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CC - CONSENT ITEM: (1) Approval of an Amendment to the Existing Professional Services Agreement with We Are RALLY for the Period of July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 for Continuation in the Development and Implementation of the City’s Public Communications, Messaging, Education and Engagement Program Regarding Homelessness; and (2) Authorization of Payment to We Are RALLY for Outstanding Invoices for Services Rendered for the Period of July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $93,750.
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Meeting Date: September 18, 2023
Contact Person/Dept.: Tevis Barnes, HHS
Marna Johnson, HHS
Christina Stoffers, HHS
Phone Number: (310) 253-5780
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Commission Name:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council, Housing Issues (09/13/2023); and We Are RALLY (08/21/2023)
Department Approval: Tevis Barnes, HHS Director (08/27/2023)
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council (1) approve an amendment to the existing Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with We Are RALLY (RALLY) for the period of July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 for continuation in the development and implementation of the public communications, messaging education, engagement program regarding homelessness; and (2) authorization of payment to RALLY for outstanding invoices for services rendered for the period of July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, in an amount not-to-exceed $93,750.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
Outstanding Invoices
As a result of reorganization of the former Community Development Department (CDD) and the bifurcation of the department into the newly formed Housing and Human Services (HHS) and Planning and Development Departments, several existing PSAs were overlooked as decisions were being made to determined which PSA would remain under which of the newly formed departments. The amendment of the RALLY PSA for the period of July 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, was overlooked. As a result, there is a balance of outstanding invoices in the amount of $93,750 for services rendered for the development and implementation of public communications, messaging, engagement, and education related to homelessness including the Project Homekey Interim and Permanent Support Housing Project and other homeless outreach efforts. An amendment of the existing RALLY PSA from the period of July 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022 is needed to effectuate payment of the outstanding invoices.
With regard to services rendered during the current fiscal year, on February 27, 2023, City Council approved an amendment to the existing RALLY PSA for a time of performance period of July 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023.
Goal 5 under the Plan to Prevent and Combat Homeless adopted by Council July 2018 states that the City will “Expand Community Education Efforts Around Homelessness and Raise Awareness About Available Resources and Best Practices”. To achieve Goal 5, on January 24, 2021, Council approved the original PSA with RALLY to develop a public communications campaign to educate the community on homelessness and the proposed Homekey Motel Reuse Projects.
We Are Rally
RALLY is an issue-driven communication and advocacy firm designed to drive progress around complex political, cultural, and social issues. The firm employs a variety of tactics to help their clients achieve a legacy of positive change which include strategic communication, coalition building, messaging, design, branding, and digital and earned media. The firm has experience with outreach campaigns, video production, content writing, messaging, graphics, technology infrastructure and websites. Rally has extensive experience working with governmental entities and other companies/organizations including Service Employees International Union, Center for Collaborative Planning, and Public Health Institute.
Scope of Work
Through weekly collaboration calls, RALLY has provided guidance to staff on messaging and outreach advice related to homelessness, managing outside vendors and production timelines, and communication support at events and meetings. Rally’s deliverables included:
§ Project Homekey Groundbreaking Brief/Press Release.
§ Frontline Staff Messaging and Media General Talking Points on Encampments.
§ City Website Content Plan Recommendations and Monitoring.
§ Online and Social Media Workplan.
§ Project Homekey Community Engagement Plan.
§ Organization and implementation of community outreach meetings.
Staff will continue to work with RALLY to build upon the educational campaign framework outlined in the deliverables above. To implement the public communications, messaging, education and engagement program, the full Scope of Work (SOW) employed by RALLY is detailed in Attachment 1.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The outstanding invoices for the services provided from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 total an amount not-to-exceed $93,750. Sufficient funding was included in the Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 in the operating budgets for Project Homekey. Those accounts are #41450920.619800 (Interim Housing Homekey - Other Contractual Services) and #41450930.619800 (Permanent Housing Homekey - Other Contractual Services).
ATTACHMENTS
1. RALLY Scope of Work
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Approve an amendment to the Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with We Are RALLY (RALLY) for the period of July 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, for Continuation in the development and implementation of the public communications, messaging, education, and engagement about homelessness; and,
2. Authorize payment to Rally for outstanding invoices for services rendered for the period of July 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, in an amount not-to-exceed $93,750.
3. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and,
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.