Hillsborough County Public Schools Business
Action Item

DATE: Tuesday, May 16, 2006
TO: School Board Members
FROM: MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent

SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS

Accept the Request for Proposals (RFP) Submitted by Gray Robinson, P.A., Broad and Cassel, and Bryant, Miller, Olive for RFP #4722-TS Disclosure Counsel Service. The work will be assigned by the Chief Business Officer, in consultation with the School Board Attorney, taking into consideration the expertise required and circumstances of each assignment. (Business Division)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On February 23, 2006, the Purchasing Department on behalf of the Business Division issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Disclosure Counsel Service based upon the specifications provided by the Business Division. The purpose of this RFP is to establish a contract with a legal firm that is interested in providing legal services to assist the District with its disclosure of information to the investment community in conjunction with its bond and note issuance. 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 566 vendors of the RFP and received three (3) 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 a single firm for award, but after taking into consideration the Board's initiative to increase the number of qualified legal firms available to perform needed district services, three firms are being recommended for award (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 17, 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 fees paid in 2005-2006 were $79,374.26. The use of disclosure counsel began in 2005-2006 to protect the Board's interest. The amounts paid for disclosure counsel will vary based upon the number and amount of annual debt issues. The fees will be paid from the debt service fund.

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: Verna Hurley, Assistant Department Manager


 Reviewed by Thomas Gonzalez, School Board Attorney


______________________________________________

Willie T. Campbell, CPPO, CPPB
General Manager of Procurement
(813) 272-4374
Gretchen Saunders
Chief Business Officer
(813) 272-4270
5.07
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20060516_176 * Section E Item# 5.07