SUBMIT PROPOSAL TO:
Attn: Anne HaraksinCity Clerk
City of La Mirada13700 La Mirada Blvd.La Mirada, CA 90638
(562) 943–0131
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
4:00 p.m., Friday, March 22, 2013
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
EXECUTIVE SEARCHCONSULTING SERVICES
Page 2 of 6
INTRODUCTIONThe City of La Mirada, California (City) is requesting proposals from qualified executive search consultants to assist the City with conducting a national search that will lead to the selection of a new City Manager.
BACKGROUNDThe City was incorporated in 1960 and is a general law city with a City Council-Manager form of gov-ernment. The City Council is comprised of five elected citizens, with the City Manager as the adminis-trative and executive head of the City. The City employs approximately 65 full-time and 290 part-time employees. The City’s FY 2012-13 budget is $55.7 million.
City departments include: Administration, Administrative Services, Community Development, Community Services, Public Safety, Public Works and Theatre. La Mirada’s award winning Theatre for the Performing Arts and the Splash! Regional Aquatics Center provide exceptional cultural and recreational opportuni-ties for residents and visitors. The City contracts with Los Angeles County for law enforcement, and build-ing and safety services. The City is served by the Los Angeles County Fire Protection District.
SCOPE OF SERVICES Project tasks shall include, but are not limited to, the items listed below. If the consultant recommends adding additional tasks, they should be clearly identified in the consultant’s proposal.
1. Develop a recruiting specification in conjunction with the La Mirada City Council and key staff that addresses the specific duties, responsibilities, operational issues, education and training, leader-ship qualities, and other factors that are relevant to the City Manager position.
2. Coordinate all stages of the process with the City Council and key staff. 3. Assist City Council in the involvement of other key stakeholders in the process. 4. Translate the City Council’s requirements into a detailed recruitment brochure. 5. Conduct a national search that includes recruiting activities such as targeted mailings, selected
advertising, networking and direct inquiries, and use of consultant’s knowledge of candidates from other searches.
6. Assist the City Council in screening the initial pool of applicants to an appropriate number of semi-finalists. Provide the City Council with summary reports on all semi-finalists and respond to City Council questions.
7. Work with the City Council to narrow the semi-finalist group to finalist candidates, determine an appropriate interview process, and discuss preliminary terms of an employment agreement.
8. Conduct in-depth interviews, detailed background investigations, and verify references and cre-dentials of finalists. Prepare a detailed report on each finalist. Assist the City Council with its can-didate interviews.
9. Coordinate and/or conduct any additional assessments and background investigations as di-rected by the City Council. This could include a site visit to the workplace of finalist candidates to speak to references and other relevant individuals in-person.
10. Assist the City in the negotiation of an employment agreement with the final candidate, as directed by the City Council and coordinated with Personnel and the City Attorney’s Office.
Page 3 of 6
PROPOSAL FORMATConsultants are required to prepare their written proposal in accordance with the instructions outlined below. Deviations from these instructions may be construed as non-responsive and may be cause for dis-qualification. The written proposal shall be organized as described below and each section of the written proposal shall contain the title of that section.
A. Cover letter The cover letter shall be addressed to Anne Haraksin, City Clerk, and, at a minimum, must contain the
following:1. Identification of consultant, including name, address, and telephone number.2. Name, title, address, and telephone number of contact person during period of proposal evalua-
tion.3. A statement to the effect that the proposal shall remain valid for a period of not less than 90 cal-
endar days from the date of submittal.4. Signature of a person authorized to bind the consultant to the terms of the proposal.
B. Executive Summary In a brief narrative, describe the overall approach and plans to meet the requirements of the RFP. The
intent of this narrative is to convey to the City that the consultant understands the objective of the RFP, the nature of the work, and the level of effort necessary to successfully provide the defined services.
C. Qualifications Describe the background, public sector experience, and executive search capabilities of your firm.
Please give specific information regarding your qualifications to conduct City Manager searches in cities of similar size and complexity to La Mirada.
D. Scope of Work Proposers are requested to provide the following items in the sequence presented:
1. Provide a detailed description of the approach and methodology to be used to accomplish the Scope of Services. Include key milestones and deliverables during the recruitment.
2. Provide a proposed outline of tasks.3. Provide a project timeline. Keep in mind that the City would like the work to begin in May 2013
and complete the process by October 2013. City Council meeting dates should be incorporated into the time frames for reporting purposes.
4. Description of the specific tasks the consultant will require to be performed by City staff.
E. Company Contact Information and Description of the Project Team Provide the company name, address, telephone number, fax, URL of company website, and e-mail
address. Provide the names, titles and qualifications of the proposed project manager and support staff who will be conducting the work on this assignment, including their experience and length of time with the consultant.
F. Subconsultants and /or Subcontractors The City desires to enter into a contract with one consultant that will be responsible for all work, prod-
ucts and services. There is to be no assignment of any aspect of this project without the prior written authorization of the City. If the consultant plans on using subconsultants and/or subcontractors as part of its implementation plan, the consultant shall:
Page 4 of 6
1. Provide the company profile, name, address, and telephone number for all subconsultants and/or subcontractors providing support during the term of this project.
