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HomeMy WebLinkAboutContracts & Agreements_43-1990_CCv0001.pdf 12424 Wilshire Boulevard,Suite 8iO Los Angeles,California 90025-1042 Telephone(213)820-4600 Warman Roberts & Associates, Inc. Fax (213)820-7674 0V U0 r— I September 6, 1990 TO SIGN & REETU]RN VIA FEDERAL EXPRESS CONFIDENTIAL Mayor and Members of the City Council City of Redlands c/o John E. Holmes City Manager 30 Cajon Street Redlands, CA 92373 Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council: In response to the request by John Holmes, Norman Roberts & Associates, Inc. is pleased to submit this proposal to conduct an assignment to assist the City of Redlands in its efforts to recruit and screen candidates for the position of City Manager. FIRM QUALIFICATIONS Norman Roberts & Associates, Inc. was established in May 1988 with a commitment to providing our clients with the highest caliber of service in the industry. We utilize state-of- the-art technology In conducting a search and have a team of dedicated professionals, researchers and administrative staff to serve you. In 1989, our firm was named by Executive Recruiter News as one of the Fifty Leading Executive Search Firms in the United States—the only firm included with an emphasis on public sector recruitment. This ranking was based on a number of factors including size, stability, professional impact, quality and reputation. We are also currently listed by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the largest retained executive search firms in Los Angeles County. Our firm specializes only in executive search, placing the utmost importance on this activity. Our professional staff includes three Vice Presidents and three Associates, in addition to myself. We also have three Researchers, three Administrative Assistants, an Office Manager and other support personnel. All are skilled in the "art" of dealing with people, as well as the "science" of utilizing our computer network and extensive database. I believe we are exceptionally well qualified to conduct this assignment. We have conducted many search assignments to locate chief executives for general purpose local governments throughout the country. In California, our firm recently completed searches for city managers in Baldwin Park, Camarillo, El Segundo, Laguna Niguel, Los Altos Hills, Norco, Oxnard, Rolling Hills, Salinas, San Fernando, San Jacinto and Solvang, and we are currently recruiting city managers for the cities of Moreno Valley, Palm Springs, and Redondo Beach. We also recruited chief executives for San Mateo and Humboldt counties. Outside of California, we have conducted searches for city managers in Cincinnati and Fort Lauderdale. In addition, I have conducted An Executive Search Consulting Firm City of Redlands,CA September 6, 1990 � Page 2 of 8 numerous searches in the Inland Empire, e.g. for city managers for Riverside (Doug Welford) and Hemet (Lyle Alberg), plus other work for clients such as the County of San Bernardino, City of Ontario, Keep Riverside Ahead, etc. (some of these were done with my previous employer). A list of chief executive recruitments for general purpose local governments for which 1 have managed or conducted is enclosed (Exhibit 4). These were done while with previous employers, as well as by our firm. 1 will be personally responsible for this assignment and will be assisted by Ray Taylor, a Vice President of our firm. Enclosed are copies of our biographies to familiarize you with our backgrounds (Exhibits 1 and 2). To accomplish this assignment, we will use the full resources of our firm. A list of references can be found in Exhibit 3. This letter outlines our general understanding of your requirements and the steps we will take to help accomplish this task. 1f you desire some modification of our work program, we would be pleased to discuss this with you. BACKGROUND It is our understanding that: ■ You are interested in identifying outstanding candidates and filling the position of City Manager as soon as is practical. s You wish to recruit in a thorough and deliberate manner that will insure that the best qualified Individual is selected. ■ The starting salary for the position is open, within an established range, depending on the qualifications and background of the person selected. ADVANTAGES IN UTILIZING OUR 3JERVICES Relative to your present search requirements, we believe the principal advantages in using our firm and what may differentiate us from others are: ■ Our specialization In public sector executive search; ■ Our extensive experience In locating City Managers, particularly in California, ■ Our consultant's familiarity with the Inland Empire from having previously conducted searches there; ■ Our proximity to your City, being headquartered in Southern California; ■ Our active recruitment of candidates who may not be seeking new employment and would not normally respond to routine advertising; City of Redlands,CA September fi, 1990 Page 3 of 9 r r < ■ Our reputation among clients and candidates for communication, e.g., acknowledgement of resumes, regular reports to the client, face•to-face Interviews with candidates; and • The thoroughness of our documented reference and education checks. OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH Our objective Is always to find the best qualified candidates. We believe that, although notices in professional journals may be helpful, many of the best candidates must be sought out and their interest encouraged. Our familiarity with the Inland Empire, knowledge of the field and our relationships with professional organizations make us well qualified to assist you. Our clients have found that we are able to: ■ Develop the appropriate specifications for a position. ■ Encourage the interest of top-level people who would otherwise be reluctant to respond to an advertisement. • Preserve the confidentiality of inquiries. • Save a considerable amount of time for client staff in developing and responding to candidates. ■ independently and objectively assess the qualifications and suitability of candidates for the particular position for which we are recruiting. If our proposal is accepted, we will do the following: ■ f LOnization and Position Analysts We will interview the Mayor, Members of the City Council, and other appropriate individuals to determine views of the position and concerns regarding desirable training, experience, and personal characteristics of candidates. We will also gather/review relevant information about the City of Redlands, such as budgets, organization charts, etc. Once our findings have been summarized, we will submit a Recruitment Profile with the desired qualifications and characteristics for your approval. As part of the process in developing the Recruitment Profile, we will document the key objectives to be accomplished by the person hired. This serves to inform prospective candidates about your expectations, as well as providing a basis for evaluation of the selected candidate after being in the position for a year. City of Redlands,CA September 6, 1990 �y Page 4 of 8 ■ Recrultment Once you have approved the Recruitment Profile, we will actively seek out individuals with superior qualifications and invite and encourage their interest. Announcements can be placed in professional journals. However, we will rely heavily on our own experience, contacts and file data. The Recruitment Profile which will be sent to potential candidates will include information about the area, the job, and the criteria established by you. As a matter of corporate policy, we will not discriminate against any applicant for employment on the basis of race, religion, color, sex or national origin. ■ Preliminary Screaning We will review, acknowledge and evaluate all resumes received. Preliminary screening will be based upon a resume rating instrument developed from criteria contained in the Recruitment Profile, information contained in the resumes submitted to us, and our knowledge of the people and organizations in which they work. ■ Progress Re o�rtin Upon completion of our preliminary screening, we will assemble and submit to the Mayor and Council a progress report of the leading candidates. The purpose of this report is two-fold. It allows you an opportunity to review the candidates prior to the conclusion of the search and allows us to receive feedback on the caliber of the candidates recruited. By ding so, we avoid an embarrassing situation of conducting a lengthy search only to find we "missed the target." Likewise, you are not surprised by the candidates as you will have seen their qualifications prior to the final interviews. Of course, we are flexible and may consider other individuals as final candidates who are subsequently identified and were not included in the progress report. ■ Candidate Evaluation We will personally interview those candidates whose qualifications most closely match the criteria established by you. We will examine their qualifications and achievements in view of the selection criteria. Additionally, we will verify degrees and any certifications. As part of our process in evaluating candidates, we make telephone reference checks. In conducting these references, it is our practice to speak directly with Individuals who are, or have been, in a position to evaluate the candidate's performance on the job. These references and our evaluations provide you with a frank, objective appraisal of the candidates. We suggest, however, that such detailed and extensive investigation is necessary only for those individuals seriously considered by you. City of Redlands,CA September 6, 1990 Page 5 of 8 ■ Final Regortin We will prepare a detailed report and evaluation for those candidates most nearly meeting your specifications. Candidates will not be ranked, for we believe it will then be a matter of chemistry between you and the candidates. Our report will be presented in a meeting In which we will discuss our recommendations and provide background information. At this presentation, we will assist the Mayor and Council concerning Interviewing format, questions, techniques, etc. ■ $12eclat Assistance Our efforts do not conclude with presentation of the final report. We are committed to you until a successful placement is made. Services that are routinely provided include: arranging the schedule of interviews and the associated logistics for final candidates; advising on starting salary, fringe benefits, relocation trends and employment packages; counseling the spouse concerning career opportunities in the new location; acting as a liaison between client and candidate in discussing offers and counter offers; conducting a final round of reference checking with current employers (if not previously done for reasons of confidentiality); and notifying unsuccessful candidates, who were not recommended for interview, of our decision. Once a determination has been made on which candidate to hire, we will conduct credit and criminal checks through an outside service. OUR CLIENT'S ROLE The client has a very important role in the recruitment process. We are not a substitute for your organization. While we may identify and recommend