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County staff object to new vendor clause in Solutions/Harris software agreement; board delays contract signature
Summary
Kossuth County staff told supervisors a new clause in the Solutions (Harris) courthouse software renewal would bar counties from using third-party support and communicating with other county users; the board agreed to delay signing and consider a joint letter with other counties and legal review.
KOSSUTH COUNTY, Iowa — County staff raised concerns about a change in the vendor agreement for the Solutions courthouse software suite that the board renews annually, telling supervisors the revised contract would prohibit counties from enlisting outside technical support or communicating with other counties about open tickets.
A county staff presenter said the software package (Solutions, now owned by Harris Local Government) runs key functions for the auditor, treasurer, recorder and other offices. The county has used an outside support vendor, RenewGov, to supplement Solutions' support amid recent staff turnover at the vendor. The presenter said RenewGov’s response times have been faster and more effective than the vendor’s support in some cases.
The contested contract language reads, in part: “Customer shall not enlist support from any entity outside of active vendor employees... Contracting support related to the vendor program through any additional third party, former vendor employees, or any persons outside of the vendor's current staff is strictly prohibited. Customer shall not discuss open support tickets with any persons outside of current employees and customer without prior written consent to the vendor.” The presenter said that clause would prevent county staff from consulting with other county auditors or using RenewGov when Solutions’ support is slow.
Staff said multiple counties have raised the same concern and that several county attorneys are involved in drafting a letter to send to Harris Local Government (Solutions). The board discussed pausing any contract signature under the new terms and pursuing a coordinated response. One supervisor recommended waiting until the county attorney had reviewed the proposed letter and the contract language.
Board action and next steps: The board did not sign the contract at the meeting. Supervisors agreed to delay sending any formal letter until county counsel reviews the draft; the chair said the issue would be placed on next week's agenda for further consideration. Staff said some counties are exploring alternative vendors and that ISAC (Iowa State Association of Counties) is involved in coordinating a procurement/design process to invite other vendors to offer Iowa-specific systems over the next two years.
Why it matters: Solutions is the county’s core records and financial software. Language restricting third-party support or inter-county communication could limit the county’s ability to maintain operations and to use timely outside technical resources while vendor staffing stabilizes.
No formal legal action was recorded at this meeting; staff and supervisors said legal review was needed before further steps.
