SR 07-18-2023 5C
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: July 18, 2023
Agenda Item: 5.C
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Gigi Decavalles-Hughes, Director, Finance Department, Revenue
Subject: Award RFP No. 363 and enter into Agreement with TeamCivX to provide
strategic advisory and communication services
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section
15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Award RFP 363 to TeamCivX, LLC, to provide strategic advisory and
communication services regarding potential ballot measures for the Finance
Department.
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a professional services
agreement with TeamCivX, LLC, a California Corporation, in an amount not to
exceed $400,000 for a five-year period, with future year funding contingent on
Council budget approval.
Summary
As the City continues its economic recovery, it is imperative to seek additional revenue
streams to advance City services and Council priorities. The City is considering
potential revenue ballot measures, including, but not limited to, business license tax
modernization. To provide expert advice and strategy for this work, the City seeks the
services of a strategic advisor. Staff recommends a five-year agreement with TeamCivX
in an amount not to exceed $400,000 to provide strategic advisory and communications
services regarding potential ballot measures.
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Discussion
As the City focuses on mobilizing its resources to finance priority areas identified by
Council and increase services, additional revenue streams are needed to fill the
financial gaps that are attributed to the pandemic and legal settlements. TeamCivX
would provide strategic advisory and communications services to help the City evaluate
the feasibility of local funding measures, design approved measures for the November
2024 ballot that align with community priorities and implement informational
communication efforts to raise awareness of the City’s needs and potential ballot
measures.
TeamCivX is a new company, but its core personnel have worked with the City on
several successful ballot measures in the past. The scope of service would include
working with City staff to discuss the feasibility of revenue ballot measures, assistance
in planning for and evaluating expected voter acceptance of prospective revenue
measures, and recommended approach for potential measures based on available data
and professional expertise. They would also assist with the prioritization of multiple
options and determine the support threshold for potential measures. This would include
communication to educate voters on revenue measures and provide transparency.
TeamCivX would also partner with the City’s existing polling consulting firm to design
and evaluate a statistically reliable poll of voters in Santa Monica to test potential
revenue measure strategies and messaging for the November 2024 ballot.
The five-year agreement with TeamCivX would span three election cycles. Staff
estimates $270,000 ($7,500 per month) spent on strategic advisory and
communications services, plus $130,000 allocated for three years of mailers, for a total
amount not to exceed $400,000.
Consultant Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best and Only
Bidder
TeamCivX
Evaluation Criteria
Experience with similar projects and working with municipalities,
technical competence, value added-breadth of services, ability to
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meet work plan/timelines, and cost of services.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
RFP Data
Date Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter &
SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
5/10/2023 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica Daily
Press
15 5/31/2023
Environmental Review
The award agreement is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section
15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. The award agreement is covered by the common
sense exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with
certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant
effect on the environment.” The award agreement will provide strategic advisory
services to the City. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the agreement would
not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is categorically
exempt from CEQA.
Additional Vendor Outreach & Justification to Award
Staff reached out to several firms that downloaded the RFP for feedback on why they did not
submit a proposal. Some firms that downloaded the proposal later determined that the scope
of service did not fit with their firms’ business, inadvertently forgot to submit the proposal, or
declined to comment.
Based on the evaluation criteria described above and criteria in SMMC 2.24.190, staff
recommends TeamCivX as the best qualified person or firm due to their team of seasoned
professionals with many years of experience working with municipalities. TeamCivX is a new
company, but its partners have assisted with 500 local revenue ballot measures in California
since 2001, raising tens of billions of dollars in voter-approved local revenue. Approximately
90% of the measures for which they have provided assistance have been approved by
voters. Locally, in the past, their staff has worked with the City of Santa Monica, Santa
Monica-Malibu USD (multiple bonds and parcel taxes since 2008) and Santa Monica College
(two most recent bond measures). They have also helped three Los Angeles County
agencies with public education programs related to successful countywide funding measures.
Statewide, they have helped Cities with sales taxes, transient occupancy tax measures,
business license tax measures, documentary/real estate transfer taxes, cannabis-related
measures, and others.