qualified candidates, it is the client who must make the decision about which candidate to hire. In order to insure that the best candidates are available from which to choose, our clients should be willing to do the following: ■ Clearly inform us about matters relevant to the search that you wish to keep confidential (e.g., salary, personnel issues, and other privileged information); ■ Forward to us copies of the resumes you receive, to avoid duplication of effort; ■ Provide feedback to Norman Roberts & Associates regarding the information and recommendations provided by us; ■ Promptly decide upon and follow up in scheduling interviews with the most promising candidates; ■ Assist in providing information to candidates that will enable them to make their career decisions. City of Redlands,CA September 6, 1990 Page 6 of 8 By doing the above, we will maximize the likelihood of mutual success. Finally, please be reminded that the United States Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 requires that all employers verify an employee's eligibility to work in the United States. Since Norman Roberts & Associates cannot serve as your agent in this matter, your hiring process should include this verification procedure. TIME FRAME We propose the following schedule for the performance of this agreement. 1 st week Develop and obtain approval for the Recruitment Profile. 2nd week to 45th day Solicit, receive and acknowledge resumes. 45th to 64th day Evaluate resumes, review leading candidates with the Mayor and Council and interview the best qualified candidates. 60th to 75th day Submit report on top candidates with resumes, exhibits (if any), and confidential evaluations and initiate the final interview process with the Mayor, Members of the City Council, and other appropriate individuals. PROFESSIONAL. FEES AND EXPENSES We propose a fixed fee of $14,500 for the work outlined above. in addition, we are reimbursed for direct out-of-pocket expenses such as for travel, interviewing and sourcing, as well as allocated oasts such as telephone, report preparation, support services, postage, photocopying and other related items. We estimate that these expenses will be approximately $4,000 for a statewide search and $6,000 for a nationwide search. Please note that this amount for expenses does not include reimbursement of candidates who travel to be interviewed by you. We will submit three equal monthly invoices for fees, plus an amount for expenses, due and payable upon receipt. Our first billing is due upon your acceptance of our proposal. Our fees and expenses are not contingent upon our success in placing a candidate with your organization. However, if the selected candidate should be terminated within one year, we will redo the search for no additional professional fee. Naturally, we will expect to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses that may be incurred. Additionally, in the event that more than one executive is hired in connection with work performed by us, a full professional fee will be due for each executive hired. Either party may discontinue this assignment by written notification at any time. In the unlikely event that this occurs, you will be billed for all expenses incurred to the date of the cancellation and for professional fees, based upon the time elapsed from the commencement of the assignment to the date of cancellation, as further described below. City of Redlands,CA September 6, 1990 Page 7 of 8 If a cancellation occurs within the first thirty days of the assignment, the first installment of professional fees will be due in full. If a cancellation occurs between thirty and sixty days from the start of the assignment, the first installment will be due and a prorated portion of the second installment will be due, based upon the number of calendar days which have elapsed in the second thirty-day period of the assignment. If a cancellation occurs between sixty and seventy-five days from the start of the assignment, the first and second installments will be due and a prorated portion of the third installment will be due, based upon the number of calendar days which have elapsed in the third period of the assignment. If a cancellation occurs after seventy-five days, all professional fees will be due in full. GENERAL PROVISIONS Our ability to carry out the work required is heavily dependent on our past experience in providing similar services to others, and we expect to continue such work in the future. We will, however, preserve the confidential nature of any information received from you or developed during the work in accordance with our established professional standards. We assure you that we will devote our best efforts to carrying out the work required. The results obtained, our recommendations and any written material we provide will be our best judgment based on the Information available to us and our liability, if any, shall not be greater than the amount paid to us for the services rendered. This letter shall constitute the agreement between us and it may not be modified except in writing by both parties. Also, our agreement will be interpreted according to the laws of the State of California. City of Redlands,CA September 6, 1990 Page 8 of 8 1 look forward with great interest to working with the City of Redlands on this very important assignment. If this proposal meets with your approval, please sign the enclosed copy and return it to us as authorization to proceed. Sincerely yours, Norman C. Roberts President N C Rlvf Enclosures ACCEPTED FOR THE CITY OF REDLANDS. CA: —7 By . Title: Date: