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Discussion regarding procurement initiatives.
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At the October 14, 2014 City Commission meeting, concerns regarding the Request for Proposal (RFP) process and the related Procurement Code sections were discussed. The Procurement Division of the Finance Department has reviewed the overall RFP process and has determined the following changes would address concerns and strengthen the overall process.
· Protest Timeline: Allow the protest period to expire prior to placing items on the Commission Agenda, except for emergency procurements. This will be accomplished by issuing a "Notice of Intent to Award" with enough time for the protest period to lapse before the item is considered by the City Commission.
· Protest Magistrate: Before being heard by the City Commission, protests will be reviewed by a special magistrate to make a recommended determination as to the validity of the protest.
· Minimum Qualification Verification: Include a check-list with the RFP which requires proposers to specifically verify and document how they meet the minimum qualifications of a solicitation.
· Surveys and Reference Checks: Set minimum and maximum number of surveys required (if applicable) and request reference information for a specific number of clients as well as requesting client list of related clients. Procurement staff would send out surveys and make calls on references with a set questionnaire instead of having the proposer submit surveys or letters of reference. Additionally, Procurement staff can select random clients from whom to solicit feedback.
· Evaluation Criteria and Scoring: Develop a standard evaluation criteria and scoring template which provides guidance for assigning points and provides definitions or details as to how each section should be considered and evaluated.
· Evaluation Panel Composition: The Chief Procurement Officer will increase the number of panel members (e.g., five instead of three) and will include, whenever possible, members of the community and other governmental organizations.
Procurement staff has solicited feedback from the Commissioners, City Manager, City Attorney and Department Heads on the RFP process. The above modifications to the current process are in-line with feedback received.
Procurement will also work on reviewing the overall Procurement Code to determine areas they may require revisions. This review will be performed with the goal of achieving best practices in governmental procurement. As we move forward with this process, the Procurement division will review and consult the NIGP to obtain guidance in revising the Procurement Code. We also intend to use data and resources from other model cities by comparing and contrasting our code with theirs throughout this process.
A comprehensive review of the Procurement Code can be a very lengthy process; therefore, we plan to address specific code sections in order of highest priority. Procurement staff will analyze those sections, propose revisions, and bring those revisions to the City Commission for consideration periodically.