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Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the General Fund to award a
five-year agreement with TeamCivX for strategic advisory and communication services
regarding potential ballot measures.
Agreement Request
FY 2023-24
Request Amount Future Years Amount Department Account # Total Contract Amount
$133,333 $266,667 01300005.552010 $400,000
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: David Carr, Assistant City Treasurer
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. TeamCivX OAKS INITIATIVE FORM
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CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE NOTICE
NOTICE TO APPLICANTS, BIDDERS, PROPOSERS
AND OTHERS SEEKING DISCRETIONARY PERMITS, CONTRACTS,
OR OTHER BENEFITS FROM THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Santa Monica’s voters adopted a City Charter amendment commonly known
as the Oaks Initiative. The Oaks Initiative requires the City to provide this notice and
information about the Initiative’s requirements. You may obtain a full copy of the
Initiative’s text from the City Clerk.
This information is required by City Charter Article XXII—Taxpayer Protection.
It prohibits a public official from receiving, and a person or entity from conferring,
specified personal benefits or campaign advantages from a person or entity after
the official votes, or otherwise takes official action, to award a “public benefit” to that
person or entity. The prohibition applies within and outside of the geographical
boundaries of Santa Monica.
All persons or entities applying or receiving public benefits from the City of
Santa Monica shall provide the names of trustees, directors, partners, and officers,
and names of persons with more than a 10% equity, participation or revenue
interest. An exception exists for persons serving in those capacities as volunteers,
without compensation, for organizations exempt from income taxes under Section
501(c)(3), (4), or (6), of the Internal Revenue Code. However, this exception does not
apply if the organization is a political committee or controls political committees.
Examples of a “public benefit” include public contracts to provide goods or services
worth more than $25,000 or a land use approval worth more than $25,000 over a 12-
month period.
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative,
the City compiles and maintains certain information. That information includes the
name of any person or persons who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public benefit”
is sought by an entity, rather than an individual person, the information includes the
name of every person who is: (a) trustee, (b) director, (c) partner, (d) officer, or has
(e) more than a ten percent interest in the entity. Therefore, if you are seeking a
“public benefit” covered by the Oaks Initiative, you must supply that information on
the Oaks Initiative Disclosure Form. This information must be updated and supplied
every 12 months.
5.C.a
Packet Pg. 127 Attachment: TeamCivX OAKS INITIATIVE FORM (5751 : Award RFP No. 363 and enter into Agreement with TeamCivX)
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE DISCLOSURE FORM
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative, the
City compiles and maintains certain information. That information includes the
name of any person or persons who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public
benefit” is sought by an entity, rather than an individual person, the information
includes the name of every person who is: (a) trustee, (b) director, (c) partner, (d)
officer, or has (e) more than a ten percent interest in the entity.
Public benefits include:
1. Personal services contracts in excess of $25,000 over any 12-month period;
2. Sale of material, equipment or supplies to the City in excess of $25,000 over a
12- month period;
3. Purchase, sale or lease of real property to or from the City in excess of
$25,000 over a 12- month period;
4. Non-competitive franchise awards with gross revenue of $50,000 or more
in any 12-month period;
5. Land use variance, special use permit, or other exception to an established
land use plan, where the decision has a value in excess of $25,000;
6. Tax “abatement, exception, or benefit” of a value in excess of $5,000 in any
12- month period; or
7. Payment of “cash or specie” of a net value to the recipient of $10,000 in any
12- month period.
Name(s) of persons or entities receiving public benefit:
Name(s) of trustees, directors, partners, and officers:
Name(s) of persons with more than a 10% equity, participation, or revenue interest:
Prepared by: Title:
Signature: Date:
Email: Phone:
Permit #
FOR CITY USE ONLY:
Bid/PO/Contract #
5.C.a
Packet Pg. 128 Attachment: TeamCivX OAKS INITIATIVE FORM (5751 : Award RFP No. 363 and enter into Agreement with TeamCivX)