Document elcerrito_gov_doc_121a03dda6

AGENDA BILL Agenda Item No. 7 Date: May 1, 2012 To: El Cerrito City Council From: Scott Hanin, City Manager Karen Pinkos, Assistant City Manager Subject: Award of Contract to Management Partners for the Development of a Citywide Strategic Plan ACTION REQUESTED Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement with Management Partners to assist the City in development of a Strategic Plan in an amount not to exceed $45,000. BACKGROUND Last spring, the City Council held a series of special meetings to discuss the City's mission, goals, and objectives. During this process, the Council developed the City's Mission Statement: The City of El Cerrito serves, leads and supports our diverse community by providing exemplary and innovative services, public places and infrastructure, ensuring public safety and creating an economically and environmentally sustainable future. As part of those discussions, the concept of developing a long-term Citywide Strategic Plan emerged as a future goal. Because the City Council and staff together have embraced the City's high level of service, leadership and planning for the future, the development of a Strategic Plan would build upon these efforts and guide the organization in fulfilling the City's mission. A Strategic Plan would also serve as the foundation for a General Plan Update, the Climate Action Plan, and a road map for economic development. Additionally, the Plan would guide the City's priorities and desires with respect to ongoing improvement of public facilities and infrastructure. On November 7, 2011, staff facilitated a discussion on options related to consideration of a City Charter for the City of El Cerrito. Staff presented an option -that included the development of a Strategic Plan not only as a component of the City's long-term planning efforts, but as an opportunity to assist with the next steps toward a City Charter. As a result of that presentation, the Council directed staff to move forward with this option. On February 29, 2012, staffreleased a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of the Strategic Plan (Attachment ANALYSIS In response to the RFP, seven proposals were received from a wide range of consulting firms: • CPS HR Consulting, Sacramento, CA • Dyett & Bhatia, San Francisco, CA ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 7(8) • Management Partners, San Jose, CA • The Mejorando Group, Glendale, AZ • MIG, Berkeley, CA • Novak Consulting Group, Cincinnati, OH • Ralph Andersen and Associates, Rocklin, CA In developing the RFP, it was staffs goal to allow the proposers ample latitude to propose their own approach to the project and ultimately explain why it was the best one for the City. The proposals were reviewed by a committee consisting of Scott Hanin and Karen Pinkos as well as Fire Chief Lance Maples and Community Outreach Specialist Suzanne Iarla. As described in the RFP, staff considered the following criteria in evaluating the proposals: • Completeness of response to the RFP requirements • Experience with similar projects • Creativity of approach • Experience in effective public involvement and incorporating citizen input • Demonstrated facilitation skills in successfully working with city councils/staff, boards and commissions, community organizations, businesses and citizens • Demonstrated knowledge/experience with actual development of strategic plans and implementation of possible strategies • Basic understanding of municipal finance • References • Price Based on the preliminary review of the proposals, the committee decided that it was best to interview all of the firms to allow for the opportunity to meet and get a feel for the proposed consulting staff that would be responsible for the project, provide an opportunity for the firms to elaborate after the initial review of the proposals, and get into a brief dialogue. Interviews were conducted with all seven firms on April 16, 2012. As a result of staffs review of all proposals, the proposed project budgets and the interviews, the committee unanimously chose Management Partners as the most qualified firm to develop the Strategic Plan. The key components of this decision were Management Partners' experience with similar types of engagements, familiarity with the City, references, overall approach and cost. Additionally, one item that set them apart from the other firms was related to Service Alignment as described in their proposal (Attachment Activity 6: Align Services to Adopted Strategic Goal Areas The City of El Cerrito understands the value of a strategic plan as a roadmap for making service delivery decisions and allocating resources. The RFP requests assistance with the preliminary alignment of services to the goals identified in the strategic planning process. To fulfill this interest, Management Partners will design a framework for aligning services, including associated costs and staffing, to the City's goals. To minimize cost, we will ask department managers to complete a simple services template. Management Partners will then compile the data from the templates. ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 7(8) The framework will show the types of services and the level of investment toward each of the strategic plan's goals. M,anagement Partners will present the compiled results and work with executive staff through· a facilitated process to seek agreement on overall alignment and ensure strategic goals and strategies are addressed. Staff felt that this task was particularly important considering the City's need for prioritization in allocating scarce budget funds. As often discussed, the majority of the services the City provides take up significant resources, yet because they are often taken for granted Police, Fire and emergency services, building and planning permits, encroachment permits, park and street maintenance, etc.), typically they don't get much attention. This means that the community may not always understand the costs behind these essential services and the difficulty in balancing these costs with other wants and needs. As we develop the Strategic Plan, it is imperative that the goals generally line up with the available resources in order to ensure the Plan can be properly implemented. The following table lists all of the costs included within the proposals received: # Professional Other Cost Hours Fees Expenses Total Fees per/hr. CPS HR Consulting 130 $ 23,100 $ 1,560 $ 24,790 $ 178 Ralph Andersen and Assoc. 206 $ 29,970 $ 8,860 $ 39,036 $ 145 Management Partners 223 $ 39,500 $ $ 39,500 $ 177 Dyett & Bhatia 352 $ 45,500 $ 4,500 $ 50,000 $ 129 The Mejorando Group 255 $ 51,000 $ 3,000 * $ 54,000 $ 200 MIG 504 $ 72,090 $ 3,300 $ 75,390 $ 143 Novak Consulting Group 450 $ 94,250 $ $ 94,250 $ 209 *Fees estimated for out of state travel not included in the budget While cost was just one factor in the overall evaluation process, it is nonetheless an important one. Management Partners was on the lower side of the range of proposals with respect to cost. Additionally, compared to other proposals, staff felt that the amount of hours projected to complete the project were adequate and appropriate for the proposed work plan. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS Staff is recommending a total agreement amount not to exceed $45,000 which would include $5,500 in contingency funds should the City wish to expand the scope to include a graphic recorder and/or hold additional public meetings. The funds for the project are proposed to come from a grant from the El Cerrito Municipal Services Corporation. Alternatively, the funds could be allocated from umestricted General Fund balance. LEGAL CONSIDERATION Management Partners has taken no exceptions to the standard City professional services agreement template approved by the City Attorney. Attachments: 1. RFP 2. Proposal 3. Resolution ---PAGE BREAK--- 'CITY. OF EL CERRITO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) CITYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN DEADLINE: MARCH 26, 2012 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR A STRATEGIC PLAN Agenda Item No. 7 Attachment 1 The City of El Cerrito is seeking a qualified person or firm to contract for consulting services to guide a citywide Strategic Planning process. The deadline for submittals is 4:00p.m. PST on March 26, 2012. SUBMIT PROPOSAL TO: City of El Cerrito Scott Hanin, City Manager 10890 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 [EMAIL REDACTED] (510} 215-4301 ABOUTTHECITY The City of El Cerrito is a general law city that was incorporated in 1917. El Cerrito is located in western Contra Costa County and forms part of the highly urbanized area along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay. El Cerrito has a population of 23,440 and covers an area of 3.9 square miles. El Cerrito is a community of highly educated residents due primarily to the proximity to UC Berkeley and the San Francisco Bay Area high-tech economy. It is known for its temperate climate and breathtaking views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge from the hillside areas. Interstate Highway 80 passes near the west boundary of the community, while the crest of the Berkeley Hills and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park define the eastern boundary. The community is served by AC Transit and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART} system, with stations near both the north (EI Cerrito Del Norte station} and south (EI Cerrito Plaza station} boundaries of the city. In addition, several transit agencies including Golden Gate Transit, Fairfield-Suisun Transit, Vallejo Transit, and WestCAT also serve the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station. The combination of services from these agencies provides excellent public transportation to the entire Bay Area. The City is organized as a Council-Manager form of local municipal government. The City Council consists of five members elected at large for four-year, overlapping terms. The Council selects the Mayor for a one- year term from among its members. The Mayor and City Council provide community leadership, develop policies to guide the City in delivering services and achieving community goals, and encourage citizen understanding and involvement. The Council Members also serve as the governing body of the El Cerrito ---PAGE BREAK--- Employees' Pension Board, the El Cerrito Municipal Services Corporation and the El Cerrito Public Financing ·Authority. The City Manager is appointed by the City Council and is responsible for administration of municipal affairs. All municipal departments operate under the supervision of the City Manager. Through the City Manager, City staff uses the resources appropriated by the Council in the budget to achieve desired service results in the community, and carries out the policies of the Council. The City Council also appoints the City Attorney to advise them and City staff on legal affairs, to see that all laws are effectively enforced and, when necessary, to defend the City in litigation. The City provides police and fire services as well as recreation, streets and roads, recycling, economic development, public improvements, building, planning and zoning and general administrative services. Residents are provided water by East Bay Municipal Utility District and sewer services through Stege Sanitary District. Garbage and green waste collection service is provided by East Bay Sanitary, and both Com cast and AT&T provide video, internet and telecommunication services. More information about the City is available on our website at www.el-cerrito.org. BACKGROUND The City Council meets early each calendar year to identify its goals for the upcoming fiscal year. The goals identified help dictate the budget priorities and objectives included in the annual operating budget. Over the past ten years, these goals have focused on tackling a backlog of unmet infrastructure needs, ensuring financial sustainability, providing public safety, improving environmental stewardship, and fostering improvement in community engagement. As a result, during that time the City has worked diligently toward meeting these goals and has celebrated many successes. The most visible of these are El Cerrito's major capital projects, including the construction of a brand new City Hall after spending 21 years in modular trailers, infrastructure improvements along San Pablo Avenue (the City's main commercial corridor), the popular and thriving Cerrito Theater, the repair or replacement of almost every street in the City, and a new Recycling and Environmental Resource Center. The City is on sound financial standing and has greatly expanded its public information and community outreach efforts, owing to its commitment to improved communication, reporting and transparency. These endeavors resulted in voter approval of three local revenue measures over the past eight years, demonstrating a renewed feeling of trust in our local government. El Cerrito has also become a regional leader in environmental stewardship, engaging in conservation efforts, winning national grant opportunities, and embarking on a Climate Action Plan. In 2011, the City Council developed the City's first mission statement: The City of El Cerrito serves, leads and supports our diverse com~unity by providing exemplary and innovative services, public places and infrastructure; ensuring public safety; and creating an economically and environmentally sustainable future. With much of the "catch-up" work done, the City has entered a transition phase, providing an optimal time to restate our mid- and long-term vision and objectives. Together, the City Council and staff have EL CERRITO ---PAGE BREAK--- embraced our direction of service, leadership and support for the future and intend to build upon it by developing a Strategic Plan to guide us in fulfilling the City's mission. The Strategic Plan is also meant to serve as the foundation for a General Plan Update, the Climate Action Plan, and a road map for economic development. Additionally, the Plan will guide the City's priorities and desires with respect to ongoing improvement of public facilities and infrastructure and consideration of a charter city form of government. WHAT THE CITY IS LOOKING FOR The City of El Cerrito is seeking proposals from qualified persons or firms to contract for consulting services to guide a Strategic Planning process for the City. Consultants are invited to submit a proposal which includes an outline of their experience and qualifications in performing work directly related to the services required. Strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next several years and how it's going to get there. A Strategic Plan is intended to help the City direct its efforts and resources toward a clearly defined vision for its future. The Plan should include benchmarks or milestones that measure the City's progress along the way. El Cerrito is interested in having this Plan completed proactively and transparently with community acceptance. The process should allow for both active and passive involvement ensuring diverse and extensive community participation. Our Strategic Plan should be a "living document" and should undergo periodic review and adjustment to reflect progress towards achievement of goals and/or modifications of goals. As a process and eventual working document, the El Cerrito Strategic Planning process and final document should provide a work plan for the next 5 years and a vision for the 10 and 20 year horizons to address the following issues: • Help the City of El Cerrito decide what it wants to be in the future, including identification of what makes El Cerrito unique and special, and how the City can position itself to be prepared for the future while still retaining those qualities. • Serve as a way to organize and prioritize City initiatives and resources to achieve specific goals within a specific period of time 5 year timeframe in the short term, and 10- 20 year timeframe in the long term) with specific performance measures. • Provide a process that allows general alignment and focus of the City Council, City administration, and staff in addition to citizens, business interests, community groups, etc. to foster a sense of cohesion as to the City's strategic direction. • Transform the conceptual goals of the visioning process into realistic, achievable targets. • Serve as a framework for development of a new/updated General Plan. • Encourage engagement and spark the interest and excitement of active/passive residents, business & property owners, city officials/ administration-and staff, and others in the future potential of the City. • Generate new ideas and discussion about the built environment, economic development, environmental and fiscal sustainability, sense of place, and the City's overall identity. • Chart an effective, considered, and innovative course of action for the City's future, setting priorities and maximizing innovative opportunities. EL CERRITO ---PAGE BREAK--- Through this planning process, the City is also interested in the successful prioritization of services and the following objectives: • Ability to evaluate the services we provide, one versus another. • To better understand our service levels in the context of the cause-and-effect relationship they have on the organization's priorities and finances. • To provide a higher degree of understanding among decision makers as they engage in a process to rank services, facilities, and governance based on priorities. • Articulate to people within the City and to the public how we value our services, how we invest in our priorities, and how we divest ourselves of lower-priority services (if necessary). At a minimum, provide the following deliverables: • A recommended brochure detailing the Strategic Planning process for distribution to the public. • A recommended final Strategic Plan document that includes an implementation plan with benchmarks or milestones that measure the City's progress • A recommended Strategic Plan Executive Summary. QUALIFICATIONS Any combination of skills and experience that can successfully and effectively address the scope of services. SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS The City requires that all submissions be provided in electronic format only, via electronic submission, email or on one PC-compatible CD or USB flash drive or provide an electronic web link to allow supporting material to be downloaded and/or viewed. The CD or flash drive should be clearly labeled in ink with the consultant's name and contact information. To be considered, interested parties must submit by the deadline a proposal package that includes the following: • Letter of interest signed by a person authorized to bind the firm to its proposal- please summarize your interest in this project and include contact information. • Summary of qualifications, experience and availability- summarize qualifications, relevant experience, and availability to participate in the RFP process (including interviews) and provide services to the City. It should also identify key staff members who will be participating. • Proposed approach to the process, including a proposed schedule and description of proposed public involvement methods- summarizing method and approach to providing consulting services to the City. • Proposed budget- include detailed project costs, by task and estimated hours by team member and in total. Actual compensation is subject to final negotiation. • Additional information may be added, if additional tasks (and associated costs) that could be performed by the consultant team in the event that the project budget was to be increased are proposed and described. • List of professional references -list most recent professional references and their contact information. EL CERRITO ---PAGE BREAK--- • A minimum of three examples of releva'nt written work related to Visioning and Strategic Planning: at least one of which will represent a strategic plan prepared on behalf of a City or comparable entity. • Identification of any concerns or objections to signing the City's standard professional services agreement (Attachment No objections will be considered that were not identified in the proposal. EVALUATION CRITERIA The following will be considered in evaluating each proposal: • Completeness of response to the RFP requirements • Experience with similar projects • Creativity of approach • Experience in effective public involvement and incorporating citizen input • Demonstrated facilitati"on skills in successfully working with city councils/staff, boards and commissions, community organizations, businesses and citizens • Demonstrated knowledge/experience with actual development of strategic plans and implementation of possible strategies • Basic understanding of municipal finance • References • Price GENERAL INFORMATION 1. All proposals submitted become public information and may be reviewed by anyone requesting to do so at the conclusion of the evaluation process. 2. All proposals received by the City of El Cerrito in response to this RFP shall remain valid for ninety (90) days from the date of submittal. 3. The City reserves the right to cancel or reissue the RFP or to revise the timeline at any time. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive minor irregularities in the proposal process. The City may accept any proposal if such action is believed to be in the best interest of the City. 4. The City is not liable for any cost incurred by the proposer prior to execution of a contract. 5. This is a City project and holds liability for work with its consultants. The contract between the successful proposer and El Cerrito shall include all documents mutually entered into specifically, including the contract instrument, the RFP, and the response to the RFP. 6. The prime consultant will be required to assume the responsibility for all services offered in the proposal whether or not directly performed by the prime consultant. Further, the prime consultant will be the sole point of contact for the City of El Cerrito with regard to contractual matters. 7. The project team shall be approved by the City of El Cerrito. Jhe City must approve any changes in the project team. PROCESS AND TIM ELINE FOR SELECTION The City's process and timeline for selection of a consultant are as follows: March 1, 2012- RFP released EL. CERRITO ---PAGE BREAK--- March 19, 2012- Questions on RFP due March 26; 2012- Deadline for RFP submittals Submittals must be received at City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530 by 4:00 p.m. PST on March 26, 2012. Submittals should be. sent to the attention of Scott Han in, City Manager and/or submitted via e-mail to [EMAIL REDACTED]. The City assumes no responsibility for formatting or transmission errors. Submittals received after the deadline will not be considered. March 26-30, 2012- Consideration of submittals and selection of interview candidates An evaluation team will select candidate(s) from submittals received for interview(s). This process will include review of submittals, references, and other information as necessary, as well as rating of submittals. April4-5, 2012- Possible Interviews with selected candidates Interviews will provide an opportunity for the City and selected candidates to further gauge their fit and ability to work with each other. Please ensure that