RESOLUTION NO. 2023-260
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD,
CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES MASTER AGREEMENT FOR INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT
SERVICES WITH AVERO ADVISORS, LLC FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,500,000 FOR A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California has determined that having available project management and change management consultants for professional services that facilitate the timely completion of information technology projects is needed; and WHEREAS, the Information Technology Department solicited, received, and reviewed Statements of Qualifications {SOQs) for professional services consistent with the Carlsbad Municipal Code Section 3.28.060; and
WHEREAS, following a review and ranking of the SOQs based on a weighted scoring system staff recommends that Avero Advisors, LLC is qualified and provides the best value to the City of Carlsbad in the discipline of project management and change management; and WHEREAS, expenditures for the professional services are subject to availability of budget appropriations associated with information technology projects.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, as follows:
1. That the above recitations are true and correct.
2. That the City Council hereby authorizes the City Manager to execute the Professional Service Master Agreement with Avero Advisors, LLC in an amount not to exceed $1,500,000 over a five-year period (Attachment A).
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Carlsbad on the 17th day of October, 2023, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES:
NAYS:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
Blackburn, Bhat-Patel, Acosta, Burkholder, Luna.
None.
None.
None.
KEITH BLACKBURN, Mayor
SHERRY�erk �
(SEAL)
OocuSign Envelope ID: 789O5089-859O-475A-8AC2-2452O2ACE653 Attachment A
MASTER AGREEMENT FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND
CHANGE MANAGEMENT SERVICES
AVERO ADVISORS
1 � vt?l
THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of the ______ day of @lht.i {IV" , 2023, by and between the CITY OF CARLSBAD, a municipal corporation, hereinafter referred to as "City", and Avero Advisors a limited liability company, hereinafter referred to as "Contractor."
RECITALS
A. City requires the professional services of an information technology consulting firm that is experienced in information technology project management and change management.
B. The professional services are required on a non-exclusive, project-by-project basis.
C. Contractor has the necessary experience in providing professional services and advice related to information technology project management and change management.
D. Contractor has submitted a proposal to City and has affirmed its willingness and ability to perform such work.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of these recitals and the mutual covenants contained herein, City and Contractor agree as follows:
1. SCOPE OF WORK
City retains Contractor to perform, and Contractor agrees to render, those services (the "Services") that are defined in attached Exhibit "A", which is incorporated by this reference in accordance with this Agreement's terms and conditions. To the extent any of the terms in any exhibit to this Agreement conflict, in whole or part, with the terms of this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail.
Contractor's obligations with respect to any project granted to Contractor under this Agreement will be as specified in the Task Description for the project (see paragraph 5 below).
2. STANDARD OF PERFORMANCE
While performing the Services, Contractor will exercise the reasonable professional care and skill customarily exercised by reputable members of Contractor's profession practicing in the Metropolitan Southern California Area, and will use reasonable diligence and best judgment while exercising its professional skill and expertise.
3. TERM
The term of this Agreement will be effective for a period of five (5) years from the date first above written.
4. PROGRESS AND COMPLETION
The work for any project granted to Contractor pursuant to this Agreement will begin within ten (10) days after receipt of notification to proceed by City and be completed within the time specified in the Task Description for the project (see paragraph 5 below). Extensions of time for a specific Task Description may be granted if requested by Contractor and agreed to in writing by the City Manager or the Division Director as authorized by the City Manager ("Director"). The City City Attorney Approved Version 6/12/18
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Manager or Director will give allowance for documented and substantiated unforeseeable and unavoidable delays not caused by a lack of foresight on the part of Contractor, or delays caused by City in action or other agencies' lack of timely action. In no event shall a specific Task Description exceed the term of this Agreement.
5. COMPENSATION
The cumulative total for all projects allowed pursuant to this Agreement will not exceed three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) per Agreement year. If the City elects to extend the Agreement, the amount shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) per Agreement year. The total amount of the Agreement shall not exceed one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) for the initial five-year term. Fees will be paid on a project -by-project basis and will be based on Contractor’s Schedule of Rates specified in Exhibit “A”. Prior to initiation of any project work by Contractor, City shall prepare a Project Task Description and Fee Allotment (the "Task Description") which, upon signature by Contractor and for City, the City Manager or Director, will be considered a part of this Agreement. The Task Description will include a detailed scope of services for the particular project being considered and a statement of Contractor's fee to complete the project in accordance with the specified scope of services. The Task Description will also include a description of the method of payment and will be based upon an hourly rate, percentage of project complete, completion of specific project tasks or a combination thereof.
6. STATUS OF CONTRACTOR
Contractor will perform the Services in Contractor's own way as an independent contractor and in pursuit of Contractor's independent calling, and not as an employee of City. Contractor will be under control of City only as to the result to be accomplished, but will consult with City as necessary. The persons used by Contractor to provide services under this Agreement will not be considered employees of City for any purposes.
The payment made to Contractor pursuant to the Agreement will be the full and comp lete compensation to which Contractor is entitled. City will not make any federal or state tax withholdings on behalf of Contractor or its agents, employees or subcontractors. City will not be required to pay any workers' compensation insurance or unemploy ment contributions on behalf of Contractor or its employees or subcontractors. Contractor agrees to indemnify City within thirty (30) days for any tax, retirement contribution, social security, overtime payment, unemployment payment or workers' compensatio n payment which City may be required to make on behalf of Contractor or any agent, employee, or subcontractor of Contractor for work done under this Agreement. At the City’s election, City may deduct the indemnification amount from any balance owing to Contractor.
7. SUBCONTRACTING
Contractor will not subcontract any portion of the Services without prior written approval of City.
If Contractor subcontracts any of the Services, Contractor will be fully responsible to City for the acts and omissions of Contr actor's subcontractor and of the persons either directly or indirectly employed by the subcontractor, as Contractor is for the acts and omissions of persons directly employed by Contractor. Nothing contained in this Agreement will create any contractual relationship between any subcontractor of Contractor and City. Contractor will be responsible for payment of subcontractors. Contractor will bind every subcontractor and every subcontractor of a subcontractor by the terms of this Agreement applicable to Contractor's work unless specifically noted to the contrary in the subcontract and approved in writing by City.
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8. OTHER CONTRACTORS
The City reserves the right to employ other Contractors in connection with the Services.
9. INDEMNIFICATION
Contractor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the City and its officers, officials, employees and volunteers from and against all claims, damages, losses and expenses including attorneys fees arising out of the performance of the work described herein caused by any willful misconduct or negligent act or omission of the Contractor, any subcontractor, anyone directly or indirectly employed by any of them or anyone for whose acts any of them may be liable.
The parties expressly agree that any payment, attor ney’s fee, costs or expense City incurs or makes to or on behalf of an injured employee under the City’s self -administered workers’ compensation is included as a loss, expense or cost for the purposes of this section, and that this section will survive the expiration or early termination of this Agreement.
10. INSURANCE
Contractor will obtain and maintain for the duration of the Agreement and any and all amendments, insurance against claims for injuries to persons or damage to property which may arise out o f or in connection with performance of the services by Contractor or Contractor’s agents, representatives, employees or subcontractors. The insurance will be obtained from an insurance carrier admitted and authorized to do business in the State of California. The insurance carrier is required to have a current Best's Key Rating of not less than "A-:VII"; OR with a surplus line insurer on the State of California’s List of Approved Surplus Line Insurers (LASLI) with a rating in the latest Best’s Key Rating Guide of at least “A:X”; OR an alien non-admitted insurer listed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) latest quarterly listings report.
10.1 Coverages and Limits. Contractor will maintain the types of coverages and minimum limits indicated below, unless Risk Manager or City Manager approves a lower amount. These minimum amounts of coverage will not constitute any limitations or cap on Contractor's indemnification obligations under this Agreement. City, its officers, agents and employees make no representation that the limits of the insurance specified to be carried by Contractor pursuant to this Agreement are adequate to protect Contractor. If Contractor believes tha t any required insurance coverage is inadequate, Contractor will obtain such additional insurance coverage, as Contractor deems adequate, at Contractor's sole expense. The full limits available to the named insured shall also be available and applicable to the City as an additional insured.
10.1.1 Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance. Insurance written on an “occurrence” basis, including personal & advertising injury, with limits no less than $2,000,000 per occurrence. If a general aggregate lim it applies, either the general aggregate limit shall apply separately to this project/location or the general aggregate limit shall be twice the required occurrence limit.
10.1.2 Automobile Liability. (if the use of an automobile is involved for Contractor's work for City). $ 2,000,000 combined single -limit per accident for bodily injury and property damage.
10.1.3 Workers' Compensation and Employer's Liability. Workers' Compensation limits as required by the California Labor Code. Workers' Compensation will not be required if Contractor has no employees and provides, to City's satisfaction, a declaration stating this.
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10.1.4 Professional Liability. Errors and omissions liability appropriate to Contractor’s profession with limits of not less than $1,000 ,000 per claim. Coverage must be maintained for a period of five years following the date of completion of the work.
10.2. Additional Provisions. Contractor will ensure that the policies of insurance required under this Agreement contain, or are endorsed to contain, the following provisions:
10.2.1 The City will be named as an additional insured on Commercial General Liability which shall provide primary coverage to the City.
