TITLE
Recommendation to adopt Specifications No. RFP HR18-139 and award a contract to Nancy K. Bohl, Inc., dba The Counseling Team International, of San Bernardino, CA, for critical incident and counseling services for public safety personnel within the Police Department, for a total annual contract amount not to exceed $117,000, for a period of one year, with the option to renew for four additional one-year periods, at the discretion of the City Manager; and, authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into the contract, including any necessary amendments. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
City Council action is requested to enter into a contract with The Counseling Team International, Inc. (TCTI), for critical incident and counseling services for public safety personnel within the Police Department. The critical incident and counseling services for public safety is a highly-specialized expertise, which goes beyond services offered by typical third-party employee assistance programs (EAP).
The City of Long Beach (City) sought proposals from qualified vendors with experience in providing critical incident support services for public safety personnel. Services will include short-term counseling, employee training, referrals to long-term care options, critical incident support and response for individuals, and/or the department. The selected vendor, TCTI, will be working with the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) on an as-needed basis to perform critical incident support and counseling services for both LBPD sworn and civilian public safety staff and their eligible, immediate family members.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) was advertised in the Long Beach Press-Telegram on September 7, 2018, and 5,000 potential proposers specializing in professional counseling services were notified of the opportunity. Of those proposers, nine downloaded the RFP via the City’s electronic bid system. The RFP document was also made available from the Purchasing Division, located on the seventh floor of City Hall, and the Division’s website at www.longbeach.gov/purchasing. A RFP announcement was also included in the Purchasing Division’s weekly update of Open Bid Opportunities, which is sent to 28 local, minority, and women-owned business groups. One proposal was received by October 2, 2018, from TCTI, of San Bernardino, CA, a Women-owned Business Enterprise (not a Minority-owned Business Enterprise, certified Small Business Enterprise, or Long Beach business).
The Selection Committee (Committee) determined that TCTI’s proposal met the requirements of the RFP based on the following factors: their extensive expertise; demonstrated subject matter knowledge in dealing with public-safety public agencies; their ability to provide effective counseling that is specific to the individual and ensuring that matters requiring professional counseling are addressed confidentially; and, their preparedness to respond to critical incidents that impact public safety personnel. The Committee is confident that TCTI will be a beneficial partner to the City in improving public safety resiliency in response to continued exposure to traumatic and/or life-threatening events in the course of duty.
TCTI is a highly-qualified firm and their solution provides value for the City in terms of cost and of providing critical incident services and education to public safety personnel. TCTI’s comprehensive response clearly demonstrated high level competencies in the core functions of these services, which is critical to the success of ongoing outreach to this segment of the City’s workforce. Their interview further demonstrated the strong qualifications and professional cohesiveness of the TCTI team members. TCTI has significant experience in providing similar services to other California public agencies, which was an important factor of consideration by the Committee.
TCTI will also work with the Human Resources Department to provide the City with engaging materials to successfully communicate the critical incident support available, including employee education sessions.
Local Business Outreach
In an effort to align with the City’s outreach goal, Long Beach businesses are encouraged to submit proposals for City contracts. The Purchasing Division also assists businesses with registering on the PlanetBids database to download RFP specifications. Through outreach, 546 Long Beach vendors were notified to submit proposals, of which one downloaded and none submitted a proposal. The Purchasing Division is committed to continuing to perform outreach to local vendors to expand the bidder pool.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Monica J. Kilaita on January 15, 2019 and by Budget Analysis Officer Julissa José-Murray on January 16, 2019.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on February 5, 2019, to award a contract and ensure that the contract is in place expeditiously.
FISCAL IMPACT
One-time funds to cover the contract cost of $117,000 are budgeted in the Employee Benefits Fund (IS 391) in the Human Resources Department (HR). Structural funding of the contract after the initial one-year term is not budgeted. There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
ALEJANDRINA BASQUEZ
DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
JOHN GROSS
DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER