2022200060_A1_RFI_Organizational Improvement Consulting.pdf

City of Eugene │Finance Division │ Purchasing (541) 682-5055

INVITATION TO SUBMIT INFORMATION

CITY OF EUGENE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

RFI #2022200060

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: ORGANIZATIONAL IMPROVEMENT CONSULTING

Issue Date: March 21, 2022

Responses Due: April 6 at 2:00 PM PDT

RESPONSES RECEIVED AFTER THE

CLOSING TIME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

Submit Responses to:

Margaret Merisante, Purchasing Analyst AIC MMerisante@eugene-or.gov

INTRODUCTION

The City of Eugene seeks responses from firms that are interested in providing information on their firm’s consulting expertise, abilities, experience, and depth of knowledge regarding assessing organizational structures and services in alternative public safety responses. The purpose of information gathered as a result of this RFI is to assist the City in providing a preliminary acknowledgement of interest, available consulting services and expertise in the areas of organizational improvement including strategic planning and financial analysis particularly in the areas of public safety, alternative public safety responses, and the City’s Community Safety Initiative. Through this RFI, the City is looking to choose the most appropriate vendor who either has a current State of Oregon or State of Washington Price Agreement for general organizational improvement and strategic consulting services or has a national cooperative Master Agreement for similar governmental organizational and strategic consulting services. This will be a fast-paced project; the City intends to have a contract in place by mid-April 2022.

mailto:MMerisante@eugene-or.gov

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I. BACKGROUND AND POTENTIAL SCOPE OF PROJECT

Introduction

The City of Eugene with a population greater than 170,000 people, has a Council-Manager form of government. In this form of government, the city council develops legislation and policies to direct the City. The city manager, hired by the city council, provides administrative direction to the organization, oversees City of Eugene personnel and operations, and carries out the city council's direction. The City of Eugene is a service-oriented and welcoming organization that provides services through six departments: Central Services, Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Police, Public Works, Planning and Development, and Library, Recreation and Cultural Services.

Project Statement of Work General.

The City of Eugene wants to evaluate effort and impact of certain alternative public safety response services / providers for mental health crises, homelessness-related issues, and certain other types of calls for service that are often handled by first responders; services that may be handled better by pairing a better resource to meet the need. Based on input from a community engagement processes, Budget Committee discussions, and City Council deliberations, the Eugene City Council provided direction to initiate financial and strategic analyses of core functions, services, costs, and viable options for alternative public safety response services and providers. This Work will consist of four phases and will involve internal /external customers, community partners, and stakeholders. A consultation firm would refine the Statement of Work for the evaluations and final study in conjunction with stakeholders and City staff.

Funding. This project will be funded by ARPA federal monies. A Respondent must be willing to fully meet and comply with the associated federal rules and regulations

Phase One: CAHOOTS Phase One Work delves into evaluating and analyzing areas of growth, weakness, or improvement together with a complete financial and strategic analysis of a successful alternative public safety response contracted by the City with White Bird Clinic for CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets).

Background.

CAHOOTS is a mobile crisis intervention program staffed by White Bird Clinic personnel using City of Eugene vehicles. This 30-year relationship of services is well embedded in the community. CAHOOTS provides support for Eugene Police Department (EPD) personnel by taking on social service type calls which include crisis counseling. Recognized nationally, CAHOOTS, allows citizens to receive needed medical attention while freeing up EPD resources to focus on their strengths. They often provide initial contact and transport for intoxicated persons, mentally ill, or disoriented persons, as well as transport for necessary non-emergency medical care. CAHOOTS is dispatched on EPD’s service channel and calls are triaged through the Central Lane Communication Center. Each van is staffed with a medic (nurse or EMT) and an experienced crisis worker.

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CAHOOTS calls are not all police and fire diverted calls. Some calls are a joint response, or CAHOOTS is summoned to a police or fire call after it is determined their services are a better match to resolve the situation. The City estimates CAHOOTS diverts between 5% to 8% of police and fire calls. The remainder of CAHOOTS calls falls outside the police and fire service profile.

First Phase Deliverable:

An evaluation of the CAHOOTS service model, including a cost for services analysis and identification of the impacts to the community.

Phase Two: Ambulance Response/ Low Accuity Medical Calls The second phase will evaluate the Eugene Springfield Fire (ESF) proposal that is working to address critical emergency response as well as transport capacity issues through an alternative service delivery model. Instead of responding with trained firefighters trained in advanced life support (ALS), the strategy would reduce cost by allowing dollars to stretch further through hiring staff specialized in the single role of basic life support (BLS) and ALS.

Background.

ESF is a shared department through an intergovernmental agreement (signed in 2010) between the Cities of Eugene and Springfield. From 2010, ESF calls for service within the City of Eugene have increased over 40%. Calls for patients requiring ambulance transport has increased 34% in the same timeframe. In particular, the City of Eugene has been Oregon’s largest public ambulance transport provider since assuming responsibility for delivering the service in 1980. Historically, the department has offered only the costliest option for service delivery—staffing with firefighters trained in ALS.

Despite the large increase in service demand, available resources levels have remained flat. The associated costs of delivering emergency medical services (EMS), including transport, continue to outpace cost recovery and other available financial resources. The transport system is over capacity, with a lack of available resources, and unit utilization exceeds safe margins for BLS units.

Starting in 2016, ESF has demonstrated early success with its BLS program providing much needed capacity at a lower overall cost. The transport system redesign calls for the use of single role BLS, single role ALS, and a small number of fire-based ALS ambulances. The transport system redesign also recognizes the need to provide first response to low acuity or non-emergent medical calls. A new community response unit--CRU as it will be called--is a part of the Eugene Community Safety Initiative being implemented in phases through FY 2027.

Second Phase Deliverable:

An evaluation of the current ambulance response service model alongside the new proposal, a cost for services analysis and identification of the impacts to the Community.

Phase Three: Community Response Services The third Work phase will be an identification and comprehensive review of current alternative response methods utilized by the City of Eugene. This Work phase will review and assess current approaches, examine the potential to enhance existing responses and create a cost analysis of these services.

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Background.

Phase Three Work will include, but not be limited to the following additional alternative response services in Eugene:

• Community Service Officers

• Outreach Teams

• Parks and Downtown Ambassadors

• Neighborhood Service Officers

• Unhoused Response Services (right-of-way and parks cleanup)

• Parks and Downtown Resource Officers

Community Service Officers (CSO) are highly trained, unarmed, non-sworn employees providing a wide variety of services to the public and EPD. CSO’s handle non-emergency calls and assist with investigations, crime prevention, special events, and major incidents. They also provide vital support and relief for patrol officers. Their primary functions include reviewing and approving online reports;

handling phone reports; responding to burglaries and traffic crashes; and taking missing person and runaway juvenile reports.

Outreach teams deliver basic needs supplies and develop relationships with individuals experiencing homelessness throughout Eugene. Outreach staff leverage those relationships to encourage unhoused individuals to access available shelter and participate in case management and housing navigation.

The outreach teams also help individuals decrease barriers to housing through document recovery and benefits enrollment activities. The City does not direct the activities of any outreach teams. This is a productive collaboration with Lane County and White Bird medical’s navigation empowerment services team (NEST) program that enables City staff to request timely outreach services to appropriate locations.

Park Ambassadors provide a welcoming presence for visitors and citizens and promote safety and security by encouraging appropriate and law-abiding behaviors such as dog leashing, alcohol consumption restrictions, and trash disposal. Providing public information to diverse populations in City parks and nearby areas such as park amenities, recreational or special event activities, and park rules, the ambassadors work to build positive community and visitor relationships.

Downtown Ambassadors provide information to the public about great places to get a bite to eat, upcoming events, parking, general wayfinding, and available social services while establishing a recognizable, welcoming City presence in our downtown core. They also educate the public on downtown rules and regulations (smoking, dogs, trespassing, etc.)

Neighborhood Service Officers act as a first point of contact in Eugene neighborhoods to provide customer service, conflict resolution, and emergency assistance in situations such as vehicle accidents or personal injuries including administering first aid if necessary. They promote public safety, economic activity, and neighborhood livability by providing a visible presence on the street through education, problem solving, and conflict resolution. They also issue municipal ordinance code violations, immobilize and impound vehicles in violation of local codes, and address right-of-way issues.

Unhoused Response Services are the City of Eugene strategic programs of actively partnering with Lane County and community stakeholders to strengthen our community’s homelessness response system in order to help people stabilize, connect with needed resources, and access shelter. The City

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Parks and Downtown Resource Officers are sworn police officers who work closely with the Eugene Community Court to achieve compliance in public spaces. When these officers encounter someone in need of resources or assistance, they direct them to Eugene Community Court where several service providers are on site. If someone commits a Community Court eligible offense, they can be cited in lieu of being taken into custody. Some eligible offenses include open container, criminal mischief or trespass, disorderly conduct, harassment, etc. Community Court aims to improve public safety and reduce misdemeanor activity in the downtown core to improve the quality of life for all. Community Court is comprised of a team of justice system and social service professionals dedicated to collaborating on cases to reach practical solutions to address individual’s needs and help them move out of the criminal justice system and toward an improved quality of life

Third Deliverable:

An evaluation of the preexisting alternative response service models, a cost-for-services analysis, and identification of community impacts.

Phase Four: Overall Evaluation and Recommendations The final phase will develop recommendations on options for alternative response to mental health crises, homelessness-related issues, and certain types of first responder calls for service that are or could be handled by other responders. The entire process and resulting overall recommendations, analyses and final report will aim to review current approaches and examine the potential to enhance existing responses, implement additional alternative response programs, and analyze the impacts of such approaches on cost and public safety outcomes.

