STATEMENT OF ISSUE
On August 20, 2008 the City Commission approved the Human Services Needs Assessment and Process Evaluation, which authorized staff to move forward with a community-wide needs assessment and evaluation of the Community Human Services Partnership (CHSP) process. The Human Services Division of the Department of Economic & Community Development, under the direction of the CHSP Joint Planning Board (JPB), is handling project management. The City issued a Request For Qualifications for Professional Services for the Community-Wide Needs Assessment And Evaluation (RFQ No. 0209-08-JAG-RC) on November 10, 2008. The purpose of this request is for action on the following: 1) Approval of the ranking of firms and recommendation of award, and 2) approval to negotiate and execute a contract.

RECOMMENDED ACTION
Option 1 - Approve the recommendation of the RFQ Selection Committee for RFQ No. 0209-08-JAG-RC and authorize staff to negotiate, execute, and administer a contract with the selected vendor, MGT of America. Such contract shall be at an amount not to exceed $120,000. The management and supervision of the contract shall be under the direction and supervision of the Community Human Service Partnership Joint Planning Board. If an agreement cannot be reached on a satisfactory contract with MGT of America, then the Commission authorizes the City to attempt contract negotiations and execution with the second ranked firm, The Florida Information Technology Center of Excellence.

FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for this project is available from the operating budget of the Department of Community & Economic Development, City account #001-260902-540010; work order #0800612. The Office of Management and Budget has reviewed this item and it meets budgetary guidelines.

Thomas H. Lewis, Director, Economic & Community Development

Anita Favors Thompson, City Manager

For information, please contact: Human Services/Thomas Jones, Department of Economic and Community Development, 891-6561

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL/ISSUE ANALYSIS
HISTORY/FACTS & ISSUES
On August 20, 2008, the City Commission approved an agenda item entitled, The Human Services Needs Assessment and Process Evaluation. This action authorized staff to move forward with a community-wide needs assessment and evaluation of the CHSP process. The item further authorized $110,000 for the project, with $70,000 drawn from the operating budget of the Department of Economic & Community Development; and authorized staff to appropriate the receipt and expenditure of $15,000 from Leon County and $25,000 from the United Way of the Big Bend. Additionally, the item further explained that this endeavor would be managed by the City’s Economic & Community Development Department, under the direction of the CHSP Joint Planning Board.

Subsequently, On September 16, 2008, the Board of County Commissioners approved an item entitled, Approval to Allocate Additional Funding in the Amount of $10,000 for a Needs Assessment and Process Evaluation of the CHSP Program. The measure passed unanimously, increasing the County’s contribution to the needs assessment/process evaluation from $15,000 to $25,000 consistent with that of the United Way of the Big Bend. This action also increased the total amount available for the study from $110,000 to $120,000.

The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Selection Committee was approved pursuant to City purchasing procedure on August 22, 2008. The RFQ was noticed to the public on November 10, 2008, with a deadline for responses ending at 5:00 p.m. on December 8, 2008. An addendum to the initial RFQ was noticed to the public on November 25, 2008; consisting of responses to questions submitted. Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from interested firms were received on December 8, 2008. The Committee ranked the written SOQ submittals on December 16, 2008. During the selection committee meeting, members noted that one of the SOQ respondents offered as reference a member of the selection committee. After consultation with City Procurement, to avoid any appearance of conflict, the committee member removed himself from the Committee. The Committee requested and received approval from City Procurement to waive oral presentations. This waiver was granted because, based on the point scores provided for the other components of the evaluation process, the oral presentation scores would not alter the final ranking results.

Staff requests authorization to approve the recommendation of the RFQ Selection Committee and the authority to negotiate, execute, and administer a contract with the selected vendor, MGT of America. Total value of the contract shall not to exceed $120,000. The management and supervision of the contract shall be under the direction of the Community Human Service Partnership Joint Planning Board. If an agreement cannot be reached on a satisfactory contract with MGT of America, then the Commission authorizes the City to attempt contract negotiations and execution with the next highest ranked respondent, The Florida Information Technology Center of Excellence.

The RFQ selection committee recommendations will be submitted to the Joint Planning Board of the Community Human Service Partnership for approval on January 12, 2009.

Charitable Contributions
N/A

Options

Option 1 – Approve the recommendation of the RFQ Selection Committee for RFQ No. 0209-08-JAG-RC and authorize staff to negotiate, execute, and administer a contract with the selected vendor, MGT of America; such contract shall not to exceed $120,000, and shall be managed under the direction and supervision of the Community Human Service Partnership Joint Planning Board. If an agreement cannot be reached on a satisfactory contract with MGT of America, then the Commission authorizes the City to attempt contract negotiations and execution with the second ranked firm, The Florida Information Technology Center of Excellence.

PROS:
• Allows for the objective analysis of the local community’s needs
• Leverages $50,000 in cash donations
• Provides objective needs-based data to policymakers that can lend itself to establishing priorities

CONS:
• Requires commitment of $70,000 in City funding which could be allocated for other purposes.

Option 2 - Do not adopt the recommendation of the RFQ Selection Committee and provide staff with further policy direction.

PROS:
• Allows the $70,000 in City funding to be reallocated for other purposes.

CONS:
• Does not allow for local needs analysis to help guide future CHSP allocations.
• Does not allow access to $50,000 in County and United Way funding to support the needs assessment process.

Attachments/References

Attachment 1: Final Ranking of firms presenting Statement of Qualifications.
Attachment 2: Summary of 9/16/08 County Commission Meeting (issues of particular interest to the City)