BOARD MEETING DATE: January 5, 2007
AGENDA NO. 25

Execute Contract(s) for Legislative Representation in Washington D.C.

SYNOPSIS:

Select and authorize the Chairman to enter into a contract with a firm(s) for legislative representation in Washington, D.C. in an amount not to exceed $99,000.  This contract(s) will be for one-year, beginning in January 2007, and may be extended for up to two one-year terms, upon satisfactory performance, at the Board’s discretion.  Total expenditures for the contract shall be up to $99,000 for the initial one-year period.  The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District will also contract with the selected firm(s) in an amount of $35,000 per year.  Funding for this contract is available in the Public Affairs FY 2006-07 Budget.  Funding for the two optional one-year extensions is contingent upon future Board approval of the Budget for the respective fiscal years.  Selection of the contractor or contractors will be made at the Governing Board meeting.

COMMITTEES:

Legislative and Administrative, December 8, 2006.  Less than a quorum was present during the discussion of this item at both meetings and therefore, no recommendations are made; those Committee Members who were present did communicate their concurrence with forwarding the two top-scoring firms for the Board’s consideration.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with a firm(s) for legislative consulting services in Washington D.C. for one-year, beginning in January 2007, with options for up to two one-year term renewals, upon satisfactory performance, at the Board’s discretion.  Total expenditures for the contract shall be up to $99,000 for the initial one-year period. 

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

Currently, the AQMD does not have legislative representation in Washington D.C., since the most recent contract for such services was terminated on July 1, 2006.  On October 6, 2006, AQMD released RFP #P2007-04 to solicit proposals for legislative representation in Washington D.C.

As the leading local air quality agency in the United States and an innovative leader in developing emission-reduction programs, AQMD is an important contributor to the national policymaking debate.  It is important to ensure that AQMD’s input continues to be conveyed in a timely and meaningful manner, and that AQMD is involved in policy development relating to allocation of federal resources to local agencies and possible upcoming amendments to the Clean Air Act.  Therefore, it is appropriate to continue direct representation and advocacy of AQMD’s policy positions on environmental issues in Washington D.C.

Outreach

In accordance with AQMD’s Procurement Policy and Procedure, a public notice advertising the RFP/RFQ and inviting bids was published in the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register, the San Bernardino Sun, Riverside County Press Enterprise, and the Washington Post newspapers to leverage the most cost-effective method of outreach to the entire South Coast Basin.  The RFP was also publicized in the Bidder’s Compendium (a national bidders listing), the Roll Call (a Capitol Hill newspaper), and the Washington Post.

Additionally, potential bidders were also notified by mail, over 100 RFP packages were mailed to lobbying and public affair firms in Washington, D.C.  Notice of the RFP were also mailed to the Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses and various minority chambers of commerce and business associations, the State of California Contracts Register website, and placed on the Internet at AQMD’s Web site (http://www.aqmd.gov/ where it can be viewed by making menu selections “Inside AQMD”/“Employment and Business Opportunities”/“Business Opportunities” or by going directly to http://www.aqmd.gov/rfp/index.html).  Information is also available on AQMD’s bidder’s 24-hour telephone message line (909) 396-2724.

Bid Evaluation

Six proposals were received in response to the RFP.  The proposals were evaluated and scored by a five-member evaluation panel.  Of the six proposals evaluated, five were forwarded to the Legislative Committee for their consideration based on a natural break of scores.  Prior to the Legislative Committee interviews, one firm withdrew from the contract competition.  The attached matrix presents the scores and total proposal cost for the firms that were interviewed by the Legislative Committee.

Panel Composition

The composition of the evaluation panel consisted of a business representative, a representative of the American Lung Association Chapter, the Sacramento Metropolitan AQMD Executive Officer, and two AQMD Assistant Deputy Executive Officers; 3 Caucasian, and two Asian Pacific Islander; five males.

Committee Discussion

There was no quorum at the end of the Legislative Committee meeting, and during the Administrative Committee meetings.  Therefore, it was recommended that two firms be forwarded to the Governing Board for further consideration at the January Board meeting.  Larry Greene, Air Pollution Control Officer for the Sacramento Metropolitan AQMD, was present at the Legislative Committee meeting and stated that his Board has granted him the authority to execute a contract and that he concurred with the recommendation of the two firms going forward for the Board’s final consideration. 

These two firms, namely, Bartlett & Bendall, LLC, and PodestaMattoon, Inc., were selected based on their experience, the quality of their presentations and their responses to air quality related questions.   

Resource Impacts

Funding for this contract is available in the Public Affairs FY 2006-07 Budget.  Funding for the two optional one-year extensions is contingent upon Board approval of the Budget for the respective fiscal years. 

Attachments (XLS 17kb)
RFP #P2007-04 Scores and Costs Matrix