City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: October 6, 2026
From: Brian Saeki, City Administrator
Department: City Administration
Submitted by: Lilia Hernandez, Deputy City Administrator Subject
Professional Services Agreements for the BIG 4 Initiative Recommendation
A. Find that it is in the best interests of the of the City to enter into agreements with DEODATE Corporation and North Star Alliances, LLC, without a competitive selection process, pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code Section 3.32.110(B)(2) given that Vernon’s participation in the BIG 4 coalition is critical to advancing the City’s pursuits of increased state and federal funding and legislative changes that address the unique needs of industrial cities; B. Approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute a Professional Services Agreement with DEODATE Corporation, in substantially the same form as submitted, for economic and real estate development strategy consulting services for a total not-to-exceed $92,000, for a one-year term from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 for Phase 2 of the BIG 4 efforts; and C. Approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute a Professional Services Agreement with North Star Alliances, LLC, in substantially the same form as submitted, for economic and real estate development strategy consulting services for a total not-to-exceed $60,000, for a oneyear term from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 for Phase 2 of the BIG 4 efforts.
Background
On September 16, 2025, the City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the cities of Commerce, Santa Fe Springs, Industry, and Vernon, now known as the “BIG 4” cities, to unite efforts to advocate for, advance and plan shared priorities, including state and federal funding and legislative changes that address the unique needs of industrial cities.
The BIG 4 agreed to utilize two firms, namely DEODATE Corporation (DEODATE) and North Star Alliances, LLC (NSA) to assist with formulating and executing the collective economic and real estate development strategy for the BIG 4. DEODATE is a management consulting firm specializing in real estate, economic development, and site program management. DEODATE’s government clients include Metro, Los Angeles World Airports, Port of Los Angeles, and multiple municipalities. NSA is a national strategic advisory firm that provides marketing, communications and public relations, government relations, and event and project management services. NSA’s government clients include Metro, the Biden Administration, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, and various local municipalities. These firms were selected based on their specialized areas of expertise in strategic communications and real estate and economic development, and experience working with government entities. The BIG 4 cities opted for a coordinated approach between DEODATE and NSA that combined technical expertise with strategic storytelling to elevate the BIG 4’s visibility among developers, investors, policymakers, and partners.
Subsequently, each of the BIG 4 cities entered into agreements with DEODATE and NSA for the first phase of work needed in the development of the BIG 4’s collective strategy. Phase 1 consisted of city-specific work and baseline analyses of real estate, economic development, and related communication data, initiatives and strategies on a per-city basis. Phase 1 successfully established the BIG 4 platform creating a unified regional identity and market visibility. Once the Phase 1 work was completed, the BIG 4 initiated work on Phase 2 efforts. Phase 2 focuses on activating the platform established during Phase 1 through coordinated communications, business attraction incentives, strategic partnerships, city-specific economic-development marketing, and ongoing program management.
DEODATE Corporation Agreement
The term of the agreement with DEODATE is for one year from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, for a total not-to-exceed $92,000. DEODATE serves as the lead technical and real estate economic development consultant, providing data-driven analysis, portfolio strategy, and economic development recommendations.
The scope of work for DEODATE includes:
• Ongoing management of property and tenant analytics
• Communications and project management for real estate and economic development • Real estate and/or land use strategy
• Industry conference support and meeting management (as needed) North Star Alliances, LLC Agreement
The term of the agreement with NSA is for one year from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 for a total not-to-exceed $60,000. NSA leads all public-facing and stakeholder communications, including messaging, marketing, narrative development, collateral creation, outreach sequencing, and engagement strategy.
The scope of work for NSA includes:
• BIG 4 communications and brand activation
• City economic development marketing
• Establishing strategic partnerships and facilitating stakeholder engagement • Industry conference support and targeted economic development events (as needed) Vernon’s participation in the BIG 4 coalition is critical to advancing the City’s pursuits of increased state and federal funding and it is most beneficial and efficient for the City to utilize the same consulting team as the other coalition cities. As such, staff recommends that City Council find it in the best interests of the City to award the proposed contracts to DEODATE and NSA respectively, without a competitive selection process, pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code Section 3.32.110(B)(2).
Pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code 3.32.030 (B), if in the 12 months preceding the effective date of a proposed new agreement, the City has awarded or paid the proposed vendor more than $100,000, Council approval shall be required. To date the City has paid DEODATE $84,350.67 and NSA $80,502.33 within the last 12 months.
The respective services agreements with DEODATE and NSA have been reviewed and approved as-to-form by the City Attorney’s Office.
Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 2: Promote Economic Growth and Revenue Generation
Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact is not-to-exceed $152,000. Sufficient funds are available in the General Fund, Industrial Development, Professional Services Account No. 011-010-150-529215 for the current fiscal year.
Attachments
1. DEODATE Corporation Services Agreement – BIG 4 Phase 2
2. North Star Alliances, LLC Services Agreement – BIG 4 Phase 2