September 15, 2026
City Manager's Office
DATE: September 15, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Patrick Seals, Administrative Chief
Subject: Pre-Approved List for Group Facilitation, Staff Retreats, and Mediation Services
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed expenditure is included within the approved Fiscal Year 2026-2027 operating budgets of
participating departments. Each department will be
responsible for funding facilitation, retreat, and mediation services from their respective operating budgets
(Account String: 400201).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
November 19, 2024
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
To support City departments in successfully receiving
various group facilitation services, the City Manager’s Office released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to
create a pre-approved list of consultants that can
facilitate and strengthen the working relationships within City departments. The establishment of the pre-approved consultant list allows the City to negotiate and enter
contracts with pre-approved consultants for facilitation- related services in an efficient and timely manner.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: ADOPT a resolution to APPROVE a pre-qualified eligibility list for as-needed group facilitation, staff retreats, and mediation services each for an amount not to exceed $50,000 per year, per firm for a term of three years with two one-year extension options – City
Manager’s Office (Patrick Seals 510-307-8016).
AGENDA
REPORT
September 15, 2026
DISCUSSION:
City staff members are requesting City Council adopt of a resolution, which will allow City departments to receive facilitation-related support from a pre-qualified list of eligible consulting firms, or organizations (Attachment 1).
The City Manager’s Office would like to support the effort of skilled and qualified facilitators to strengthen the working relationships within City departments, boards and commissions, community partners, and stakeholders, with the goal of:
Guiding and supporting groups in achieving their objectives Fostering constructive and meaningful dialogue
Strengthening the various working relationships within the City Enhancing organizational collaboration and effectiveness Building strong relationships among team members
Addressing and resolving underlying issues that may cause conflict within groups Reaching mutually acceptable agreements through structured dialogue
The City Manager’s Office issued an RFQ on January 16, 2026, through the City of Richmond’s BidsOnline system (Attachment 3). All responses were submitted by February 6, 2026. Each proposal included information on pricing, qualifications, references, and experience in providing facilitation services to public agencies. 26 firms responded to the RFQ, and after reviewing the proposals, City staff from the City Manager’s Office, Human Resources, and Literacy for Every Adult Program (LEAP) evaluated them. The following 24 firms scored, on average, 70 or higher out of 100 (Attachment 4). Staff are recommending that the firms listed below be placed on a pre- approved vendor list:
Abundance Altara Heights Blaze BluePoint
Planning
Break the
Norm
Leadership
Coach to
Discover
Community
Planning
Collaborative
Corraggio
Group CPS HR Glen Price
Group
Raygoza
Consulting
Illuminary
Perspectives
JAMS
Pathways KAI Partners Kearn West
KJR Project
Sentinel
Radical Root
Collective Raftelis Seed
Collaborative
Spark Decks The Consulting
Team
The Lind
Group ThinkDEV
Tasks that may be included in a departmental contract scope of work with consultants may include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Retreats/ Team Building: Create activities that enhance organizational effectiveness by improving communication, fostering collaboration, and building strong relationships among team members. The goal of providing these activities
September 15, 2026
is to create a more effective, cohesive, and motivated team, ultimately contributing to success and productivity
2. Meeting/ Group Facilitation: Engage members in best practices for brainstorming, group flow, and dialogue to improve productivity, motivation, and rapport of teams. The goal of the facilitator during these discussions will be to guide and support groups in achieving their objectives effectively and efficiently.
The facilitator will provide structured discussions, enhanced collaboration strategies, inclusive participation, and prevent meetings from becoming unproductive or prolonged.
3. Conflict Resolution and Mediation: Incorporates a range of methods and approaches to handle and resolve disputes. Address and resolve underlying issues that may cause conflict within groups. Provide participants with strategies and tools that prepare them should future conflicts arise. Engage in facilitating discussions between conflicting parties to help reach mutually acceptable agreements through structured dialogue.
The City Manager’s Office staff will make each proposal accessible to all department staff to review and select a consultant from the list of pre-approved consultants, as needed. The resolution authorized the City Manager or their designee to negotiate and execute contracts with the pre-approved consultants and any amendments thereto, each for an amount not to exceed $50,000 per year for a term of three years with two one-year extension options.
If a contract or amendment thereto exceeds the authorized not-to-exceed amount of $50,000 per year, department staff will be required to take the contract before City Council for approval. City Manager staff will inform all consultants and departments of this requirement and require that departments check the contract amounts.
If needed, the qualified consultant list for facilitation-related services may be modified to include new vendors at the end of each fiscal year. This will be done by reissuing the RFQ through the BidsOnline system. At that time, a modified list will be brought before City Council for review and approval.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – City Council Resolution for Qualified List of Group Facilitation Providers Attachment 2 – Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Attachment 3 – BidsOnline Project Report
Attachment 4 – Rating Scoring Sheet