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Subject
City Legal Services - Executive Search Proposals for City Attorney.
Recommendation
City staff recommends that the Mayor and Council proceed with the selection of the an executive search firm in one of three ways:
- Make a selection based on the written proposals;
- Conduct interviews with all three firms and make a determination based on the interview and written proposals; or
- Establish a subcommittee comprised of 2 Councilmembers who would evaluate the firms for selection (based on the written proposals and possibly an interview process) and make a recommendation to the full Council.
Change in Law or Policy
Appointment of an in-house City Attorney would require a change to Resolution 8-89 adopted on April 24, 1989, which names Paul Glasgow as City Attorney, through Venable LLP.
Discussion
On July 31, 2008, the City invited JDG Associates Ltd., CPS Human Resource Services, and Slavin Management Consultants to submit methodology and cost proposals to conduct the recruitment of the in-house City Attorney. All written proposals were submitted by August 15, 2008. The written proposals are attached for review and discussion (Attachments A, B, and C).
The scope of services for this position recruitment includes the following:
- Develop an overall recruitment strategy including specific sites and sources that will be used and the duration of the recruitment period within each source.
- Generate a pool of interested applicants who meet all minimum qualifications for the position and are highly competitive with respect to the preferred criteria stated in the job announcement and classification specification. The Contractor must demonstrate that maximum effort was expended to generate a viable pool of applicants.
- Forward resumes for applicants who meet the criteria listed in #2 above to the Mayor and Council of Rockville.
- Develop interview questions and criteria for candidate selection.
- Coordinate interview selection and employment offer processes.
- Conduct background investigation on final candidate selected by the City (e.g. licensing, credential verification, criminal records search, etc.).
The contractors were required to provide:
- A total cost figure for completing the services listed above. The cost figure must be itemized by task with the number of hours and hourly rates for each category of personnel as listed in the contract and all other consultant fees and other expenses necessary for completing the services.
- The proposed methodology for completing the services. The contractor should also provide a list of relevant search assignments.
- A timeline for completing the services.
- For each Contractor employee who will be working on the recruitment, a description of the employee’s experience recruiting for jobs similar to the position listed above.
The Mayor and Council should evaluate each contractor's proposals in the following manner:
- Cost and number of contractor hours (50%)
- Contractor methodology and qualifications (40%)
- Timely completion of services (10%)
Mayor and Council History
In January 2008, the Mayor and Council directed City staff to conduct an analysis of options for ensuring continued legal services in the most efficient means to the Council, Mayor and City agencies. The Mayor and Council sought to determine the relative advantages of changing the City’s legal services from an outsourced function utilizing a single firm, to an in-house legal office.
On April 16, 2008, the City Manager transmitted to the Mayor and Council the “City Legal Services” report that included a historical perspective of the current model, a cost analysis, and options for staffing the legal services functions. The Mayor and Council later requested and received a job description and draft advertisement for their consideration.
On June 9, 2008 a Public Hearing was held and the record remained open until close of business June 23, 2008. The Mayor and Council heard testimony from 5 speakers and later received written testimony from 3 individuals.
On July 28, 2008, the Mayor and Council chose to adopt an in-house legal services model. In addition, staff was instructed to retain the services of an executive search firm to help develop a position profile for the position of City Attorney and then to identify, recruit, and present highly qualified candidates for consideration. The Mayor and Council also elected to ride on the existing executive search firm contract held by Montgomery County government. Montgomery County government has three executive search firms on retainer (JDG Associates Ltd., CPS Human Resource Services, and Slavin Management Consultants).
Fiscal Impact
JDG Associates Ltd., CPS Human Resource Services, and Slavin Management Consultants have estimated that this recruitment will cost $45,898 plus expenses (not-to-exceed $3,500), $33,044.96 (includes $10,000 in estimated expenses), and $21,391, respectively.
The overall fiscal impact of an in-house department may result in some savings, which were presented in the April 16, 2008 City Legal Services Report and discussed on July 28, 2008.
Next Steps
Once the Mayor and Council selects an executive search firm, a contract will be negotiated and the recruitment work can begin.
Attachments
  
Department Head:
Carlos Vargas, Director of Human Resources
Approved on: 08/28/2008
Deputy City Manager:
Catherine Tuck Parrish, Deputy City Manager
Approved on: 09/02/2008
City Manager:
Scott Ullery, City Manager
Approved on: 09/02/2008
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