Commissioners approve staffing agreement to recruit ERP project manager

The Skamania County Board of Commissioners approved a staffing-services agreement on May 13 that allows Sigma Design to recruit and present candidates for the county’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) project manager position.

Under the agreement approved by the board, Sigma Design will actively recruit candidates; the county is not committed to hire through the firm unless the board and county staff choose to engage an individual presented by Sigma Design. County staff and the auditor said the vendor’s staffing service is intended to broaden the candidate pool after a review found the firm could not supply an in-house project manager directly but could provide recruiting services.

Commissioners were briefed that the county’s ERP oversight group — including the auditor, the county administrator and other staff — has also solicited bids from other possible candidates, including local retirees and other consultants. The staffing agreement does not itself set a “not-to-exceed” dollar amount for hiring a candidate through the firm; staff told the board that hiring through the vendor would trigger a separate professional-services contract with explicit dollar terms.

A motion to sign the staffing-services agreement with Sigma Design was made, seconded and approved by the commissioners during the May 13 meeting. County staff said Sigma Design will begin recruiting once the signed agreement is returned.