Agreement between the City of Hawthorne and TierFive Inc. for Building Safety records digitization and conversion services.

 

Staff recommends that the City Council approve the agreement with TierFive Inc. and authorize the City Manager or his designee to enter into and execute the agreement.

The Building Safety Department maintains a large volume of historical physical records, including microfiche, permit jackets, and large-format plans. These records are essential for plan review, inspections, and public access; however, reliance on physical storage limits accessibility, slows retrieval, and increases the risk of deterioration over time.

Digitizing these records and integrating them into the City’s existing online portal system will improve efficiency, enhance public access, and support long-term records preservation. Digital records will allow staff and external agencies to retrieve information more quickly while reducing the need for in-person file handling.

B&S researched available options and obtained quotations from three qualified vendors with experience in municipal records digitization. All vendors demonstrated the capability to convert multiple record formats and integrate with digital systems. The proposals were evaluated based on qualifications, scope, integration capability, project timeline, and cost.

Based on this comparison, B&S recommends selecting TierFive Inc. as the preferred vendor. TierFive Inc. provided a competitive proposal, demonstrated strong experience with similar projects, and offered a comprehensive approach to digitization and system integration.

Digitization of existing building records will improve public access and reduce record request turnaround time. This effort will increase operational efficiency and reduce staff time spent on organizing and retrieving physical records.

The estimated total cost of $272,375 are available in the adopted and allocated FY 2025-2026 and FY 2026-2027 budget.