Title
Adoption of Resolution Amending Fiscal Year 2026-27 Non-Departmental General Fund Budget to Appropriate $125,000 and Transfer Appropriations from Vacancy Savings for Consulting Services of $125,000 for Recruiting Consulting Services; and Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute Six, Two-Year Service Provider Agreements in an Amount Not-To-Exceed $250,000 Each to the Hawkins Company, Cooperative Personnel Services (dba CPS HR Consulting), Muchmore Than Consulting, Teri Black & Co., Ralph Andersen & Associates, and WBCP Inc., for Executive and Management Level Recruitments. (Human Resources 10025060)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Gerry Beaudin, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (City) Human Resources Department periodically engages outside executive search and recruitment firms to support executive-level and management-level recruitments, given the specialized, confidential, and time-sensitive nature of these searches. To improve efficiency and ensure competitively priced, pre-vetted recruitment support is available when vacancies arise, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to establish a pre-qualified “bench” of qualified recruitment firms.
Following a competitive solicitation and evaluation process, staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to execute Service Provider Agreements with the selected providers for inclusion on the bench. Individual recruitments will be assigned to selected providers as vacancies arise, for an initial agreement term of two (2) years, with an aggregate not-to-exceed compensation across all selected providers of $250,000.
BACKGROUND
The Human Resources Department is responsible for a variety of personnel functions, including labor negotiations, recruitment, leave administration, professional and workforce development, and classification and compensation. Recruitment for the City's executive leadership positions (e.g., Assistant City Manager, Police Chief, Fire Chief, and Department Directors) and management-level positions (e.g., Division Managers, Program Managers, and Supervisors) is specialized and often time-sensitive, and the City periodically engages outside recruitment firms to support these efforts.
Historically, the City has engaged executive search firms on a case-by-case basis as individual vacancies arose. To streamline this process, ensure the City has ready access to pre-qualified, competitively priced recruitment support, and reduce the administrative burden of soliciting proposals for each individual search, staff issued an RFP to establish a bench of qualified providers available to conduct executive-level and management-level recruitments on an as-needed, task order basis.
On July 31, 2026, the City issued a RFP for Recruiting Services for Executive and Management Level Recruitments. Proposals were due August 25, 2026, at 2:00 PM, and the City received 19 proposals in response.
DISCUSSION
An evaluation panel comprised of Human Resources staff reviewed all 19 proposals against the criteria established in the RFP, including the Proposer's ability to carry out and manage assigned recruitments, qualifications, and experience, willingness to comply with the City's standard Service Provider Agreement, and cost.
Based on this evaluation, staff recommends the following firms for inclusion on the bench:
• The Hawkins Company
• Cooperative Personnel Services dba CPS HR Consulting
• Muchmore Than Consulting
• Teri Back & Co.
• Ralph Andersen & Associates
• WBCP
Consistent with the structure described in the RFP, inclusion on the bench does not guarantee any selected provider a minimum number of assignments or a minimum dollar amount of work. When the City has a recruitment need, staff will assign the search to a provider (or solicit brief statements of interest from some or all providers) based on factors such as expertise with the position type, availability, and past performance, and will issue a written task order identifying the scope and schedule for that specific recruitment.
Staff recommends an initial agreement term of two (2) years for each selected provider.
ALTERNATIVES
• Approve the proposed agreements with an adjusted term, scope, or not-to-exceed amount. The proposed agreements are based on availability, expertise, and an estimated 1-2 executive and management recruitments over the two-year term.
• Approve a subset of the recommended firms rather than the full slate recommended by staff.
• Direct staff to continue engaging executive search firms on an individual, case-by-case basis rather than establishing a pre-qualified bench, which would require a separate solicitation, and City Council authorization where applicable, for each future executive or management-level search.
• Do not approve the proposed agreements and provide staff with alternative direction.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funding for work executed under these agreements will be from the Non-Departmental General Fund (10000001) for which the recruitment services are needed. Reimbursement from non-General Fund departments will be requested if services under these contracts are required outside the General Fund.
Each of the six agreements has an individual not-to-exceed amount of $250,000 to allow flexibility in assigning recruitments. However, combined expenditures across all six agreements will not exceed $250,000 over the two year term.
Consistent with the bench structure described in the RFP, no selected provider is guaranteed a minimum amount of work, and the City will incur costs only as individual task orders are issued. Costs for individual recruitments are anticipated to be funded through the budget of the department with the vacancy (i.e., vacancy savings). The proposed resolution appropriates $125,000 of additional General Fund fund balance and $125,000 of General Fund vacancy savings to cover the total $250,000 of anticipated costs. Staff estimate of one to two executive and management-level recruitments per year, at estimated professional fees ranging from approximately $25,000 to $50,000 per search, plus reimbursable expenses such as advertising.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action is consistent with the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) provisions governing the procurement of professional services (AMC Section 2-59.3).
This action is subject to the Levine Act.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action does not constitute a “project” as defined in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 and therefore no further CEQA analysis is required.
CLIMATE IMPACT
There are no identifiable climate impacts or climate action opportunities associated with the subject of this report.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a Resolution amending fiscal year 2026-27 Non-Departmental General Fund budget to appropriate $125,000 and transfer appropriations from Vacancy Savings to Consulting Services of $125,000 for Recruiting Consulting Services and Authorize the City Manager to execute six, two-year Service Provider Agreements in an amount not-to-exceed $250,000 each to the Hawkins Company, Cooperative Personnel Services (dba CPS HR Consulting), Muchmore Than Consulting, Teri Black & Co., Ralph Andersen & Associates, and WBCP Inc., for executive and management level recruitments.
Respectfully submitted,
Noelle White, Human Resources Director
By,
Noelle White, Human Resources Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Ross McCarthy, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. The Hawkins Company Agreement
2. CPS HR Consulting Agreement
3. Muchmore Than Consulting Agreement
4. Teri Back & Co. Agreement
5. Ralph Andersen & Associates Agreement
6. WBCP Agreement