PREPARED BY: Reina Schwartz DATE OF MEETING: 06/20/16
SUBJECT:
TITLE
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN PABLO AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH VOLER STRATEGIC ADVISORS (FORMERLY FORD & BONILLA) IN THE AMOUNT OF $45,000 FOR ONE YEAR FOR SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT SERVICES WITH THE CITY MANAGER AUTHORIZED TO EXECUTE UP TO FOUR ONE-YEAR OPTIONS AT THE CITY’S SOLE DISCRETION FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT COST OF $225,000
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution
Body
Compliance statements
FY 2015-17 Council Priority Workplan
Civic Engagement and Community Outreach are strategic policy initiatives adopted under the FY 2015-17 Council Priority Workplan, effective July 1, 2015.
CEQA Compliance Statement
This agreement does not constitute a project under CEQA.
BACKGROUND
Since FY 2012/13, the City’s social media infrastructure has been vital in engaging San Pablo residents and transmitting news and information about City events and initiatives, including attracting a much broader audience both within the City and throughout neighboring communities and the region. During this time, the City has contracted with the professional services company Ford & Bonilla (now Voler Strategic Advisors) to advise and manage the City’s social media presence. These specialized professional services were particularly instrumental in disseminating community information on the City’s DMC real estate assets acquisition, the EMS Squad 70 Operating Agreement, and other important information to promote San Pablo’s All-America City award in June 2014.
To expand on these types of vital services to enhance civic engagement and community outreach efforts in the digital age, the City Manager is recommending a contract with Voler Strategic Advisors for FY2016/17, with the option for up to four additional one-year extensions at the City’s sole discretion. This recommendation is based on the following performance achievements during FY 2015/16:
Facebook:
• Generated 302 new Likes for the page, resulting in 3,594 total Likes.
• Achieved a total of 458,548 impressions among the City of San Pablo Facebook community.
• Reached a monthly average of 27,412 unique Facebook users.
• Engaged 3,170 users with the City of San Pablo Facebook page, meaning they have clicked on, liked, commented on or shared one of the posts.
Twitter:
• Secured a total number of 2,919 followers for the City of San Pablo Twitter page, with the goal of continuing to use this as a vehicle to target media outlets and reporters.
• Achieved 23,246 total impressions.
• Reached a monthly average of 3,605 accounts.
The City Manager recommends the proposed contract for FY2016/17 at the same compensation level as previously authorized by City Council, $45,000 per year.
Although the City’s Purchasing Guidelines indicate that three written quotes or an RFP process is appropriate for engaging professional services, 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);
In this case, the typical competitive process was not followed because of this consultant’s significant history and experience with the San Pablo community and expertise in social media services. The City Manager, therefore, requests approval of this contract without the typical competitive process.
FISCAL IMPACT
A total of $45,000 will be authorized from FY 2016/17 City Manager Departmental Budget - Professional Services (Account: 100-1310-43600) for this contract, effective July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017. The agreement allows for up to four (4) additional one-year extensions, which would result in a total cost of $225,000. Execution of contract extensions is subject to adequate Council approved funding in the applicable fiscal year going forward.
Attachments:
1. Professional Services Agreement for FY 2016/17
2. Exhibit A - FY 2016/17 Propose Scope of Work date June 6, 2016