Hillsborough County Public Schools Business
Action Item

DATE: Tuesday, May 2, 2006
TO: School Board Members
FROM: MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent

SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS

Accept the Proposals Submitted by Carlton Fields, Hill, Ward & Henderson, P.A., Ruden McClosky, and Gray Robinson for Request for Proposal (RFP) #4744-TS Legal Services – Land Use. The work will be assigned by the Chief Facilities Officer, in consultation with the School Board Attorney, taking into consideration the expertise required and circumstances of each assignment. (Business Division)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On March 1, 2006, the Purchasing Department on behalf of the Facilities Division issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Legal Services – Land Use based upon the specifications provided by the Facilities Division. The purpose of this RFP is to establish a partnership with a list of qualified preapproved attorneys/law firms interested in providing legal services for land use. Firms were asked to provide their knowledge, experience, references and cost. Proposals were due on March 29, 2006. To ensure fair and open competition, the District utilizes an online vendor registration system to notify potential bidders of available opportunities.

The District notified 607 vendors of the RFP and received four (4) proposals within the proposed timeframe (Attachment A). The evaluation process included a committee of district level personnel (Attachment B). The evaluation consisted of two phases. During Phase I the committee met on April 5, 2006, and evaluated the proposals based on the RFP criteria. Purchasing Staff contacted references to assist the committee in determining which firms would advance. The committee elected not to hold oral presentations, Phase II, but to recommend award based on the results of Phase I evaluation. The committee recommended all firms be awarded this contract (Attachments C, D and E). The fee schedule for each firm recommended for award is provided under attachment F. The initial term of the contract shall be for a three-year period with an effective date of May 3, 2006.

ANNUAL DISTRICT GOAL(S) AND CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S)

As stated in OPPAGA report: “Efficient purchasing and warehousing requires 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. These criteria should be met for each purchase without sacrificing quality.”

FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted: Yes)

The average yearly total cost of attorney fees for all district legal services is $749,293 based upon the expenses for the past three years. Legal activity does vary from year to year in amounts and among the various legal disciplines based upon circumstances at the time. The average expenses, paid for from operating budget dollars, have been paid for from budget dollars charged to the operation of the School Board. Legal costs incurred due to capital outlay matters including bond counsel, land use, real property, and construction litigation are charged to the appropriate projects in the capital outlay budget.

EVALUATION

Contract Administration or evaluation is performed by the Project Manager (end user) and Purchasing Analyst, 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.





SUBMITTED BY: Willie T. Campbell, CPPO, CPPB General Manager Procurement
 

 Thomas Gonzalez, School Board Attorney


________________________________________________

Cathy Valdes
Chief Facilities Officer
(813) 272-4004
Gretchen Saunders
Chief Business Officer
(813) 272-4270
5.09R
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20060502_175 * Section E Item# 5.09R