TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement, and any necessary documents including any necessary subsequent amendments, with the Knight Foundation and/or the Long Beach Community Foundation, to accept and expend grant funding in an amount not to exceed $150,000, for programs and projects related to vendor equity, including accessibility, engagement, and capacity building as part of the Purchasing Division’s Extreme Procurement Makeover; and
Increase appropriation in the General Grants Fund Group in the Financial Management Department by $150,000, offset by grant revenue. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is requested for the Department of Financial Management (Department) to enter into an agreement with the Knight Foundation and/or the Long Beach Community Foundation, to accept and expend grant funding for programs and projects related to vendor equity as part of the Purchasing Division’s Extreme Procurement Makeover. The Long Beach Community Foundation will be acting as grant administrator for the Knight Foundation.
Over the last year, the Department’s Purchasing Division has taken deliberate steps toward equity in public procurement. Dubbed the Extreme Procurement Makeover (Makeover), this vendor equity program focuses on accessibility that lowers government contracting participation barriers, engagement that focuses on community stakeholders and targeted market research, and capacity building that invests resources in local businesses to allow them to better compete. The Makeover’s goal is that the proportion of bids received from small, local, diverse, and/or disadvantaged businesses, including minority-owned, women-owned, disabled-owned, veteran-owned, and LGBTQ+-owned businesses, match the demographics of these groups within the City of Long Beach’s (City) business sectors they are part of.
To accomplish this, extensive market research, stakeholder engagement, and problem analysis have been completed by the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL). The City is currently in year two of a collaborative sponsored research agreement with GPL to improve government performance and make government programs more effective. The agreement with the Knight Foundation was previously authorized by the City Council on July 20, 2021. The Knight Foundation grant funds of $150,000 will fund that previously authorized agreement with the GPL from August 2021 to July 2022. The Long Beach Recovery Act program allocation of $150,000 previously identified to cover the current contract with GPL will be utilized to fund a new agreement from August 2022 to July 2023.
The data collected and analyzed by GPL will serve as a foundation for the business community tasks of the Makeover. New projects, derived from the data, will expand the capability of the Purchasing Division to conduct diverse outreach and increase a diverse vendor pool. Such projects include continuing market research by GPL, outreach to entrepreneur support organizations to strengthen support networks, identifying goals for priority market sectors with the greatest need for assistance, developing self-paced training modules, and onboarding a new procurement technology platform for better performance and data. These projects will further the Purchasing Division’s goals of a more robust and diverse vendor pool.
This matter was reviewed by Principal Deputy City Attorney Richard F. Anthony on March 30, 2022, Purchasing Agent Michelle Wilson on March 21, 2022, and by Revenue Management Officer Geraldine Alejo on April 21, 2022.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on May 10, 2022, to receive and expend grant funding.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City will receive a grant award in the amount of $150,000 from the Knight Foundation for the Vendor Equity Program. An appropriation increase of $150,000 is requested in the General Grants Fund Group in the Financial Management Department, offset by the grant revenue. The grant has no required match or in-kind service mandate. This recommendation has no staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with City Council priorities. This recommendation will result in a positive impact on jobs, although the exact number is unknown at this time.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
KEVIN RIPER
DIRECTOR
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER