City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: August 15, 2023
From: Carlos Fandino, City Administrator
Department: City Administration
Submitted by: Diana Figueroa, Administrative Analyst
Subject
Services Agreement with Jemmott Rollins Group, Inc for Vernon CommUNITY Fund Administrative Support
Recommendation
Approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Jemmott Rollins Group, Inc., in substantially the same form as submitted, for administrative support services for Vernon CommUNITY Fund grantmaking activities for a total amount not-toexceed $198,000, for a three-year term ($66,000 annually).
Background
As one of the key elements of the City’s good governance reforms, the City Council created the Vernon CommUNITY Fund (VCF) to provide grants to charitable and governmental entities for projects and programs that benefit those residing and working in Vernon. Given the industrial nature of Vernon, the City Council determined that the VCF was in the best interest of the City and its residents, businesses, and workers to provide access to necessary services and improve quality of life.
The City requires the partnership of a qualified firm to provide consultation, guidance, research and specialized administrative support services to the City Administrator and City staff related to the VCF. Staff seeks to leverage a firm’s extensive experience in the areas of non-profit grantmaking and grants management, and specialized knowledge of ethics and principles governing the grantmaking process. Under the direction of the City Administrator, the firm will support staff while adhering to the basic guidelines and operational procedures for the VCF Grant Committee (Grant Committee) and its officers, including those related to the allocation of funds and the processes for reviewing and ranking applications and awarding grants.
Since its inception in 2014, the Vernon CommUNITY Fund Grant Committee has awarded grants totaling over $5 million to non-profit community-based organizations serving neighboring communities in the Vernon area. Additionally, in 2019, the Grant Committee introduced a VCF Scholarship Program which offers grants to qualified high school seniors in the Vernon Area who seek to pursue higher education.
The City’s agreement for the aforementioned services expired on July 31, 2023. Pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code Sections 3.32.080 and 3.32.130 respectively, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued on or around July 19, 2023 via Planet Bids, an online platform designed to reach a multitude of prospective vendors, and was also emailed directly to a total of eight (8) organizations, with responses due by August 3, 2023. The proposed scope of services within the RFP was designed to reduce administrative costs and identified a need for staff support in the assessment of direct service grant applications and organizations only and did not include the evaluation of scholarship grant applications.
A total of three (3) proposals were received by the deadline and deemed responsive to the RFP.
Subsequently, a panel comprised of internal staff from various departments evaluated the proposals received in order to determine the firm best suited to provide the services requested.
The panel conducted a comprehensive, fair, and impartial evaluation of the proposals in accordance with the specifications set forth within the RFP document. Established criteria were used in reviewing and comparing the proposals to determine the most suitable firm. At the conclusion of the assessment, the proposal submitted by the Jemmott Rollins Group, Inc. (JRG) received the highest score. JRG demonstrated an extensive level of experience in grantmaking, familiarity with southeast area non-profits, and provided a cost-effective proposal.
It is recommended that City Council approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute a services agreement with JRG. The proposed agreement has been reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney’s Office.
Fiscal Impact
The 2023-24 fiscal impact is not-to-exceed $66,000. Sufficient funds are available in General Fund, City Administration Department, Community Promotion Division, Professional Services - Other Account No. 011-010-140-529215 for the current fiscal year and will be budgeted in subsequent fiscal years.
Attachments
1. Services Agreement with Jemmott Rollins Group, Inc.