December 19, 2023
City Manager's Office
DATE: December 19, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
LaShonda White, Deputy City Manager – Community
Services
Patrick Seals, Project Manager
Nicholas Delgado, Associate Management Analyst
Subject:
Contract with Public Works LLC to Support the
Development of a Community Needs Assessment and
Strategic Investment Plan
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The Department of Children and Youth has budgeted for the proposed expenditure of $230,000 (13371018-
400201)
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
N/A
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Department of Children and Youth staff are requesting
approval of a contract with Public Works LLC to support the development of a Community Needs Assessment
and a Strategic Investment Plan to guide the Richmond
Fund for Children and Youth grant funding for Fiscal
Years 2024-2027.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a contract with Public Works LLC in the
amount of $215,500, with a $14,500 contingency, for a
not-to-exceed total contract amount of $230,000, to
support the Department of Children and Youth in the
development of a Community Needs Assessment and
Strategic Investment Plan, with a contract term from
December 20, 2023, through December 31, 2024 – City
Manager’s Office (LaShonda White 510-620-6828/Patrick
Seals 510-307-8016).
AGENDA
REPORT
December 19, 2023
DISCUSSION:
Background
On June 5, 2018, the Richmond community approved Measures E and K. These measures, known as “Richmond Kids First Initiative,” outlined the creation of the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth (RFCY) and the Richmond Department of Children and Youth (RDCY). Measures E and K were ratified and added into the Richmond City charter as Article 15.
Article 15, Section 8 “Strategic Investment Plan,” denotes that all funding for Richmond youth via the RDCY and its oversight board must be guided by a Strategic Investment Plan (SIP), it requires: “Each Strategic Investment Plan shall set forth funding priorities for a three-year period and shall set forth a plan for overseeing and evaluating the Fund and the programs supported by the Fund. The Department of Children and Youth shall work with the Oversight Board to complete the Strategic Investment Plan and conduct a needs assessment.” Additionally, Article 15 - Strategic Investment Plan(A)(B), further states the need for the SIP to be guided by a Community Needs Assessment (CNA).
More specifically, the needs assessment needs to involve community meetings throughout the city, gathering input on the service needs of various populations.
Furthermore, the funding priorities in the SIP shall be based on the CNA and input from the community.
The first CNA/SIP Request for Proposals (RFP) was released on December 10, 2019.
Hatchuel, Tabernik & Associates (HTA) was chosen to develop a CNA/SIP that would guide the Richmond Department of Children and Youth through FY 2021-24. The Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan established priority areas for City of Richmond youth.
Each Priority Area received a percentage of funding based on community input via community surveys, workshops, and targeted stakeholder input. HTA identified the following priority areas and funding amounts as needs for the City of Richmond:
Behavioral Health, Mental Health 20% of funding
Education and Employment / Training
Support
20% of funding
Out of School Time, After-school, Sports
and Enrichment
20% of funding
Violence Prevention 20% of funding
Basic Needs 10% of funding
Information / Case Management 10% of funding
The Department seeks to hire a consultant to support outreach and data collection, conduct a community needs assessment, and develop a strategic investment plan to inform the second three-year grant cycle for FY 2024-27 of the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth. To meet these provisions, the Department drafted and released an RFP on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 (Attachment 1). The RFP outlined four elements that detailed the scope of services and provided suggested activities and deliverables which included the following:
December 19, 2023
Community Engagement
Community Needs Assessment
Strategic Investment Plan
Ongoing Project Management
Potential vendors were eligible to apply by completing an application via the City of Richmond’s BidsOnline web platform. Over 1,000 vendors were notified via BidsOnline (Attachment 2). All submittals were due to the Department by noon on August 1, 2023.
Staff received seven (7) responses to the RFP, with the following organizations interested in contracting with the City of Richmond on the CNA/SIP:
Empathy in Action
EVALCORP
Initium Health
Eli Patrick & Co.
Courtney Lea LLC
Linnett Loving LLC
Public Works LLC
A review team, consisting of Department staff and Oversight Board members, evaluated the vendors on their proposed plan to implement the project, their ability to substantiate their expertise in conducting needs assessments and strategic planning, the project timeline, and budget. Proposers also demonstrated experience working in diverse populations and communities like Richmond. The firms’ RFP submittals were evaluated on the following specific score values:
Projected Scope & Timeline (35 points)
Aligned Experience & Relevant Work Sample (25 points) Key Project Personnel & Resumes (20 points)
Budget (15 points)
Quality, Completeness & Attention to Requirements (5 points)
On Monday, October 16, 2023, the review team met to discuss initial vendor scores.
Department staff arranged the vendors in order by aggregate score. Three (3) vendors were extended offers to interview due to their ranking. Department staff scheduled interviews with Public Works LLC, EVALCORP, and Initium Health. Vendors were given time to prepare a presentation for the review team which consisted of a 15-minute slide deck presentation and a 30-minute question and answer session. Vendors presented to the review team on October 30, 2023, and subsequently reviewers discussed scores and rankings from the proposal review and interviews (Attachment 3).
After discussion and review of scores, Public Works LLC was unanimously ranked as the highest rated vendor. Consequently, Department staff is recommending City Council approval for a contract with Public Works LLC to serve as the next vendor to support the
December 19, 2023
Community Needs Assessment and Strategic Investment Plan in its FY 2024-27 grant cycle (Attachment 4).
Public Works LLC Background
Public Works LLC brings a group of highly skilled professionals who have led stakeholder engagement and strategic planning at every level of government. They have decades of experience in completing action-oriented community needs assessments and developing innovative programs for municipal and state governments nationwide. Notably, they have worked with the City of Philadelphia to develop their Children’s Investment Strategy, complete with thoughtful, effective fiscal and performance metrics – a project that has become a national model over the past quarter-century.
Additionally, Public Works LLC has staff who are rooted in both Richmond and the greater San Francisco Bay Area culture. Several Public Works LLC staff were born and raised in Richmond and the greater Bay Area region and are excited to cultivate a Needs Assessment that accurately reflects the needs of children and youth.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Request for proposals
Attachment 2 – BidsOnline report
Attachment 3 – Application scores
Attachment 4 – Contract with Public Works LLC