AGENDA ITEM
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR
AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
THOMAS BEKELE
PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
SUBJECT:
title
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH LAND CM CORP FOR GRANT WRITING AND SUPPORT SERVICES
summary
Summary:
The City Council will consider entering into a Professional Consultant Services Agreement with Land CM Corp (Land CM) for grant writing services and authorization for a budget appropriation of $55,000 for the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Operating Budget.
recommendation
Recommendations:
1. Authorize the Interim City Manager to enter into a Professional Consultant Services Agreement with Land CM to provide Grant Writing and Support Services, for a term of one year and a not-to-exceed contract amount of $50,000, plus standard contingencies of up to a 180-day term extension and/or up to $5,000 in a form approved by the City Attorney.
2. Adopt a resolution, entitled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE ADOPTED BUDGET AND AUTHORIZING BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022-23
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Fiscal Impact:
The total cost of services to be provided by Land CM is a not-to-exceed amount of $50,000. The City’s Purchasing and Contracting Guidelines allow for an additional 10% compensation contingency. For this Agreement, the contingency amount is $5,000. Council initially approved appropriations of $50,000 in FY 2021-22, staff is requesting a carryover of the unused appropriations to the FY 2022-23 operating budget in form of a budget adjustment in Public Works division for contract services (Account No. 100-91-5400).
Strategic Plan Objectives:
Goal No. 1: Ensure long-term fiscal stability.
Goal No. 4: Maintain and improve the public infrastructure.
Background:
County, state, and federal agencies have several funding programs to assist cities with financing infrastructure projects. Funding agencies often require cities to submit detailed grant applications to establish that a proposed project meets the funding agency’s criteria for eligibility. The process of identifying potential funding sources and writing grant applications requires the expertise of professionals who specialize in this process in order to maximize the City’s funding opportunities. City staff has identified several projects for which there is potential to acquire grant funding from outside agencies (Exhibit A to the Agreement).
On April 26, 2022, Staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Grant Writing and Support Services. The RFP detailed the scope of work expected from the consultant and project budget. Responses were due on May 26, 2022.
The goal of the RFP is for the awarded consultant to provide the following scope of work:
1) Identify funding needs;
2) Locate funding sources; and
3) Provide grant-writing assistance to the City in obtaining available funding.
The awarded consultant is expected to achieve this by completing the following tasks:
1) Review the City’s Capital Improvement Plan and identify projects that are most competitive for grant funding;
2) Research funding opportunities at county, state and federal levels, as well as private grant opportunities;
3) Prepare and submit grant applications, and any requested follow-up materials;
4) Report monthly to City staff on grant opportunities available, grant applications submitted, and status throughout the life of the grant;
5) Offer expert advice on how to determine outputs, outcomes, measure of success, and how to make grant applications competitive; and
6) Attend meetings with City staff and stakeholders to facilitate grant development.
Analysis:
Circulation Process
On April 26, 2022, the RFP was posted on the City’s website, at the City’s public notice locations, on PlanetBids via the City’s online portal, and published in the Signal Tribune newspaper. The City received four proposals from the following firms:
1. Land CM
2. Intuitive Group
3. California Consulting Inc.
4. The CrisCom Company
Evaluation Process
The City utilized a four-member review committee consisting of the Public Works Director, Associate Engineer, Management Assistant, and Administrative Assistant. The committee reviewed all four proposals with a focus on the following criteria:
• Qualifications of the Firm: Technical experience in performing work of a similar nature, experience working with public agencies, and strength and stability of the firm.
• Proposed Team and Organization: Qualifications of proposed personnel and key personnel, logic of organization, adequacy of labor commitment and resources to satisfactorily perform the requested services and meet the City's needs.
• Commitment and Availability: Firm’s current workload and ability to demonstrate and deliver the project based on the committed resources and within the proposed defined schedule.
• Detailed Work Plan: Thorough understanding of the City's requirements and objectives, logic, clarity, specificity, and overall quality of work plan.
• Defined Approach: Approach to carry out and acquire the field review data, perform the design in an efficient and effective manner, and ability to deliver quality final work product per the proposed project schedule.
The ranking criteria was weighted as follows:
The results of the evaluation process were as follows:
Consultant Selection
On June 7, 2022, the review committee interviewed two of the four consultants that submitted proposals, including the highest scoring consultant, Land CM. California Consulting and CrisCom Company submitted proposals but did not schedule to have an interview with City staff, therefore they were not considered for selection. Land CM’s proposal best addressed the evaluation criteria and conveyed the most logical approach and methodology for the services requested by the City. As outlined in their proposal, Land CM has significant experience in funding strategies, grant applications, and project management. Land CM has prepared grant applications for local agencies such as cities of Irvine, Downey, and Norwalk. During the interview, Land CM personnel provided competent responses to all questions, affirming their understanding of grant writing. Accordingly, the review committee concluded Land CM was the best qualified firm for this service.
Reviewed:
_________________________
Sharon del Rosario
Approved:
_________________________
Joe Hoefgen
Attachments