Exhibit 1 - Agenda Information Sheet
City of Denton
______________________________________________________________________________
AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET
DEPARTMENT: Procurement
CFO: Cassey Ogden
DATE: September 20, 2022
SUBJECT
Consider adoption of an ordinance of the City of Denton, a Texas home-rule municipal corporation,
authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Emburse, Inc., for the continued provision of
expense tracking and approval management software in support of the City’s Purchasing Card (PCard)
program, and to add travel booking expense tracking and approval management support for the Finance
Department; providing for the expenditure of funds therefor; and providing an effective date (RFP 7915 –
awarded to Emburse, Inc., for one (1) year, with the option for four (4) additional one (1) year extensions,
in the total five (5) year not-to-exceed amount of $120,000.00).
INFORMATION/BACKGROUND
Emburse offers an automated expense management product called Certify. The City of Denton uses the
Certify expense tracking and approval management software to facilitate the reconciliation and approval of
PCard expenses. The Certify software retains PCard transaction records and receipts that PCard holders
reconcile against transaction information provided by the City’s PCard provider, JP Morgan Chase.
Reconciled transactions are sent to PCard approvers via the Certify system for expense approval.
Travel and expense reporting is managed by the Finance Department through a manual system with limited
reporting capabilities. Certify allows the City to improve compliance with the Travel Expense Policy 408.01
while automating the expense reporting process. Certify provides a joint solution for both PCard
transactions and travel expenses reducing staff training in implementing software for each program.
The Certify software has been used since 2018. On October 30, 2018, Contract #7256 was awarded to
Certify Inc., for a three (3) year not-to-exceed amount of $47,900 with the initial start date of February
2019. The contract was automatically extended for year 2. In January of 2021, the contract was amended to
reduce the number of expense reports purchased from Certify and at the same time extended the contract
through 2023. However, due to the cumulative spend associated with the contract and the continued use of
the software an RFP was conducted. Certify participated in the RFP and was selected as the top vendor in
the competitive process.
Annual rates are based on anticipated volumes of travel and PCard expense report usage. Should actual
usage of the software exceed baseline volumes, reallocations based on the higher volumes utilized will be
made at the end of each year, thus the inclusion of a contingency amount. The budgeted amount for these
City Hall
215 E. McKinney Street
Denton, Texas
www.cityofdenton.com
items is $120,000, and the not-to-exceed amount includes five (5) years of software access with a 10%
contingency added for the growth of more license subscriptions.
Year 1
Expense
Year 2
Expense
Year 3
Expense
Year 4
Expense
Year 5
Expense
Software cost per year $18,500 $19,500 $20,500 $21,500 $22,500
5 Year Annual Total $102,500
Contingency for Growth $17,500
Contract 5 Year NTE Total $120,000
Request for Proposals was sent to 350 prospective suppliers, including five (5) Denton firms. In addition,
specifications were placed on the Procurement website for prospective suppliers to download and advertised
in the local newspaper. Three (3) proposals were received, references were checked, and proposals were
evaluated based upon published criteria including project schedule, compliance with specifications,
probable performance, and price. Best and Final Offers (BAFO) were requested from the top firm. Based
upon this evaluation, Emburse, Inc. was ranked the highest and determined to be the best value for the City.
NIGP Code Used for Solicitation: 208, 209, 920, and 946
Notifications sent for Solicitation sent in Ionwave: 350
Number of Suppliers that viewed Solicitation in Ionwave: 8
HUB-Historically Underutilized Business Invitations sent out: 34
SBE-Small Business Enterprise Invitations sent out: 144
Responses from Solicitation: 3
RECOMMENDATION
Award a contract with Emburse, Inc., for the continued provision of expense tracking and approval
management software in support of the City’s Purchasing Card (PCard) program, and to add travel booking
expense tracking and approval management support for the Finance Department, in a one (1) year, with the
option for four (4) additional one (1) year extensions, in the total five (5) year not-to-exceed amount of
$120,000.
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS
Emburse, Inc.
Portland, ME
ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROJECT
This is an initial one (1) year contract with options to extend the contract for four (4) additional one (1) year
periods, with all terms and conditions remaining the same.
FISCAL INFORMATION
These services will be funded from Technology Services operating account 830400.7804. Requisitions
will be entered on an as-needed basis. The budgeted amount for this item is $120,000.
EXHIBITS
Exhibit 1: Agenda Information Sheet
Exhibit 2: Pricing Evaluation
Exhibit 3: Ordinance and Contract
Respectfully submitted:
Lori Hewell, 940-349-7100
Purchasing Manager
For information concerning this acquisition, contact: Christopher Moar, 940-349-8174.
Legal point of contact: Marcella Lunn at 940-349-8333.