EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT CONSULTING SERVICES FOR CITY MANAGER – WINDCREST, TEXAS

Solicitation ID:

RFQ-2024-2025-003

Status:

Posted

Contact Name:

Natalia Witmer

Contact Number:

(210) 655-0022

Contact Email:

nwitmer@windcrest-tx.gov

Response Due Date:

2/21/2025

Response Due Time:

3:00 PM

Agency/Texas SmartBuy Member Number:

M0157

Posting Requirement:

21+ Days for Solicitation Notice

Solicitation Posting Date:

1/30/2025

Last Modified:

1/30/2025 2:44 pm

Attachment URL: https://www.windcrest-tx.gov/400/Bid-Openings-RFQs-RFPs

Class/Item Code:

91865-Human Resources, Relations Consulting;
91806-Administrative Consulting;
91832-Consulting Services (Not Otherwise Classified);
91858-Governmental Consulting;
91875-Management Consulting;

1. SUMMARY OF SERVICES REQUESTED

The City of Windcrest, Texas is interested in receivingresponses from experienced executive search firms to assist in recruitingapplicants for the position of City Manager.

The selected firm shall provide a comprehensive scope ofrecruitment and hiring services and is charged with conducting a nationalsearch. Services include: conducting a robust community engagement process withthe City and relevant stakeholders to clarify expected qualifications, skills,experience and leadership seeking in a City Manager; preparation of a jobannouncement and recruitment materials; conduct preliminary interviews on selected candidates; coordinate anytravel arrangements; conduct actual recruitment including scheduling,reviewing, and checking qualifications and references of candidates; conductingbackground checks; and assisting in all aspects of selection and hiring.

This Request for Qualifications may be obtained byvisiting the Finance Department Bid Openings, RFQs & RFPs section of theCity of Windcrest website at https://www.windcrest-tx.gov/400/Bid-Openings-RFQs-RFPs .Addenda to this request, if any, including written answers to questions, willbe posted on the City of Windcrest website under the project heading. If youhave any questions, please contact the Finance Department at: (210) 655-0022 ext.2820.

The City reserves the right to reject any or all submissions,to waive technical or legal deficiencies, to proceed or not with any responseor process, and to negotiate such terms and conditions of any response,agreement, lease or other contract that may be in the best interest of theCity.

The City reserves the right to terminate or amend thisprocess at any time. This RFQ is being issued voluntarily and is not subject toChapter 2254, Texas Government Code, or Chapter 252, Texas Local GovernmentCode.

2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The City Manager position wasvacated on Friday, January 10, 2025.  Currently, an interim City Manageris overseeing the daily management of the City and staff. After serving the City for over 13 years, theformer City Manager retired.

As a result, the City Council seeksassistance in recruiting and hiring the next City Manager. The search processis anticipated to take place over the next three months.

The City of Windcrest, Texas, is a small homerule municipality located in Bexar County,northeast of San Antonio. Founded in 1959, Windcrest is known for itsfamily-friendly

atmosphere, tree-lined streets, and close-knit community. TheCity spans approximately 2 square miles and has a population of around 5,900residents.

The City has a taxable valuation ofapproximately $1,031,063,657. The FY 24-25 General Fund Budget wasapproximately $11.3 million. The City’s Garbage Fund appropriated another $3million.

The City Manager is appointed bya majority vote of the City Council, to be selected solely on the basis ofexecutive and administrative merit. Pursuant to City Charter, the City Manager must reside within areasonable distance of the City, as determined by the City Council.

Windcrest is notable for its commitment to communityengagement and quality of life. The City has a reputation for its annualholiday lighting event, " Windcrest Light Up," which attractsvisitors from across the region, as well as local, state, and national mediacoverage. This tradition has earned Windcrest the nickname "The City ofLights."

Economically, Windcrest benefits from its proximity to SanAntonio, strategically located at the intersection of Interstate Highway 35 andInterstate Highway 410, offering residents access to a wide range of employmentopportunities while maintaining a suburban charm. The City is home to a mix ofresidential neighborhoods, local businesses, and community parks. Windcrest'sstrong sense of community involvement, efficient city services, and focus onpublic safety promote a high quality of life and make it an attractive placefor families and retirees alike.

Windcrest is a Home Rule city and has adopted a Council-Manager formof government. Policy-making and legislative authority are vested in agoverning Council that is comprised of a Mayor and five Council members. TheMayor and Council members are all elected at large for a two year term.Elections are staggered with the Mayor and two Council Members elected togetherand the three remaining members. The City Manager is the Chief Executiveand Administrative Officer of the City, who isresponsible for the day-to-day management of all municipal departments andis authorized to carry out the policies of the City Council. The City employsapproximately 85 full time employees.

3. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The City is seeking responses from experiencedexecutive search firms to assist in all aspects of the recruitment process forits next City Manager. Preferred firms will demonstrate familiarity withqualifications required of local government executives and will propose a planfor scheduling and conducting a national search. The selected firm will workclosely with the City

Council to assess the Council’sgoals and objectives for the recruitment process. The selected firm will workclosely with the City’s Interim City Manager and other staff as directed incoordinating all aspects of the search.

The scope of services is presented for reference – the finalscope of work will be developed in consultation with the City. Services to be provided by the firm includebut are not limited to:

1. Schedule: Create a schedule of recruitment with atimeline of development of recruitment materials, screening, and interviews.

2. Candidate Profile: Develop a candidate profile for the CityManager by meeting with City Council, staff, and community members to obtaininformation regarding specific issues and opportunities facing the City; thedesirable education, experience, and background of the candidates; andidentification of the management skills and style that are appropriate for theposition. For the purpose of calculatinga fee proposal, firms should assume a minimum of three (3) meetings may berequired by this task.

3. Advertising& Attraction of Candidate Pool: Develop an inclusive plan for implementing the City Manager recruitment(print, web, social media, targeted calls, etc.), and identify specificstrategies to encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

4. PreliminaryScreening: Review resumes forbackground and qualifications followed by interviews to clarify eachapplicant’s experience and credentials and to prepare a written summary of 5 to10 preliminary candidates for the position, outlining relative qualificationsof each.

5. Recommendationof a Short List: Evaluate candidatesfor serious consideration by conducting in-depth reference checks withindividuals who are or have been in the position to evaluate the candidates’performance on the job. A short list of candidates shall be presented to theCity Council.

6. FinalistInterviews: Recommend and finalize aprocess with the City Council for interviews and coordinating candidates’participation in interviews.

7. BackgroundCheck: Verify selected candidateseducational and employment background, financial/credit check, performbackground, and criminal and civil litigation checks.

8.  Offer: Assist City Council in structuring the joboffer (including a recommendation on compensation), the employment package andrelocation (if applicable) with the finalist.

9. RecordMaintenance: Maintain allcorrespondence and record-keeping throughout the process. Notify all applicants of final decision.

10. Warranty: Reinitiate additional search and screeningactivities, at no/reduced fee to the City, if the first search effort isunsuccessful or successful candidates leave (via resignation or terminationwith or without cause) the employment of the City within one (1) year ofplacement.

4. SUBMITTAL CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

Submittal requirements are intended to enable the City tomake an objective comparison of each response, and to select a firm that bestmeets the City’s stated objectives.

The selected firm will be expected to execute a consultingservices agreement with the City immediately following selection.

A. COVER LETTER

The cover letter is the respondent’s official lettertransmitting the complete response to the City. The cover letter must include:

• the full name and address of the respondent’sorganization(s);

• the state of incorporation or in which it islicensed to operate; and

• the form of business, and the name and contactinformation for your organization.

The cover letter should identify who will be the leadconsultant responsible for all aspects of the recruitment and be signed by an individual who is authorized to committhe respondent to the obligations contained in the response.

B. FIRM NARRATIVE &RECRUITMENT APPROACH

Provide a detailed description ofyour approach to the scope of services and schedule. Include examples of successful communityoutreach processes you have incorporated into recruitments, noting approachesto keeping both the community and prospective candidates well informed as tothe methodology and progress of the recruitment.

Information to be provided includes but is not limited to:

• Samples of recruitment materials used in pastsearches;

• A proposed timetable for this search;

• Five (5) references of chairs of past searchcommittees of comparable communities, conducted within the last 5 years, withfull contact information; for each client, please provide the scope of workperformed and the size of the client’s organization.

• Calculation of total, not-to-exceed proposedconsulting fee, broken down by task categories (e.g. leadership profiledevelopment; preliminary screening; final screening and interviews; etc.).Travel costs and expenses for the firm should be itemized separately. Air travel and hotel expenses for candidateswill be paid by the City directly. Include an hourly rate for services performed beyond those originallycontemplated by the agreement. Feeproposals should be submitted in a separately sealed envelope, marked “CityManager Search – Fee Proposal.” Foremailed submittals, a separate fee proposal file must be attached.

