TITLE
Recommendation to adopt Specifications No. RFP DV20-027 and award contracts to Commune Communication, of Long Beach, CA; Cutter & Company, of Fountain Valley, CA; JPW Communications, of Carlsbad, CA; Krupp Creative, of Long Beach, CA; and, Picnic Design, of Santa Monica, CA, to provide as-needed graphic design and creative services for a variety of print materials, collateral, and interactive media in support of the City’s marketing and communications efforts, in a total annual aggregate amount not to exceed $700,000, for a period of two years, with the option to renew for three 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 contracts, including any necessary amendments. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is requested to enter into contracts with Commune Communication, Cutter & Company, JPW Communications, Krupp Creative, and Picnic Design to provide as-needed graphic design and creative services. The City has historically used specialized firms on an as-needed basis for marketing, branding, design, and development of public-facing materials for print and digital distribution. Creative, concise messaging, and outreach is essential for the success of the City’s communication efforts to help ensure the public is well informed. A bench of qualified, readily available, and professional firms will provide specialized skills and expertise to assist in creating engaging and instructive projects.
The awarded firms will be retained on an as-needed basis via the issuance of contracts and purchase orders for negotiated services. The firms’ consultants and staff must agree on each project’s detailed scope of work and compensation prior to initiating work.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) was advertised in the Long Beach Business Journal on July 21, 2020 and August 4, 2020, and 540 potential proposers specializing in graphic design were notified of the RFP opportunity. Of those proposers, 84 downloaded the RFP via the City’s electronic bid system. The RFP document was made available from the Purchasing Division’s website at www.longbeach.gov/purchasing <http://www.longbeach.gov/purchasing>. The RFP announcement was also included in the Purchasing Division’s weekly update of Open Bid Opportunities, which is sent to 35 local, minority-owned, and women-owned business groups. A total of 32 proposals were received on August 11, 2020. Of those 32 proposers, 6 were Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs), 12 were Women-owned Business Enterprises (WBEs), 8 were certified Small Business Enterprises (SBEs), and 10 were Long Beach businesses (Local).
A selection committee, comprised of a multi-department panel determined that Commune Communication, of Long Beach, CA; Cutter & Company, of Fountain Valley, CA; JPW Communications, of Carlsbad, CA; Krupp Creative, of Long Beach, CA; and, Picnic Design, of Santa Monica, CA (WBE), were the most qualified firms to provide the services. The firms were selected after a thorough evaluation of the proposals and physical samples of print materials that represented each firm’s creative ability. The five firms offer varied perspectives and demonstrated the skills required to develop a wide range of clear and creative printed public information pieces, interactive media, and digital publications that meet the City’s needs.
Local Business Outreach
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 35 Long Beach vendors were notified to submit proposals, of which 18 downloaded and 10 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 Erin Weesner-McKinley on February 16, 2021, Business Services Bureau Manager Tara Yeats on February 22, 2021, and by Budget Management Officer Rhutu Amin Gharib on February 24, 2021.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action to adopt Specifications No. RFP DV20-027 and award contracts concurrently is requested on March 16, 2021, to ensure the contracts are in place expeditiously.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total annual aggregate amount of the contracts will not exceed $700,000. The requested contract authority is based on current and anticipated projections within various City departments, primarily Development Services, Public Works, Airport, and City Manager. Each purchase order will be funded by the requesting department, per project, on an as-needed basis. The cost for these services is budgeted in the various departments and fund groups using existing appropriations. No appropriation increase is required at this time. This recommendation has no staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities. The number of additional local jobs associated with this recommendation is unknown until on-call services occur.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
OSCAR W. ORCI
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER