CHRO_RFP.docx

CLOSED

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Executive Search Firm Services

ISSUE DATE:

Monday, October 12, 2026

DATE/TIME LAST DAY FOR QUESTIONS:

Monday, October 19, 2026

DATE/TIME OF CLOSING:

Monday, October 26, 2026

Table of Contents

City of Urbana Request for Proposals (RFP) for Executive Search Firm Services

SECTION I: PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1.1 Purpose of Request for Proposal (RFP)

The City of Urbana is soliciting proposals from qualified, professional executive recruitment firms to provide executive recruitment services for the search for Chief Human Resources Officer. The intent of this RFP is to partner with an executive recruitment/search firm or firms experienced in executive recruitments to provide high quality service, delivering highly qualified, diverse, and well-vetted candidates.

Proposers should submit proposals to conduct the search for Chief Human Resources Officer and provide pricing accordingly.

In addition, the selected Proposer may be requested to assist the City in conducting future searches and sourcing of Executive Management Team and/or Leadership Team level candidates as needed through Dec. 31, 2029. This will vary upon project, need, and situation. Scope and cost will be negotiated between the City and the consultant as the need arises. This arrangement does not provide exclusivity; the City also reserves to the right to enter into agreements with more than one search firm.

1.2. Standard Terminology

The term “City” refers to the City of Urbana. A prospective Contracting Agency will be referred to as the “Vendor” or “Proposer” or “Consultant.” “Proposal” or "Bid" shall refer to all proposals, bids, quotes, and/or qualifications submitted in response to the RFP. "Time" shall refer to all time limits designated as days within these documents and shall be interpreted to mean calendar days unless otherwise specified. A calendar day is every day on the calendar.

1.3. Questions

Any questions, interpretations or clarifications, either administrative or technical, about this RFP must be submitted in writing by Monday, October 19, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. CST. Answers to all questions of any substantial nature will be provided to each Proposer from whom a vendor registration has been received. Oral statements concerning the meaning or intent of the contents of this RFP by any person is unauthorized and invalid. All questions either technical, commercial, or contractual in nature, shall be directed to: Molly Lynch, City of Urbana Human Resources Executive Assistant: Molly.Lynch@UrbanaIL.gov. No verbal inquiries of any nature to any City employee will be considered or addressed.

1.4. Addenda

The City may modify this RFP, any of its key action dates, or any of its attachments, prior to the bid submittal date. Addenda will be numbered consecutively as a suffix to the RFP title. It is the Proposer’s responsibility to ensure they have incorporated all addenda items. Failure to acknowledge and incorporate addenda will not relieve the Proposer of the responsibility to meet all terms and conditions of the RFP and any subsequent addenda.

1.5. Submission of Proposal

Proposals will be accepted on or before the date and time indicated.

1.6. Proposer’s Cost

Costs for developing proposals are entirely the responsibility of the Proposer and shall not be chargeable to the City of Urbana.

1.7. Exceptions

If a Proposer takes exception to any part of these specifications as written, or as amended by any addenda subsequently issued, they must do so in writing. Said exceptions must be submitted with the proposal. Failure to do so will be construed as acceptance of all items of the specification.

1.8. Proposals Become the Property of City Of Urbana

Proposals become the property of the City of Urbana and, along with later submissions, will not be returned to the proposing party. The City reserves the right to make use of any information or ideas contained in the proposal.

1.9. Public Records and Requests for Confidential Treatment

Proposals will be open to the public under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) (5 ILCS 140) and other applicable laws and rules, unless specifically requested in the proposal that City treat certain information as exempt.

A request for confidential treatment will not supersede the City’s legal obligations under FOIA. The City will not honor requests to exempt entire proposals, and it shall be the responsibility of the proposing party to show the specific grounds under FOIA or other law or rule that support exempt treatment. Regardless of the application of any exemptions pursuant to FOIA or other law or rule, the City shall disclose the successful Proposer(s)’s name(s), the substance of the proposal, and the price.

If a Proposer requests exempt treatment of a portion(s) of their proposal, they must submit an additional copy of the proposal with such exempt information visibly redacted (not deleted). This copy must state the general nature of the material redacted and shall retain as much of the proposal as possible. The proposing party shall be responsible for any costs associated with the City’s defense of the request for exempt treatment. Further, the Proposer agrees to allow the City to facilitate evaluation, or to respond to requests for public records. Additionally, the Proposer warrants that the copy or duplication of the proposal pursuant to a request for public records will not violate the rights of any third party.

1.10 Proprietary Information

Any restrictions on the use of information contained within a proposal shall be clearly stated as such within the proposal. The City will only be able to comply with a request for confidentiality to the extent allowed by law.

1.11. Rejection of Proposals

The City may reject any or all proposals and may waive any immaterial deviation in a proposal. The City's waiver of an immaterial defect shall in no way modify the RFP documents or excuse the Proposer from full compliance with the specifications if awarded the contract. Proposals referring to terms and conditions other than the City’s terms and conditions may be rejected as being non-responsive.

The City may make investigations as deemed necessary to determine the ability of the Proposer to perform the work, and the Proposer shall furnish to the City all such information and data for this purpose as requested by the City. The City reserves the right to reject any proposal if the evidence submitted by, or investigation of, such Proposer fails to satisfy the City that such Proposer is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the contract and to complete the work specified.

1.12. Cancellation

This solicitation does not obligate the City to enter into a contract. The City retains the right to cancel this RFP at any time. No obligation, either expressed or implied, exists on the part of the City to make an award or to pay any cost incurred in the preparation or submission of a proposal.

1.13. Evaluation Criteria

A detailed evaluation of the proposal will be conducted by the City. Evaluations will be based on at least the following criteria, not necessarily in the order provided or with equal weight given to each criterion. The selected firm must comply with all applicable Federal, State, and local affirmative action and equal employment opportunity laws. The City may contact or interview vendors to obtain additional information following receipt of proposals.

The Proposer will be evaluated based on:

1. Compliance with the RFP requirements;

2. Cost of the specified items or services; and

3. Other criteria as set forth below:

A. The ability, capacity, and skill of the Proposer to meet the contract requirements and/or provide the services;

B. The capacity of the Proposer to meet the contract requirements and/or provide the services promptly or within the time specified, without delay or interference;

C. The character, integrity, reputation, judgment, experience, and efficiency of the Proposer, including but not limited to past performance record; default under previous contracts, whether or not such contracts were with the City; competency; and failure to pay or satisfactorily settle all bills due for labor and material on former contracts;

D. The quality of performance by the Vendor of previous contracts;

E. The previous and existing compliance by the Vendor with laws and ordinances relating to the contract;

F. The sufficiency of the financial resources and financial ability of the Proposer to perform the contract;

G. Completion and approval of all required documents as specified; and H. Whether the proposal submitted meets the instructions, requirements, and specifications set forth in the RFP or qualifications and related documents.

1.14. General Instructions

All proposals shall follow the format described in Section IV: Proposal Instructions and Format. Information requested from the Proposer by this RFP should be provided in a direct and concise manner. Responses shall refer directly to section numbers in this RFP and meet or exceed the requirements described in the sections of this RFP. It should be understood that failure to respond to a specific requirement may be the basis for elimination of a Proposer from consideration during comparative evaluation of proposals.

1.15. Proposal Guarantee

All proposals made in response to this RFP shall be irrevocable for ninety (90) days after the due date for submission of proposals and may not be withdrawn by the Proposer during this period. Upon the earlier of ninety (90) days or when the City enters into a contract with the winning Proposer(s), the proposal may be withdrawn by Proposer upon Proposer’s written request if the Proposer’s proposal has not been selected prior to the request to withdraw.

1.16. Acceptance of Proposal Content

The contents of the proposal or parts thereof selected by the City will become contractual upon incorporation into the final contract documents.

1.17. Customer Service

The City expects the selected Proposer(s) to deliver a high level of customer service regarding the provision of any service to the City, its employees, and its customers.

1.18. Public Advertising

The Proposer is specifically denied the right to use the name of the City of Urbana for public advertising or reference in any form.

1.19. Vendor Responsibilities

The selected Proposer(s) shall assume responsibility for providing all requested services described in Section II and/or Section III, “Scope of Services.” The City will consider the selected Proposer(s) to be the sole point of contact with regard to contractual matters, including the performance of services and the payment of any and all charges resulting from contract obligations.

The selected Proposer(s) shall be required to commit sufficient resources to providing the services described in the “Scope of Services” for the proposed recruitment.

1.20. Insurance

Upon execution of the contract, the Proposer(s) will provide copies of certificates of insurance to the City. The successful proposer must provide malpractice/liability insurance of $1,000,000.00 per incident, $1,000,000.00 aggregate coverage and provide certificates of coverage then in force. The Proposer shall provide the City with those current certificates of insurance naming the City as an additionally insured.

1.21. Indemnity

The successful Proposer(s) shall be required to indemnify, hold harmless and defend the City and its elected and appointed officials and employees from and against any and all claims, actions, causes, rights, remedies, damages, judgments, decrees, liabilities, and defenses asserted against the City in any lawsuit, administrative proceedings or arbitration which proximately cause any personal injury, bodily injury or property damage which arises out of the Successful Proposer’s intentional, willful, wanton, grossly negligent, or negligent wrongful act or omission whether or not in performance of its obligations and responsibilities as set forth in the Contract.

1.22. Payment

Payment will be made within forty-five (45) days of submission of an invoice for services.