Two (2) paper copies of the response must be submitted. Asingle, electronic PDF copy of the response shall also be included. Electronic copies may be received by flashdrive or email – the City has no responsibility for emails that areundeliverable or delayed; it is the responsibility of the respondent to confirmdelivery in a timely manner.

C. FIRM EXPERIENCE ANDPERSONNEL

Please include a brief history ofyour firm and provide details such as number of clients served (includingnumber of local government clients), number of staff, services typicallyoffered, and resumes and respective roles of individuals expected to provideconsulting services.

Submission Deadline: Two (2) copies, plus one electronic copy, ofall proposals should be clearly marked: “ RFQ-2024-2025-003,EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT CONSULTING SERVICES FOR CITY MANAGER – WINDCREST, TX "on the outside of the mailing envelope, addressed to:

City of Windcrest, Texas

Windcrest City Hall

Finance Department

8601 Midcrown Dr.

Windcrest, Texas 78239

Responses will be accepted until 3:00 p.m. on Friday,February 21, 2025.

Electronic Submission via email: Emailsubject heading shall read “RFQ-2024-2025-003 EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENTCONSULTING SERVICES FOR CITY MANAGER – WINDCREST, TX” sent to purchasing@windcrest-tx.gov . Responses will be accepted until 3:00 p.m.on Friday,

February 21, 2025, and mustinclude a fee proposal. Feeproposals should be transmitted as a separate attachment from the narrativeresponse, and titled “City Manager Search - Fee Proposal.”

Sealed responseswill be received by the City of Windcrest, Texas, at the office of The FinanceDepartment, Windcrest City Hall, 8601 Midcrown Dr., Windcrest, Texas 78239,until 3:00 PM on Friday, February 21, 2025, at which time responses dulydelivered and submitted will be opened then and there, and the name of eachrespondent will be publicly read aloud.

Any responsereceived after the stated closing time will be returned unopened. If responses are sent by mail to the FinanceDepartment, the respondent shall be responsible for actual delivery of the responsebefore the advertised date and hour for opening of responses. If mail isdelayed by the postal service, courier service, an internet service provider,or in the internal mail system of the City of Windcrest beyond the date andhour set for the response opening, responses thus delayed will not be consideredand will be returned unopened.

Informationconcerning response specifications and response process/procedures may beobtained by e-mailing the City’s Finance Director atpurchasing@windcrest-tx.gov. Questions may also be submitted by mail to Attn:Finance Department, Windcrest City Hall, 8601 Midcrown Dr., Windcrest, Texas78239 or by submitting the question to the administrative desk at the sameaddress. All questions shall be submitted, in writing, by 3:00 PM CST onFebruary 7, 2025. Answers, interpretations, or clarifications considerednecessary by the City in response to such questions will be issued by addendaand posted online or otherwise delivered to all parties recorded by the City ashaving received the RFQ. Questions received after the deadline will not beanswered. Only questions answered by a formal written addendum will be binding.No oral and other interpretations or clarification will be considered officialor binding.

A Pre-Bid SubmittalMeeting for respondents and potential respondents will be held on February 7,2025, at 3:00 PM CST at Windcrest City Hall, 8601 Midcrown Dr., Windcrest, TX78239.

Until the finalaward by the City of Windcrest, the City reserves the right to reject anyand/or all responses, to waive technicalities, to re-advertise, and to proceedotherwise when the best interests of said City will be realized hereby. Responses will be submitted sealed andplainly marked with the date and time of opening.

The City of Windcrest City Hall is wheelchairaccessible. For accommodation or signinterpretive services needed for response openings, please contact the FinanceOffice 48 hours in advance at (210) 655-0022 ext.2820.

5. SELECTION PROCESS

The City will choose a firm thatwill, in its judgement, provide the highest quality of recruitment consultingservices for a competitive price. Responses will be evaluated on the firm’squalifications, experience, price, and approach.

The selection process may include interviews where respondentswill be asked to make presentations of their recruitment approach andservices.

1. SCHEDULE

Task	Date
Release RFQ	January 31, 2025
Questions Due	February 7, 2025
Responses Issued	February 11, 2025
Responses Due	February 21, 2025
Search Firm Interviews	TBD
Selection of Search Firm	TBD
Recruitment	TBD
New City Manager Start	TBD

2. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Responses will be evaluated according to the following:

• Experience in recruiting City Managers or othersimilar chief executive positions;

• Capacity of firm to generate the necessaryoutreach materials, professional networking, social media and other outreach,perform candidate evaluation, and fulfill the project schedule;

• Evidence of having completed successfulcommunity engagement components of a City Manager search process;

• Recruitment strategy and search plan;

• Strength of key personnel/completeness of theteam;

• References;

• Competitive fee proposal;

• Interview;

• The extent to which the overall response meetsor is likely to meet the City’s objectives.

3. SELECTION PROCESS

Responses will be reviewed and evaluated by the City forresponsiveness to this RFQ.

• The City may select one or more entities toinvite to be interviewed, which will involve a presentation of the response andintroduction to key staff. Additionalquestions regarding specific responses may be asked at this time. Interviewswill factor in the overall qualitative evaluation of responses. While the City places priority on a quality-basedselection, the proposed fee for services may also factor in evaluation andselection.

• Based upon all of the evaluation criteria andinterview, the City may select a preferred firm. The City reserves the right tonegotiate with selected respondents to further refine the responses.

• If the City is unable to reach agreement withits preferred firm, the City may enter into negotiations with the firm whose responsewas deemed to be next most advantageous to the City.

6. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Contract documents will include a standard City agreement,this RFQ, and the response. Uponreceipt, all responses become the property of the City. In general, materials submitted in responseto this RFQ will become public records, subject to disclosure.

7. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

The City reserves the right to undertake such investigationas it deems necessary to evaluate the responses.

The City reserves the right to request additional informationas part of this selection process. TheCity of Windcrest also reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, towaive technical or legal deficiencies, to proceed or not with any response orprocess, and to negotiate such terms and conditions of any response or contractthat may be in the best interest of the City. The City reserves the right to terminate or amend this process at anytime.

8. GENERAL CONDITIONS

Addenda. It is the responsibility of the vendor tocheck for addenda. Addenda will be posted to the City’s website.

Annual Contract Funding. The City operates on a fiscalyear that ends on September 30th. Because state law mandates that amunicipality may not commit funds beyond a fiscal year, this contract issubject to cancellation if funds for this service are not approved in the nextfiscal year.

Assignment of Response/Contract. The successful respondentmay not assign its rights and duties under a contract award without the writtenconsent of the City. Such consent shall not relieve the assignor of liabilityin event of default by its assignee.

Response Consideration/Tabulation. After responses areopened and publicly read, the responses will be tabulated for comparison on thebasis of the best value method. Until final award of the Contract, the Cityreserves the right to reject any or all responses, to waive technicalities, andto re-advertise for new responses, or propose to do the work otherwise in thebest interests of the City.

Response Submission. Responses may be submitted inperson or by mail. Submit responses via mail to Windcrest City Hall, Attn:Finance Department/Purchasing, 8601 Midcrown Dr., Windcrest, TX 78239. Tosubmit a response via mail, all documents must be returned, and an originalsignature provided on the response. Responses will not be accepted in eitherformat without a signature. The City is not responsible for mail service.

Changes or Alterations. No part of this RFQ may bechanged/altered in any way. Vendors must submit written requests to change anyspecifications/conditions with their response. Changes made to this RFQ withoutsubmission of a written request will result in disqualification.

Completing Information. Respondent must fill in allinformation asked for in the blanks provided under each item. Failure to complymay result in rejection of the response at the City’s option.

Contract Clause. All respondents understand and agreethat the vendor’s response will become legally binding upon acceptance inwriting by the City. The response will be incorporated into a more extensivecontract that will be prepared by the City.

Default. In case of default of the successful respondent,the City of Windcrest may procure the services from other sources and hold the respondentresponsible for any excess cost occasioned thereby.

Indemnification. In case any action in court is brought againstthe City, or any officer or agent of the City, for the failure, omission, orneglect of the vendor to perform any of the covenants, acts, matters, or thingsby the contract undertaken; or for injury or damage caused by the allegednegligence of the vendor or his subcontractors or his or their agents, or inconnection with any claim based on lawful demands of subcontractors, workmen,materialmen, or

suppliers, the vendor shall indemnify and save harmless theCity and its officers and agents, from all losses, damages, costs, expenses,judgments, or decrees arising out of such action.

Insurance. Deductibles, of any type, and premiums arethe responsibility of the vendor/contractor. Insurance requirements areattached.

