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Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) Master Agreement - Deputy Director Riske-Gomez
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Requested Action(s)
recommendation
a.) Approve a three-year Master Product and Services (Enterprise) Agreement with Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) for geographic information system (GIS) software, licensing, and support services.
b.) Find that ESRI constitutes a sole-source provider and that waiving the formal competitive bidding process is in the best interest of the public, consistent with County and Commission procurement policies.
c.) Authorize the Interim Executive Director to execute all necessary agreements and related documents.
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Financial Impact:
The total cost of the three-year Enterprise Agreement is $160,300.00, structured as follows:
• Year 1: $45,000.00
• Year 2: $55,000.00
• Year 3: $60,300.00
The pricing and term structure are documented in ESRI quote, dated September 25, 2025.
An Independent Cost Estimate (ICE) prepared in accordance with federal procurement guidance confirms the total cost as fair and reasonable
Funds have been budgeted through the Overall Work Program (OWP) GIS Element.
Background Information:
Commission staff have solicited a Small Municipal and County Government Enterprise Agreement with Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) to support the Tehama County Transportation Commission’s core geospatial operations and to align with a coordinated, countywide GIS licensing strategy.
This Enterprise Agreement provides comprehensive access to ESRI software, cloud-based services, user licensing, data hosting, technical support, and system updates for a three-year period. The agreement directly supports the Commission’s role as the steward of transportation-related spatial data and public-facing GIS applications that serve residents, partner agencies, emergency responders, and regional stakeholders.
The ESRI Enterprise platform underpins all Commission-managed GIS datasets and applications, including but not limited to:
• Road closures and incident locations
• Collision and transportation safety analysis data
• Road classifications and asset management dashboards
• Drought-impacted wells
• Sandbag distribution locations
• Districts, boundaries, and jurisdictional layers
• Emergency, warming, and cooling center locators
Examples of Commission-developed GIS content, including interactive web maps, dashboards, and publicly available data downloads, are maintained on the Tehama County Transportation Commission website within the GIS section and the Interactive Map Viewer pages, and are also published through the Commission’s ESRI organizational environment.
These pages provide the Commission, partner agencies, and the public a transparent reference point for the operational tools supported by this Enterprise Agreement and demonstrate the breadth of GIS applications currently deployed for transportation planning, emergency information, and public service delivery.
<https://tehamartpa.org/gis/>
These tools are actively deployed through Commission-maintained GIS platforms and application galleries. The Enterprise Agreement ensures continuity of service, system security, interoperability with existing datasets, and the ability to scale mapping and data services in response to emergency events, transportation planning needs, and public information requests.
The ESRI platform is deeply integrated into existing Commission workflows, historical datasets, web services, and interagency data-sharing arrangements. Migration to an alternative GIS platform would require substantial system re-engineering, data conversion, staff retraining, and redevelopment of applications, while also resulting in loss of compatibility with regional, state, and federal partner systems. Such a transition would introduce significant cost, operational risk, and service disruption without a corresponding public benefit.
Sole Source Justification
Approval of this agreement is requested as a sole-source procurement based on the following findings:
• Proprietary Platform: ESRI is the sole developer, licensor, and authorized distributor of ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, and related ESRI products. No other vendor can legally provide the same software, licensing structure, updates, or technical support.
• Compatibility and Integration: The Commission’s GIS infrastructure, historical datasets, published applications, and automated workflows are built entirely on ESRI technology. Procurement of an alternative system would require full replacement of existing infrastructure and applications.
• Operational Continuity: Continued use of ESRI ensures uninterrupted access to mission-critical mapping, emergency response tools, and public-facing GIS applications relied upon by residents, partner agencies, and regional stakeholders.
• Cost Reasonableness: An Independent Cost Estimate and price analysis confirm that the proposed pricing is fair and reasonable, based on historical pricing, published rates, and direct vendor quotation, as documented in the Independent Cost Estimate and Price Analysis Summary.
• Public Interest: Waiving the formal bid process avoids unnecessary delay, duplicative costs, and service disruption, and is consistent with County Code provisions that allow sole-source procurement where competition is not feasible.
These findings are formally documented in the Independent Cost Estimate and Price Analysis Summary and the Waiver of Formal Bids - Findings Form, which conclude that ESRI is the sole-source provider and that continuation of ESRI licensing is in the best interest of the County and the Commission.
Approval of the ESRI Master Product and Services (Enterprise) Agreement will ensure the continued operation, security, and expansion of the Commission’s GIS program, which is foundational to transportation planning, emergency response coordination, public information, and interagency collaboration. The agreement represents a prudent and cost-effective investment in existing infrastructure and aligns with established procurement policies governing proprietary technology systems.