March 15, 2022
Human Resources
DATE: March 15, 2022
TO: Mayor Butt and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Anil Comelo, Interim Deputy City Manager of Internal
Services
Subject:
Contract with Matrix Consulting Group for Emergency
Services Data Analysis and Report
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed expenditure is included in the FY 2021- 2022 adopted budget (01181016-400201--Professional
Services).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
October 19, 2021
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
City Council directed staff to issue a Request for
Proposals (RFP) to conduct an emergency services data
analysis. Staff issued the RFP and selected Matrix
Consulting Group as the desired consultant to perform
the analysis and associated details. Staff is seeking
contract approval.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a contract with Matrix Consulting Group in an
amount not to exceed $124,000 to conduct an
emergency services data analysis – Human Resources
Department (Anil Comelo 510-620-6609).
AGENDA
REPORT
March 15, 2022
DISCUSSION:
City Council directed staff to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) requesting qualified firms with experience in the analysis of local government operations, specifically in emergency services, to analyze 911 call data. The objective for this study is to produce a comprehensive assessment of (1) the types of emergencies that residents report and (2) our city’s response to emergency calls for service to determine where resources are needed and to help our city improve service delivery. As Richmond adapts to dynamic public safety issues and changes in available resources, it is important to have a clear sense of what the health and safety needs of our residents are. With a clear understanding of community needs and existing service delivery systems, future service provision could maximize efficiency in meeting community member needs.
Project Expectations
The consultant will conduct a four-year analysis of police and fire calls for service. The analysis will also include a comparative review of budgetary allocations for emergency services. The consultant will interview key personnel such as dispatch, fire, and police employees. The consulting service provider will also hold four community discussions to obtain information relative to community needs and expectations relative to public safety. This research would culminate in a written report and presentation to City Council.
Desired experience for firms responding to the RFP included experience with these types of data sets, issues related to public health and safety, budgetary analysis, and demonstrated expertise with equity in order to make this type of data broadly accessible to the community.
The evaluation criteria outlined in the RFP was as follows:
Proposal/Methodology and Approach to Work – 30%
Experience/Past Performance/References – 20%
Project Team – 10%
Proposer Qualifications – 20%
Cost Proposal – 20%
Selection Process
Five vendors submitted responsive proposals. Three Department Heads evaluated and rated the proposals based on the criteria set forth in the RFP. Using the criteria above, each Department Head allocated up to 100 points to each proposal (for a maximum possible total of 300 points). Matrix Consulting Group scored the highest overall.
March 15, 2022
Proposal Total
Matrix Consulting Group 262
Fitch & Associates LLC 260
Charis Advisory Group 202
Public Safety Data Solutions 198
Jim Freeman Consulting 180
Matrix Consulting Group is highly experienced and specializes in public safety services.
They also understand that the community wants its voice heard directly and that this study is critical to providing a forum for the public to share feedback and for the selected consultant to develop constructive strategies around this feedback.
Project Summary
Matrix Consulting Group will provide a thorough examination of the current workloads and service delivery of the Police and Fire Departments. The City is seeking a fact- based assessment of the workload and service delivery data with the goal of maximizing efficiency of Richmond’s public safety resources. Below are the tasks associated with the analysis and report:
1. Interviews: Matrix will conduct interviews with key stakeholders to obtain views on public safety issues. Stakeholders will include the Mayor and City Council Members, Police and Fire Chiefs and command staff, representatives of the bargaining units, and individuals involved in the data collection process.
2. Descriptive Profile: The project team will provide a descriptive summary of each department with organizational charts, responsibilities for each unit, staffing by classification, deployment schedules and areas of responsibility, key characteristics, and workload data (e.g., calls for service).
3. Community Input: The project team understands that the community wants its voice heard directly. They will hold four (4) community workshop meetings with the general public to ensure the results of the analysis are representative of the City’s resident and business communities. These meetings will allow day, night, and weekend options for participation. Focus areas to include:
What does the community expect when calling the departments for assistance or making a complaint?
Does the community feel that RPD and RFD are transparent? Can the community express concerns?
What public safety priorities does the community want the departments to focus on? Are there issues with the alignment with community priorities?
March 15, 2022
4. Analysis of Police Workload and Services: Comprehensive analysis of operations and services for every function of each department, together with strategies for achieving the best use of existing resources.
a) Patrol workloads, proactivity, and staff deployments: Analysis of 4- years’ worth of community-generated calls for service using computer aided dispatch data.
b) Calls for service by hour and weekday, month, area, and priority level. c) Response and travel times, total time spent handling calls. d) Investigation workload and staffing.
e) Other functional areas: communications, records, recruitment, and training.
5. Analysis of Fire and EMS Workloads, Operations, and Deployments: An analysis of operations, as well as strategies for achieving the best use of existing resources. The project team will examine strategies for deploying, allocating, and managing operations. The analysis will focus on the ability of staff to achieve targeted service levels and support effective operations management.
a) Produce a demand study that analyzes and geographically displays the current service demand by incident type and temporal variation. b) Evaluate fire apparatus deployment strategy through GIS software to identify service gaps and redundancies.
c) Analysis of response time capability and fire company and staff distribution.
d) Analysis of workloads including unit hour utilization of companies, call concurrency, and impact on ability to assemble an effective response. e) Analyze existing codes and ordinances relating to Fire Prevention; understand the organization and responsibilities of Fire Prevention; City coordination of development services.
f) Internal support services to include training, recruitment and retention, administrative personnel roles.
6. Final Report: Following the analysis, the project team will develop the final report. The report will include a comprehensive analysis of all items within the scope of work, along with timelines, impacts, and targets for implementing recommended changes. Upon finalization of the report, the project team will be available to present the results of the study to the Richmond City Council – either virtually or in person, depending on the status of current COVID-19 health orders.
Matrix Consulting Group has proposed an approximate four-month turnaround following execution of the contract and receiving the City’s data sources that need to be analyzed. Below is a breakdown of that timeline:
March 15, 2022
We anticipate being able to execute the contract by April 1, 2022.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Contract