Executive Search Firm

Dane County, Wisconsin is seeking an executive search firm to assist the County Executive's Office with recruiting department heads for three critical positions: Highway and Transportation Commissioner, Director of the Department of Human Services, and Director of the Department of Justice Reform. The Request for Proposal (RFP) requires a comprehensive recruitment assistance service that includes activities such as meeting with community members, developing leadership profiles, designing recruitment processes, creating recruiting documents, identifying potential candidates, and supporting interview processes. Evaluation criteria will assess staff qualifications, firm capabilities, recruitment approach, technological capabilities, diversity recruitment experience, and cost, with a total possible score of 105 points. Cost specifically accounts for 30 points (28.6% of total score). The solicitation was released on June 12, 2023, with questions due by July 10, 2023, and proposal responses required by July 19, 2023 at 2:00 pm. The County intends to establish a contract with an initial term of up to five years, covering the period from 2023 through 2027.

The RFP includes location-based scoring advantages for local vendors, with Dane County-based firms automatically receiving five additional points and vendors from adjacent counties receiving two points. While no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are mentioned in the available documentation, the scoring system appears to provide some preference for local businesses. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the County's eProcurement Portal, with specific requirements for document formatting and submission. Although a specific budget range is not disclosed, the contract's potential five-year duration and coverage of multiple high-level recruitment efforts suggests a substantial potential award value. The procurement process emphasizes finding a firm with demonstrated expertise in executive recruitment, particularly for public sector leadership positions, with a strong focus on comprehensive candidate identification and selection processes.