RFP 10-27 Executive Recruitment Services - City Manager Search

RFP 10-27
City of Concord, New Hampshire
Purchasing Division
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
"EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT SERVICES - CITY MANAGER"
Prepared for, and in coordination with the
HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
Contract
Proposal Documents
Specifications
Firm:______________________
Proposal Due Date/Time: October 29, 2026 Not Later Than 2:00 PM

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. 2
Request for Proposals ...................................................................................................... 3
I. STATEMENT OF WORK
Instructions to Proposers ................................................................................................. 5
Proposal Statement .......................................................................................................... 8
Terms and Conditions .................................................................................................... 10
Proposal Submission Checklist ...................................................................................... 11
II. CITY REQUIRED FORMS
Acknowledgement / Signature Form .............................................................................. 12
Specifications Exception Form ...................................................................................... 13
Form W-9 ....................................................................................................................... 14
Indemnification Agreement ............................................................................................ 15
Insurance Requirements................................................................................................. 16
III. EXHIBITS
Notice of Award ............................................................................................................ 17
Agreement ...................................................................................................................... 18
Notice to Proceed ........................................................................................................... 21
No Proposal Questionnaire ........................................................................................... 22
IV. APPENDIX
2026-2027 City Council Priorities ................................................................................ 23
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City of Concord, New Hampshire
PURCHASING DIVISION
COMBINED OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE FACILITY
311 NORTH STATE STREET
CONCORD, NH 03301
(603) 230-3664 FAX: (603) 230-3656
www.concordnh.gov/Purchasing
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The City of Concord, New Hampshire wishes to engage the services of a qualified private firm to provide
Executive Recruitment Services to assist in all aspects of the search for its next City Manager. The firm must
be lawfully engaged in providing Executive Recruitment Services in the State of New Hampshire.
An overview and scope of services is provided in a following section of this Request for Proposal (RFP).
Proposals must be received not later than 2:00 PM on October 29, 2026 from interested firms, to be eligible
for consideration by the City. Each statement shall be submitted in a sealed envelope, which is clearly marked,
RFP 10-27
"Executive Recruitment Services - City Manager Search"
Requests may only be issued to authorized firms by the Purchasing Manager, or her designee, and are not
transferable unless authorized by the Purchasing Manager, or his designee.
Copies of RFP 10-27 are available from the Purchasing Division, City of Concord, Combined Operations &
Maintenance Facility, 311 North State Street, Concord, NH 03301 (603-230-3664) or on-line at
www.concordnh.gov/Purchasing
The City's General Terms and Conditions may be viewed / downloaded at https://ftp.concordnh.gov.
Account: vendor; Password: Concord1
All Proposals received will be considered confidential and not available for public review until after a
contractor has been selected.
The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or any part thereof, to waive any formality, informality,
information and/or errors in the proposal, to accept the proposal considered to be in the best interest of the City,
or to purchase on the open market if it is considered in the best interest of the City to do so.
Failure to submit all information as detailed on the Proposal Submission Checklist on Page 11 and/or
submission of an unbalanced bid are sufficient reasons to declare a bid as non-responsive and subject to
disqualification.
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All proposals are advertised, at the City's discretion, in various publications and are posted publicly as detailed
below:
Name Advertising Address Phone/Fax Email and Web Address
Medium
City of Posted on 41 Green Street, 603.230-3664 twaterman@concordnh.gov
Concord, City Concord NH 603.230.3656( www.concordnh.gov/purchasing
NH Website and 033301 fax)
in City Hall
Lobby
Associated Bid House 48 Grandview 603.225.2701 plansroom@agcnh.org
General Drive, Bow NH 603.226.3859( www.agcnh.org
Commission 03304 fax)
ing Agent
(CxA)s
Euna eBid Web-based only Join OpenBids https://www.demandstar.com/ap
OpenBids for free at p/agencies/new-hampshire/city-
https://www.de of-concord/procurement-
mandstar.com/ opportunities/b2a9a744-d808-
registration 4b29-9cb3-103bb077c029/
Bid Ocean Bid House PO Box 40445, 866.347.9657 bids@bidocean.com
Grand Junction, 877.356.9704( www.bidocean.com
CO 81501 fax)
CITY OF CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
__________________________________________
Tina M. Waterman, Purchasing Manager
Date: October 2, 2026
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I. STATEMENT OF WORK
INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS
A. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Concord City Manager Thomas J. Aspell, Jr. has announced his retirement after twenty-one years (21) as City
Manager. As a result, the City Council seeks assistance in recruiting and hiring the next City Manager. The
search process is anticipated to take place over the next six months.
The City of Concord is located in South Central New Hampshire approximately seventy miles north of Boston.
Located at the intersection of two Interstate Highways (I-89 and I-93), Concord is within an hour of Boston; the
scenic seacoasts of Maine and New Hampshire; and the beautiful White Mountains. In addition to being the
state capital, Concord is a center for health care in Northern New England.
Concord is the cultural center of the state, in part due to the presence of the Capitol Center for the Arts (a 1,300-
seat regional performing arts center), Bank of NH Stage, Concord Community Music School (serving 1,500
students from 100 communities throughout the state), the McAuliffe-Shephard Discovery Center, Kimball
Jenkins School of Art, the New Hampshire Historical Society, and other attractions.