SECTION II: SCOPE OF SERVICES – CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER (CHRO)

The City has newly budgeted for a Chief Human Resources Officer in FY2026-2027. This is a new position in the City’s staffing structure and in the Human Resources management function and structure.

2.1 Description of the Human Resources Division

Human Resources is a division of the City’s Executive Department and oversees and supports a broad range of centralized and decentralized human resources functions. The major functional activities of the division consist of recruitment and selection; benefits administration; labor and employee relations; HR risk management; and administration. Including the CHRO, the division staffs eight (8) full-time employees supporting a workforce with approximately 290 budgeted positions.

2.2 Deliverables

Phase I – Pre-Recruitment Planning

1. Meet with City leadership prior to commencement of the recruitment to receive information and feedback regarding the expectations of the City, the priorities, opportunities and challenges for the position, and the professional, interpersonal, and leadership qualifications of the preferred candidates.

2. Meet with appropriate internal stakeholders to obtain information regarding expectations, challenges, requirements and responsibilities of the position.

3. Develop the recruitment timetable.

4. Offer revisions to job description based on current best practices.

Phase II – Recruitment of Qualified Candidates

1. Develop a comprehensive recruitment strategy that aligns with the City’s equal opportunity in employment statement and is designed to appeal to a diverse range of qualified applicants:

A. Conduct a regional or national recruitment and search for qualified candidates with an emphasis on diversity in the applicant pool, utilizing best practices for executive searches of this type with particular emphasis on direct outreach and personal contact. The selected Vendor shall be responsible for developing and implementing an advertising plan including preparing and placing recruitment notices as proposed to and agreed upon by the City. Vendor is responsible for target marketing and controlling costs associated with such marketing.

B. Develop materials, including but not limited to a recruitment brochure, describing the position’s requirements, ideal candidate, and preferred attributes.

C. Place advertisements for the open position.

D. Communicate with interested applicants and respond to requests for information regarding the recruitment and selection process.

E. Develop a method for applications to be submitted directly to the Vendor’s website. At the end of the application period, all application and other documents/materials will be transferred to and become property of the City.

2. Develop a list of incumbent Chief Human Resources Officers, Human Resources Directors, and other qualified individuals who possess the attributes that the City is seeking. Directly recruit those individuals to apply for the Urbana Chief Human Resources Officer position.

Phase III – Application Screening

1. Complete an initial screening of applications against the City’s hiring criteria as described in the published recruitment profile.

2. Provide a summary of the initial screening along with a ranking of candidates for the City leadership team’s consideration.

Phase IV – Semi-Finalist Screening

1. Assist with the development of interview questions.

2. Schedule and facilitate phone or video interviews with each of the semi-finalists. Vendor will meet with the City leadership team to discuss the profiles of each semi-finalist and assist in deciding which candidates to invite for final interviews and condense the list as appropriate. Vendor will provide the City with well-written, detailed evaluations of each candidate, including academic and professional credentials.

3. Notify all candidates not selected as finalists for the position.

Phase V – Finalist Interviews

1. Assist with final interviews, including the development of interview questions.

2. Assist in the final evaluation of all candidate data and in the selection of the final candidate who will receive the job offer.

3. Secure authorizations and conduct thorough pre-employment checks on the proposed finalists, including, but not limited to verification of educational credentials, work history, general conduct, legal history, and social media activity. If there have been any position changes over the past 5-10 years that were not considered promotions, provide details on the circumstances of the change.

4. Conduct at least three initial professional reference checks on the proposed finalists.

5. Provide notification to all candidates not selected for the position.

Phase VI – Negotiation and Approved Contract with Final Choice Candidate

1. Assist with negotiating a compensation/benefits package for such candidate. Should the final candidate decline the job offer, Consultant will assist with identifying additional finalists until a final employment contract is reached or final acceptance of employment is received, as applicable.

VII. City’s Role:

The City’s roles and responsibilities include:

· All public and employee communications related to the recruitments;

· Final screening of all candidate materials and determining the candidates who will advance to the interview phase of the process;

· Coordination of the final selection process, including the scheduling of interviews and other activities such as travel and lodging arrangements, as necessary;

· Final selection of the preferred candidate to advance to contract negotiations;

· Negotiating the salary, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment with the successful applicant; and

· Completing the onboarding process for the selected candidate.

The City may propose additional tasks as deemed necessary. Any additional services shall be compensated as agreed upon in the resulting contract with the City.

SECTION III: PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS AND FORMAT

4.1 Introduction

To be considered responsive to this RFP, Proposer must submit proposals in the format identified in this section. All requirements and questions in the RFP must be addressed and all requested data must be supplied. The City of Urbana reserves the right to request additional information that, in City’s opinion, is necessary to assure that the Proposer’s competence, number of qualified employees, business organization, and financial resources are adequate to perform according to contract.

4.2. Key Dates

· Any questions, interpretations or clarifications, either administrative or technical, about this RFP must be directed in writing by Monday, October 19, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. CST to: Molly.Lynch@UrbanaIL.gov.

· Proposals must be received by Monday, October 26, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. CT.

4.3. Delivery of Proposals

· Electronic submission of proposals via this platform; emailed proposals or proposals submitted via other means will not be accepted.

· Proposals must be received no later than the date and time specified in Section 4.2. LATE PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

· Proposals should be prepared in such a way as to provide a straightforward, concise delineation of capabilities to satisfy the requirements of this RFP.

· Responses should emphasize the Proposer’s demonstrated capability to perform work of this type.

4.4. Proposal Format and Content

Proposals shall adhere to the following format for organization and content:

1. Cover Letter - The cover letter shall include a statement of intent to perform the services and confirm that all elements of the RFP have been reviewed and understood. The letter should be signed by an individual who can bind the Proposer contractually.

2. Profile of Firm – This section shall include a brief description of the firm’s size as well as the organizational structure.

3. Qualifications of Firm – This section shall include a summary of the Proposer’s and any sub-consultants’ qualifications and previous experience on similar or related projects. Description should include pertinent project experience and successes in recruiting and placing candidates with diverse backgrounds in comparable positions, including department heads and police chiefs in municipalities, particularly those in similarly-situated municipalities.

4. Project Staff – Identify the key individuals who will work with the City, along with their contact information. The proposal must describe the qualifications and experience of each professional who will participate in the project, including a resume for each member of the team. A project manager must be designated and an organizational chart showing the manager and all project staff must be included.

5. Project Approach – Proposals should include an explanation of the proposed course of action. References should be made to the requirements of this RFP and plan for meeting those requirements. If you propose changes to the approach set forth in the Scope of Services, those changes should be specified clearly. Explain the proposed methodology that will be used and clearly demonstrate understanding of the objectives the project is intended to complete. This section should include a proposed project schedule, indicating how each task under the Scope of Services will be accomplished. This section should include proposed timetables for each phase of the proposed recruitment.

6. Fee Proposal – The cost proposal must describe both the total and detailed price to complete the scope of services. Fee structure shall include specific costs for services, fee payment schedule, and any applicable cost guarantees. It should include the reimbursement process for “other costs” associated with recruitment efforts that are expected to be reimbursed. All charges to complete a successful recruitment should be submitted and there should be no hidden costs.

Proposer should also include pricing differential for higher‐level executive and lower-level management position searches.

7. References – At least three (3) professional references that can be contacted for verification of the respondent’s experience and qualifications. The references should be public sector agencies for which the individual and/or firm has successfully placed candidates in executive positions, especially those pertaining to the specified vacancies, preferably from comparably sized organizations and/or communities. Each reference shall include the name, title, phone number, and email address of an individual who can speak to the efficacy, satisfaction, and other relevant details of the Vendor’s contract performance.

8. Exceptions/Deviations – State any exceptions to or deviations from the requirements of the RFP, segregating “technical” exceptions from the “contractual” exceptions. Where Proposer wishes to propose alternative approaches to meeting the City’s technical or contractual requirements, these should be thoroughly explained. If no contractual exceptions are noted, Proposer will be deemed to have accepted the contract requirements.

9. Addenda – acknowledgement of any addenda. This can be found in Exhibit A.

10. Equal Employment Opportunity (E.E.O.) Workforce Statistics Form. Each Proposer should also include other requested documents, including your corporate EEO Statement and the company’s Sexual Harassment Policy. The form and additional information can be found at Exhibit B.

11. Vendor Representations and Additional Duties (VRAD): Vendors are required to complete, sign, and return the attached VRAD form. By signing and returning the Certification, the undersigned individual certifies that they are familiar with and comply with the legislative acts summarized therein. This can be found at Exhibit C.

12. Proposed Agreements – All contract documents and warranties with which the City is expected to agree in the case of a contract award.

13. Additional Information - Any information that the Vendor believes the City should consider.

Exhibits for use and review in Proposer’s response:

· Exhibit A: Acknowledgement of Addenda

· Exhibit B: EEO Workforce Statistics Form

· Exhibit C: Vendor Representations and Additional Duties (VRAD)

Exhibit A: Acknowledgement of Addenda

Proposer has examined and carefully studied the Request for Proposal documents and the following Addenda, receipt of all of which are hereby acknowledged.

City of Urbana, Illinois

Exhibit B: Equal Employment Opportunity (E.E.O.) Workforce Statistics Form

EEO (1/6)

EEO (2/6)

EEO (3/6)

EEO (4/6)

EEO (5/6)

EEO (6/6)

Exhibit C: Vendor Representations and Additional Duties (VRAD)

VENDOR REPRESENTATIONS AND ADDITIONAL DUTIES

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VENDOR REPRESENTATIONS AND ADDITIONAL DUTIES

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