JBC-PEER Review

Part two of a peer okay if you want to get it going. Yes Sir Mister chairman I believe your packet will begin on item L. which is where we left off yesterday these are performance fund pay plan holding account transfers these are request made by agencies to increase spending authority to pay regular salaries extra help Eight totaling two hundred sixty six thousand two hundred twenty dollars the Due to salary adjustments the second one is the minority health commission requesting a hundred fifty thousand dollars due to changing the way they paid to a registered nurses of the position has gone from a professional fees contracting an employee to having an individual which will be paid through regular salaries and match and the last one is the public defender commission requesting a hundred seven thousand dollars due to performance increases an insurance premium increases and so these are the request today on the pay plan holding account with any questions. There's no question the violence in fruit. Mr chairman the next group of Adamjee these will be our methods of finance and these are going to be capital expenditures for the purchase or construction of all lands building structures utility systems cetera that have not been previously approved by the General Assembly they come either before this committee or ALC for advice and recommendation in these class request are going to be projects less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars on the first page of the item G. is a letter from DFA sending over five methods of finance on the next page is a summary of those the first one is a issue Jonesborough collegiate part buildings they are working on a stair repairs two hundred sixty nine thousand one hundred forty four dollars the agency reports that they have university reserves set aside to pay for that you a Pulaski technical college dam project to add lab space and update facilities and code compliant elation electrical services roof work floor drain six that are up this is three million three hundred thousand dollars and they report that they have reserve funds nine percent of a grant from eighty eight four seventy six percent and then rainy day funds to cover fifteen percent of this project number three south Arkansas community college for campus deferred maintenance one of the things I reported is that they'll be doing some re roofing of some buildings one million one hundred thousand dollars and they know that they have cash funds from and expended plant funds that are available for this UAMS has the last to number forty five the first one is for the heart electrical system lab three million eight hundred seventy thousand two hundred five they had clinical reserves set aside and then finally number five UAMS central building cafeteria dish room renovation eight hundred ninety eight thousand one. And sixty two dollars that also is coming from our reserves and revenues for UAMS those are the methods of finance on today's agenda. The question to a. Not these items then approve. Mr chairman the next grade are our grants these are discretionary grants and we have to day one from the health department and one group from the Department of Human Services on first page is the health department this is one four six hundred eighty five thousand twenty four dollars this one is a hundred percent federally funded with heart stage doors to partnership between work sites communities pharmacies and primary care providers the aim of the project for them is to trying local pharmacists provide diabetes heart disease and other chronic disease assessments counseling and medication therapy management for individuals within a targeted County and on the next page or grants from the department of Human Services there are three here thank you are all a hundred percent federally funded and they're all the same there with different locations throughout the state to provide medication assisted treatment to uninsured and under insured diagnosed with opioid use disorder and those of the discretionary grants on today's agenda agenda. Well the question committee. Okay it's not design center proved. All I this is our section dealing with contracts services contracts the first page item I page one is a letter from I wish P. noting that the contracts being sent over for review today by the legislature I had been submitted for legislative review and the contract submitted appear on their face to be lawful and are therefore submitted for this committee the first one of this first group that we look at our construction related contracts on I want page up to number one this is Building Authority this is an on call maintenance and renovation contract that they're adding a hundred thousand dollars to an existing contract the second one is the state police this is an existing contract this is amendment fifteen did this of this is with Wittenberg this is adding twenty eight thousand eighty four dollars to existing contract in this is the contract they have for architectural and engineering services for construction of four sites for troop headquarters around the state they noted that this particular contract and this adjustment being made is for the Newport facility which added a CDL pad and so they're making adjustments and doing additional architectural engineering and work for that on the next page you a community college at Morrilton this is also is an on call architectural contract an original contract for a hundred sixty five thousand dollars up for those services and those of the construction like related contracts on today's agenda. One of the questions. I'm improve. I'm sorry Senator hammer you have a question. Do you think I get question from the state police please on number two. Please recognize yourself for the record please. Lindsey Williams I'm a major with state police with the regulatory division okay you're recognized. Thank you Mr thank you Lynch has one rose looking through the list and a lot of the amounts or for change orders. Those change orders what what. drove the decisions that you had to have somebody change orders for all these contracts. Senator there's a variety of reasons some of the early change orders for just simply things that were accounted for during the initial design or issues that were left out maybe by the architects we we thought were in there the most recent ones that we're talking about here are related directly to the commercial driver's license testing I add that we've been able to provide we we found some adjacent land to the head quarters this was not originally planned but without adjacent land that would allow us to the not have to use property it they issued Newport campus and pay a higher rent until we were able to construct this so these costs related to that. The amounts that are paid out or those to the architect for those construction cost that are listed on our sheet these I believe are related to the to the architect the fees that that they charge and we were able to negotiate some these when we initially signed on with that B. D. in the architects since we were building for head quarters in the plans were similar for for all of those the idea that they negotiated a reduced the down from what is the typical fee for architectural services and so we were able to take advantage of that in the in doing this through a change order on the CD L. I. at we were able to take advantage of of that as well and not have to read be it in and go through negotiations again. Okay thank you. Any other questions. Thank you. The more questions the United stand reviewed. Mr chairman of. The next group of contracts are inter governmental contracts these are contracts between state agencies I to the first one is health department with UAMS and this is an amendment adding fifty eight thousand dollars to an existing contract for the to cover the medical director for the preparedness unit and in talking with the agency they noted that you a message change this individual salary and this is going back to pick up and bring them up to date with that increase number two is state police with you a fait it bill this is an amendment to an existing contract for services for conducting observational seat belt use survey for analyzing that data and for publishing a report on the next page numbers three and four ball for you a alarm the person with a issue mid south the second one with a issue Mountain Home these are the same they're both to provide entrepreneurial and small business services to designated geographical areas number five on the next page is workforce services with you CA this is an original contract for eighty five thousand dollars they know that this is to maintain databases and reports that were originally created by you see eight for the division of workforce services those are the inter governmental contracts on today's agenda. Any questions. No question five instead of route. The next rep of contracts Mr chairman are out of state contracts beginning on I. three the first one is Arkansas geographic information systems office was city gate this is an original contract for a hundred forty nine thousand eight hundred dollars this will be for redistricting software solution number two is the education department with NCS Pearson it's an amendment to an existing contract for evaluation assessments number three also education department with renaissance learning this is an amendment to an existing contract to add assessment testing for grades three through eight in the private parochial schools out to an existing contract for existing K. eight public school contracts. And then on the next page is the health department number four this is with the nurse family partnership you'll notice that this contract is a sole source justification in reading the sole source letter D. O. I wish P. as noted that this is the only source for this service and they will be serving high risk of families they've been actually this is a new contract but they've actually been providing this service since two thousand eleven they're just starting a new round of contract the goal is to enroll first time mothers before the twenty ninth week of pregnancy and continue regular visits under the child's second birthday. Number five is DHS this is one of the contract they have for waste removal and disposal this one is the Arkansas Health Center those six one of there is DHS this one is with the systems and they are adding money for testers and user acceptance testing and management solutions number seven is DHS or SNF management group for guard services at DHS Pulaski north and southwest offices number eight is DHS with health management systems this is an amendment it's not adding any money which typically we don't see contracts in here in this committee that don't add money but in this case this is making changes to the performance indicators and therefore is coming over a far review. Number nine is DHS with Optum government solutions this is for patient access a new CMS requirement of providing dishes decision support system. Number ten is information system with and this is an original content a contract for identity and access management solutions. Number eleven you a fateful with F. PFM asset this is for management of sort short term operating funds and number twelve you a fateful with two revolutions. This is an amendment to upper online learning and continued our work yes I do because I would nineteen to support student centered learning and re entry planning and number thirteen workforce services with computer aided cooperated this is an original contract for a hundred ninety three thousand eight hundred fifty six dollars of this has to do with modernization of the unemployment insurance and hiring a project manager to perform those duties those are the out of state contracts on today's agenda. See we have a question from Senator Elliott. Mister chair if I could just opt for this is regarding number three of another explanation of what this contract is doing I don't know if I need to talk and by Department education yet okay I could just hear it from our staff that might be helpful. Education to have anyone here that can. Did I just hear from our staff percentages because that might answer my question The staff yes please what what was your question number three what's it would you just restate what the purpose of this contract is again okay of this was that a seventy five thousand dollars for assessment testing for grades three through eight in the private parochial schools to this thing K. eight public school contract okay yeah I guess I need to ask a question of Mr from department of education. We recognize that for the record. Department education. Rachel Warren director of curriculum assessment upon the education recognized a good morning I I just a what's that curious about it this is something we have done all along or is this new I just I'm just not familiar with what we do with the private and parochial schools. This year because of the Kobe nineteen pandemic we received additional federal funds. So because we are paying for this three eight public school contracts out of federal funds and we are also providing equitable services out of those federal funds for the private programs calls so this would be like a one time thing this is not an ongoing thing that is that correct so we are providing out of those funds two years of these assessments for three ACT public which then also means we provide two years for three eight private deal okay all right that's only thank you very much the that was not all right. Smile great. Thank you. With any other questions. The objection these items are viewed. Mr chairman that the last group of contracts or in state contracts they begin on page eleven of the item I the first one is the corrections department this is an amendment adding a little over eighteen point six million dollars to an existing contract that they have with integrity energy partners this is a phase two of a project that they have to provide energy savings performance contract number two is the department of labor licensing with Arkansas information consortium this is an original contract for four hundred fifty thousand dollars for the licensing platform for the professional board of geologist number three is DFA not sorry that is the Building Authority and it's with the upstart cleaning to provide janitorial services for the Winthrop Rockefeller building on the next page four also Building Authority for a janitorial services is that original contract out there for the building on commerce way. Number five is educational department this is a contract amendment for their janitorial services number six is an amendment for eighty Q. for chart cleaning services or they're building their headquarters on the next page page thirteen contract number seven this is the health department and this is an original contract for interpreter services to be used by local health unit staff. Number eight is the health department for lab information system a with CQ consulting an amendment at four hundred sixteen thousand dollars number nine begins contracts for DHS the first one is an amendment for home studies number ten is an amendment that DHS has or L. providing mail processing services for the agency number eleven is with a propiedad The Amendment for speech therapy services at the Southeast Arkansas Human development center number twelve DHS to this one is with the Arkansas optometric association for professional visual concept of. Consultants up for the Medicaid vision and Arkansas kids first program. Number thirteen is DHS with palco this is adding about two point seven million dollars to the self directed finance management service delivery model to Medicaid recipients. Number four Is UALR this is a contract with Mangum Holcomb this is a four hundred thirty five thousand dollars to do a variety of marketing services and then the last one is workforce services this is an amendment adding some additional funds to a contract they have of dealing with an extra cleaning for coated buildings with code and those are the in state contracts on today's agenda. Okay thank you I do have a question of someone from the correction department. For the here today. Please recognize the record. Could you speak into the Mike. It on. Richard Cooper I am the assistant director over construction and maintenance for the division of corrections okay my question okay on Page eleven the first item the correction department Thank you get a request additional eighteen million dollars that is that correct sorry that additional million to be added to the seventeen million that's already been been spat it would be in addition amended wit Wiz is again is the is the contract that we have for renewal of from phase one to phase two. Okay. Okay that's sentimental money the so. The the the the the original seventeen million has already been sent. And and and four of the energy savings performance contract that's correct so do we know if we get any data back and as to you know that the savings that would yes yes what we did is we get quarterly reports that we investigate what we are what we're risk receiving and savings and right now what we've done is they have exceeded they're expected their guaranteed savings by thirty percent so we've actually realized a greater benefit than the gear teen savings that was impressed upon us when we entered into the energy performance contract okay so so the needs so the first original seventeen million what what what what it's for I think because I see that you have Tucker unit and and you get to build and for this new contract what was the