10.2.2 Contractor will obtain occurrence coverage, excluding Professional Liability, which will be written as claims-made coverage.
10.2.3 This insurance will be in force during the life of the Agreement and any extensions of it and will not be canceled without thirty (30) days prior written notice to City sent by certified mail pursuant to the Notice provisions of this Agreement.
10.3 Providing Certificates of Insurance and Endorsements. Prior to City's execution of this Agreement, Contractor will furnish certificates of insurance and endorsements to City.
10.4 Failure to Ma intain Coverage . If Contractor fails to maintain any of these insurance coverages, then City will have the option to declare Contractor in breach or may purchase replacement insurance or pay the premiums that are due on existing policies in order to maintain the required coverages. Contractor is responsible for any payments made by City to obtain or maintain insurance and City may collect these payments from Contractor or deduct the amount paid from any sums due Contractor under this Agreement.
10.5 Submission of Insurance Policies. City reserves the right to require, at anytime, complete and certified copies of any or all required insurance policies and endorsements.
11. BUSINESS LICENSE
Contractor will obtain and maintain a City of Carlsbad Busine ss License for the term of the Agreement, as may be amended from time-to-time.
12. ACCOUNTING RECORDS
Contractor will maintain complete and accurate records with respect to costs incurred under this Agreement. All records will be clearly identifiable. Cont ractor will allow a representative of City during normal business hours to examine, audit, and make transcripts or copies of records and any other documents created pursuant to this Agreement. Contractor will allow inspection of all work, data, documents, proceedings, and activities related to the Agreement for a period of three (3) years from the date of final payment under this Agreement.
13. OWNERSHIP OF DOCUMENTS
All work product produced by Contractor or its agents, employees, and subcontractors pursu ant to this Agreement is the property of City. In the event this Agreement is terminated, all work product produced by Contractor or its agents, employees and subcontractors pursuant to this Agreement will be delivered at once to City. Contractor will have the right to make one (1) copy of the work product for Contractor’s records.
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14. COPYRIGHTS
Contractor agrees that all copyrights that arise from the services will be vested in City and Contractor relinquishes all claims to the copyrights in favor of City.
15. NOTICES
The name of the persons who are authorized to give written notice or to receive written notice on behalf of City and on behalf of Contractor under this Agreement are:
For City: For Contractor:
Name Maria Callander Name Abhijit Verekar
Title IT Director Title CEO
Dept Information Technology Address 512 W. Broadway Ave.
Maryville, TN 37801
Address 1635 Faraday Ave Phone 440.991.6628
Carlsbad, CA 92008 Email [email protected]
Phone 760.602.2454
Each party will notify the other immediately of any changes of address that would require any notice or delivery to be directed to another address.
16. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Contractor sha ll file a Conflict of Interest S tatement with the City Clerk in accordance with the requirements of the City of Carlsbad Conflict of Interest Code. The Contractor shall report investments or interests as required in the City of Carlsbad Conflict of Interest Code.
Yes No
If yes, list the contact information below for all individuals required to file:
Name Email Phone Number
17. GENERAL COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS
Contractor will keep fully informed of federal, state and local laws and ordinances and regulations which in any manner affect those employed by Contractor, or in any way affect the performance of the Services by Contractor. Contractor will at all times observe and comply with these laws, ordinances, and regulations and will be responsible for the compliance of Contractor's services with all applicable laws, ordinances and regulations.
Contractor will be aware of the requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and will comply with those requirements, including, but not limited to, verifying the eligibility for employment of all agents, employees, subcontractors and con sultants whose services are required by this Agreement.
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18. DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT PROHIBITED
Contractor will comply with all applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination and harassment.
19. DISPUTE RESOLUTION
If a dispute should arise regarding the performance of the Services the following procedure will be used to resolve any questions of fact or interpretation not otherwise settled by agreement between the parties. Representatives of Contractor or City will reduce such questions, and their respective views, to writing. A copy of such documented dispute will be forwarded to both parties involved along with recommended methods of resolution, which would be of benefit to both parties. The representative receiving the letter will reply to the letter along with a recommended method of resolution within ten (10) business days. If the resolution thus obtained is unsatisfactory to the aggrieved party, a letter outlining the disputes will be forwarded to the City Manager. The City Manager will consider the facts and solutions recommended by each party and may then opt to direct a solution to the problem. In such cases, the action of the City Manager will be binding upon the parties involved, although nothing in this procedure will prohibit the parties from seeking remedies available to them at law.
20. TERMINATION
In the event of the Contractor's failure to prosecute, deliver, or perform the Services, City may terminate this Agreement for nonperformance by notifying Contractor by certified mail of the termination. If City decides to abandon or indefinitely postpone the work or services contemplated by this Agreement, City may terminate this Agreement upon written notice to Contractor. Upon notification of termination, Contractor has five (5) business days to deliver any documents owned by City and all work in progress to City at the address contained in this Agreement. City will make a determination of fact based upon the work product delivered to City and of the percentage of work that Contractor has performed which is usable and of worth to City in having the Agreement completed. Based upon that finding City will determine the final payment of the Agreement.
Either party upon tendering thirty (30) days written notice t o the other party may terminate this Agreement. In this event and upon request of City, Contractor will assemble the work product and put it in order for proper filing and closing and deliver it to City. Contractor will be paid for work performed to the te rmination date; however, the total will not exceed the lump sum fee payable under this Agreement. City will make the final determination as to the portions of tasks completed and the compensation to be made.
21. COVENANTS AGAINST CONTINGENT FEES
Contractor warrants that Contractor has not employed or retained any company or person, other than a bona fide employee working for Contractor, to solicit or secure this Agreement, and that Contractor has not paid or agreed to pay any company or person, ot her than a bona fide employee, any fee, commission, percentage, brokerage fee, gift, or any other consideration contingent upon, or resulting from, the award or making of this Agreement. For breach or violation of this warranty, City will have the right to annul this Agreement without liability, or, in its discretion, to deduct from the Agreement price or consideration, or otherwise recover, the full amount of the fee, commission, percentage, brokerage fees, gift, or contingent fee.
22. CLAIMS AND LAWSUITS
By signing this Agreement, Contractor agrees that any Agreement claim submitted to City must be asserted as part of the Agreement process as set forth in this Agreement and not in anticipation of litigation or in conjunction with litigation. Contractor ac knowledges that if a false claim is submitted to City, it may be considered fraud and Contractor may be subject to criminal prosecution. Contractor acknowledges that California Government Code sections 12650 et seq., the False Claims Act applies to this Agreement and, provides for civil penalties where a person knowingly submits a false claim to a public entity. These provisions include false claims made with deliberate ignorance of the false information or in reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of information. If City seeks to recover penalties pursuant to the False Claims Act, it is entitled to recover its litigation costs, including attorney's fees.
Contractor acknowledges that the filing of a false claim may subject Contractor to an administrative DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9D50B9-B59D-475A-8AC2-2452D2ACE653
debarment proceeding as the result of which Contractor may be prevented to act as a Contractor on any public work or improvement for a period of up to five (5) years. Contractor acknowledges debarment by another jurisdiction is grounds for City to terminate this Agreement.
23. JURISDICTIONS AND VENUE
Any action at law or in equity brought by either of the parties for the purpose of enforcing a right or rights provided for by this Agreement will be tried in a court of competent jurisdiction in the County of San Diego, State of California, and the parties waive all provisions of law providing for a change of venue in these proceedings to any other county.
24. SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS
It is mutually understood and agreed that this Agreement will be binding upon City and Contractor and their respective successors. Neither this Agreement nor any part of it nor any monies due or to become due under it may be assigned by Contractor without the prior consent of City, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.
25. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
This Agreement, together with any other written document referred to or contemplated by it, along with the purchase order for this Agreement and its provisions, embody the entire Agreement and understanding between the parties relating to t he subject matter of it. In case of conflict, the terms of the Agreement supersede the purchase order. Neither this Agreement nor any of its provisions may be amended, modified, waived or discharged except in a writing signed by both parties. ///
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9D50B9-B59D-475A-8AC2-2452D2ACE653
DocuSign Envelope ID: 789D5089-859D-475A-8AC2-2452D2ACE653
26. AUTHORITY
The individuals executing this Agreement and the instruments referenced in it on behalf of Contractor each represent and warrant that they have the legal power, right and actual authority to bind Contractor to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
Executed by Contractor this_l_l t_h ___ day of octobe r , 2023.
CONTRACTOR CIT ARLSBA D, a municipal
f he State of California
By:
(sign here)
Abhijit Verekar CEO
(print name/title)
By:
(sign here)
By:
ATTEST:
City Clerk
(print name/title)
Proper notarial acknowledgment of execution by Contractor must be attached. If a corporation, Agreement must be signed by one corporate officer from each of the following two groups:
Group A Group B
Chairman, Secretary,
President, or Assistant Secretary,
Vice-President CFO or Assistant Treasurer
Otherwise, the corporation must attach a resolution certified by the secretary or assistant secretary under corporate seal empowering the officer(s) signing to bind the corporation.
CITY OF CARLSBAD, a municipal corporation of the State of California APPROVED AS TO FORM:
CINDIE MCMAHON, City Attorney
BY: .��-Th&
Deputy City Attorney
DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9O50B9-B59O-475A-8AC2-2452O2ACE653 EXHIBIT "A"
SCOPE OF SERVICES
Contractor agrees to provide the following services , as needed by the City and as defined and agreed to on indiv idual task orders :
1) Project management: Within the city's existing projec t managemen t frame work, assist the city w ith future projects and initiatives with projec t management related tasks such as:
• Assessments to ident ify business , funct ional and technical requirements • Ass isting in developing, issuing, and eva luating request for proposals • Business process mapp
ing and improvement
• Providing additional project management staff to augment the city's exist ing IT projec t managemen t team
2) Change Management: Ass ist the city on large projects to ens ure that the city is intentional in its efforts to prepare the organ ization for a change, the transition thro ugh the change is as smoo th as poss ible and staff have the training and tools necessary to leverage the bene fits of the project includ ing :
• Providing change managemen t tools and processes that fac ilitate cityw ide commun ication, knowledge , and the ability for stakeho lders to success fully adopt and mainta in change related to city projects and initiat ives • Providing customized on-demand train ing mater ials for business processes and
informat ion systems that can be loaded on the city's training platform (Carlsbad Learn ) to support the ongoing tra ining needs for existing and future staff Contractor will only be compensated for services once a task order is agreed upon by both Contractor and the City. There will be no compensation for Contractor in advance of a task order, including any time needed to draft a proposed scope of work for the specific task order.
City Standards:
The city's standard tool for projec t managemen t is SmartSheet.
The city's standard tool for project collaboration (file shar ing, virtual project meetings , etc.) is Microsoft Teams .
Statemen t of C ost Servi ces
Project Team Role Hourly Rate
Project Executive $250
Directo r of Advisory Services $225
Senior Manager $225
Project Manager $200
Business Analyst $175
DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9O50B9-B59O-475A-8AC2-2452O2ACE653 Contractor Methodology/Project Approach
Project Management Services: SOLUTION SELECTION
ENVIRONMENT-FOCUSED
CURRENT-STATE BUSINESS PROCESS MAPPING
Avero will develop Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) diagrams deta iling a roadmap of existing business processes based on doc umentat ion & feed back gathered from the City's relevant stakeholders. Avero w ill assess end-to-end processes to ident ify strengths & weaknesses in the current business process practices & processes. This current-state process mappi ng activ ity will help uncover hidden flaws within the current software and outline a roadmap of what the City env isions to enhance operat ional effic iency and mitigate exist ing limitat ions. In this step, Avero wi ll:
• Map daily activities to business processes across the City's systems • Diagram and document work flows
• Identify processes that are particularly challenging for staff • Ident ify ineffic iencies, such as bottlenecks or duplications • Ident ify missing key business activ ities & essent ial controls • Determine undefined or poorly defined process ownersh ip responsib ilities • Identify insufficient or ineffective performance indicators • Identify structural inefficiencies
• Define inefficient access to data and determine the condition of existing data Avero will validate the current-state workflow diagrams with the City's project sponsors before moving forward.
FUTURE-STATE BUSINESS PROCESS MAPPING
Avero will develop optimized future-state work flow diagrams in BPMN format for business processes across the City's departments that will reflect the "w ish list" improvements gathered during the Future-State Vis ioning project activity. Avero 's Project Team will also focus on elim inating bott lenecks, duplicated efforts , manual activities, in-house workarounds, and potent ial legal & comp liance risks within the City's software environment. We will apply our techn ical know ledge & skills to ensure that the optimized business processes harness the funct ional capac ity of workflow automation offered by modernized software solutions. Furthermore , Avero wi
ll map crucial integration points
spanning processes & departments to accurately depict data integration between systems.
Avero will validate the future-state workflow diagrams with the City's project sponsors before mov ing forward.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Avero wi ll assess the inherent gaps found betwee n the City's current software environment & the City's ideal software env ironment by using key find ings gathered during DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9O50B9-B59O-475A-8AC2-2452O2ACE653 previ ous projec t activities. Our team will focus on bottlenec ks, redundant efforts , end-user concern s & needs , manual activities , reg ulatory requ irements , and assoc iated dataflo ws between the exist ing software system & related software applications. Based on findings collec ted from our knowledge base of industry best pract ices & convent ional exper tise in similar engagements , Avero wi
ll make develop a thoro ugh Needs Assessmen t, includ ing key recommendations from our Project Team to address modern ization opportunities & tack le the various challenges present in the current software env ironmen t. The new software solution must support efficient bus iness processes across all departmen ts and max imize collabora tion , informat ion sharing , and smart utilization of technolog y.
