LINK TO 11:00 AM PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE 2023-03 - ADM-ORGANIZATION:
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NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The City of Benson is seeking proposals from qualified consultants or firms to conduct a comprehensive Organizational Efficiency and Staffing Study.
Sealed proposals will be received in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 120 W. 6th Street, Benson, Arizona until 4:00 p.m. on December 15, 2023.

PROPOSAL NUMBER:  2023-03 - ADM-ORGANIZATION
PROPOSAL NAME:  ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND STAFFING STUDY

Pre-submittal Conference: December 7, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. local time. Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 120 W. 6th Street, Benson, Arizona.

A COPY OF THE COMPLETE PROPOSAL PACKAGE MAY BE OBTAINED BY GOING TO www.bensonaz.gov OR CALLING (520) 586-2245, OR MAY BE PICKED UP AT THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK AT ABOVE LISTED ADDRESS DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS.

PUBLISHED:  11/08/202311/09/202311/16/202311/17/2023

ALL PROPOSAL INFORMATION TO BE CONSIDERED MUST BE SUBMITTED BY THE DATE AND TIME LISTED ABOVE.  NO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE ACCEPTED OR CONSIDERED IF PROVIDED AFTER SAID DATE UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

NO FAXED PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

For additional information, contact Vicki Vivian at (520) 586-2245.

Request for Proposal (RFP) for Organizational Efficiency and Staffing Study

1. Introduction

The City of Benson is seeking proposals from qualified consultants or firms to conduct a comprehensive Organizational Efficiency and Staffing Study.  The purpose of this study is to assess the city government's current organizational structure, processes, and staffing levels to identify opportunities for increased efficiency, improved service delivery, and optimized resource allocation.

1. Background

The City of Benson, Arizona – founded in 1880 and incorporated in 1924, serves as the Gateway to the San Pedro Valley and Home of Kartchner Caverns State Park.  Benson is the third largest of seven incorporated areas in Cochise County, with a population of 5,355 as of the 2020 census.  Benson attracts a large winter visitor population due to its mild winters and comfortable climate.  The surrounding communities of St. David, Pomerene, Mescal, J-Six, Cascabel, and Dragoon, with a combined population of approximately 14,000, also contribute to Benson’s economic vitality.  Benson’s Mayor and Council are committed to increasing that quality of life for the City residents and visitors.

Neighboring the metropolitan Tucson area, the City of Benson is the gateway to Cochise County.  Benson is located along Interstate 10 and encompasses the intersection of Interstate 10 and Highway 90 leading to Sierra Vista.  The proximity to Tucson and Sierra Vista combined with Benson’s quality of life puts the City in the position for growth with a projection of over 54,000 residents at build out.  Benson is a “full service” City providing all the services that are needed for a prestigious quality of life.

These services include:

• Gas
• Water
• Wastewater
• Sanitation
• Parks & Recreation
• Library
• Transit
• Municipal Airport
• Visitor Center
• Street Maintenance
• Municipal Golf Course
• Fire & Police Departments

Our annual operating budget is $21,559,653 and we currently employ 76 people with a staff of 68 full-time employees and 9 part-time employees, 2 of which are by contract.

Benson has seen our population remain steady or decrease in the past, but as the 2020 census shows, our population has increased, and growth is now returning on construction.  Some challenges the City has faced have been the expansion of services to include growth of our customer base as well as the addition of the City’s transit system and the municipal golf course and the proximity to both Tucson and Sierra Vista which both draw from the employee pool in our area.  These challenges have resulted in the need for an organizational efficiency and staffing study to ensure the City can continue to provide these services in the most effective way possible.

1. Objectives

The objective of the study is to enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of city government operations, optimizing staffing levels to match workload and improve resource allocation and to streamline processes to reduce costs and improve service delivery.  The City expects to increase employee morale and engagement through an effective organizational design.

1. Request for Proposal:

The City of Benson hereby invites qualified consultants to submit proposals for an Organizational Efficiency and Staffing Study.  Submissions received before the closing deadline will be evaluated in accordance with Section 9 – Evaluation Criteria.  All documentation and data submitted by any vendor shall be in accordance with Section 7 – Preparation of Response - Required Content.

Inquiries can be made via phone contact, email or regular mail to the following personnel:

Vicki Vivian
City Manager
120 W. 6th Street
Benson, AZ 85602
Office: (520) 720-6327
procurement@bensonaz.gov

Do not contact any other City departments or other City staff directly. Information provided by personnel other than the above contact may be invalid, and proposals that are submitted in accordance with such information may be declared non-responsive.

1. Scope of Work

The vendor shall provide all labor, materials, transportation, and technical expertise needed to successfully accomplish the required services.  In general, the services will include:

• Assessment of current organizational structure and hierarchy.
• Evaluation of departmental functions, processes, and workflows.
• Workload analysis to ensure staffing levels align with demand.
• Identification of bottlenecks, redundancies, and inefficiencies.
• Review of technology and automation opportunities for process improvement.
• Benchmarking against best practices and similar municipalities.
• Development of recommendations to enhance efficiency and service quality.

