County to seek contract approval for new public-records management system, staff say it will save money

Bailey Silva, the county's public-records staffer, told commissioners Monday the county is preparing to replace its current public-records portal with a master service agreement and first addendum from JustFOIA.

Silva said the county had been working to terminate its current GovQA arrangement and that the new vendor offers features and a pricing model she expects will provide cost savings: JustFOIA offers unlimited redaction licenses (avoiding the license-switching GovQA requires), an improved public portal experience (including PIN-based access that avoids mandatory account creation), and optional Laserfiche integration if the county later elects to use it. Silva told commissioners that minor non-material contract edits remain and that she will ask the board to authorize the chairman to sign the contract at the next meeting once those edits are finished and the price quote is confirmed.

Why it matters: Silva said year-to-date comparisons indicate Cowlitz County is receiving reimbursements from the current vendor programs and that staff expect the new system to improve public access and internal workflows while reducing long-term licensing friction for redaction. County staff said the planned deployment target is by year-end after final contract adjustments and system build-out.

Travis (vendor contact) and county staff told commissioners they had completed reference checks with other Washington jurisdictions that use the product and reported positive results. No formal board vote took place during the meeting; Silva said she will present the final documents and request the chairman's signature at the next meeting.

Ending: Silva said the county plans a migration and build process after contract approval and that the new platform should reduce some recurring costs and administrative friction associated with redaction licenses on the current system.