attorney’s Office is requesting approval for the replacement of existing case management system. This project is expected to begin in FY2024 and continue for approximately 18 months. This project will enhance and implement a new software solution utilizing professional implementation services to map and convert historical data and provide system support and train County Attorney personnel. The new case management solution will reside on existing hardware.
Project Scope:
The project will replace the existing antiquated legacy case/matter management system that no longer meets industry standards with one that does. The project provides for the initial software investment and maintenance.
The software will be required to meet data security compliance standards, have low downtime, be configurable, track litigation cases, contain an events/calendaring system and financial management system, integrate with Outlook, OpenText, HotDocs, and/or other third-party software, be easy to use, and have robust search and reporting capabilities. The vendor will provide project management that supervises configuration analysis and design, training, implementation, and post go-live support, help desk for ongoing support, and system updates.
Justification:
The Harris County Attorney’s Office maintains records on more than 110,000 cases and 13.5 terabytes of highly sensitive data affecting nearly every elected official and department. This data includes protected health information, attorney-client privilege, and active litigation that must be stored with the highest security standards. The office manages this data with a proprietary Microsoft Access based system that is nearly 20 years old and no longer meets the County’s needs. The old software is slow, unreliable, generates frequent errors, and lacks the ability to interact with document management systems such as OpenText. It has limited workflow and reporting capabilities. The replacement software options are similar to those used by comparable public legal departments and private law firms and will enhance the office’s ability to provide legal services.
The project supports the priority outcomes of improving the County Attorney’s ability to represent elected officials, employees, and departments in litigation and other legal matters. The success of the project can be measured by transitioning these files and matters to a confidential management system that improves the County Attorney’s Office workflow and makes information accessible and reliable for attorneys and support staff.
Alternatives and Engagement:
A case management system is the heart of every law office, and the existing system makes it difficult to collaborate and find and maintain case information and secure data. Attorneys and support staff spend additional time and labor searching for files. The current system also depends on a contractor familiar with the software’s custom programming, as opposed to an off-the-shelf system that would have a network of technical support. Keeping the existing software is an unviable alternative that will compromise the ability of the office to maintain its mission.
Anticipated Project Expenditures and Timeline:
|
Scope of Work |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Completion |
|
Implementation cost FY2024 |
$276,000 |
FY2026 |
|
Outsourced Professional implementation Services |
|
|
|
- Upwards Consulting FY2024 |
$176,000 |
FY2026 |
|
- Upwards Consulting FY2025 |
$156,000 |
FY2026 |
|
- Unbiased Consulting FY2024 |
$225,000 |
FY2026 |
|
- Unbiased Consulting FY2025 |
$150,000 |
FY2026 |
|
- Unbiased Consulting FY2026 |
$75,000 |
FY2026 |
|
- 2 Professional temporary technology Personnel FY2024 |
$224,250 |
FY2026 |
|
- 2 Professional temporary technology Personnel FY2025 |
$299,000 |
FY2026 |
|
Total |
$1,581,250 |
- |
Alignment with Goal(s):
_ Justice and Safety
_ Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
_ Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
_ Environment
X Governance and Customer Service
Previous Court Action:
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Address:
Precinct(s): Countywide
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
Matter Management System |
|
|
|
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 Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request |
|
|
Commercial Paper |
$ |
$905,000 |
$905,000 |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$905,000 |
$905,000 |
$ |
|
Total Funding Request |
$ |
$905,000 |
$905,000 |
$ |
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Court Date: 02/27/2024
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date):
Legal funding compliance confirmed by: Paige Abernathy, Assistant County Attorney, 2/20/24
Department Approval by: Regina Richard. 02/21/2024
OMB CIP Team Approval by: Wanwei Tang, 2/21/2024
Commercial Paper Request (For OMB use only):
Receiving Department: County Attorney
Project PeopleSoft ID: TBD
CP Series Description: CP Series Description: Commercial Paper Series D-2 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 Harris County Attorney’s Office Matter Management Software 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