1. Expected Deliverables

Expected deliverables are:

• A comprehensive report detailing findings, analysis, and recommendations.
• Organizational charts reflecting proposed structural changes.
• A workload analysis report.
• Visualizations, charts, and diagrams to illustrate key points.
• Presentation to key stakeholders, including the City Council, summarizing the study's results and recommendations.

1. PREPARATION OF RESPONSE – REQUIRED CONTENT

Each response to this solicitation will be considered a proposal submission and shall contain the requested information, as outlined below.  Failure to meet all of the specifications and requirements may result in rejection of your submission or an unsuccessful offer.  Additional information may be provided but should be succinct and relevant to the requested information contained within this solicitation.

Responses shall be limited to a total of ten (10) pages including cover letter (if desired).

7.1   All submittals shall, in the order given, contain the following elements:

7.1.1.  Business/Organization

This section shall include the individual or firm’s name, areas of expertise, a brief history of the firm, size, office location(s), and business address(es). The name, address and telephone number and email address of a contact person and/or prospective project manager regarding the proposal shall be included.

7.1.2.   Experience, Capabilities, and Governmental Client References

Provide a narrative description and documentation of the relevant experience and capabilities of the individual or firm including:

• A description of the individual or firm’s capacity to perform the scope of services in a timely manner;
• A description of the vendor’s experience in performing organization efficiency and staffing studies;
• At least three (3) references from organizations with 50-100 employees, with public sector clients preferred, from the past five (5) years including contact name, address, email address, and telephone number.

7.1.3.   Conflict of Interest

This section will include a statement from the individual or firm disclosing any potential conflicts of interest and that they will adhere to ethical guidelines.

7.1.4.   Proposed Fees

This section will include the outline of fees your or your firm would charge to provide the services described in Section 5.

1. Submission Instructions

Vendors interested in submitting a response to this solicitation shall mail or hand deliver a proposal meeting the requirements of Section 7 to the following address:

City of Benson
Attn:  City Clerk
120 W. 6th Street
Benson, AZ 85602

The outside of the envelope containing the vendor’s proposal shall be clearly marked “Proposal for 2023 Organizational Efficiency and Staffing Study”.   Proposals must be received no later than December 15, 2023 at 4:00 PM local time.  All submittals received by the deadline, whether selected or rejected, shall become the property of the City of Benson and will not be returned.

Faxed and/or electronic submissions will not be accepted.  Submissions delivered to any location, electronically or otherwise, other than the above will not be considered duly delivered.  The City of Benson shall not be responsible for re-routing submissions delivered to a person or location other than as specified above.

The City of Benson reserves the right to waive minor defects and/or irregularities in submittals and shall be the sole judge of the materiality of any such defect or irregularity.  The City of Benson reserves the right to open negotiations with all vendors which have been evaluated as most advantageous to the City of Benson’s requirements.  Additionally, the City of Benson reserves the right to clarify errors or omissions in order to gain further information, or correct minor ambiguities within the offer. Furthermore, the City of Benson reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

1. Evaluation Criteria

The City of Benson will use the following evaluation criteria to determine whether a firm can meet Benson’s needs.  An evaluation committee will assess and score each proposal with weighted scores as assigned below.  The maximum score will be 100 points.

• Experience and expertise in conducting organizational efficiency and staffing studies. (35 points)
• Relevance of past projects and references. (35 points)
• Cost-effectiveness and budget considerations. (30 points)

1. Evaluation Process

Responsive submissions will be reviewed only on a firm’s ability to provide the deliverables in Section 6 in a timely manner, and weighing the information provided by the vendor as outlined in Section 7 against Section 9.  The Evaluation Committee will select those vendors who score above 80 points on the evaluation of their proposal, in order to open negotiations.  Vendors who score less than 80 total points, but above 50 may still be considered for award.  Vendors scoring less than 50 points will not be considered and will be deemed as unqualified for award.

The City reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, to waive minor irregularities in said submissions, or to negotiate minor deviations with the successful firm.  Any submissions which are not submitted by the date and time specified within this RFP will be considered late and will not be considered.  Within 30 days of the submission deadline, the City will notify both the successful and unsuccessful bidders of the results of the evaluation process.

1. Appendices

Attached are the relevant documents that may help individuals or firms who wish to submit a proposal to understand the City’s current organization.  These include the:

• City’s current organizational chart as approved by Council
• City’s Strategic Action Plan which contains the Council’s vision statement for each department

Thank you for your interest in conducting the Organizational Efficiency and Staffing Study for the City of Benson.  We look forward to receiving your proposal.