City of Sacramento
City Council - 5PM Report
915 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2024-00353 2/6/2024 Consent Item 11.
Contract: Behavior Leader (Two-Thirds Vote Required)
File ID: 2024-00353
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Pass a Motion 1) suspend competitive bidding in the best interest of the City for diversity, equity, and inclusion training with Behavior Leader Inc. by 2/3 vote and 2) authorizing the City Manager, or the City Manager’s designee, to execute Agreement with Behavior Leader, Inc. for a four-year period with a not-to-exceed amount of $590,000.
Contact: Kim Iannucci, Assistant Chief, (916)808-1618, [email protected], Fire Department
Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Behavior Leader Memorandum of Understanding
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: The Sacramento Fire Department's (SFD) Diversity, Outreach, & Recruitment Division (DOR) has created multiple highly successful career pathway programs consistent with the City's Race and Gender Equity Plan (RGEAP) for advancing workforce equity that is representative of the greater Sacramento region. The RGEAP outlines 14 outcomes along four dimensions of the workforce continuum to Attract, Hire, Develop, and Retain a workforce that reflects the community's diversity across the breadth and depth of the City of Sacramento. The DOR has aligned to support the city's workforce equity goals that touch on these four dimensions, specifically RGEAP Outcomes #2 (Outreach - Youth Education), #3 (Outreach - Pipeline), #5 (Hiring Process - Applicants) #13 (Workforce Development & Training), and #14 (Retention).
The Fire Core Equity Team (Equity Team) works closely with DOR and has been exploring strategies for implementing cultural change, DEI learning, and capacity building of sworn and administrative staff in our efforts to complete the workforce continuum and address RGEAP Outcomes #13 and #14
File ID: 2024-00353 2/6/2024 Consent Item 11.
to develop and retain a diverse workforce.
Vast research demonstrates that diversity and inclusion within the workplace have increased productivity, employee longevity, and overall organizational efficiency. However, if not done properly, diversity initiatives can result in harm to others. Diversity without inclusion can be detrimental, and organizations that only focus on increasing diversity usually do not observe progress. Keeping this in mind, the Equity Team sought DEI consultants who had in-depth knowledge of the challenges within fire service traditions and could provide a comprehensive perspective for effective cultural change that can reach every individual within the organization.
Behavior Leader is a company developed by behavioral analysts and firefighters with services that are unique and different from other diversity, equity, and inclusion consultants for two main reasons:
their application of evidence-based practices of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and their unique knowledge and expertise in the fire service. They utilize the Behavior Skills Training (BST) model that increases the likeliness that skills are mastered during training and ensures training participants are more likely to apply their learning to their daily practices at work. Additionally, they use Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) to assess and develop goals and strategic initiatives for organizations to maximize employee performance and happiness with the organization by increasing inclusion levels. Finally, they apply behavioral strategies when determining how to prioritize initiatives by using the principles of reinforcement for behavior upfront, resulting in the most significant and longest- lasting changes.
Focused on inclusion, Behavior Leader staff will work closely with DOR and the Equity Team to provide a unique blend of expertise that provides the SFD with the most effective, science-based interventions and comprehensive perspectives that can reach every individual within our organization. They understand how and why behavior happens and use science to influence changes in behavior that are lasting and easily applied. Building and sustaining inclusive cultures requires ongoing and consistent work; this is most effective with a three to five-year contract that includes strategic initiatives developed through assessment, planning, and training, which builds on prior years to increase mastery and application of all concepts while providing follow-up and accountability for employees.
Policy Considerations: The recommendations in this report are in accordance with provisions of the City Code Section 3.56.090, which requires Council approval for any contracts over $250,000.
Economic Impacts: None.
Environmental Considerations: Ongoing administrative maintenance activities, such as purchases of supplies, equipment or materials which are not made for purposes of a public construction project, do not constitute a “project” and are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines, Sections 15061(b) (3) and 15378(b) (2).
File ID: 2024-00353 2/6/2024 Consent Item 11.
Sustainability: Not applicable.
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
Rational For Recommendation: The Fire Equity Core Team sought DEI training consultants who had in-depth knowledge of the challenges within fire service traditions and could provide an all- inclusive perspective for effective cultural change. Behavior Leader was determined to be the most qualified consultant with the ability to deliver comprehensive organizational cultural assessments, strategic planning, consultation, training, train-the-trainer certification, and coaching services. Their organization provides facilitators with expertise in fire service and DEI fields blended with behavioral analysis providing evidence-based behavior change principles to ensure maximum outcomes. With a focus on inclusion, the Behavior Leader staff will work closely with the Fire Equity Core Team to deliver their unique blend of expertise that will provide the SFD with the most effective, science- based interventions and wide-ranging perspectives that can reach every individual within our organization. While there are many DEI training consultants available, no other consultants were able to provide the depth of services that included a cultural assessment analysis, strategic planning, consultation services, and a train-the-trainer component allowing us to continue the programs established. Therefore, SFD staff recommends that Council suspend competitive bidding in the best interest of the City.
Financial Considerations: Sufficient funding is available in the Diversity, Outreach and Recruitment Fiscal Year (FY) 2023/24 Multi-Year Operating Project (MYOP) (I12000200) to make purchases through June 30, 2024.
Purchases after Fiscal Year (FY2023/24) on this contract are subject to available approved funding.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not Applicable.