City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: July 8, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.D
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation, Department of Transportation, Transit Operations
Subject: Award Request for Proposal No. 427 and Agreement to Insight Strategies for Leadership Training
Recommended Action:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Award RFP# 427 to Insight Strategies for coaching and leadership development training for the Department of Transportation; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Insight Strategies, for an amount not to exceed $145,000 in fiscal year FY25-26.
Summary
Big Blue Bus (BBB), a division of the Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT), operates 194 transit buses across 69 square miles of greater Los Angeles providing more than 800,000 rides each month. The dynamic operations of BBB require skilled Motor Coach Operator Supervisors to manage service delivery across the region.
DOT periodically provides leadership training to enhance supervisory effectiveness, improve employee engagement and support a culture of safety and accountability within BBB. The work of Motor Coach Operator Supervisors is high contact and often stressful, requiring deft conflict management skills and quick thinking. A comprehensive training program enables the entire Supervisory team to have a unified approach to addressing operational issues. Staff recommends awarding an agreement to Insight Strategies to provide coaching and leadership development for Motor Coach Supervisors at BBB in an amount not to exceed $145,000 on a one-year agreement in fiscal year FY25-26. 2 of 5
Discussion
Motor Coach Operator Supervisors (“Supervisors”) play a critical role in ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of Big Blue Bus’s transportation service across a 58-square-mile service area. Eighteen supervisors oversee 317 Motor Coach Operators (“MCOs”), supporting 19 routes, demanding strong leadership and the ability to align MCOs with the agency’s operational goals.
Supervisor service delivery responsibilities include managing on-street operations through utilizing a fleet management communications system to address service disruptions. Every day, supervisors are faced with decisions involving maintenance, construction, accidents, weather, traffic congestion, major events, social unrest, and infrastructure failures like power outages or traffic signal malfunctions. Regular collaboration with the Police and Fire Departments in the City of Santa Monica, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, the Sheriffs, Los Angeles World Airports (LAX), and UCLA jurisdictions are essential to maintaining operational safety and security. Given the breadth of their responsibilities, a unified supervisor management approach is essential to fostering effective communication and conflict management with various stakeholders.
Additionally, each supervisor is responsible for personnel management including monitoring attendance, performance management and conducting annual performance evaluations. Supervisor special assignments include managing MCO work bids, uniform inspections, vacation bids, and re-routing bus service for approximately 25 special events annually.
Effective leadership is a well-established factor in organizational performance. The last structured leadership training for BBB Supervisors occurred in 2018. Combined with staff turnover, this has left one-third of the current supervisory team without certified leadership training.
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Insight Strategies will provide supervisors with in-person training and outcome-based workshops through 10 days of coaching in one-on-one and group settings. The curriculum will cover a wide range of leadership development activities, role-playing exercises with both external and internal customers, and individualized assessments to aid Supervisors in conflict management and managing the MCOs. Insight Strategies have developed similar programs at peer transportation agencies such as LA Metro, Culver City Transit, and Long Beach Transit, among others. Industry best practices suggest that effective leadership at the supervisory level directly contributes to improved employee performance, lower turnover and better service outcomes.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Qualified Firm Insight Strategies
Evaluation Criteria
(include all that apply)
Price; the depth of experience, ability, capacity and skill of the personnel to perform the services; ability to perform services promptly and as needed; industry recognition and reputation; ability to provide future services as needed and price.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
Apogee Global RMS Insight Strategies, Inc.
Bellwether Training, LLC MA Consulting Services Inc
BNX Financial Solutions, LLC DBA Newleaf Training and Development California Creative Solutions Inc. Nextec Inc.
Cenmic Management LLC RefineM LLC
Cosmicways LLC Richwood International
CS-amsco Sagacy Coaching
Eli Patrick & Co. SNVA LLC
Evolution Service Corporation Veer Insight
Fundamental Consulting LLC
RFP Data
Date
Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter &
SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Submittals
Received
Date Publicly
Opened
12/6/2024 City's
Online
Bidding
Site
Santa Monica Daily
Press
56 18 1/8/2025
RFPs Received
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Best Bidder Justification
Eighteen proposals were submitted and evaluated by an evaluation committee comprised of representatives from DOT spanning the Operations, Maintenance, Finance and Administrative divisions along with one staff member from the Human Resources Department.
Staff established a short list of the three top proposals which moved onto reference checks.
After reviewing the proposals and verifying references (including LA Metro), staff recommends Insight Strategies as the best qualified consultant to develop and lead a training program based on qualifications, breath of development opportunities offered, price and industry related experience providing leadership training for transit agencies across the country.
Environmental Review
The award of an agreement is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)3) of the CEQA Guidelines. This agreement is covered by the commonsense 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.” This agreement will provide the City with a specialized program in leadership training to ensure supervisors can effectively manage their staff. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the proposed agreement would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the Big Blue Bus Fund to award an agreement with Insight Strategies for coaching and leadership development training for Motor Coach Operator Supervisors.
Agreement Request
FY 2025-26
Request Amount Account #
Total Agreement
Amount
$145,000 60600013.552013 $145,000
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval. 5 of 5
Prepared By: Peter Seller, Senior Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Insight Strategies - OAKS
B. Insight Strategies - LEVINE ACT