Provisional Clauses. The City of Windcrest will notenter into any contract where the cost is provisional upon such clauses as areknown as “escalator” or “cost-plus” clauses.

Rejection of Responses. The City reserves the right toreject any or all responses or to waive technicalities at its option when inthe best interests of said City. Responses will be considered irregular if theyshow any omissions, alteration of form, additions, conditions not called for, orunauthorized alternate responses or irregularities of any kind. However, theCity reserves the right to waive any irregularities and to make the award inthe best interests of the City. The City reserves the right to reject any orall responses, and all responses submitted are subject to this reservation.

Request for Non-Consideration. Responses depositedwith the City will be considered as an open response once submitted and cannotbe withdrawn. However, if the vendor decides they no longer want their responseto be considered, they may request non-consideration. The request fornon-consideration of responses must be made in writing and received by the Cityprior to the time set for opening responses. After other responses are openedand publicly read, the response for which non-consideration is properly requestedwill be opened, the name of the respondent will be read aloud, and the responsewill then be returned to the respondent without consideration by the City. The responsemay not be withdrawn, and non-consideration may not be requested after the responseshave been opened, and the respondent, in submitting the same, warrants andguarantees that its response has been carefully reviewed and checked and thatit is in all things true and accurate and free of mistakes and that such responsewill not and cannot be withdrawn because of any mistake committed by the respondent.

Sales Tax. The total for each response submitted mustinclude any applicable taxes. Although the City is exempt from most City, state,or federal taxes, this is not true in all cases. It is suggested that taxes, ifany, be separately identified, itemized, and stated on each response. Servicesbilled by the awarded vendor are tax exempt. The City will provide awardedvendor with tax exemption form.

Working Hours. The City requires that the vendor haveworking business hours of at least 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and be availableshould the City need access after normal business hours.

9. SPECIAL CONDITIONS

Chapter 176 of the Texas Local GovernmentCode requires any vendor or personconsidering doing business with a local government entity to disclose in theQuestionnaire Form CIQ, whether the person: (a) has an employment or otherbusiness relationship with an officer of the City; (b) has a familyrelationship with an officer of the City; or (c) given an officer of the Cityor a family member of the officer gifts with a total value of more than $100 inthe past 12 months. By law, this questionnaire must be filed with the CitySecretary of the City of Windcrest not less than the 7th business day after theperson becomes aware of facts that require the statement to be filed.

It is the responsibility of every vendorfilling out and returning this response to determine if there is a conflictmeeting the parameters listed above. If so, the City of Windcrest requires thatthis Questionnaire be completed and turned in with your response.

Section176.013, Local Government Code provides that a vendor commits an offense if thevendor is required to file a questionnaire and knowingly fails to do so. Anoffense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor for contracts under $1million.

COIQUESTIONNAIRE ATTACHED.

10. ATTACHMENTS

Insert alist of attachments in this section.

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INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

TheContractor will procure and maintain, at its expense, insurance with insurancecompanies authorized to do business in the State of Texas, covering alloperations under this Agreement, whether performed by the Contractor or itsagents, subcontractors, or employees. Before commencing the work, theContractor will furnish to the City a certificate or certificates in a formsatisfactory to the City, showing that Contractor has complied with thisparagraph. All certificates will provide that policies will not be canceleduntil at least 30 calendar days written notice has been given to the City. Commercial general liability and motorvehicle insurance will be written with the City as an additional insured andwill be endorsed to provide a waiver of the carrier’s right of subrogationagainst the City. The kinds and amountsof insurance required are as follows:

Workers’ Compensation Insurance: In accordance with theprovisions of the Workers’ Compensation Act of the State of Texas.

Liability Insurance: (1) Commercial general liability insurance with a combined single limitof $500,000 for each occurrence and $500,000 in the aggregate, (2) MotorVehicle liability insurance in an amount not less than $250,000 for injuries toany one person, $500,000 on account of any one accident and in an amount of notless than $250,000 for property damage, and (3) professional liability coverageto cover lawful claims arising in connection with this Project in the combinedsingle limit amount of at least $500,000.00.

Thestated limits of insurance are minimumonly--they do not limit the Contractor’s indemnity obligation, and it willbe the Contractor’s responsibility to determine what limits are adequate. These limits may be met by basic policylimits or any combination of basic limits and umbrella limits. The City’sacceptance of certificates of insurance that do not comply with theserequirements in any respect does not release the Contractor from compliancewith these requirements.