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Thurston County staff seek waiver of competitive bidding to hire Baker Tilly for Oracle Cloud stabilization at up to $330,000
Summary
County Central Services staff asked the board to waive competitive bidding so the county can contract with Baker Tilly to stabilize its Oracle Cloud (PC Connect) financial and HR system; commissioners asked the item be moved to the department items on the business meeting agenda and requested procurement wording changes.
Thurston County Central Services staff told commissioners June 3 they are seeking authorization to waive competitive bidding and contract with Baker Tilly for up to $330,000 to complete stabilization of the county’s Oracle Cloud enterprise financial and human-resources system.
“Thurston County went live with Oracle Cloud, also known as PC Connect, in June of 2024,” said Sherry Elk, director. “While implementing an enterprise system such as this is inherently complex, we feel as though our current vendor has gotten us as far as they can. We need knowledge and skills that have not been available to us in order to complete the stabilization of this robust financial and HR system. Oracle recommended three vendors ... We received positive feedback ... about the Baker Tilly firm. I am seeking authorization to waive competitive bidding and enter into a contract with Baker Tilly in the amount not to exceed $330,000.”
Elk told the commissioners that Oracle recommended three vendors and that the county interviewed all three before selecting Baker Tilly based on references from other counties. She also said there is no Washington statute requiring competitive bidding for services of this type, and that the waiver request is to address the county’s internal procurement policy.
Commissioners asked that the item be moved from the consent agenda to the department items of the upcoming business meeting so the county can present the information on the record for meeting attendees and online viewers. Commissioners also requested that staff change the procurement wording from “sole source” to “waive competitive bidding” and that the revised language be provided to commissioners before the business meeting.
No formal contract award or final board vote was recorded during the agenda‑setting session; the county manager and staff said the item will appear on the business meeting agenda and that the recommended procurement language will be prepared for the commissioners’ consideration.
