RFQ. HR 26-01.pdf

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REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

LEADERSHIP AND SUPERVISORY ACADEMY

RFQ No. HR 26-01

ISSUED BY

THE CITY OF BUENA PARK

OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER - PROCUREMENT DIVISION

6650 Beach Blvd.

Buena Park, California 90621

STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS/PROPOSALS DUE

October 12, 2026, Before 11:00 a.m. PDT

RFQ Contact

Mark L. Averell, CPPO Purchasing Manager

714-562-3740 maverell@BuenaPark.com mailto:maverell@BuenaPark.com https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj94Ir9po7bAhVKS60KHbg3BTIQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A//www.viewpointcloud.com/&psig=AOvVaw1-vRPOb_CHV9un2Vk4JOtn&ust=1526700024056157

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REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

I. INTRODUCTION

The City of Buena Park is seeking proposals from qualified persons, firms, or organizations interested in providing a Leadership and Supervisory Academy. The objective of this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) solicitation is to identify the highest-qualified proposer to provide these training services for a total of forty

(40) hours of curriculum. The hours will include either Option A) Ten (10) sessions consisting of 4 hours per session OR Option B) Five (5) sessions consisting of 8 hours per session. One session equals one day of training.

Prospective proposers may elect to propose an Option A and/or Option B Scope of Services. Based on review and evaluation by City, City may, at its discretion, elect to award individual or multiple contracts for each Option A and B, or award individual or multiple contracts for Option A and B.

The City reserves the right to make multiple awards if doing so serves in the best interest of the City. Final contract terms, including compensation and length of the agreement are subject to final City Manager and/or City Council approval, depending on department needs.

All firms must comply with all general and special requirements of the Request for Qualifications information and instructions enclosed.

II. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Important Due Date Date Time City issues RFQ September 8, 2026 N/A Questions about RFQ Due September 28, 2026 Before 4:00 p.m. PDT Addendum Issued October 5, 2026

Qualifications Submission Deadline October 12, 2026 Before 11:00 a.m. PDT Interviews at the City’s discretion November 2, 2026 N/A Award/HR Decision January 2027 N/A Course Begins February 2027 N/A

The City reserves the right to amend, withdraw, and cancel this RFQ. The City reserves the right to request or obtain additional information about any and all submittals before making an award. The City also reserves the right to seek clarification from any Proposer about any statement in its proposal that the City finds ambiguous.

III. BACKGROUND

Located in northwest Orange County, Buena Park is a Charter City operating under the Council-Manager form of government. The City has an annual budget of $186,005,720 (all funds). Buena Park is located 21 miles southeast of Los Angeles and is referred to locally as the “Center of the Southland” due to its easy access to both the 91 and 5 freeways. With a diverse population of approximately 82,450, Buena Park offers quality residential areas, excellent cultural and recreational facilities, and a stable economy within its 10.3 square miles.

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The City has a workforce of approximately 500 employees: 315 budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, plus an additional 185 part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees in the City Manager’s Office, City Clerk’s Office, Community & Economic Development, Community Services, Finance, Human Resources, Police, and Public Works departments. The Human Resources Department will facilitate citywide training and development services. The City strives to prioritize professional development.

SUMMARY PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The City of Buena Park is seeking proposals from highly competent, ethical, and experienced consultant firms to provide a Leadership and Supervisory Academy. Buena Park recognizes the importance of future succession planning, bridging the gap from Entry-Level Worker to Lead, from Lead to Supervisor, and from Supervisor to Manager. The City Council currently has this training as part of the 2026-2028 City Council Goals and Objectives:

Goal Three; Employee Development and Capacity: Prioritize professional development and educational opportunities for all staff, with a particular focus on developing a standardized leadership academy for future supervisors.

This program may be opened to employees from other nearby Cities, depending upon interest and class size.

OUTCOMES/GOALS

The Leadership and Supervisory Academy aims to build, develop, and refine leadership traits. As such, the following are the anticipated participant outcomes and goals:

• Participants are expected to attend all sessions throughout the program.

• Participants are expected to collaborate among fellow cohort members when assigned team exercises.

• Participants are expected to engage and participate in facilitated discussions.

• The program will end with a graduation to celebrate the completion of the program, featuring awards, speeches, and networking to honor participants’ contributions.

IV. SCOPE OF SERVICES

PLANNING

• Identify learning objectives for each course topic listed below.

• Develop curriculum for the training topics below.

• Provide training materials for City review at least ten (10) business days prior to conducting the training.

COURSE TOPICS

• Communicating with Confidence & Credibility - Defining clear communication goals to achieve desired results, essential elements of the communication process, and the identification of communication styles.

• Conflict Resolution Strategies & Management - Determining conflict management strategies that are most appropriate in various situations, identifying ways to develop flexible responses, and high-trust relationships to workplace conflicts.

• Designing & Delivering Effective Presentations - Development and practice of delivery skills to refine the

Page | 4 Request for Qualifications Leadership and Supervisory Academy ability to deliver information in a style that will keep the attention of the audience while addressing the salient points.

• Developing your Employees - Discussion of the skills and tools needed to identify, nurture, and support the professional growth of the team, and supporting employee growth through intentional development, coaching, and career-focused conversations.

• Expenditures, Budget, and Payroll “The Buena Park Way” - Foundational and practical session covering fiscal responsibility and financial management. "The Buena Park Way” will collaborate with the Finance Department to cover fiscal responsibility, CalCard reconciliation, budget reports, timesheets, and other financial processes.

• Inspiring Employee Motivation, Engagement, and Commitment - Explaining the application of motivational theories to current work situations and identifying ways to build and reinforce employee motivation.

• Leadership in Public Administration - Understanding the importance Leaders play in public administration covering trends in local government, delivering services, implementing policies, and responding to societal challenges.

• Strategic Thinking & Decision Making - Understanding the importance of building an action plan when dealing with day-to-day decision making or long-term goals.

• The Changing Role of Supervisors & Best Practices of Leadership - Developing a clear understanding of current theories and best practices of leadership, differences between leadership and management, and understanding the impact of leadership styles.

• The Politically Astute Supervisor - Learning the importance and impact of developing successful relationships in a political environment and understanding the role of organizational culture.

OPTION A/B

Option Total

Sessions Hours

Per Session Course Topics Per Session

A 10 4 1 B 5 8 2

IMPLEMENTATION

• Teach courses for a minimum twenty-six (26) City employees.

• Facilitate a total of forty (40) hours of curriculum.

• Each course topic shall be comprised of four (4) hours of training.

• Each session shall be comprised of four (4) hours (1 course) or eight (8) hours (2 courses).

• Provide all materials, including but not limited to, slide decks, reference guides, and notes sheets for attendees.

• Implement various teaching methodologies and practices to engage employees of all learning styles.

• Assess employees’ understanding of the learning objectives.

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AFTER TRAINING COURSE

• Issue post-training surveys and revise future courses accordingly.

• Invoices will be processed after each training session.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

All Respondents responding to this RFQ shall avoid organizational conflicts of interest which would restrict full and open competition in the procurement process. An organizational conflict of interest means that due to other activities, relationships, or contracts, a Respondent is unable, or potentially unable, to render impartial assistance or advice to the City; a Respondent’s objectivity in performing the work identified in the Scope of Work is or might be otherwise impaired; or a Respondent has an unfair competitive advantage.

V. ADMINISTRATION

1. Questions to RFQ

All inquiries relating to this Request for Qualifications shall be submitted via “Q&A” through the City’s Electronic Bidding System, PlanetBids Vendor Portal before the deadline and according to these specifications herein.

All questions are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 28, 2026.

2. Proposal Submission Requirements

Statement of Qualifications (SOQs) / proposals will only be considered from companies that have registered as a “Prospective Bidder” on the City’s electronic Current Prospective Bidders List. Companies that wish to appear on the Prospective Bidders List for this procurement solicitation may do so by registering online at:

https://vendors.planetbids.com/portal/39485/portal-home (Google Chrome is the preferred browser.)

Prospective Bidders should register under the following commodity codes:

• 91800 Consulting Services

• 91838 Education and Training Consulting

• 91883 Organizational Development Consulting

• 92400 Educational/Training Services

To become a registered vendor, please select New Vendor Registration from the agency’s Vendor Portal.

Enter the requested information and select Sign Up. A Verify email will be sent to you. By selecting Verify within the email you will be directed to the registration form. Complete the information requested and select Submit. All mandatory fields are denoted by a red asterisk. Registration is a multi-step process consisting of pre-registration, email verification and completion of the vendor profile. When you are done completing the vendor registration form, select Submit at the bottom right corner of the page to submit your profile.

Registration is immediate; you do not need to wait for the confirmation email to log in or begin using the system. Depending upon the agency, you may have additional information/certifications to complete. From the Vendor Profile page please review the left-hand navigation pane to complete any additional information requested by the agency.

After registering your company, click on the “Bid Opportunities” button from the Buena Park portal to view and download the Bid Documents. Companies that fail to specifically download this RFP will not appear on the Bidders’ List and will be unable to participate in this RFP. Questions regarding the registration process may be directed to the City’s online bid management provider, PlanetBids at 818-992-1771.

It is the responsibility of the Respondent to ensure their Proposal is received before the stated deadline. The https://vendors.planetbids.com/portal/39485/portal-home

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RFQ Administrator may be reached to verify receipt of proposals.

RFQ Administrator: Mark L. Averell

Purchasing Manager City of Buena Park 6650 Beach Boulevard Buena Park, CA 90621

(714) 562-3740 phone maverell@buenapark.com

Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance by the company of the conditions contained in this request for qualifications unless clearly and specifically noted in the proposal submitted and confirmed in the contract between the City of Buena Park and the firm selected. The City of Buena Park reserves the right without prejudice to reject any or all proposals.

3. Qualifications

In addition to deep expertise and experience, the selected Respondent will have the following qualifications:

• At least five (5) years of experience delivering training courses and employee development activities to local government agencies.

• Must provide three (3) relevant client references, preferably from local government agencies.

• Have qualified personnel who have prerequisite knowledge and experience.

• Meet the insurance requirements detailed in this RFQ document.

• Selected vendor shall be able to conduct business in the state of California and maintain a City of

Buena Park business license during the term of this Agreement.

Proposers who do not meet the Minimum Qualifications may be disqualified.

4. Selection Criteria

A selection committee comprised of the City of Buena Park Management Team shall review the proposals.

Proposals will be ranked on qualifications and the selection committee may choose to interview several of the top ranked proposers. However, at its sole discretion, the selection committee may forego interviews and select a proposer solely based on the review of the proposals. Interview Date, if needed: the week of November 2 through November 5, 2026.

Each proposal shall be evaluated based on a 100-point scale on the basis of the firm(s) expertise of personnel, approach to the project, thoroughness, prior projects or experience working with local government agencies, costs, and references included. The selection committee will make a recommendation to the City Manager or designee, who will determine final selection. Each factor shall be weighted by the City as follows:

Evaluation Criteria Weight Qualifications and Experience of the Proposer 20 Qualifications and Experience of Key Personnel 20 Method of Approach / Project Approach 25 Course Catalog with Course Descriptions 15 Project Costs 10 References 10 Total 100 mailto:maverell@buenapark.com

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5. General Terms and Conditions

The successful Respondent will be required to execute a Professional Services Agreement (“Agreement”).

A sample is attached as Exhibit “B”. The successful Respondent must meet all insurance requirements in the Agreement. All terms and conditions of the Agreement are non-negotiable. Failure to execute the Agreement and furnish the required insurance documents within the required time period shall be just cause for the rescission of the award. If any of the successful Respondents refuse or fail to execute the Agreement, the City may award the Agreement to the next most qualified Respondent.

6. Inquiries / RFQ Q&A

If prior to the date fixed for submission of Proposals, a prospective Respondent discovers any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission or other errors in this RFQ or any of its appendices or exhibits, the Respondent shall immediately notify the City of such error in writing and request modification or clarification of the document. Modifications shall be made by written Addenda to the RFQ.

If a Respondent fails to notify the City, prior to the date fixed for submissions of Proposals, of an error in the RFQ known to the Respondent, or an error that reasonably should have been known to the Respondent, the Respondent shall submit its Proposal at its own risk, and if the Respondent is awarded a Contract, it shall not be entitled to additional compensation or time by reason of the error or its later correction.

All inquiries relating to this Request for Qualifications shall be submitted via “Q&A” through the City’s Electronic Bidding System, PlanetBids Vendor Portal before the deadline and according to these specifications herein.

The final day for receipt of questions from the Respondent shall be on or before September 28, 2026, before 4:00 p.m. PST. To ensure fairness and avoid misunderstandings, all communications must be in written format and submitted only in the format set forth above. Any verbal communication will not be considered or responded to.

All questions received by the due date will be logged and reviewed and if required, a response will be provided via an addendum to the RFQ that will be posted to the City’s website.

Changes to the RFQ itself shall only be made by the City via a written addendum. Addenda will be published via PlanetBids and must be acknowledged. All addenda shall become part of the RFQ document requiring response by the proposer where indicated.

7. Completion of Statement of Qualifications Proposal

Proposals shall be completed in all respects as required by this RFQ. A proposal may be rejected if conditional or incomplete, or if it contains any alterations or other irregularities of any kind, and will be rejected if any such defect or irregularity can materially affect the quality of the proposal. Proposals which contain false or misleading statements may be rejected. If, in the opinion of the City’s Selection Committee, such information was intended to mislead the City in its evaluation of the proposal, and the attribute, condition, or capability is a requirement of this RFQ, the proposal will be rejected. Statements made by a Respondent shall also be without ambiguity, and with adequate elaboration, where necessary, for clear understanding.

Unauthorized conditions, exemptions, limitations, qualifications, or provisions attached to a Proposal will render it non-responsive and will cause its rejection.

The Respondent must submit Proposals in the format identified in this RFQ. The Proposal must address all requirements of the RFQ even if a “no response” is appropriate.

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Costs for developing Proposals are entirely the responsibility of the Respondent and shall not be chargeable to the City. The City shall not be liable for any costs incurred in response to this RFQ, including but not limited to, costs for any interviews, presentations, or other follow-up information necessary as part of the selection process. All costs shall be borne by the Respondent responding to this RFQ. The Respondent responding to this RFQ shall hold the City harmless from any liability, claim, and expense whatsoever incurred by or on behalf of the Respondent.

8. Delivery/Submission of Proposals

All proposals shall be submitted through the City’s bid management system (PlanetBids) by 11:00 A.M.

Monday, October 12, 2026, for the described project. Proposals shall be submitted electronically via the PlanetBids website by the deadline. A proposal submitted after the time set shall not be considered.

Submitted proposals shall be maintained as confidential records of the City up to the Submission Deadline.

Respondents may withdraw, modify, and/or resubmit a proposal prior to the Submission Deadline but not after. Proposers shall be bound to the terms of their proposal following the Submission Deadline; however, the City, in its sole and absolute discretion, reserves the right to accept post deadline modifications if it is determined that such modifications are in the best interests of the City. The City also reserves the right to waive minor non-substantive informalities or allow the proposer to correct them.

On the outside cover of the proposal the Respondent shall indicate the following:

NAME AND ADDRESS OF RESPONDENT

RFQ NO. HR 26-01

The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive information and minor irregularities in any proposal received. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions - Submission of a proposal pursuant to this RFQ shall constitute acknowledgment and acceptance of all terms and conditions hereinafter set forth in this

RFQ.

The time and date are fixed, and extensions will not be granted unless specifically stated by the City in an addendum to this RFQ. Proposals not received before the time and date stated above will not be accepted.

Proposals submitted shall be valid for a minimum of 180 days following submission.

9. Alternative Proposals

Only one proposal is to be submitted by each Respondent for this RFQ. Multiple simultaneous proposals will result in rejection of all Proposals submitted by Respondent. A Respondent may, prior to the proposal due date and time, withdraw a proposal and submit a new proposal, so long as the new proposal is submitted before the proposal due date and time.

VI. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

1. Presentation

Proposals shall be typed. Charts and schedules may also be included. The Proposal should not include any unnecessary elaborate or promotional material. Lengthy narrative is discouraged.

2. Introduction

A summary statement that demonstrates the proposer has a clear understanding of the City’s objectives and how it expects to address them.

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Acknowledge your firm will sign the City’s Professional Services Agreement for Consultant Services (attached). The City of Buena Park typically does not allow changes to the boilerplate consultant agreement.

Consultant must meet the required insurance limits.

3. Company Profile

The Respondent shall provide a general description of the firm, including a brief history and its experience in providing similar services as those requested in the RFQ in relation to our facility characteristics and project objectives.

4. Management and Staffing

List the roles, responsibilities of the individuals who will be directly involved with the project, including the Project Manager, that will be the primary contact with City staff and any subcontractors, and provide their individual resumes.

5. Prior Related Experience and Competence

The successful Respondent shall be skilled and regularly engaged in the general class or type of work called for under the Contract and also have no less than five (5) years of experience in the magnitude and character of the work proposed. It is the intention of the City to award a contract to a Respondent who furnishes the satisfactory evidence that they have the requisite experience, ability, sufficient capital, and facilities to enable them to perform the work successfully and properly, and to complete it within the time specified in the Contract. To determine the degree of responsibility to be credited to the Respondent, the City will weigh any evidence that the Respondent has performed satisfactorily on other contracts of like nature, magnitude, and comparable difficulty.

Respondent must provide a list of representative projects of similar scope and nature performed within the last five (5) years, particularly projects for other local government agencies (include a contact person for each representative project listed).

Respondent must also provide a minimum of three (3) references of local government agencies that have received or currently are receiving similar services. The references must include a contact person’s name, title, contact information, and brief description of final project.

6. Execution Plan

The plan represents the Respondent’s offer of services to the City. The proposed execution plan must include a detailed work plan describing how the Respondent will meet the project objective in the most cost-efficient and timely manner. The plan is to provide a detailed explanation of the Respondent’s approach in performing the services described in the RFQ Scope of Work section outlined above.

Include a project schedule showing start and completion dates for the specific tasks, including milestone dates and processing time for review by the City.

7. Compensation/Fee Schedule

All proposals shall include a detailed breakdown of the compensation proposed for work as outlined in Scope of Services section.

VII. SELECTION PROCESS

The selection of the firm to provide professional services in connection with this project shall be on the basis of demonstrated competence and on the professional qualifications necessary for the satisfactory

Page | 10 Request for Qualifications Leadership and Supervisory Academy performance of the services required. A professional service agreement will be entered into with the most qualified responsible individual or firm who complies with the prescribed requirements. The City reserves the right to waive any technical errors, irregularities, or rewrite discrepancies to serve the best interests of the City. No service contract will be awarded until all necessary investigations have been completed regarding the responsibility and qualifications of the firm or individual. Requests for Qualifications will be reviewed and evaluated by City staff based on the information provided in the proposal. Selection will be made on a “most qualified” basis. Criteria for selection will include, but not be limited to, overall qualifications of firm; prior relevant projects or experience for local government agencies providing services to employee populations similar in size to Buena Park; technical ability; methodology and stated approach to the project; individual qualifications of project manager, other key staff members and sub-consultants; capacity of firm to complete project per City’s timeline; references; proposal cost; and overall organization and quality of the proposals.

Those firms found to be among the “most qualified” may be invited to an interview. Based upon review of the proposals and the interview process, the City will notify the most qualified firm for agreement negotiations.

If negotiations are not successful, the next most qualified firm will be notified for negotiations. Final approval and budgetary authorization will be by the City Manager. Given the nature of the services, the City reserves the right to utilize its discretion in awarding the project.

VIII. PROPOSAL DEADLINES

All inquiries relating to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) shall be submitted via “Q&A” through the City’s electronic bidding system, PlanetBids Vendor Portal, before the deadline and according to these specifications herein.

All questions regarding this RFQ must be received via Planetbids by 4:00 p.m. on September 28, 2026. No questions will be taken after stated deadline.

Interested parties must submit a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) to the City of Buena Park, no later than 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 12, 2026. Late SOQ’s will not be accepted.

CONTACT

The sole City Representatives as contact for all matters regarding this RFQ is the Procurement Division. Any communications regarding this solicitation, whether written or verbal, with any City Council Member prior to award of a contract by City Council is prohibited and the Proposer may be disqualified from consideration.

IX. GENERAL INFORMAITON

Nothing in this Request for Qualifications shall be construed as to obligate the City to enter into a final contract for any scope of service the type of which is contemplated herein.

PUBLIC RECORDS

All Proposals submitted in response to this RFP become the property of the City and pursuant to the Public Records Act (Gov. Code, § 6250 et seq.) are public records, and as such may be subject to public review after notice of Intent to Award.

The Respondent must notify the City in advance of any proprietary or confidential materials contained in the Proposal and provide justification for not making such material public. The City shall have sole discretion to disclose or not disclose such material subject to any protective order that the Respondent may obtain. Note that under California law, price proposal to a public agency is not a trade secret.

The City reserves the right to make use of any information or idea contained in the Proposal. All materials, ideas and formats submitted in response to this RFP will become the property of the City on receipt.

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In submitting a Proposal, the Respondent agrees to enter into an Agreement with the City. The City’s standard agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit “B”. In the event of a conflict exists between documents the following order of precedence shall apply:

• Agreement

• City of Buena Park’s Request For Qualifications

• Respondent’s Response to the Request For Qualifications

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EXHIBIT A

AFFIDAVIT OF NON-COLLUSION and NON-DISCRIMINATION I hereby swear (or affirm) under the penalty of perjury:

1. That I am the Responder (if the Responder is an individual), a partner in the company (if the Responder is a partnership), or an officer or employee of the responding corporation having authority to sign on its behalf (if the responder is a corporation);

2. That the attached response has been arrived at by the Responder independently and has been submitted without collusion with and without any agreement, understanding or planned common course of action with any other Responder designed to limit fair or open competition;

3. That the contents of the Request for Qualifications response have not been communicated by the Responder or its employees or agents to any person not an employee or agent of the Responder and will not be communicated to any such persons prior to the official opening of the responses;

4. The Respondent agrees not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, or ancestry. The Respondent shall take affirmative action to ensure that employees are treated without regard to their race, creed, color, national origin, sex, or ancestry.

5. In the event of the Respondent's non-compliance with this non-discrimination clause, the Proposer may be canceled or terminated. The Respondent may be declared ineligible for further contracts with the City of Buena Park until satisfactory proof of intent to comply shall be made by the Respondent.

6. The Respondent agrees to include this non-discrimination clause in any sub-contracts connected with the performance of this agreement.

I have read the above stated clauses and agree to abide by its requirements.

Authorized Signature:

Printed Name/Title:

Company Name:

Doing Business As:

Subscribed and sworn to me this day of

Notary Public:

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EXHIBIT B

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT