February 28, 2023
City Manager's Office
DATE: April 4, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Shasa Curl, City Manager
Nickie Mastay, Deputy City Manager, Internal Services
LaShonda White, Deputy City Manager, Community
Services
Lina Velasco, Director of Community Development
Nannette Beacham, Director of Economic Development
Timothy Simmons, Assistant Chief of Police
Patrick Seals, Senior Management Analyst
Lilia Corral, Management Analyst
Subject: Contract with The Pivotal Group Consultants, Inc.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed expenditure of $156,890 is included in the approved Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2023 budget and will be
budgeted accordingly if the option to extend the contract is exercised.
Account String: 01131013-400201
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Now that the City of Richmond has six districts and an
incoming mayor, it would be helpful for City staff to have clarity on the City Council’s collective priorities. City staff members are requesting approval of a contract with The
Pivotal Group Consultants, Inc. to conduct a City Council teambuilding retreat, develop a City-wide strategic plan, and perform a host of other deliverables as outline in
their draft scope of services..
AGENDA
REPORT
February 28, 2023
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a contract and draft scope of work with The
Pivotal Group Consultants, Inc., to host a City Council teambuilding retreat, and assist in developing and
implementing a City-wide strategic plan, in an amount not to exceed $156,890 for a four (4) to six (6) month term, with an option to extend for an additional six (6) to twelve (12) months for an additional $131,906. The April 18,
2023, study session City Council meeting will enable the City Council to refine the scope of work and goals for
their strategic planning priorities and collective goal setting to inform development of the fiscal year 2023-24 budget hiring, recruitment, retention, updating
performance measures, and assist with informing
evaluations for all City staff members – City Manager’s Office (Shasa Curl 510-620-6512).
DISCUSSION:
Background
On April 26, 2022, the City Council adopted an ordinance to adjust the boundaries of the six (6) City Council districts and a new official Council District Map No. 201 based on the results of the 2020 decennial census. Subsequently, on November 8, 2022, elections were held, and three (3) new councilmembers were elected. With the redistricting and addition of new councilmembers, it is necessary to retain an experienced professional strategic planning facilitator to assist in the creation of a strategic plan outlining all council members’ and other stakeholders’ priorities, develop a teambuilding retreat and ensure that conversations and decisions are synthesized. The City currently does not have a formalized strategic plan, and is interested in developing a strategic plan, to be reviewed quarterly. The plan should include City Council and community-identified strategic goals/focuses, associated objectives for each goal/focus, associated actions to achieve the objectives, measures of success, and creating a culture of innovations utilizing technology. In addition, the desired outcome is for the City Council to agree on strategic goals and provide coaching for department heads to ensure there is professional support to implement the strategic plan.
Request for Proposal
On November 8, 2022, the City Manager’s Office released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit qualified professional facilitators experienced in working with elected officials or bodies for City Council teambuilding and community strategic planning (Attachment 1).
February 28, 2023
Key aspects of the scope of services included:
Agenda Planning: Working with the City Manager or their designee(s) to design a detailed agenda for each day of the teambuilding retreat(s) and strategic planning session(s), including clear delineation of timing, as well as space, equipment, food, logistics, and other inputs necessary for a successful series of meetings.
Pre-Meeting Research: Meeting with Council members and City staff to develop the facilitator’s understanding of key issues, interpersonal dynamics, and other factors that should inform the group discussions at teambuilding retreat(s) and the Strategic Planning session(s).
Meeting Facilitation: Facilitating a variety of meetings between/among City staff and the City Council to create a pleasant, dynamic, and productive experience for participants. The use of live polling software and/or other innovative tools that streamline the synthesis of multiple viewpoints into a coherent strategic plan is encouraged but not required.
Strategic Plan Development: In consultation with City staff, producing a written document that summarizes the City Council’s deliberations, including an overview document that lists City Council priorities in a summary format suitable for use on posters, bookmarks, and other materials that will be distributed to City staff and the community.
Through the BidsOnline System, 948 vendors were notified of the RFP. The RFP closed on December 8, 2022, with nine (9) responses received. All nine (9) responses were scored based on evaluation criteria outlined in the RFP, and the top four (4) firms were interviewed and ranked. Subsequently, the top two firms were interviewed by the City Manager and both Deputy City Managers, and The Pivotal Group Consultants, Inc. (TPG) was selected (Attachment 2).
Based in California, TPG is a consulting firm that offers services in strategic planning, leadership and organizational development and training, and individual and organizational assessments. The firm has previously worked with the County of Santa Clara, San Diego County Bike Coalition, San Diego County Emergency Medical Services, and Berkeley Public Library in the development of their strategic plans. TPG’s strategic planning methodology will help the City evaluate, validate, and integrate internal and external changes while also focusing on team building and identifying goals.
City staff is seeking approval of a contract with The Pivotal Group Consultants, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $288,796, which includes an added $31,041 contingency for incidentals, to host a City Council teambuilding retreat and develop a City-wide strategic plan, for a term ending on June 30, 2025 (Attachment 3). If needed, City staff will return on March 28, 2023, with an updated scope of work for review and consideration.
February 28, 2023
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Request for Proposals
Attachment 2 – Scoring Matrix
Attachment 3 – Standard Contract