the appropriate representative, including the designated Project Manager, will be available to attend an interview if selected as a finalist. April 9, 2012- Selection of preferred candidate The City will select a preferred candidate, based on the interviews, written proposal, and other information, as well as the results of the reference checks, and will contact all candidates about the results. April17, 2012- Approval of contract by City Council QUESTIONS For questions regarding the City's RFP process or the services being sought, please contact Scott Hanin via email at [EMAIL REDACTED] or via telephone at (510) 215-4301, up to 4:00 p.m. PST on March 19, 2012. Any addendums to this RFP will be distributed by email and posted on the City's website at http:// el-cerrito.o rg/8 ids.aspx. Attachment(s): Standard Professional Services Agreement EL CERRITO ---PAGE BREAK--- PROPOSAL TO CITY OF EL CERRITO FOR CITYWIDE STRATEGIC PLAN DEVELOPMENT March 26, 2012 Management Partners Agenda Item No. 71 Attachment 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- Management Partners Mr. Scott Hanin City Manager City of El Cerrito 10890 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 Dear Mr. Hanin: March 26, 2012 Management Partners is pleased to provide this proposal in response to El Cerrito's request for proposals to develop a citywide strategic plan. The process of developing a strategic plan is important to the future of an organization. The public will benefit from a city organization that is grounded in a sound vision, mission and strategic direction designed to address key issues to assure a positive future for the delivery of critical services. Our team members have helped many organizations develop strategic plans and we would welcome the opportunity to assist the City of El Cerrito. Management Partners is a professional management consulting firm specializing in helping local government organizations plan for the future to meet service demands, improve effectiveness and streamline operations. Our clients benefit from the expertise of professionals with extensive experience in all aspects of public management as well as knowledge of how the best jurisdictions in the country provide services. We have a proven track record of quality service to numerous local governments throughout the United States. We have completed successful strategic planning and consulting engagements with large and small cities and counties, special districts, individual departments and non-profit agencies. Our interest is in helping clients identify ways to reach their goals and deliver services that meet community expectations in an efficient manner. Our proposal describes our recommended approach to helping you engage the community, Council, and staff in creating a strategic plan that is implementable, practical, and provides a clear vision for the future. There are many different ways to accomplish the outcomes you are seeking and we are amenable to refining the work plan to meet your needs. We look forward to working with the City of El Cerrito. We will be pleased to answer any questions you may have about Management Partners or this proposal. Please contact Nancy Hetrick or me at [PHONE REDACTED] for additional information or tp discuss our interest in assisting the City. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Gerald E. Newfarmer President and CEO 1730 MADISON ROAD o CINCINNATI. OH 45206 • [PHONE REDACTED] t FAX 861 3480 2 I 07 NORTH FIRST STREET, SUITE 470 o SAN JOSE, CA 9 51 31 t [PHONE REDACTED] t FAX 453 61 91 5 PARK PLAZA, SUITE 1 520 o IRVINE, CA 9261 4 ° 949 222 1 082 • WWW.MANAGEMENTPARTNERS.COM ---PAGE BREAK--- Table of Contents About Management Partners 1 Project Team 2 Management Partners' Proposed Approach 4 Proposed Budget 9 References 10 Examples of Work 11 Conclusion 11 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan Management Partners was founded in 1994 with a specific mission to help local government leaders improve their service to the public. We are a national consulting firm with offices in San Jose and Irvine, California, and Cincinnati, Ohio. We have a well-established track record of helping public sector organizations throughout the United States, including all of the services provided by cities, counties, towns and special districts at the local level. Our emphasis as a firm is in working with local governments throughout the country and we complete an average of 110 projects annually. During our 17 years of service, we have earned a national reputation by delivering quality, actionable work products to our clients. We bring extensive experience to this project, along with first-hand knowledge of local government operations. We are distinguished by the fact that each team we assign is led and staffed by associates who have actual experience in direct public service and experience working together as a team. The work we do is not an academic exercise; it is grounded in the real world of customer service and accomplishment in the public sector. Management Partners is unique in that regard. The firm is staffed with 50 professionals who are experienced public service managers as well as qualified management consultants. This group includes generalists as well as subject-matter experts. Our consultants have years of experience working in all aspects of local government management and have built a track record of extraordinary quality service for our clients. The team we have assembled to assist the City of El Cerrito with the creation of a strategic plan and the subsequent alignment of services has worked together to successfully complete strategic planning projects for other local organizations. The firm has extensive experience helping improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of local government services. We have undertaken organizational staffing and improvement projects in virtually every type of local government service, including reviews of entire governments as well as selected studies of individual departments and functional activities. We understand and have experience addressing the resource constraints inherent in local government today and recognize the need for a framework to prioritize services to best meet community needs. We will utilize the strategic plan as a roadmap to assist the City with prioritizing services. In addition to strategic planning, Management Partners' services include everything required to support a local government leader, elected or appointed. Our full range of services includes the following: • Organizational Analysis and Performance Audits - Also called performance audits, efficiency studies and organizational reviews, identifies improvements to an operation's efficiency and effectiveness. • Performance Management - Encompasses a wide range of management tools that can be and often are developed independently of one another, including: performance management and measurement, process management, performance budgeting, employee performance evaluation and strategic and process benchmarking. • Process Improvement - Examines the processes by which customers are served, an important technique for developing a program for operations improvement, including process mapping. • Financial Planning. Budgeting and Analysis - Assists clients in analyzing their finances and planning for the effective and efficient use of taxpayer or customer dollars. Management Partners, Inc. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan • Organizational Development and· Training - Helps clients develop organizational capacity, a key to developing high performance organizations. Services include executive coaching, team building, customer service training, employee and customer surveys and conflict management workshops. • Sharing and Consolidation of Services - Offers a more efficient way to provide services, particularly on a regional basis. Options range from the complete integration of previously separate jurisdictions to sharing or consolidating the management of individually delivered services and operations. • Interim Management - Assists government leaders by providing executive staff during transitional periods. Rather than just "keeping the chair warm," our interim managers provide value-added services during their tenure. • Executive Recruitment - Identifies top candidates for chief executive officer positions and department director level jobs in local governments. Management Partners' team members have facilitated numerous council/board and management team workshops and meetings. In addition, we have designed and led many civic engagement projects of a broader nature, often in conjunction with strategic planning projects. We are specialists in performance management and led the creation of the International City/County Management Association's (ICMA) Center for Performance Measurement. In addition, we have supported many local governments (cities, counties and towns) in the design and implementation of jurisdiction-specific performance management programs. Staff development and training is always a priority, especially in the area of performance measurement, where we have trained well over 100 jurisdictions throughout North America. We offer a balance of perspectives with a practitioner's bias and a proven track record of successful consulting engagements. This experience gives us a sensitivity that produces positive outcomes. Each of our projects is individually tailored to the unique needs of the client. We have a deep understanding of the service environment of local government and we are proud to say that as a result of our quality work, many of our clients ask us to complete subsequent assignments. Management Partners has a project team that is highly qualified to complete this work for El Cerrito. This project will be a top priority for Management Partners and our team members will be available in whatever capacity and with whatever availability will contribute to the success of the project, including participating in the selection interviews. Nancy Hetrick will serve as project manager and will be responsible for execution of the project. She will be assisted by Cathy Standiford, Emily Lohr and Linda Tran. The qualifications of each team member are briefly summarized below. Nancy Hetrick is an experienced facilitator with expertise in strategic planning, team building, and facilitating problem-solving and process improvement initiatives. In addition, she is skilled in the areas of performance management, succession planning, organizational and process improvement, and budget development. Nancy led the County of San Mateo's Outcome-Based Management Partners, Inc. 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan Management program and has supported local government clients with the design and implementation of performance measurement systems. Nancy is an excellent facilitator and trainer. She has developed curriculum and conducted training on a wide variety of topics and routinely facilitates priority-setting and team building workshops for cities, counties and non- profit boards. Nancy is certified to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment instrument. Since her return to Management Partners in 2006, she has led projects with local governments including the Bay Area cities of Rohnert Park, Redwood City, San Carlos, Fairfax, Orinda, Merced, Martinez, San Jose and Santa Cruz; the Sacramento Area Council of Governments; the Peninsula Library Partnership; and the Bay Area Counties of Alameda, San Mateo, Marin, Monterey, and Santa Clara. Cathy Standiford, Partner Cathy Standiford has developed her expertise in strategic management, organizational development, team building, operations analysis, and problem solving during 27 years of public sector experience. Before joining Management Partners she held executive level positions in three California communities, including assistant city manager for the City of Santa Ana, city manager for the City of La Palma, and deputy city manager for the City of Garden Grove. An ICMA Credentialed Manager since 2004, Cathy is recognized for her knowledge of municipal government operations and policy issues. She is a skilled facilitator and trainer, and serves as an adjunct professor for California State University Fullerton's Public Sector Leadership in the 21st Century program. Some of the clients Cathy has assisted include Ventura County, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, the cities of Rohnert Park, Anaheim, Newport Beach, Santa Monica and Glendora, and Enterprises, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles. Emily Lohr, Senior Management Advisor Emily Lohr is an experienced analyst and writer who has worked in the public, private and non- profit sectors. She is skilled in a variety of arenas, including group facilitation, online survey development and analysis, development review, strategic planning, staff development and succession planning, organizational review, and process improvement. Emily has strong analytical skills, which she applies to all types of comparative research, survey analysis, benchmarking, data base development and performance measurement. As a group facilitator, she is able to provoke thoughtful discussion while maintaining a positive group dynamic. In this capacity she has conducted many workshops, focus groups, brainstorming sessions, and process improvement group analyses to gather opinions about employees' jobs and processes. She has administered numerous online and written surveys and expertly provides meaningful information to clients about their employee and customer experiences. Since joining Management Partners in 2005, Emily has worked with local government clients throughout the western United States, including Palo Alto, Woodside, San Jose, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz, California; Bellevue, SeaTac and Bothell, Washington; Springfield, Oregon; Salt Lake County, Utah; and Surprise, Arizona. ' Linda Tran joined Management Partners in September 2010 and provides analytical support on a variety of projects including strategic benchmarking, service consolidation studies, and organizational audits. Prior to Management Partners, she completed an internship with the City of San Jose's Department of Retirement Services where she helped perform quality assurance reviews and developed training presentations to enhance client consultation services. Having Management Partners, Inc. 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan also worked in a variety of capacities in· b6th domestic and international nonprofit organizations, Linda brings experience from the nonprofit sector where she has conducted organizational capacity-building assessments. Linda received both her bachelor's degree in Asian American Studies and a master's degree in Sociology from Stanford University. She holds a second master's degree in public administration from San Francisco State University. The City of El Cerrito is located along the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay in Contra Costa County. Approximately 23,500 residents call El Cerrito home, and the City covers over 3.9 square miles. El Cerrito is a general law city organized under a Council-Manager form of government. The City is governed by a five-member Council whose members are elected at large, with a Mayor who rotates among the elected Councilmembers. All City departments operate under the supervision of the City Manager. They are: Administrative Services, City Attorney, City Clerk, Economic Development, Environmental and Development Services, Fire, Police, Public Works and Recreation. We understand that the City Council has a practice of establishing annual goals, with the focus in recent years largely on significant and necessary infrastructure improvements. A number of successes have been achieved as a result, including the construction of a new City Hall. Building on these successes, in 2011 the City adopted its first mission statement to communicate a common purpose for the organization: The City of El Cerrito serves, leads, and supports our diverse community by providing exemplary and innovative services, public places, and infrastructure; ensuring public safety; and creating an economically and environmentally sustainable future. With a stable fiscal outlook and sound public infrastructure, the City is ready to revisit its vision for the future. The development of a strategic plan will help establish a new shared vision and provide a roadmap to guide the organization in fulfilling the mission. The City envisions that the strategic plan will also provide a foundation for service prioritization, a General Plan Update, a Climate Action Plan, an economic development roadmap, as well as public facilities and infrastructure improvements. The following graphic shows these relationships. Service Priorities Ge~eralPJan Update ·~itnateA:Ctinn Plan EtonQmic , Development ~pita I Pr:ouraro The City desires a process that engages the Council, staff, residents and other stakeholders. The process will include completing an analysis of the weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). The resulting plan will establish goals and strategies, establish a clear vision and confirm the mission for the organization, and articulate the organization's values. To be useful, the strategic plan needs an implementation action plan tied to other key planning documents. Management Partners, Inc. 4 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan To provide a base from which to estabiish goals, an environmental scan is normally conducted as part of the strategic planning process. Through the environmental scan, those factors influencing the City now and those which will affect it in the future are identified. Typical data include fiscal constraints and opportunities, service demand drivers, policy issues, legislation, customer profiles and anticipated changes in customer base, productivity and workforce issues. The SWOT analysis is conducted as the qualitative part of the environmental scan. Before we describe a proposed approach to provide the City of El Cerrito with the desired results, we would like to describe the elements of strategic planning that would be considered as we proceed collaboratively with your project team. The following graphic shows the key components of a strategic plan. A vision sets the focus for the future. It is a statement of where the organization is going. A mission is a statement of the purpose of the organization. It fundamentally defines what the organization stands for and what it will do. The values of an organization drive the goals created and the process of implementation. Values provide the basis for how the organization and its members will work to achieve the mission and vision. Examples include professional excellence, innovation, responsiveness, leadership, teamwork and integrity. Goals set the framework that guides the direction and focus of the organization, budget decisions and allocation of other resources, such as staff time. They are "up on the balcony" wide views of opportunities for change and improvement and state the desired future. Goals or strategic priorities provide the "why" (larger meaning and context) of the specific actions the agency takes. They help the executive team decide which of the many worthy projects should be done and when, within available resources. Goals must be meaningful and attainable. Strategies are the means to achieve the goals. They describe an approach or method and begin to answer the question: How will we go about accomplishing the goal? They may include broad areas to pursue, rather than individual projects. To assure that the goal is achieved, later in the process each objective must be assigned to an individual, with resources identified, and incorporated into a work plan. • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy • Strategy Management Partners, Inc. 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan Performance or success indicators express the final result that is desired. Indicators should answer .the question: How will we know if we are successful at achieving what we set out to do? An implementation action plan is the blueprint for carrying out the strategic plan. It contains the detailed steps that must be taken to assure that the goals and strategies are achieved. An action plan provides a framework for determining specific timelines, assignments, and resource allocation. It is designed to be a management tool to help the organization assure that goals are attained and are well-suited to periodic check-in about progress, changes or challenges. An example of an implementation action plan template is shown in the following graphic. {cf;.'tfl~ , , - ~ - , - - _ - , - _ - ' - - ~ ~ - - ~ ~ - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - ~ ~ - ~ - ~ - Strategy 1: Fiscal Year to Resources (Staff, Funding, Other) Milestones and Start/ Currently Lead Manager/ Success Key Tasks Complete Available Needed Team Members Indicators - Finally, reporting on progress in implementing the strategic plan is key. As part of the process, a reporting structure and timeline is established. It can range from a quarterly update of each goal and objective, to a semi-annual review, once as part of the budget process and again mid- year. Work Plan Based on our experience with strategic planning and our understanding of the needs of El Cerrito as outlined in the RFP, we have prepared a detailed plan of work. This framework is amenable to refinement to adapt it to your specific interests. Our process provides for ongoing and meaningful collaboration between our team and City staff. We believe that an effective strategic plan, one that will be successfully implemented and will guide decisions into the future, requires that it be a product of the organization that is involved. Management Partners will provide expert advice, facilitation and preparation of the strategic plan document and all of its component parts. Throughout the engagement, we will collaborate with the City to ensure the desired results are achieved. Activity 1: Start Project and Review Background Materials Management Partners will begin with an initial meeting with the City Manager to ensure that we have a clear understanding of the objectives. During this myeting we will review our detailed work plan and schedule for the strategic planning process. Following the meeting, we will fine- tune the scope of work as appropriate and finalize the schedule. The project start-up activity will form the foundation for the partnership between Management Partners and the City. This initial planning meeting will afford the opportunity to share information, establish communication protocols and refine the strategic planning schedule and work plan so that it is comfortably integrated with City staff's other work demands. We will also discuss the role of a City-appointed internal strategic planning team and clarify the roles of all parties, if desired. Management Partners, Inc. 6 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan Activity 2: Conduct SWOT Analysis and Advise on Environmental Scan Management Partners will conduct a SWOT analysis through which weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the City will be identified. This analysis will be conducted prior to the strategic planning workshop described in Activity 3 to provide a solid base of information for discussion. We