Discuss, consider and take appropriate action on exempting the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) from competitive bidding requirements as per Texas Local Government Code Discretionary Exemption 262.024 (a)(1)(2)(4) as a professional service to provide a security assessment of the Williamson County Justice Center and authorizing the execution of the agreement.

The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Court Consulting Services division proposes to conduct a thorough and comprehensive security assessment of the Williamson County Justice Center with a team of experienced court security professionals. The building assessment will reflect on both existing resource allocation and optimal allocation. The term “security” encompasses a variety of considerations, but has three basic facets:

• Architectural elements
• Operating procedures
• Equipment and technology

Also incorporated within the assessment will be examination of governance issues, policies, and procedures that are used to protect employees and the public.  The NCSC is the leading national expert on court facility standards and has performed more than 275 security assessments of courthouses in the majority of states.