Staff Report Lynx Agreement
PREPARED BY: Chris Gjerde, IT Manager and Holly Zappala, Management Analyst
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Finance Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 406-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 08/06/2019 ITEM NO: 9
DATE: July 26, 2019
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Authorize the Town Manager to execute a five-year agreement with Lynx
Technologies for a total contract amount not to exceed $400,000
RECOMMENDATION:
Authorize the Town Manager to execute a five-year agreement with Lynx Technologies for a
total contract amount not to exceed $400,000.
BACKGROUND:
Lynx Technologies has been working with the Town on mapping projects since 2003. In 2005,
Lynx developed online Geographical Information Systems (GIS) map content for the Town. For
over 10 years, the Town has executed annual agreements engaging Lynx to host, maintain, and
provide consulting services for the Los Gatos GIS map.
The most recent Agreement for Consultant Services with Lynx Technologies for GIS services,
dated July 1, 2018 and included as Attachment 1 to this report, remained in effect until June 30,
2019 for an initial total amount not to exceed $46,000.
The First Amendment to the Agreement, dated May 6, 2019, increased the total compensation
amount by $3,000 (Attachment 2 to this report) to ensure not to exceed the authority of the
Town Manager.
The Second Amendment to the Agreement, dated June 19, 2019 (Attachment 3 to this report)
increased the total compensation amount by $5,000 and extended the term of the contract by
two months until August 31, 2019. This was done during the Council’s summer recess and
approval of the Manager’s actions during the recess is a separate agenda item. The second
extension provided staff the time to work with Lynx on an acceptable multi-year contract for
recommended Town Council approval, while also allowing for uninterrupted use of Town GIS
services.
PAGE 2 OF 3 SUBJECT: Authorize the Town Manager to execute a five-year agreement with Lynx Technologies for a total contract amount not to exceed $400,000 DATE: August 6, 2019
DISCUSSION:
Lynx currently hosts all of the Town’s online GIS websites, which are utilized by Town staff, the
Police Department, and the public. The Town has multiple systems, spanning through different
Departments, that interact with the GIS data. These include the Town’s official Address List, the
Community Development Department’s permitting software (Accela), the Police Department’s
Computer-Aided Dispatch, and on-premises ArcGIS databases among others. The owner of
Lynx is well-versed in the relationships these systems have with the GIS and how to maintain
each of them. GIS has become a very useful daily tool for the public as well as staff in the
Planning, Building, Engineering, and Police Departments.
Lynx has assisted the Town with a number of special projects over the years. Most recently,
these include Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) map design, Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT) map design, North 40 map updates, the local update of census addresses
operation for the Census Bureau, spatial adjustments for streetlights, medians, and
geographical hazards for the Engineering Division, wall maps, parcel ownership and mailing
address updates, annexation updates, and special map requests.
Per the Town’s Purchasing Policy’s professional services selection guidelines, the Community
Development and Information Technology Departments continue to select Lynx as the most
qualified provider of GIS consulting services based on their demonstrated competence and
qualifications. If the Town were to begin a new GIS consulting contract with a different
consultant, it would be incredibly disruptive and the Town would lose Lynx’s vast institutional
knowledge of its various computer systems.
The Town has engaged in annual contracts with Lynx for GIS services for over 10 years at a total
cost of $374,250. In an effort to streamline the Town’s contract process with Lynx and secure
the benefit of multi-year pricing and Lynx’s expertise, staff recommends entering into a five-
year contract with Lynx Technologies as opposed to entering into another annual contract.
Since Lynx provides professional services, comparing their hourly rate with other GIS
consultants is not the primary concern; however, the Lynx hourly rates, provided as Exhibit B to
Attachment 4 (Draft Agreement for Consultant Services) of this report, are far below the rates
of other GIS consultants. The Town Attorney has reviewed and approved Lynx as a sole source
provider as found in Attachment 5.
CONCLUSION:
Authorize the Town Manager to execute a five-year agreement with Lynx Technologies for a
total contract amount not to exceed $400,000.
PAGE 3 OF 3 SUBJECT: Authorize the Town Manager to execute a five-year agreement with Lynx Technologies for a total contract amount not to exceed $400,000 DATE: August 6, 2019
COORDINATION:
The Finance Department, Information Technology, and Town Manager’s Office coordinated this
report.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There are sufficient funds available in the Information Technology budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachments:
1. Agreement for Consultant Services
2. First Amendment to Agreement for Consultant Services
3. Second Amendment to Agreement for Consultant Services
4. Draft Five-Year Agreement for Consultant Services
5. Sole Source Memorandum Approved by Town Attorney
Attachment 1
Attachment 3