TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute a contract for federal legislative representation services provided by Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc., for a term of nine months at an amount not to exceed $135,000; and increase appropriations in the General Fund (GP) and in the City Manager’s Office (CM) by $46,260. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The firm of E. Del Smith and Company, Inc., has represented the City of Long Beach in Washington, D.C., before the United States Congress and various federal agencies for over 30 years. The most recent contract between the City and E. Del Smith and Company, Inc., which was authorized by the City Council on October 18, 2005, and extended on October 3, 2006, expires on December 31, 2006.
During the previous fiscal year, the City Manager implemented a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to seek proposals from professional consulting firms to provide federal legislative representation services. After a lengthy and rigorous review process, Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc., was selected as the most qualified firm to address the City's federal representation needs.
Request for Proposals Process
In March 2006, the City initiated a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process to solicit proposals from various federal legislative representation firms for services to be provided in Fiscal Year 2007. In an effort to reach a wide audience of potentially interested firms, the City sent RFPs to over 50 different lobbying firms ranging from small firms to very large firms, placed an advertisement in a Washington, D.C.
publication that focuses solely on federal issues, and made the RFP available on the City's website. As a result of the outreach efforts, 21 firms submitted proposals to the City. A diverse interview panel selected the top six firms to interview, and then recommended the top three candidates to the City Manager. The City Manager and the Mayor interviewed the top three candidates and selected Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc., as...
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