April 15, 2025
City Manager's Office
DATE: April 15, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Patrick Seals, Administrative Chief
Abdul Black, Community Services Technician
Subject:
Contract Amendment No. 1 with WestEd
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The increased payment amount of $1,171,245 ($390,415 annually) will be split across Fiscal Years 2025-26, 2026- 27, and 2027-28. The increased total proposed not to
exceed contract amount of $1,771,245, is available in the approved budget for Richmond Fund for Children and
Youth for Fiscal Year 2025-26, 2026-27, and 2027-28
(13371018-400215).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
July 11, 2023
January 16, 2024
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The Richmond Fund for Children and Youth is required to conduct evaluations per Article 15 of the City of
Richmond Charter. The City is seeking contract
amendment approval with WestEd, a third-party
independent evaluator, to conduct evaluations of all
grant-funded programs for Fiscal Years 2024-25, 2025-
26, 2026-27, 2027-28, draft and present an evaluation
report to City Council, and ensure spending from the fund is consistent with the provisions of the Charter.
AGENDA
REPORT
April 15, 2025
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a contract amendment No. 1 with WestEd
(sole-source) for third-party independent evaluation
services required by Article 15(d) of the Richmond
Charter for the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth,
increasing the payment amount by $1,171,245, for a total payment limit of $1,771,245, and extending the term
expiration to June 30, 2028 – Department of Children and Youth (Patrick Seals/Abdul Black 510-307-8016).
DISCUSSION:
On January 16, 2024, the City Council approved the initial contract with WestEd for the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth (Fund) evaluation for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2021- 2022, 2022-23, 2023-24, following a formal solicitation process (Attachment 1).
The Richmond Department of Children and Youth (Department) is seeking to amend the contract with WestEd to facilitate the continued annual evaluation of the Fund for FYs 2025-26, 2026-27, 2027-28 (Attachment 2). Per Article 15, Sections 7(d)(4) and (5) of the City of Richmond Charter, the evaluation should identify relevant evaluation measures and ensure programs funded through the Fund are impactful and meet established outcomes, while also reviewing financial reports and audits to ensure funds are appropriately managed.
WestEd is uniquely positioned due to its established relationships, extensive experience, and demonstrated success in evaluating the Department’s grant programs (Attachment 3). WestEd has worked with Department grantees for over 18 months, developing strong relationships essential for accurate and effective program evaluation.
WestEd has already evaluated over $9 million in grant funds and provided technical assistance to more than 60 grantees, demonstrating its deep understanding of the programs and funding landscape. Transitioning to a new evaluator would require a lengthy onboarding process, delaying critical evaluation activities and disrupting established workflows, potentially causing noncompliance with the Charter's evaluation mandates. Given its expertise, established infrastructure, and proven performance, WestEd presents the lowest performance risk and the highest likelihood of delivering accurate, timely, and actionable evaluations.
The City of Richmond is proposing a contract amendment with WestEd to continue its independent evaluation of programs funded through the Fund. This amendment ensures compliance with Article 15 of the City Charter, which mandates evaluations to assess program effectiveness and financial accountability. WestEd has already begun this critical work, and this extension will allow for a thorough assessment of grant- funded programs through Fiscal Year 2027-28. The amended contract, totaling $1,771,245, will support evaluation efforts through June 30, 2028. This continuation of WestEd’s services will provide key insights to improve program outcomes, maintain
April 15, 2025
fiscal responsibility, and support the Fund’s mission to serve Richmond’s youth effectively.
The responsibilities of WestED include the following:
Project Management – Coordinate with staff on all aspects of the design and implementation of the evaluation. Manage all evaluation activities and coordinate with grantees to conduct all aspects of the evaluation.
Evaluation Design and Implementation – Develop a comprehensive outcome-based evaluation that includes the identification of desired outcomes and performance measures for each program, within strategic priorities, and across strategic priorities.
Identify common outcomes, indicators, methods, and measures to assess strategy- level performance.
Data Collection/ Organizing – Develop and refine tools, including surveys and other methods of data collection from various stakeholders. Document and report on program quality by collecting data through point-of-service observations, client surveys, focus groups, or other means.
Reporting – Provide a summary mid-year and a comprehensive final report in a format that is useful and accessible to the public. Communicate the report and findings to the RFCY Oversight Board and Richmond City Council. The lead evaluator will additionally provide a brief year-end evaluative report to summarize the totality of RFCY’s funding and programming, including information on programs, strategies, matched funding and client demographics.
o The year-end evaluation report shall include information on children, youth, and adult participation and demographics; hours of service and types of services delivered; cost of services; matching funds raised by programs; and percentage of contracted goals achieved.
o The mid-year evaluation report shall summarize program performance through six months and qualitative data gathered to inform grant renewal determinations.
o The report will also include program profiles for each RFCY-funded program, summarizing program-level evaluation findings. Copies of the program profiles are to be provided to each program and to the Department.
Engagement of Partners – As requested, participate in meetings and work with other systems partners in potential areas of integration. Work closely with the RFCY Oversight Board, department staff, grantees, and other stakeholders in the planning, development and implementation of the evaluation. Coordinate quarterly meetings with RFCY grantees to develop and coordinate the evaluation, and provide opportunities for peer learning, knowledge sharing, and capacity building.
April 15, 2025
Technical Assistance to Grantees and Staff – Provide technical assistance to grantees to ensure evaluation compliance and provide grantees with opportunities for evaluation.
SYNERGISTIC POLICIES:
The Richmond Fund for Children and Youth is required to conduct evaluations per Article 15 of the City of Richmond Charter.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Standard Contract with WestEd for Evaluator Services Attachment 2 – Proposed Contract Amendment No. 1
Attachment 3 – WestEd Sole Source