find that by conducting this analysis in advance and then discussing it at the workshop, the group can make faster progress on developing the strategic plan. A SWOT analysis is created by obtaining stakeholders' opinions about weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the organization. We will seek input in the following ways. • Conduct individual interviews with each City Councilmember, the City Manager and Assistant City Manager, and others on the Executive Team as appropriate, • Conduct two focus groups with business and community stakeholders, and • Conduct three focus groups with employees, volunteers, and/or members of the City's commissions. We will consolidate the qualitative input from these sources and prepare a summary document. Also during Activity 2, Management Partners will advise City staff on the preparation of an environmental scan, including providing examples. An environmental scan identifies trends that are important when preparing a plan for the future. Data sets that are typically included in an environmental scan are outlined below. • Economic indicators (including expenditure and revenue outlook) • Local demographic trends (age, culture, ethnicity) • Housing and development trends • Legislative mandates • Regional issues • Other issues that may be important in the future (environmental issues, infrastructure, service demands) The SWOT analysis and environmental scan will be presented during the strategic planning workshops described in Activities 3 and 4. Activity 3: Conduct Outreach and Plan for Strategic Planning Workshop The City desires active engagement and transparency in the strategic planning process. Targeted outreach to community leaders and representatives will occur during Activities 2 and 4. In addition, during this activity we will design a brochure that outlines the strategic planning process and highlights opportunities to get involved. Management Partners will design the brochure for review and input by the City Manager. We will provide all documents in print-ready Microsoft Word, Publisher, and/or Adobe PDF format. The brochure will be printed by the City for distribution and can be posted on the City's website for electronic viewing. ' The second part of this activity is to plan for and facilitate a six-hour session with members of the executive team or a designated internal strategic planning committee. During the session, participants will review the SWOT analysis and environmental scan and prepare a draft vision statement, identify organizational values, and develop recommended goals and strategies. The results of this session will serve as the starting point for the Council's Strategic Planning Workshop (Activity Management Partners will work with the City Manager and/or strategic Management Partners, Inc. 7 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan planning committee to determine the desir'ed approach to engage community participation at the public workshop. Activity 4: Facilitate Strategic Planning Workshop with City Council During this activity we will prepare for and facilitate a strategic planning workshop with members of the City Council and other participants as desired. The workshop will engage Councilmembers in validating and refining the draft elements of the strategic plan. To prepare for the workshop, the following tasks will be completed. • Determine workshop participants and coordinate logistics. We will meet with the City Manager and his designated project manager to discuss who will be participating in the strategic planning workshop. We will discuss workshop logistics, including location, room setup and other aspects necessary to set the stage for a productive day for all participants. • Prepare draft agenda. We will prepare a detailed agenda and review it with the City Manager. Our strategic planning workshops are engaging and interactive and are designed to ensure full participation. We use a combination of facilitation techniques including small and large group discussions and, depending on the size of the group, typically change small groups at least once during each session to mix the participants. We will work with the City to ensure community members and staff, as appropriate, are invited and encouraged to attend. Management Partners recommends the use of a graphic recorder to capture the process and outcomes of the public strategic planning process. The colorful images that are produced "live" are vivid and reflect the energy and effort that goes into the process. The images are part of the strategic plan and can be posted on the City's website. In addition, frequently our clients choose to enlarge the images to display them as art in public places like City Hall, a library, or community center. It is a great tool for spreading the word and informing the public. We can recommend a talented graphic recorder with whom we have worked in the past. Activity 5: Prepare Strategic Plan and Implementation Plan Following the workshop, Management Partners will prepare a summary of the outcomes and prepare a draft strategic plan. It will contain the following components. • Mission, vision, values, • Strategic Plan multi-year goals, • Several strategies for each goal, • Success indicators for each goal, and • Reporting and accountability mechanisms for the strategic plan. We will review the draft with the City Manager and the internal strategic planning team and make modifications based on their input. Once the strategic plan is approved, we will prepare a draft implementation plan. For implementation to occur in an orderly and effective manner, it is important for the following elements to be identified. • Key tasks • Timeline (start and completion dates) • Resources needed and currently available (and sources) Management Partners, Inc. 8 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan • Staff assigned (including a lead.person) • Milestones and success measures As noted in the RFP, the Strategic Plan and Implementation Action Plan will provide a work plan for the next five years, and a longer-term vision for 10- and 20-year horizons. The strategic planning process facilitated by Management Partners will transform the conceptual visioning goals into achievable targets. Activity 6: Align Services to Adopted Strategic Goal Areas The City of El Cerrito understands the value of a strategic plan as a road map for making service delivery decisions and allocating resources. The RFP requests assistance with the preliminary alignment of services to the goals identified in the strategic planning process. To fulfill this interest, Management Partners will design a framework for aligning services, including associated costs and staffing, to the City's goals. To minimize cost, we will ask department managers to complete a simple services template. Management Partners will then compile the data from the templates. The framework will show the types of services and the level of investment toward each of the strategic plans goals. Management Partners will present the compiled results and work with executive staff through a facilitated process to seek agreement on overall alignment and ensure strategic goals and strategies are addressed. Activity 7: Assist with Implementation During this final activity, Management Partners will meet with City staff to discuss ways to link the strategic plan to the General Plan Update, Climate Action Plan, and the economic development roadmap. Additionally, we will suggest methods of reviewing and updating the strategic plan at regular intervals to ensure the Strategic Plan remains a living document to reflect achievement of goals and new or revised priorities. Management Partners anticipates devoting 223 hours of our staff time to execute the plan of work described above. As requested in the RFP, the below tables detail the project cost and estimated hours by activity, as well as the estimated hours by team member. ACTIVITY HOURS COST 1 - Start Project 8 $1,820 2 - Conduct SWOT Analysis 47 $7,465 3 - Conduct Outreach and Plan for Strateg_ic Planning 45 $9,260 4- Facilitate Strategic Planning Workshop 43 $7,930 5- Prepare Strategic Plan and Implementation Plan 24 $3,750 6 -Align Services to Strategic Plan Goal Areas 48 $8,290 7 - Provide Implementation Assistance 8 $985 TOTAL 223 $39,500 Management Partners, Inc. 9 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan TEAM MEMBER Nancy Hetrick Cathy Standiford Emily Lohr Linda Tran HOURS 93 25 68 37 TOTAL 223 The ultimate test of a quality project is that the client is pleased with the results, and we are committed to achieving that goal. The total cost of this project is $39,500, which includes all fees and expenses. This price assumes a high level of community engagement and facilitation during the Strategic Planning Workshop in Activity 4. In addition, this price reflects specific items requested by the City, including the design of a strategic planning brochure and a separate activity to assess service alignment. If desired, Management Partners can work with the City to amend the scope of work to achieve budget requirements. During our 17 years of service, Management Partners has had the privilege of assisting both large and small local governments across the United States. Our work has afforded us a unique perspective on best practices in local government operations as a result of the broad diversity of the clients we have served. Our website www.manaqementpartners.com contains information about our clients, and you are welcome to contact any of them about the quality of our work. References for several relevant projects are included below. Rohnert Park, California In May 2011 the City of Rohnert Park retained Management Partners to facilitate the development of a strategic plan. The plan was designed to provide a framework linking the City's economic development plan, capital improvement program, budget process, policy issues, organizational efficiencies and the General Plan. The strategic planning process began with an analysis of limitations, opportunities and threats (SLOT) that were identified through interviews, focus groups, and a survey that engaged staff, community representatives, and City commissioners. We then guided staff's preparation of an environmental scan of current and future factors influencing the City. The combination of broad-based qualitative input and quantitative trend data formed the foundation for two highly interactive workshops with staff and City Council members during which a vision, mission, values and goals and strategies were developed and confirmed. A graphic recorder captured the Council workshop results in a visual, "storyboard" format. Management Partners drafted the strategic plan, which was unanimously adopted by the City Council in December 2011. We are cur;rently assisting City management with the implementation of the plan and its integration into the annual budget process. Client Contact: Mr. Gabe Gonzalez, City Manager 130 Avram Avenue Rohnert Park, CA 94928 [PHONE REDACTED] Management Partners, Inc. 10 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of El Cerrito Citywide Strategic Plan Pacific Library Partnership Management Partners was retained by the Pacific Library Partnership (PLP), a newly formed joint powers authority of library systems, to provide strategic planning assistance. The project involved soliciting input from board members through interviews; conducting a SWOT weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis through an online survey (which had over 100 respondents); facilitating two workshops to articulate the PLP's vision, mission, and values, as well as goals, strategies and actions to bring the goals to fruition; and drafting the strategic plan. Once the Strategic Plan was drafted, Management Partners solicited comments on the contents from stakeholders via an online survey. Management Partners advised the PLP on the creation of an implementation plan to advance the goals and strategies identified in the strategic plan. Client Contact: Ms. Linda Crowe, Executive Director 2471 Flores Street San Mateo, CA 94403 [PHONE REDACTED] Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Management Partners prepared a multi-year strategic plan that melded the requirements of the federal Overall Work Program with organizational strategic planning. We designed the process, facilitated workshops, created an environmental scan, prepared the strategic plan, and created a business plan template for implementing the plan. Client Contact: Mr. Mike McKeever, Executive Director 1415 L Street Sacramento, CA 95814 [PHONE REDACTED] We have included with our proposal three examples of strategic plans that Management Partners, and specifically members of this proposed project team, prepared for the above organizations (Rohnert Park, Pacific Library Partnership, and SACOG). Management Partners has the experience, the professional talent and the commitment necessary to successfully complete this work for the City of El Cerrito. We welcome the opportunity to provide additional information that may be helpful. We would be pleased to assist you with this project. Thank you. Management Partners, Inc. 11 ---PAGE BREAK--- RESOLUTION 2012-XX Agenda Item No. 7 Attachment 3 RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EL CERRITO AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH MANAGEMENT PARTNERS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CITY WIDE STRATEGIC PLAN WHEREAS, last year the City Council of the City of El Cerrito adopted a new Mission Statement to help frame the overall work and vision for the City; and WHEREAS, as part of the development of the City's Mission Statement, the concept around the need for a longer term vision and framework for prioritizing City resources emerged; and WHEREAS, a Strategic Plan would help guide the development of future budgets, General Plan updates, the City's Climate Action Plan and an implementation plan matching priorities with available resources; and WHEREAS, on November 7, 2011, staff was directed by the City Council to develop a Strategic Plan as a component of the City's long-term planning efforts as well as possible consideration of a future City Charter; and WHEREAS, on February 29, 2012, the City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of the Strategic Plan; and WHEREAS, in response to the RFP, seven proposals were received from a wide range of consulting firms; and WHEREAS, based on multiple evaluation criteria including qualifications and cost, staff is recommending Management Partners as the most qualified proposal of those received; and WHEREAS, the total project budget, including a contingency, will not exceed $45,000. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of El Cerrito authorizes the City Manager to enter into a contract with Management Partners for the development of a strategic plan for the City in an amount not to exceed $45,000. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this contract will be funded by a grant of the El Cerrito Municipal Services Corporation (MSC). Should the MSC not fund the Plan, it will be funded through the General Fund budget in fiscal years 2011-12 and 2012-13. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon passage and adoption. I CERTIFY that at a regular meeting on May 1, 2012 the City Council of the City of El Cerrito passed this Resolution by the following vote: AYES: ---PAGE BREAK--- NOES: ABSENT: Agenda Item No. 7 Attachment 3 IN WITNESS of this action, I sign this document and affix the corporate seal of the City ofEl Cerrito on May 1, 2012. Cheryl Morse, City Clerk APPROVED: William Jones, III, Mayor