City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: 8/15/05 Item Number: C-2
AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of Approval of a Contract with William Avery and
Associates to Secure Executive Recruitment Services for Assistant Chief
Administrative Officer
Contact Person/Dept.: Serena Wright Phone Number: (310) 253-5640
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: Master Notification List on 8/10/05.
Department Approval:
Jerry Fulwood 8/8/05
CAO Approval:
Jerry Fulwood 8/10/05
City Controller Approval:
Marlee Chang 8/10/05
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council approve the contract with William Avery and Associates
securing executive recruitment services for Assistant Chief Administrative Officer.
BACKGROUND:
Avery and Associates has provided recruitment services for the City of Culver City
for the past three years. They are consistently cooperative, professional and are
always able to complete their work on schedule and within the agreed fee schedule.
For these reasons, staff recommends securing Avery and Associates for this
recruitment.
DISCUSSION:
The attached standard proposal outlines the scope of services and fees for William
Avery and Associates to conduct the executive recruitment for the City for the
position of Assistant Chief Administrative Officer.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The total cost for this recruitment is not to exceed $17,250. Staff is recommending funding
be transferred from the “Appropriated Reserve Account” (acct. # 0116100.910200) to
Personnel budget account (10122100.619800).
City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Proposal from William Avery and Associates
MOTION:
That the City Council:
1. Approve the contract with William Avery and Associates securing
executive recruitment services for Assistant Chief Administrative Officer;
2. Direct the City Attorney to prepare the proper documents and authorize
the Chief Administrative Officer to execute the Agreement on behalf of the
City; and
MEETING DATE 8/15/05
AGENDA ITEM Consideration of Approval of a Contract with William Avery
and Associates to Secure Executive Recruitment Services for
Assistant Chief Administrative Officer
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
1 Proposal from William Avery and Associates
1 — 4July 22, 2005
Serena Wright
City of Culver City
9770 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232-0507
Dear Serena
Thank you for considering our firm to assist the City of Culver City in the recruitment of a new
Assistant Chief Administrative Officer We understand your desire to accelerate this recruitment
effort This letter will serve as a proposal and scope of services for this assignment
I would like to share that we have just recently completed recruitment for the Assistant City
Manager for the City of Camanllo, and are currently in the midst of searches for two Deputy
City Administrators for the City of Huntington Beach and for an Assistant City Manager for the
City of Vacaville The contacts we've established during these recruitments will be very
beneficial to your assignment
Recruitment Team
Paul Kimura will serve as the project lead for this search The recruitment team will consist of
either Gary Rogers, former Director of Human Resources for the Town of Los Gatos or Ann
Slate, former Director of Human Resources for the City of San Luis Obispo and the
administrative staff of Avery Associates As project lead, my role would include initial client
meetings to identify pnonties of the position and the ideal candidate profile, development of the
outreach strategy, interview, evaluation and assessment of the top candidates, presentation of the
applicant pool, and facilitation of the final interview process Both Gary or Ann and I would
identify and contact potential candidates for the position
Recruitment Plan and Scone of Services
Position Profile and Organizational Assessment
The initial assessment phase is a cntical component of the search process I will meet
with you and other members of the city executive staff you feel are appropriate in
establishing the ideal candidate profile for this position Our goal for this aspect of the
recruitment process is to
• Understand the city and departmental pnonties for this position• Develop a clear understanding and consensus on the expertise, experience, education,
performance attnbutes, interpersonal skills and operational style of the ideal
candidate
• Discuss the goals, objectives, deliverables, and challenges related to this position
• Gain insight of the various organizational dynamics and departmental issues that exist
within the organization
• Identify the compelling aspects to this opportunity
These discussions will result in a formal position announcement which details the ideal
candidate profile and pnonties of the position Additionally, we would use the position
announcement for marketing, advertising and exposure for the position
II Development of the Search Strategy
The search strategy is developed in conjunction with the organizational assessment We
anticipate the following activities to be a part of our overal outreach effort
• Development and direct contact of a targeted candidate list based on our extensive
data base of city management personnel, from recommendations of key contacts in
the public sector, through referrals and contacts in local government
• Marketing and listing the position with various agencies, counties and cities within
the state, region and county
• Advertising in WESTERN CITY magazine, JOBS AVAILABLE magazine and
posting on websites that are related to the ideal candidate profile
• Development and distribution of the comprehensive position announcement to
various city, county, and state departments, as well as agencies throughout the state
and country
III Candidate Presentation
All applicants who submit a resume will be evaluated based on their professional
expenence and education Those applicants who meet the qualifications of the position
will be interviewed by me Recommeded candidates will be presented to the City with a
summary overview of experience, the submitted cover letter of interest and resume, our
formal assessment of the candidate based on the interview, and two initial reference
interviewsIV Candidate Selection
The final candidates will interview with the City in a process facilitated by me We will
develop the interview process, develop panel interview books, create interview questions,
coordinate travel planning and maintain candidate commurucation When the city is able
to narrow it's candidate pool to a final one or two candiates, we will conduct thorough
background checks and final reference checks as desired
Consulting Fee
Avery Associates will provide a discounted fee for this recruitment Based on the services
described in our proposal, our normal Professional Services Consulting Fee would be $14,900
and reimbursement of direct out-of-pocket expenses with a not-to-exceed limit of $7,500 For
Culver City, we will charge a Professional Services Fee of $12,500 and a not-to-exceed expense
limit of $4,750
Our Professional Fee will consist of an initial retainer of $5,500 at the outset of the search The
final invoice of $7,000 will be billed at the completion of the recruitment Expenses will include
clerical time, print and Internet advertising, phones/fax/stationary/postage, printing, and
consultant travel for client discussions and local and out-of-area candidate interviews The
consulting fee will be inclusive of all services defined within this proposal unless otherwise
stated
Guarantees and Ethics
Whenever William Avery & Associates, Inc is retained, we make several guarantees and
commitments to a client Due to our experience, knowledge and success within the management
consulting field, we assure a client that we will only present candidates who meet a substantial
majority of the ideal qualifications that you have outlined We are also committed to continue
our search efforts until a successful candidate is employed
It is also our practice to replace a candidate who may voluntarily resign during the first 12
months of his/her employment This same commitment applies if the client finds it necessary to
terminate or to request the resignation of the selected individual in the first 12 months for reasons
which would have precluded his/her employment had they been known at the time employment
started In either case, we invoice a client only for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in
identifying a replacement
3Serena, thank you for the opportunity to support your executive recruitment needs Culver City
is a premier client of our firm and we appreciate the positive relationship with your city Please
feel free to call me at 408 399-4424 if I can answer any questions regarding this proposal or our
services
Sincerely,
Avery Associates
Paul Kimura, Principal