Accept and Approve Attached Contract with the Lowest and Best Proposal Submitted by Chastain-Skillman, Inc. – Request for Proposal (RFP) #8161-DST Environmental Consultant Services (Business Division)

On July 22, 2008, the Procurement Department, in conjunction with the Safety Office, issued a Request for Proposal ("RFP") to obtain the services of an Environmental Consultant. The following factors were considered when evaluating proposals: background of the proposer and subcontractor(s), including professional qualifications and experience of each of the team members and their qualifications, references, scope of services, capability of proposer to meet district requirements, utilization of small businesses, demonstrated commitment to quality, cost effectiveness of service, customer support services, and appendices. Proposals were accepted on August 12, 2008. The District utilizes two on-line vendor registration systems to notify potential bidders of opportunities. Through these systems, five firms responded (Attachment A). The evaluation process included a committee of District-level personnel (Attachment B). On August 18, 2008, the committee evaluated the proposals based on stated RFP criteria, Phases I and II (Attachment C). The evaluation committee selected five firms to move to future phases (Attachment D). The five vendor presentations were evaluated at the committee meeting on September 11, 2008 (Attachment E). Upon completion of all phases of the RFP, the committee reviewed key points as a group, individually rated each firm for final compilation and ranking (Attachment F), and recommended Chastain Skillman, Inc. for the award.

As stated in OPPAGA report: “Efficient purchasing and warehousing require that management processes be in place to ensure that supplies, equipment, and services vital to the school’s education mission are purchased from a competitive source, in the right quantity, delivered timely to the correct location, and stored in a secure location."

Funds of approximately $1,500,000 will be available in the Safety and Risk Management Department and Facilities Division budgets for the purchase of environmental consultant services.

Contract administration or evaluation is performed by the Project Manager and Senior Procurement Officer, who function as a team. Reviews are conducted face to face, typically quarterly, or by utilizing an online vendor performance report. Prior to soliciting a new contract, the Contract Administration team must first give consideration to the specifications and supporting data of the expiring contract.