REQUIREMENTS TRACEABILITY MATRIX
Avero w ill cond uct a series of Requ irements Deve lopment Wor kshops with the City's relevant stakeholders to define the future solut ion's funct ional requirements . The business process maps & Needs Assessment w ill guide this effort , along with any additional "wish list" items that may add value to the desired software 's func tionality. Avero will work close ly w ith the City's key project stakeholders to ens ure that our discussions from the workshops are properl y documented and that all functional requiremen ts of the City's relevant stakeholders are noted.
Our team will develop a Requ irements Traceab ility Matr ix spec ific to the City's functional requirements for the prospective solution based on informat ion gathered by our team .
Avero w ill ensure the matr ix is built in a logica l manner , broken down by funct ional area (i.e., each department will have a dedicated space deta iling its ow n requ irements ). By applying industry best practices & our exper ience moderniz ing other governmen t organ izations ' techno logy env ironments , our Projec t Team w ill develop a comprehensive list of critical requiremen ts. Avero will subseq uent ly coordinate a review sess ion w ith the City's project sponsors to validate , finalize , and approve the Requirements Traceabi lity Matrix.
RFP DEVELOPMENT & SOLICITATION
Avero w ill conduct the following act ivities to prepare for the solicitation of a new solution:
• Identify critical staff across the City's departments for the Evaluation Commi ttee
• Deve lop a draft RFP documen t
• Define a set of evaluation criteria that meets the requiremen ts outlined in the pend ing RFP
• Cond uct review session (s) with the City's Eva luation Committee for the draft RFP doc ument & eval uation criter ia
• Revise the RFP document & evaluat ion criteria as needed , based on feedbac k from the review sess ion(s) with the City's Evaluat ion Comm ittee
• Hold a f inal review of the RFP document & eva luation criteria with the DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9O50B9-B59O-475A-8AC2-2452O2ACE653 City's Evaluat ion Committee for finalizat ion & approval • Collaborate w ith the City's procurement agent to release the RFP for response solicitation
Avero will work with the City's Evaluation Comm ittee to plan and coordinate any pre proposa l conference meetings , Q&A sess ions, and/or site visits that are needed w hile the RFP is open . Our team w ill either stay onsite or be ava ilable remotely to help faci litate discussions and answer any quest ions about the information pub lished in the RFP. We will review all vendor quest ions and coordina te with the Eva luation Comm ittee to deve lop draft responses. Upon completing the draft responses to vendor questions, Avero will share the answers with the City's project sponsors for revie w & validat ion . Our team w ill make any changes that the City deems necessary before finaliz ing and releas ing the responses for pub lication .
PROPOSAL ANALYSIS
Avero w ill analyze the proposa ls rece ived from vendors in response to the City's RFP for a new solution and appropria tely equip the City's Selection Comm ittee with scoring tools that w ill enable evaluators to appropriately assess the vendors ' responses. We will deve lop a thorough Vendor Eva luation Shee t for the City's Selection Committee that includes a written analys is of the vendor proposals received. We will analyze vendors ' provis ions for warranty & maintenance of their software , assist the Select ion Committee in scoring and ranking each vendor, and provide our recommendations for the top vendors that will best meet the City's objectives. The Vendor Eva luation Shee t w ill incorporate the scoring & rank ing done by the Select ion Committee , as well as prov ide a synops is of the group scor ing & the potential benefits & shortcom ings of each vendor . We will include potent ial risks & issues related to the vendor, as well estimated costs of implemen tation & post-implementa tion support , for each vendor . Our Project Team will also deve lop a Vendor Requiremen ts Evaluation Summary that captures how capable each software vendor is in meeting the City's documen ted requirements.
Based on our discuss ions with the City's Select ion Committee & project sponsors , our team will add the top software vendors to the Vendor Shortlist. The vendors on the Vendor Shortlist will be included for the system demos & reference chec ks.
SYSTEM DEMOS & REFERENCE CHECKS
Avero , along with the City's Select ion Committee , will schedu le demonstra tions for vendors included on the Vendor Short list. Our team will manage the interv iew & demonstration process (e.g. , supp lying demo scripts, schedul ing demos, and faci litating demos) . We will document and distribute demo meeting agendas & scripts to the City's Select ion Comm ittee for an overv iew prior to the demos. These demonstrat ions from vendors will enable the Select ion Committee to receive hands -on, real -time demonstrations of solutions and will help the Selection Committee perceive each solution’s functionalities & workflow capacities, as well as each vendors’ work ethic & culture, to ensure that core values of the City & the vendor are strategically aligned.
Additionally, Avèro will develop a reference check template to support vendor selection for all the vendors on the Vendor Shortlist. We will assist the City’s Selection Committee in scheduling and conducting reference calls with vendors’ system clients on behalf of the City & the proposed vendors. We will make sure to follow up on references to help the Selection Committee gain insight on the implementation process.
