To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Philip Savino, Director and CIO, Information Technology Department
Prepared By:
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Victoria Simonds, Project Manager, Information Technology Department
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presenter
Presenter: Philip Savino, Director and CIO, Information Technology Department
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Subject:
title
1:45 PM *Request for Additional Funding for Enterprise Service Management System
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The Information Technology Department is requesting additional funding for implementation of the new Enterprise Service Management System (ESMS) which will provide a full suite of services for the County by replacing two legacy systems, Cherwell and Project Web Application, which are no longer available from the incumbent vendors as of September 30, 2026. The new system will provide comprehensive enterprise service management capabilities for the County, including IT service management, project and portfolio management and workflow automation. The system will also be used by the District Attorney’s Office and the Human Services department to track case service related workflows.
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Alignment with Strategic Plan: Good Governance - Leverage technology to improve governance and service delivery.
Background and Discussion: In early 2026, the Information Technology Department issued an Intent to Negotiate (ITN) through BidNet Direct to identify a modern platform that supports comprehensive service management capabilities such as tracking requests regarding users’ issues, managing assets, and portfolio and project management. The platform also provides advanced reporting and time tracking functionality to improve operational visibility and accountability. The vendor selection process included a written submittal, two rounds of demonstrations, and a final interview. The first demonstration focused on implementation strategy, and the second focused on technical capabilities. The final interview was conducted with the highest-scoring vendor to confirm qualifications before the selection committee made a final decision. The County received 27 written submittals for review, conducted seven first-round demonstrations, four second-round demonstrations, and one final interview. After completing this process, the selection committee selected Ondaro as the system integrator to implement the ServiceNow platform. Ondaro is a ServiceNow Elite Partner with experience implementing ServiceNow solutions for government organizations. The quality and detail included in their proposal, along with their implementation approach, demonstrated a strong partnership and a high likelihood of success for the County on this project. Ondaro has also worked with the County Project Manager to reduce implementation costs, prepared pre-implementation workbooks, and is working to commit a project manager prior to the official contract award.
Alternatives: Alternative 1 - Approve the Additional Funding Request in the amount of $550,000 for the Enterprise Service Management System (Recommended): Under this option, the Board would authorize the funding request for the implementation of this project. This approach enables the Information Technology Department to deploy an enterprise service management solution that will consolidate outdated systems, significantly improve customer service for the Information Technology Department, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Human Services Department, provide future growth opportunities for the County, and support the County’s strategic direction toward vendor consolidation and improved operational efficiency.
Alternative 2 - Selection of a Different System integrator to deploy Service Now: This option would result in a request for additional funding. The selection committee was fully committed to this process, including writing thorough test scripts to identify the most appropriate vendor to implement ServiceNow. Two other system integrators demonstrated the ServiceNow platform. Risks were assessed during these sessions, including lack of preparation, lack of available team resources, inability to provide accurate budgetary estimates, and inability to effectively communicate their expertise. Selecting a different vendor would likely introduce delays of two to three months, increase the risk of implementation issues and rework, and still require additional funding.
Alternative 3 - Selection of a Different Vendor and System: The selection committee reviewed the services of another vendor that could meet the County’s needs. The vendor was smaller and offered limited options as an enterprise solution. Although this vendor had lower costs on implementation, the ongoing costs were higher, which would result in a high total cost of ownership. While this service could potentially meet the needs of the Information Technology Department, it was not clear how the system would align with the County’s strategic plan for vendor consolidation, particularly in supporting the Human Services Department in the future. The ability to implement an enterprise solution that supports multiple departments across the County was an essential consideration for this project. Selecting a different solution that is primarily an Information Technology Service Management system introduces the risk of requiring additional fragmented systems, additional implementation costs, and additional resources to support multiple systems.
Alternative 4 - Issue a New Invitation to Negotiate: This option would initiate a new procurement process. While compliant with standard competitive procedures, it would introduce delays of six to nine months, resulting in the County having no replacement solution for the Cherwell and Project Web Application systems for a minimum of six months. This would significantly disrupt services provided by the Information Technology Department, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Human Services Department.
Fiscal Impact: The Information Technology Department is requesting additional funding in the amount of $550,000 for the implementation of the Service Now platform.
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: The attached framework helps Arapahoe County institutionalize values-based, transparent decision-making, documenting how we make decisions and carry out actions to achieve the county’s strategic plan.
Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of funding $550,000 for the Enterprise Service Management System implementation.
Concurrence: N/A