It is recommended that the Mayor and City Commission approve the Resolution authorizing the Administration to negotiate with Bargaining Power, Inc., the sole proposer for Request for Proposals (RFQ) 2023-094-WG; and, further, authorize the City Manager and City Clerk to execute an Agreement upon successful negotiations.

This solicitation is currently under the cone of silence.

The City has five (5) collective bargaining groups, representing more than 1,300 employees, for which the contracts are re-negotiated every three (3) years. It is valuable for the Human Resources Department to have a tool, known as labor costing software, that can facilitate the analysis of fiscal impacts regarding salaries, extra pay, and benefits for various scenarios. Labor costing software will assist the Administration in more fully understanding the impacts of scenarios contemplated during the contract negotiations for the City’s five (5) bargaining groups.

Through the RFQ, the Administration sought proposals from qualified providers of labor costing software and related services for the City’s consideration.

On October 21, 2022, the Mayor and City Commission approved the issuance of the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) No. 2023-094-WG for labor costing software and related services. The Procurement Department issued bid notices to 33,189 companies utilizing the City's e-procurement system, with 61 prospective bidders accessing the solicitation. RFQ responses were due and received on January 13, 2023. The City received a sole proposal from Bargaining Power, Inc.

On February 10, 2023, the Evaluation Committee appointed by the City Manager convened to consider the proposal received. The Committee was comprised of Richard Ajami, Budget Officer, Budget Department; Kenneth Ingersoll, Human Resources Administrator II, Human Resources Department; Kevin Irizarry, Risk and Benefits Analyst, Human Resources Department; and Fernando Pestana, Administrative Services Manager, Tourism and Cultural Development Department.

The Committee was provided an overview of the project, and information relative to the City's Cone of Silence Ordinance and the Government Sunshine Law. The Committee was also provided with general information on the scope of services and a copy of each proposal. The Committee was instructed to score and rank each proposal pursuant to the evaluation criteria established in the RFQ.

The evaluation committee determined that Bargaining Power, Inc. was qualified and should be considered for negotiations (see Attachment A). Below is a short bio of the firm based on information it has submitted.

The fees will be negotiated with the selected firm. The Human Resources Department estimates the cost of the system at $30,000/year based on prior similar systems, exclusive of any consulting services required.  This contract and price will be negotiated. Services for this contract would be funded through the Department's budget subject to approval through the budget process.

At this time, grant funding is not anticipated. However, should grant funding be available at a later date, any resulting agreement would need to incorporate the grant’s terms and conditions.

After reviewing the submission and the results of the Evaluation Committee process, I believe that Bargaining Power, Inc. has the experience necessary to provide the City the software and services sought. Bargaining Power has worked with large public and private sector organizations across the U.S. and, in addition to the labor costing software, can provide a full array of consulting and training services that appear to be beneficial for the City’s bargaining process.

Therefore, I recommend that the Mayor and City Commission approve the Resolution authorizing the Administration to negotiate with Bargaining Power, Inc., the sole proposer to Request for Proposals (RFQ) 2023-094-WG; and, further, authorize the City Manager and City Clerk to execute an Agreement upon successful negotiations by the Administration.