Avèro will gather feedback from the City’s S election Committee on the system demos & reference checks and further discuss the findings of the Vendor Evaluation Sheet & Vendor Requirements Evaluation Summary with the Selection Committee. Our Project Team will then obtain official approval on vendor selection.
CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
Avèro will develop the vendor’s Statement of Work, including third -party interfaces once a vendor has been officially chosen. We will work with the City’s project sponsors to develop a performance -based contract in which milestones are paid for when they’re accomplished. Avèro will assist with the presentation for the selection & award of the chosen vendor. If desired by the City, Avèro will lead the negotiation on their behalf for best value and work with the chosen vendor to develop a “Best and Final Offer” to secure final pricing, which will result in a final contract. Feedback from the City & the vendor will be incorporated into the final agreement document, which will also be reviewed & validated by them. Our team will also assist the City’s project sponsors with the preparation of any documentation as needed.
Please note that Avèro will perform the project activities for Service #2: Project Management (Process -Focused) & for Service #3: Change Management (People - Focused) simultaneously, rather than consecutively.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9D50B9-B59D-475A-8AC2-2452D2ACE653
DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9O50B9-B59O-475A-8AC2-2452O2ACE653 Project Management Services: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
PROCESS-FOCUSED
RISK MITIGATION
Avero w ill develop the following two documents and maintain them throughout the lengt h of the projec t in order to monitor , communicate , and troubles hoot potential project risks :
• Risk Register - which will include the stated risk, a technical description of it, the staff member who identified it (if applicab le), the module where it was located (if applicable ), and the date it was ident ified • Reso lution Register - which will include the individual assigned to address the risk from the Risk Reg ister, the priority of it, the resolut ion of it, the staff member respons ible for faci litating the reso lution, and the date of resolut ion
As risks are assessed & resolut ions are cons idered thro ughout the project duration , we will suggest custom izations (and note the related budgetary impact , timeline impact , and stakeho lder impact ) to the project , as well as carefully review any project customizations suggested by either the City or the vendor.
VENDOR COLLABORATION
Avero w ill work w ith the City & the selected vendor to ensure project quality standard compliance via quali ty assurance (QA) & quality control (QC). We will develop and embed a set of QA/QC processes to ensure project deliverab les meet the City's establ ished requirements. We will monitor the vendor 's compliance with the negotiated contrac t and seek to resolve any issues with the vendor 's performance.
Furthermore , our team w ill meet reg ularly with the vendor to comm unicate budget & timeline expectations and ensure the project is meet ing these expectat ions . We will keep track of the vendor 's documentation regard ing system configuration, system integrat ion, system test ing, and system maintenance , as well as the vendor 's documentat ion regarding system support for both the present & fut ure. We w ill assist the City & the selected vendor in final izing and documenting project roles & responsib ilities .
DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECT DOCUMENTS
Avero will collabora te with the City's project sponsors , includ ing the IT Project Manager , IT Enterpr ise Appl ications Manager , and/or other department managers , to develop the following plans to utilize during the project:
• Comm unications Plan - w hich will include the type of communicat ion, the group who will be comm unicated with, the purpose of the comm unication , the frequenc y of the communicat ion , and the method of commun ication • Stakeholder Engagemen t Plan - which w ill outline the steps for keeping stakeholders engaged & informed throughout the implementa tion of the DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9O50B9-B59O-475A-8AC2-2452O2ACE653 new solution
• Training Plan - which will include the training approach , format, participant group ings, and schedule for end-user training
o Including training materials to address both current & future trainings to assist current end-users & future end-users (i.e., new staff when hired) understand the functionalities of the new system
o Including user manuals , which will detail spec ific instruct ions for how employees will complete tasks in the new system
OVERSIGHT OF SYSTEM CONFIGURATION & INTEGRATION
Avero will coordinate with the City & the selected vendor to ensure workflows are properly configured across all modules w ithin the new system . Th is activity w ill ensure that t he optimized business processes are aligned w ith the functional capac ity of the newly implemen ted system to max imize efficiency across the City . Our team will also work with the City & the selected vendor to ensure that all required current systems in place at the City are properly integrated with the new system. This activity will ensure that all critical systems are integrated so that the City can benefi t from streaml ined funct ionalit ies configured in the software system.
OVERSIGHT OF DATA CONVERSION , MIGRATION, & VALIDATION
Avero w ill assist the City & the selected vendor with the conversion , migrat ion, and validation of the City's data that w ill be moved to the new system. We will analyze the condit ion of the City's existing data, as well as its existing data-related policies & procedures , in terms of best practices for operat ional data governance. The following activ ities w ill be conducted by our team as part of the data convers ion, migration, and validation task:
• Review the data & data types being converted and unde rstand informa tion , such as:
o The amount, type , and quality of data
o The original & target sources & formats
o Any cross-reference complexities
• Identify the criticality of the City's data and determine how the data convers ion , migrat ion, and validation will be performed, along w ith costs , schedules , tools , and any requ ired staff involvement from the City & the vendor
• Evaluate and identify City staff & vendor staff to perform the data convers ion , migration , and validat ion based on their expert ise & exper ience
• Review any other planning cons iderat ions with the City's project sponsors, such as communication, education, data normalization, QA/QC, and data accuracy & completeness
OVERSIGHT OF SYSTEM TESTING, USER ACCEPTANCE TESTING
(UAT), & END-USER TESTING (EUT)
Avèro will assist the City & the selected vendor with the testing of all system requirements in accordance with the contract that the City has with the vendor. This activity will ensure that the required system functionalities across all system modules are operable & that automated workflows are functioning correctly. Any system requirements that are not executable by the Avèro system testers will be documented and reported to the vendor for required system maintenance before UAT with City staff.
Additionally, Avèro will coordinate with the City & the selected vendor to choose a group of stakeholders for UAT across the City’s departments to test all system requirements, across all system modules, in accordance with the City’s contract with the vendor. By project managing UAT, Avèro will monitor the user experience that involves the execution of key system functionalities, general system navigation, and automated workflows. Any system requirements that are not executable by the system testing team designated to UAT will be documented and reported to the vendor for required system maintenance before completion of UAT with City staff. Our team will also provide guidance on change management so that the system implementation will be handled most appropriately across the City.
Avèro will also work with the City & the selected vendor to provide interactive EUT in a format that best meets the training needs of the City’s end-user community. By project managing EUT, Avèro will ensure that power users receive the training required to develop the operational knowledge base needed to act as the software system “point people” in their respective departments. Avèro will also collaborate with the vendor & power users to facilitate subsequent training sessions to review system navigation, key functionalities, and workflow execution within the new software system.
GO-LIVE SUPPORT & POST GO-LIVE SUPPORT
Avèro will coordinate with the City & the selected vendor to provide onsite or virtual support during the Go-Live event for each module of the new software system and address any identified project risks. By project managing Go -Live, Avèro will serve as the support liaison between the City & the vendor. Avèro will document any problems that the City staff experience related to system functionality, navigation, workflow execution, or integration and then manage the resolution of all documented issues with the vendor.
In addition, Avèro will work with the City & the selected vendor to provide onsite or virtual support during the Post Go -Live period. By project managing Post Go -Live, Avèro will continue to act as a support liaison between the City & the vendor. Avèro will continue to document any issues that City staff experience related to system functionality, navigation, workflow execution, or integration for a period following the Go -Live event. Our team will manage the resolution of all documented issues with the vendor. Furthermore, we will authorize system acceptance for the project closeout.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9D50B9-B59D-475A-8AC2-2452D2ACE653
DocuSign Envelope ID: 7B9O50B9-B59O-475A-8AC2-2452O2ACE653 CHANGE MANGEMENT SERVICES: CHANGE
MANAGEMENT
CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLANNING
Avero will deve lop a thorough Change Managemen t Plan, which w ill outl ine key elemen ts of what City staff can expec t from the solution implementat ion process. Specifically , the Change Management Plan will outl ine the processes necessary to appropr iately prepare the City staff who w ill be using the new system for the changes ahead , set appropria te expec tations for these users , and descr ibe how our team will monitor & manage any resistance identified from these users. The Change Management Plan will also serve as a guide for the various City department managers who will be guiding the ir staff through the implementat ion of the new solution.
IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING
Avero will develop a comprehensive Implementa tion Plan to outline each phase of the solut ion implementa tion so that the City's projec t sponsors, including the IT Project Manager, IT Enterpr ise Applicat ions Manager, and/or other department managers, will have a solid understanding of what to expect. The plan will include estima ted costs & timeframes, as well as necessary City staff reso urces, to implement the new solution properly. This detailed plan w ill cons ider how to balance the City staff members ' current workloads with the workload demands that are connected w ith the implementat ion.
STAFF PREPARATION
Avero will assist w ith the tra ining associa ted w ith the implementat ion of the new solution. Once the Training Plan has been deve loped , we will utilize it to prepare City staff for the system implementation & the relevant implicat ions. Our team will assist with providing spec ific training to various staff levels , from entry -level employees to executive leaders . We will cons istent ly monitor the user experience involving the exec ution of key system funct ionali ties, genera l system navigation, and automated workflows. We will be available for City staff to share their feedback on which of their project -related expec tations are not being met, and we will seek to find solutions to better prepare & advise them for the system implementat ion .