Additionally, please provide information of opportunities for, or examples of, public / private partnerships for Mobile Integrated Health and Community Paramedics programs. Consider programs that use paramedics, health care professionals such as Physician Assistant or Nurse Assistant, and mental health and how they leverage partnerships with local hospitals and health care systems such as PeaceHealth. Consider successes, reductions in call volumes, better patient outcomes and failures, cost reimbursement opportunities with private insurance, Medicare, GEMT and first responder fees.

Background.

Alternative response concepts discussed through community engagement:

• Stable, on‐going funding for alternative court and court diversion programs that reduce the need for people to return to court by connecting them to services.

• Increase the ability to respond to calls for help with mental health, addiction, and other prevention services or other alternative responses in situations that do not require a police presence.

• Alternative response for non‐criminal emergencies.

• Strong support for an alternative to 911 for calls for non‐criminal emergencies such as mental health emergencies that would allow for quicker and more efficient response for police required emergencies.

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• Should more alternative services be provided and what should those be?

• Should current alternative services be expanded?

Questions where Eugene City Council members and staff want consultant’s expertise and evaluation:

1. To what extent are alternative public safety response services being provided in Eugene (by both the City and other partnering firms or agencies)?

2. What is the City’s and our partners’ current and future capacity and capability in providing such services?

3. Are there other or differently organized services we should provide?

4. Would a more robust solution—built on what we currently have--make sense operationally, fiscally, and to meet social responsibility?

5. Are there best practices similar municipalities are currently utilizing that would work in Eugene?

6. What specific services is CAHOOTS meeting under their current contract?

7. Who is covering what services in Eugene, and what are the market wages for those provided services?

8. Are there ways to capitalize on efficiencies by reorganizing and/or combining alternative response programs or through economies of scale?

Final Deliverable:

The comprehensive study will compile the previous deliverables, outline gaps identified in the system, provide a financial analysis of any proposed solutions as well as suggested strategic and implementation planning. The evaluation should include a service cost assessment as well as an assessment of program outcomes and effectiveness. Additionally, information about other cities providing alternative responses should be included as well as recommended improvements to existing programs

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II. REQUIREMENTS

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

A. The Respondent’s firm must have at least five (5) years of experience in governmental organizational, strategic, financial, and leadership consulting.

B. The Respondent must have expertise in governmental public safety or other related services consulting.

C. The Respondent must have previous experience working with municipalities within the past five (5 years).

D. The Respondent must confirm that they are able to meet and comply with ARPA federal rules and regulations.

REQUESTED INFORMATION

1. Provide a cover letter introducing your firm, its services, and areas of expertise.

2. Include in your response any recent governmental alternative response strategies that your firm has produced analyses and reports for similar to what is outlined in the Statement of Work above.

3. Provide a primary contact with all contact information.

4. Indicate your firm’s interest in working on this project through a current Oregon State or

Washington State Price Agreement or a current governmental cooperative Master Agreement as a result of this RFI. Include the relevant contract reference.

5. Respond to the minimum requirements above with detailed statements.

6. Include any additional information that may be useful to the City in understanding how your firm would provide Phase 1 of the Statement of Work to the City and refine the overall Statement of Work with City stakeholders and staff.

CONFIDENTIALITY

1. This RFI and one copy of an Offeror’s Response with accompanying forms received in response to the RFI shall be kept by the City of Eugene Purchasing Office and made a part of a file or record which shall be open to public inspection, excepting any information that is considered trade secret under ORS 192.501(2), each sheet of such information must be marked with the following legend:

“This data constitutes a trade secret under ORS 192.501(2) and shall not be disclosed except in accordance with the Oregon Public Records Law, ORS 192.”

a. The Oregon Public Records Law exempts from disclosure only bona fide trade secrets, and the exemption from disclosure applies only "unless the public interest requires disclosure in the particular instance." ORS 192.501(2). Therefore, non-disclosure of documents or any portion of a document submitted as part of a Letter of Interest may depend upon official or judicial determinations made pursuant to the Public Records Law.

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SUBMITTED MATERIALS PROPERTY OF CITY

All materials submitted for any portion of this Request for Information shall become the property of the City and will not be returned to Respondents.

RESPONSE SUBMISSION

Respondents to this Request for Information must submit their responses no later than 2:00PM, April 6, 2022. Late responses may not be accepted. Responses should be emailed to the City at MMerisante@eguene-or.gov .

CITY REVIEW

The City will review all Responses that are received prior to the closing due date and time. The City, in its sole discretion,

• may opt to have discussions and virtual interviews with some Offerors based on their qualifications, experience, availability, or expertise in the requested area of consulting;

• may choose to enter into direct cooperative Contract negotiations with a Responder;

• may decide to terminate the proposed project; or

• may choose to issue a future competitive solicitation based on the results of this RFI.

mailto:MMerisante@eguene-or.gov