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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 06.e Date: 16 May 2016 Item No. APPROVAL OF THE DEPARTMENTAL USE OF CONSULTANTS POLICY Proposed Action Staff recommends adoption of the following motion: Move to approve the Departmental Use of Consultants Policy. Overview The City’s existing Use of Consultants policy defines the process by which the City retains and evaluates consultants to provide professional services. In the past the City has established a consultant pool from which Staff would request proposals for work on various projects. The City’s engineering consultant pool has not been updated for several years. The Departmental Use of Consultants Policy will replace the City’s existing Use of Consultants Policy. With the new policy, City Staff will issue a request for Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) for professional service consultants. Upon reviewing all Statement of Qualifications, a Department Director will make recommendations regarding the retention of consultants for the City’s pool. The City may enter into contracts for professional services for both Budgeted and Programmed Projects for a maximum of five (5) years. City Staff presented the Departmental Use of Consultants policy to the City Council at its May 2, 2016 work session, and also answered the Council’s questions regarding the proposed changes. Primary Issues to Consider • What is the purpose of a consultant pool? • The purpose of establishing a pool of consultant services is to create efficiencies such that consultants familiar with the City’s infrastructure and needs may complete projects in their areas of expertise and provide the Staff with alternatives in selecting the appropriate consultant for the project. Supporting Information • A copy of the Departmental Use of Consultants Policy is attached. Financial Impact: $ Budgeted: Y☐ N☐ Source: Related Documents: (CIP, ERP, etc.): Envision Lakeville Community Values: Good Value for Public Services Report Completed by: Monica Heil, Operations and Maintenance Engineer N/A N/A 2 DEPARTMENTAL USE OF CONSULTANTS 1. Purpose a. To establish guidelines for the solicitation, evaluation, and retention of consultant services by the City to ensure that such services are rendered in a professional, unbiased, and cost-effective in the best interests of the City. The term “consultant” shall include any person or organization which will provide professional services for the City. b. The Lakeville City Council recognizes the desirability of hiring consultant from time to time to assist in providing quality services and programs to residents and businesses within the City. Consultants may be use to audit various City activities; to analyze and propose solutions to problems facing the City; to provide technical assistance; and to supplement City staff. c. The use of such consultant services is advantageous to the City in that consultants can provide independent review; flexibility by adding staff support without increasing the size of the permanent City staff; and expertise outside of that available from permanent City staff. 2. Consultant Services a. Consultant services will generally fall within one of two categories based on the needs of the City: Budgeted Projects and Programmed Projects. b. Budgeted Projects include and is limited to consultants selected to complete all or portions of budgeted City projects. The City may retain more than one consultant to provide recurring services when it is in the best interest of the City. c. Programmed Projects include consultants selected to complete all or portions of projects not already budgeted, but planned within the City approved Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). 3. Consultant Services Pool a. The City Council may enter into contracts for both Budgeted and Programmed Projects for a maximum of five years, based on recommendations provided by City staff. Following the prescribed period in the contract, new proposals must be solicited for these services. This policy does not in any way preclude the City Council from retaining the same consultant after reviewing the new proposals or from retaining a non-pool consultant for any City project. b. The purpose of establishing a pool of consultant services is to create efficiencies such that consultants familiar with the City’s infrastructure and needs may complete projects in their areas of expertise and provide the staff with alternatives in selecting the appropriate consultant for the project. c. Once a project has been budgeted, Staff may select a consultant from within the pool most qualified to complete the work and are authorized to execute an agreement for said work. 3 d. The following procedures shall be used to solicit proposals to establish a pool of consultants: 1) The Department Director will issue a Request for Statements of Qualifications to area consultants. The request will require, at a minimum, the following information from the consultant. a) Technical experience (history of the firm and general and related experience) b) Staffing (resumes of key personnel that will work with and/or manage projects with the City) c) References (names and contact information for other communities that have retained the consultant’s services) d) Current Fee Schedule 2) Following receipt of the proposals, the Department Director and other key staff will evaluate the proposals and may conduct interviews with selected consultants. 3) After a complete evaluation of the proposals and interviews with selected consultants, the Department Director will recommend a consultant or consultants to the City Administrator who, in turn, will make a recommendation to the City Council for retention of the consultant or consultants as part of a consultant services pool. The City Administrator will provide a brief report to City Council listing all the consultants the submitted proposals and indicating the reasons for the recommendations. 4. Use of Consultant Services a. The City Administrator is authorized to execute contracts with consultants on behalf of the City under the following circumstances: 1) The estimated value of the work does not exceed $20,000, and 2) Funds budgeted for the work and/or consultant services will be paid exclusively from non-City sources (i.e. grants) or is otherwise authorized by the City Council, and 3) Work under the contact will be completed within 12 months. b. All other consultant services contracts must be approved by the City Council. c. Consultants selected from the consultant services pool are considered pre-qualified and Department Directors need not obtain multiple proposals for the performance of work associated with either budgeted or programmed projects. 5. General a. No consultant shall be hired for either budgeted or programmed projects if that consultant has any financial interest in current or future CIP projects. 4 b. A consultant retained as part of the consultant services pool shall not provide such service for those projects and in those instances where the consultant is also providing, has provided, or will provide similar services for another client having and interest in the project or where the consultant has any other financial interest in the project. c. The products and/or deliverables under any consultant services contract, including all plans, specifications, reports, drawings, architectural designs, rendering, financial models or other such material shall become the property of the City.