PREPARED BY: CPT. BRIAN BUBAR DATE OF MEETING: 06/05/2023
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CONSIDER ADOPTING RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH CRISIS MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATIONS 911 FOR CONSULTING SERVICES RELATED TO PROFESSIONAL CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS FOR A TOTAL COST NOT TO EXCEED $102,000 OVER THE THREE YEARS.
CEQA: This is not a project as defined by CEQA.
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution
Body
COUNCIL PRIORITY WORKPLAN STATEMENT
Establish Emergency Response and Recovery is a priority goal under the FY 2023/25 City Council Priority Workplan, effective May 1, 2023.
BACKGROUND
In 2019, the Police Department searched for consulting services to assist in preparation and response for crisis events. Staff recognized the need to stay updated and current related to our emergency preparedness plan. A comprehensive emergency preparedness plan is needed to address strategic goals, objectives, and examples of performance indicators to enhance the City’s ability to deter, prevent, respond to, and recover from natural and human-caused disasters. The Police Department reviewed three consultant service options:
West Coast Consulting Group submitted a proposal ranging from $28,040 - $31,740 plus expenses.
Karste Consulting submitted a proposal ranging from $8,500 - $9,300. In speaking with President Roland Karste stated that Karste Consulting could not overhaul an outdated emergency preparedness plan as part of its scope of service. Instead, Karste Consulting would review the Emergency Operations Center plan and facilitate a tabletop exercise.
Douglas Pittman of Crisis Management & Communications 911 (CrisisMC911) submitted a proposal for professional crisis management and communications consulting to the Police Department in the amount of $24,000.
Douglas Pittman has forty-years of law enforcement experience working in Contra Costa and Marin counties. This includes fourteen years as a Command Officer with the Marin County Sheriff’s Office where he served in such capacities as the Commander of the Sheriff’s Patrol Division, Commander of the Marin County Search and Rescue Team, and the Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Coordinator for the County of Marin.
Douglas Pittman has extensive experience in the development, implementation, and management of operational and emergency response plans used by first responders. These plans have included the coordination and collaboration of local, state, and federal agencies. Douglas has established professional relationships with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, Office of Emergency Services Division and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Office of Emergency Services, who act as the Regional Coordinator for the State of California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) regional Coordinator for both Law Enforcement and Fire Services in the greater Bay Area.
In July 2019, Crisis Management & Communications 911 (CrisisMC911) was selected to consult for the Police Department due to a combination of competitive pricing and relevant regional law enforcement experience with specialized services in the field of emergency management. This contract has been annually renewed, most recently through FY 2022-23.
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic
On March 4, 2020, California declared a state of emergency and on March 10, 2020, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation of a Local Emergency and on March 16, 2020, the Health Officer for Contra Costa County Health Services ordered all Contra Costa County residents to shelter in their places of residence except to engage in certain essential services and activities.
In response to the public health emergency, the City Manager, acting as Director of Emergency Services, issued a proclamation of local emergency that was ratified by the City Council on March 16, 2020. Concurrently, the City activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on March 16, 2020.
EOC operations at the San Pablo Police Department remained in partial or full activation from March through May 2020. Douglas Pittman was essential and responsive, working with Police Department staff on a daily basis through this critical event on implementing the following:
• Reducing employee exposure (e.g., emphasizing that sick employees should not come to work, cancelling large in-person meetings, increasing cleaning and sanitization services at City facilities, procuring and issuing personal protective equipment)
• Identifying communication strategies and capabilities during the pandemic
• Addressing public safety needs and staffing in case of evacuation or exposures of public safety staff and facilities (e.g., using mutual aid resources to address City emergencies)
• Identifying critical City functions at risk and mitigation strategies for potential disruptions
• Creating remote work capabilities (e.g., training staff on WebEx, Zoom, and Teams software) and mitigating risks to internet and network access failures at the City
• Using satellite locations in case there is an exposure and evacuation of City facilities (e.g., operating the EOC remotely during the potential evacuation of key City facilities)
• Updating or creating personnel policies and procedures (e.g., an exposure protocol to COVID-19, including mandatory quarantine and management of extended sick leave)
Based on CrisisMC911’s competitive pricing, breadth of local and regional emergency services response and exceptional performance, the Police Department wishes to enter into a new 3-year agreement beginning July 1, 2023 with CrisisMC911 at a total three-year cost not to exceed $102,000.
Waiver of Formal Bid Requirements
The Police Department requests this agreement be exempted from formal City bidding requirements per San Pablo Municipal Code section 3.16.110(A) which states that contracts involving the acquisition of professional or specialized services, such as but not limited to services rendered by architects, attorneys, engineers, accountants and other classes where the City must depend upon the skill, integrity, judgment and ability of the service, are exempted from formal and informal contracting requirements.
Further, competitive bidding requirements may be dispensed if the public interest is better served by doing so, as where competitive bidding would not produce an advantage. (Graydon v. Pasadena Redevelopment Agency (1980) 104 Cal.App.3d 631; Los Angeles Dredging Co. v. Long Beach (1930) 210 Cal.348.) The exception may be invoked where the product or service contracted for is of unique value and may not be obtained elsewhere (Hodgeman v. City of San Diego (1942) 53 Cal.App.2d 610, 618).
FISCAL IMPACT
The effective date of this Agreement is July 1, 2023 and shall continue until June 30, 2026 unless terminated pursuant to the Agreement. The total three-year not to exceed amount is $102,000 as follows: $33,000 for FY 23/24; $33,000 for FY 24/25; and $36,000 for FY 25/26.
Funding for the Agreement for fiscal year 23/24 is budgeted in the Police Department’s Departmental Budget (No.100-2110-43600); funding for succeeding years is subject to funding availability.
ATTACHMENT:
Att 1 - Resolution
Att 2 - Agreement CrisisMC911