City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: November 11, 2024
Agenda Item: 5.I
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ramon Batista, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Award Proposal and Enter into Agreement with Boston Digital Consulting, LLC. (DBA Digital Impulse) to Design and Develop a Recruitment Website for the Santa Monica Police Department
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Award RFP# 419 to Digital Impulse for recruitment website services for the Police Department.
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Digital Impulse, in an amount not to exceed $131,000 for one year, with two additional one-year renewal options in the amount of $126,000, for a total amount not to exceed $257,000 over a three-year period, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The Santa Monica Police Department (“SMPD”) is committed to enhancing its recruitment strategy to address the ongoing challenges in law enforcement staffing and to attract a diverse and highly qualified pool of applicants. Staff recommends that the City engage Boston Digital Consulting, LLC (“Digital Impulse”) to develop a state-of-theart recruitment website. Digital Impulse has demonstrated a deep understanding of SMPD’s needs and has proposed a comprehensive solution that aligns with the department’s strategic goals of improving outreach and efficiency in recruitment efforts.
Their approach includes not only web development but also integrated digital marketing and content strategies to help expand SMPD’s reach. Staff recommends that Council 2 of 5
award the competitively bid contract to Digital Impulse, as it is the best qualified bidder that offers a targeted approach to revamp SMPD’s digital presence, which is crucial for modernizing the Department’s recruitment processes and appealing to the next generation of law enforcement personnel.
Discussion
The Santa Monica Police Department faces ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified law enforcement personnel, a trend seen nationwide. With increasing competition for top talent, SMPD must find new ways to reach and engage a diverse and qualified applicant pool. Traditionally, recruitment obstacles are viewed through the lens of external factors, such as labor market conditions or societal perceptions.
However, SMPD recognizes that internal inefficiencies also play a significant role. The recruitment strategy, therefore, is twofold: improving internal processes to optimize candidate flow through the pipeline and enhancing external outreach to attract a larger and more diverse pool of applicants.
To remain competitive, SMPD needs a recruitment strategy that leverages digital engagement, offers a seamless user experience, and aligns with the Department’s values and community focused mission. The new recruitment website will address both internal and external recruitment challenges by providing a centralized platform that simplifies access to information, supports diverse entry pathways, and enhances applicant engagement. Key components include: a user-centric web design that allows potential candidates to easily find information, integrated digital marketing to increase visibility and attract a broader audience, and social media integration designed to engage with potential applicants across various platforms.
Digital Impulse, was selected following a comprehensive Requests for Proposal (“RFP”) competitive process that evaluated multiple vendors. Digital Impulse stood out for their deep understanding of SMPD’s unique recruitment needs and their innovative approach to addressing them. Their proposal offered a dynamic and visually compelling recruitment website, emphasizing a user experience tailored specifically to attract and engage potential law enforcement candidates. In addition to their strong design 3 of 5
capabilities, Digital Impulse provided a robust backend solution that ensures ease of management, scalability, and long-term functionality. Importantly, Digital Impulse also offers integrated marketing services, including digital advertising, search engine optimization (“SEO”), and social media strategies, which are key to expanding SMPD’s recruitment reach. This holistic approach aligns with SMPD’s strategic goals of improving both recruitment efficiency and outreach efforts.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Qualified Person/Firm Boston Digital Consulting, LLC (DBA Digital Impulse) Evaluation Criteria Training/credentials/experience, competence/skill, capacity/ability to perform services promptly, character/reputation, and ability to provide future services as needed and price.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
RFPs Received
AlchemyLab Ask the Egghead Inc. Black Jack
Productions, LLC
Boston Digital
Consulting
Citrus Studios CodeBright, LLC Epic Productions of
Phoenx LLC
Exemplifi
Eyemagine Technology
LLC
Finally Free Productions Gravity Works Design
& Development
ImageX Media
Joncowest Tech Justin Phu Media Lombiq Technologies Longneck & Thunderfoot
Marketing Angle LLC One Cloud Media Sensis Soma Sciences and Arts Studio, LLC
Stellar Agency LLC Technology
International, Inc.
Tony’s Imports
Exports
World Wide Trades
USA LLC
WSI Digital Strategy
RFP Data
Posted On Posted On
Advertised In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
09/05/2024 City's Online
Bidding Site Santa Monica Daily Press 26 09/30/2024
Justification to Award
The selection process involved a thorough evaluation of each vendor's ability to meet SMPD’s specific requirements, including technical capability, relevant experience, project understanding, and cost-effectiveness. Digital Impulse consistently scored highly across all criteria, excelling in their technical approach, project comprehension, and the overall strategic value of their proposal. Their solution integrates modern design, digital marketing principles, and a scalable, easy-to-manage backend infrastructure, positioning 4 of 5
SMPD to effectively engage with potential law enforcement candidates and streamline the recruitment process. Several alternative vendors were thoroughly evaluated during the selection process, each offering viable solutions. However, none matched the comprehensive value that Digital Impulse presents. While some alternatives provided strong technical or design capabilities, they lacked the full range of services that Digital Impulse offered, particularly in areas such as integrated marketing, SEO, and social media strategies which are critical to SMPD’s recruitment goals.
Based on this criteria and criteria in SMMC 2.24.190, staff recommends Boston Digital Consulting, LLC (DBA Digital Impulse) as the best qualified firm to develop a recruitment website for the Santa Monica Police Department based on the firm’s area of expertise, experience with similar projects, project work plan, and the results of reference checks.
Environmental Review
The proposed agreement is exempt from the provision of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines (common sense exemption). The proposal is covered by the common sense exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The agreement would not result in any adverse physical environmental effects as it would provide a recruitment website. Therefore, the agreement is exempt from CEQA and no further environmental review under CEQA is required.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the General Fund to award a contract with Digital Impulse for recruitment website services.
Contract Request
FY 2024-25
Request Amount Account # Future Years Amount
Total Contract
Amount
$100,000 0180004.51100C.96070 $100,000
01180005.523110 $157,000 $157,000
Total $257,000
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Future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Jose Arroyo, Senior Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. DIGITAL IMPULSE - Oaks Initiative Form
B. Digital Impulse - Levine Act