Professional Services for S90-E29196 – Approve an ordinance authorizing an Interlocal Agreement between the City of Houston and the University of Houston (UH) on behalf of its College of Optometry in the maximum contract amount not to exceed $3,095,441.00 for vision services for the Houston Health Department (HHD).
Specific Explanation:
The Director of the Houston Health Department and the Chief Procurement Officer recommend that City Council approve an ordinance awarding Interlocal Agreement with an initial term ending August 1, 2020 and four (4) successive one-year terms between the City of Houston and the University of Houston on behalf of its College of Optometry in the maximum contract amount not to exceed $3,095,441.00 for vision services. The Director of the Houston Health Department may terminate this contract at any time upon 30-days written notice to the contractor.
Under this interlocal agreement, UH will provide vision and screening services to children participating in HHD’s See to Succeed program and to older adults participating in HHD’s Harris County Area Agency on Aging (HCAAA) program. In 2011, HHD collaborated with the University of Houston College of Optometry and other local service providers to pilot the See to Succeed program, a vision service outreach collaborative that gives children from disadvantaged families a free eye examination and a quality pair of eye glasses. Since then, the vision clinics have provided eye exams to 88,060 Houston-area students and 79,485 pairs of glasses. Each two-week outreach clinic event provides free eye screening and glasses to up to 2,000 students. HCAAA is part of a nationwide network coordinating supportive services for the elderly as mandated by the Older Americans Act of 1965. HCAAA support services provided to seniors include comprehensive vision-related evaluations, education, counseling, testing and fitting of eyewear. UH will provide services to a minimum of 200 elderly individuals annually.
Under this agreement UH will: 1) permit use of UH Mobile Clinic, specialized equipment in mutually agreed upon clinic sessions, and clinical space it currently occupies in the West End Health Center located at 170 Heights Boulevard; 2) manage clinical operations and clinical oversight of follow-up clinics, optometrists and volunteers who will provide comprehensive eye examinations for up to 13,000,children annually; 3) perform the credentialing of contracted optometrists not in the contractor’s system and process payments to part-time optometrists; 4) coordinate doctor services for comprehensive eye examinations and associated prescriptions; and 5) provide billing services and monthly reporting.
MWBE Participation:
M/WBE Zero Percentage Goal document approved by the Office of Business Opportunity.
Hire Houston First:
This procurement is exempt from the City’s Hire Houston First Ordinance. Bids/proposals were not solicited because the department is utilizing an Interlocal agreement for this purchase.
Pay or Play Waiver:
The proposed contract requires compliance with the City's 'Pay or Play' ordinance regarding health benefits for employees of City contractors. In this case, the department has requested a waiver because the contract is strictly for license and support services. The Office of Business Opportunity has approved the request.
Fiscal Note:
Funding for this item is included in the FY2020 Adopted Budget. Therefore, no Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policies.
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_______________________________________
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Jerry Adams, Chief Procurement Officer
Finance/Strategic Procurement Division
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Department Approval Authority
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Estimated Spending Authority
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DEPARTMENT
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FY2020
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OUT YEARS
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TOTAL
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Houston Health Department
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$200,000.00
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$2,895,441.00
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$3,095,441.00
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