2. Give a description of services to be provided by subconsultants and/or subcontractors.3. Describe the consultant’s business and reporting relationship with any subconsultants and/or sub-
contractors.4. Include references and résumés for all consultants in the proposal.
The City has the right to accept or reject any changes made to the proposed project team members, including the use of subconsultants and/or subcontractors.
G. References and Description of Recent Projects Provide a list of at least three (3) clients, including contact names and telephone numbers, who can
verify consultant’s ability to provide the Scope of Services requested. Provide a description of the executive search completed for each client. References from cities who have recently hired City Man-agers are strongly preferred.
H. Project Cost Provide a description of the project cost itemized according to individual tasks. The consultant shall
present a specific “not to exceed” fixed fee including reimbursable expenses (i.e. printing costs, at-tendance at meetings, travel) and be based on achievement of deliverables, which should be outlined on the consultant’s proposed timeline. A requested payment schedule should accompany the work schedule. Each phase of the work should have an itemized cost including labor costs and expenses.
I. Sample Materials Provide samples of recruitment brochures, invitee letters, recruiting specifications, announcements, etc.
SUMMARY OF KEY DATES• Release of Request for Proposal Monday, February 25, 2013• Deadline for submitting proposals Friday, March 22, 2013• City staff reviews proposals Week of March 25, 2013• City staff conducts reference checks Week of April 1, 2013• City Council discusses process and reviews qualified proposals April 12 or 13, 2013 • City Council interviews top consultants Tuesday, April 23, 2013 and selects consultant for project
• City Council approves agreement Tuesday, May 14, 2013• Recruitment project begins Week of May 20, 2013• Recruitment and selection completed October 2013
SELECTION CRITERIA Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria (in no particular order):
• Thoroughness of proposal and demonstrated understanding of tasks to be completed.• Staff expertise and overall experience of personnel assigned to the work.• Time required to accomplish the requested services.• Responsiveness to requirements of the project.• Recent public sector experience, preferably in a municipal setting, conducting similar executive
searches.
Page 5 of 6
• Total estimated cost, including reimbursable expenses for services. While cost will be a consider-ation in the award of the contract, the contract will not necessarily be awarded to the firm submit-ting the lowest cost proposal.
• Willingness to enter into the City’s standard Professional Services Agreement.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive minor irregularities in any pro-posal. The City reserves the right to request clarification of information submitted, and to request addi-tional information from any party submitting proposals. The City reserves the right to award any contract to the next most qualified consultant that responds to the Request for Proposal, if the successful consultant does not execute an agreement within fifteen (15) calendar days after the award. The City shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by a consultant in preparing, submitting, or presenting its proposal. Additionally, if an oral presentation is required to supplement and/or clarify a proposal for the La Mirada City Council, such presentation expenses shall be borne by the consultant. The contract resulting from acceptance of proposal by the City shall be in the form of a “Professional Services Agreement” and shall be reflective of the specifications in this Request for Proposal. The City reserves the right to reject any proposed contract that does not conform to the specifications contained in this Request for Proposal, and which is not approved as to form by the City Attorney. The consultant will be required to assume responsi-bility for all services offered in the proposal, whether or not directly performed by the consultant. Further, the consultant will be the sole point of contact for the City with regard to contractual matters, including payment of any and all charges resulting from the contract.
ADMINISTRATIVE AND CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONSA. Sample Agreement
Please review the City’s sample Professional Services Agreement in “Attachment A” before re-sponding to this Request for Proposal. Your response to the Request for Proposal must indicate if the consultant is unwilling or unable to execute the agreement as drafted. The City will consider this in determining responsiveness to the Request for Proposals.
B. Insurance Requirement The consultant shall demonstrate the willingness and ability to provide the required insurance coverage as set forth in “Attachment B” within ten (10) calendar days of notification of selection for award of an agreement.
C. City Business License The selected consultant must obtain a City of La Mirada business license prior to commencement of services.
CONTACTS
All questions regarding this project should be directed in writing to:
Attn: Cristina CotaPersonnel ManagerCity of La Mirada
13700 La Mirada Blvd.La Mirada, California 90638
Page 6 of 6
DIRECTIONS FOR DELIVERY OF THE PROPOSALThe written proposal should include all attachments and submitted as follows: three (3) bound copies of the proposal, one unbound copy of the proposal, and one copy of the proposal on a CD-ROM, or other electronic media, in Microsoft Word or PDF format.
The complete bid packages, including all attachments and requisite copies, must be in a sealed enve-lope and marked “Proposal for Executive Search Services” and delivered no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 22, 2013 to:
Attn: Anne HaraksinCity Clerk
City of La Mirada13700 La Mirada Blvd.
La Mirada, California 90638
Written proposals received after 4:00 p.m., Friday, March 22, 2013 will not be accepted. Late proposals will be returned unopened to the consultant. Unless resulting from a material change made by the City in writing, modifications or correction received after 4:00 p.m., Friday March 22, 2013 will be rejected. Proposals will be retained as confidential until a contract is awarded, or all proposals have been rejected.
