City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: August 23, 2022
Agenda Item: 5.L
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: David White, City Manager, City Manager's Office, Office of Communications Subject: Approval of Third Modification of Agreement #4268 with Hootsuite for Social Media Management Software
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a modification to agreement #4268 (SAAS) with Hootsuite Media, Inc. in an amount of $195,755 for software and tools to manage dozens of social media pages, protect account security and provide accurate and timely information to the Santa Monica community for the City Manager’s Office. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Section 2.24.250 (a-i) and will result in an amended 11-year agreement with a new total amount not to exceed $427,250 with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
Hootsuite is commonly recognized as the industry standard for social media management and enables staff to centralize management of the City's multiple social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The platform has been an integral part of the City’s social media management since 2016 and is currently used to schedule and manage City social media content by over 25 City users across multiple departments. The centralized management structure allows for a streamlined workflow for approval and content posting, saving valuable staff time in all departments, while also allowing City departments to respond to community questions. Additionally, Hootsuite's advanced analytics capabilities that track impressions, engagements, sentiments, etc. help the City reach more of our constituents with important messaging. Staff have used Hootsuite since 2016, migrating City accounts and stats to a different platform would prove burdensome. Hootsuite has agreed to pricing for the 2 of 3
City for the next five years. Staff, therefore, recommends extending the existing agreement for that term.
Discussion
The City’s agreement with Hootsuite was first executed in 2016 and was renewed in 2018 and 2020. Over the past six years, Hootsuite has been an essential tool in our efforts to consolidate the City’s social media accounts and speak with our constituents in one unified voice. Following the initial lift of training staff users and integrating the original 150 social media accounts onto the platform, Hootsuite now seamlessly facilitates thousands of City social media posts each year. In recent years, it has proven essential to the City’s communication efforts during the Covid-19 Pandemic, the 2020 Uprisings, and other high-stress events where quick and consistent communication has been crucial.
Vendor Selection
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends Hootsuite Corporation to furnish and deliver/provide social media management tools and software as an exception to competitive bidding per Muni Code
2.24.250 (b).
b. when a good or service is copyrighted, patented or only available form one license holder, including, proprietary goods, original equipment manufacturers and/or exclusive distributors.
Vendor Justification
The City began use of Hootsuite in 2016 and it is now the implemented solution to manage the City’s 60+ social media accounts and over 25 staff are trained on the software and use it regularly. This consolidation allowed the City to ensure key information and messages reached the broadest possible audience, increased consistency of messages across channels, minimized liability, and increased cooperation between departments on outreach efforts. The centralized management structure has allowed for a streamlined workflow for content approval and posting; saving valuable staff time in all City departments. Hootsuite has advanced analytics capabilities that track impressions, engagements, sentiments, spikes in performance, trends, etc. Additionally, Hootsuite has integration capabilities with other communications platforms to leverage the City’s outreach capabilities. For this reason, staff seeks to make this procurement as an exception to the competitive process under Santa Monica Municipal Code 2.24.250 section because Hootsuite is a proprietary software only available through them.
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For the past two modifications, Finance has approved sole source authorization to renew the agreement, and staff is requesting an exemption from the competitive process for this modification as well. Staff had previously conducted an informal solicitation for bids at the beginning of our agreement with Hootsuite and determined that Hootsuite was the most affordable platform available. In addition to Hootsuite’s affordability, the platform offers advanced features specific to government social media management not found in other platforms. Furthermore, due to limited staff capacities and the extra demands being made on communication resources from the ongoing realities of Covid-19, identifying a new platform, migrating accounts, and training staff would be infeasible.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the General Fund to increase the amount of a contract with Hootsuite Media, Inc. for social media management, scheduling, and analytics platform. Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Contract Modification Request
Agreement #
Current
Authorized
Amount
FY 2022/23
Budget
Modified Request
Amount
Future Year
Modification
Request
Amount
FY 2022-23 Budget
Dept/CIP Account #
Total Revised
Contract
Amount
4268 $238,500 $39,151 $156,604 01200010.550010 $434,255 Prepared By: Constance Farrell, Acting Chief Communications Officer Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Hootsuite CT#4268 Original Agreement
B. Hootsuite CT#4268 1st Modification
C. Hootsuite - CT#4268 2nd Modificaiton
D. 2022 Hootsuite Oaks Initiative Signed