will of the the original seventeen million what what facility did it it was two units it was their delta unit done it or not. And it was our East Arkansas unit at Ricky's those were completed last year and they are performing as expected better than expected. Quite a bit of money that stood out of cedar L. it you have a question. Yes I was just curious about as as well at this facility wait once you use the funds that you're proposing to use here this content and this proposal do you expect that the energy situation is going to be working at I I don't necessarily just a maximum but will be expected not to keep hearing from people that things are not doing okay at this facility yes this is the second phase is actually for Tucker unit not Tucker Max unit which is adjacent to each other. And they evaluate for different criteria areas that we investigate and do analysis on. Of those capital equipment items are replaced with more efficient equipment mechanically the lighting of water treatment and water flow is also evaluated in that process of so again we monitor that on a consistent basis but we do receive quarterly reports that allows us to see what our savings actually are. Is this strictly though just on the point savings I'm I'm really thinking now I'm just taking advantage of your being here to ask you this question sure do we have what is our situation with other facilities around the state when it comes to your climate energy and but as we hear from folks all the time you know this is not working that's not working. Yes we are we are continually evaluating another Quitman. but we also have an investment grade audit in a phase three of this program that's actually going to evaluate eleven of our units and evaluate or mechanical or lighting or water treatments et cetera we're actually going to get that report back to us to identified us where we can actually save the most money at each one of these units whether it's replacing with more efficient equipment or it's replacing lighting that gives us that that guaranteed savings or that that they estimated savings per month so we we evaluate that all the time I guess I'm trying to get a sense to is could we expect to hear back from with with that report also gives the information about not just about savings but it whether. We can expect to need more upgrades and maintenance so that you know it's not a ninety eight degree day in and there's no way condition in that kind of thing I understand is that a part of what you would be looking at what we actually in our maintenance division construction division now operate a a maintenance preventive program that was just recently Institute. That evaluates the equipment the efficiency of their equipment the life cycle of that equipment and then we assess that based on its again its usage just lifecycle whether it's operational or not operational but we are actually in the middle of actually instituted a program that's going to help us stay better on top of everything that is malfunctioning or not operating correctly or optimally of the unit all right. And for making those treatment for these upgrades you depend on did just depend on general revenue or their other sources of funds there is other sources involved based on the necessity or the dollar figure that you get into with any kind of capital equipment improvement that you make on the compact all right thank you so much yes but. But now the question at okay. This this is quite a bit of money this kind of stands out yes When the original seventeen million was present at and approved there was no talking face to win win win and win to the face to come about that we need to allocate an additional eighteen million to come. Yes Sir we of we actually the seventeen million or the initial phase one project was for those initial two units all of the units were identified and evaluated in those numbers were turned into the energy office for us to feel like we were choosing the right units that would make the greatest impact. So the first two units was selected in that phase one which was built in East Arkansas now in phase two we've identified the next two units that was on that list that would give us the greatest impact of cost savings and optimal equipment usage on the compound. Okay. But what I'm asking is that you know originally that that would the phase two was never I'm escalation. So with this kind of new to to me it may not be new to anyone else that that we will that we that you guys would need additional eighteen to do two more units so I'm just kind of you know. Mr chairman I would have to get that information to you I'm not of I just recently in September of this year came into this position so I would be happy to identify when this came up for discussion where it went who had those discussions I'll be happy to supply that information I appreciate if you could sure. Are there any other additional questions miss Cooper. Thank you for your time yes Sir. More questions okay. All right without any objection the United stand review. Mr chairman the next item on the agenda or the report of this committee up here and review receive a a number of monthly quarterly reports we've provided those for the subcommittee we also have provided in this to separate hand out if people would like to take them with them we won't be going through those reports but if there are any questions we should have people here who could address the the concerns any committee member not. The reading for you. You have any questions. Her next week okay. Of course the appeared we don't need all that often but we do have been scheduled dates with they were twenty four so mark you calendar and cat they will be sending out email and also March twenty third so just just keep an eye on your email for any future dates that may come spring impromptu there is not anything else this meeting is adjourned thank you.