Concord is a family-oriented community of neighborhoods with 45,000 people enjoying excellent schools, a
wide range of community services, and a strong and growing employment base. The community is very large
(67 square miles) with a considerable amount of undeveloped land that is also part of the fine quality of life of
the community. The City employs over 500 full-time, part-time and temporary employees supported by a
budget of approximately $155 million in all funds.
The City's organizational philosophy commits the City to a process of Continuous Improvement. Our vision is
"To be well-regarded and valued by the community as an effective, citizen responsive customer service-
oriented organization providing quality cost efficient services and employee growth and development to
improve the quality of life in Concord." This philosophy sets the tone for what the City organization does and
how it goes about doing it - through integrity, competence, teamwork and service.
The City of Concord strives to maintain a strategic financial position, with Standard & Poor's affirming the
City's AA+ bond rating in conjunction with the most recent bond sale in January 2026. The rating agency cited
the City's stable and growing economy, robust long-term planning practices, healthy reserve position, and
revenue-raising flexibility as positive factors in the rating. The City has a July 1-June 30 fiscal year and adopts
an annual budget for its General Fund, seven Special Revenue Funds (including Parking, Airport, Conservation
Property, Housing Revolving Loan, Golf, Arena, and Solid Waste funds), two Enterprise Funds (Water and
Wastewater funds), three Debt Service Funds (three Tax Increment Financing District funds), and six Capital
Project Funds (General Capital, three TIF District Capital, Water Capital, and Wastewater Capital Project
Funds). The City's FY2027 (7/1/26-6/30/27) budget was adopted in June 2026 for a total of $152 million
including all aforementioned funds, and does not include school budget, as both school districts that serve the
City are wholly separate entities which maintain autonomy from the City Council and City management. As of
April 1, 2025, the City's taxable property was valued at $5.3 billion, though the City is currently in the process
of a full measure and list and revaluation so that number is anticipated to increase as a result of that effort.
Annually, the City issues an Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), which has received the
Certificate of Achievement from the Government Finance Officers Association for thirty years.
The City Manager is appointed by the vote of at least 8 of the 15 members of the City Council, to be selected
solely on the basis of executive and administrative qualifications. The City Manager must establish residence
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within the City within one year of appointment. Extensions to this timeframe may be extended by the City
Council for cause. This position is not a remote position and will require presence on site.
The City operates pursuant to a municipal charter, under a Council-Manager form of government. The City
Council is a 15-member body inclusive of the Mayor. Ten Councilors are elected by their respective wards and
4 Councilors and the Mayor are elected at large.
The Mayor and Ward Councilors are elected on a two-year cycle. The Councilors elected at-large serve four-
year terms and two are re-elected each election cycle. The City Manager is the Chief Executive and
Administrative Officer of the City, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of all municipal
departments, and is authorized to carry out the policies of the City Council. The two school districts of
Concord, SAU 8 for Concord and SAU 46 for Merrimack Valley are not under City Council authority. The
City employs approximately 475 full time employees.
B. SCOPE OF SERVICES
1. GENERAL:
The City is seeking proposals from experienced executive search firms to assist in all aspects of the recruitment
process for its next City Manager. Preferred firms will demonstrate familiarity with qualifications required of
local government executives, and will propose a plan for scheduling and conducting a national search; the
selected firm will work closely with the City Council to assess the Council's goals and objectives for the
recruitment process. The selected firm will work closely with the City's Director of Human Resources in
coordinating all aspects of the search.
The scope of services is presented for reference - the final scope of work will be developed in consult with the
City. While we understand the use of AI is increasingly common, we require all submissions to be the work
product of the responding firm and not generated by AI. Services to be provided by the firm include but are not
limited to:
a) Schedule: Create a schedule of recruitment with a timeline of development of recruitment materials,
screening, interviews, conditional offers, background checks, etc.
b) Candidate Profile: Develop a candidate profile for the City Manager by meeting with City Council,
staff, and community members to obtain information regarding specific issues and opportunities facing
the City; the desirable education, experience and background of the candidates; and identification of the
management skills and style that are appropriate for the position, also providing input on the job
description for the City Manager. For the purpose of calculating a fee proposal, firms should assume a
minimum of three (3) meetings may be required by this task.
c) Advertising & Attraction of Candidate Pool: Develop an inclusive plan for implementing the City
Manager recruitment (print, web, social media, targeted calls, etc.), and identify specific strategies to
encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply. Please do not accept photographs as part of
the submissions in an effort to avoid unconscious bias in selection.
d) Preliminary Screening: Review resumes for background and qualifications followed by interviews to
clarify each applicant's experience and credentials and to prepare a written summary of preliminary
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candidates (10-15), for the position, outlining relative qualifications of each. Do this collaboratively with
the Director of Human Resources for the City of Concord.
e) Recommendation of a Short List: Evaluate candidates for serious consideration by conducting in-
depth reference checks with individuals who are or have been in the position to evaluate the candidates'
performance on the job. A short list of candidates shall be developed with the Human Resources
Director of Concord and presented to the City Council.
f) Finalist Interviews: Recommend and finalize a process with the City Council for interviews and
coordinating candidates' participation in interviews.
g) Background Check: Verify selected candidates educational and employment background,
financial/credit check, and performing background, criminal and civil litigation checks.
h) Offer: Assist City Council in structuring the job offer (including a recommendation on compensation),
the employment package and relocation (if applicable) with the finalist.
i) Record Maintenance: Maintain all correspondence and record-keeping throughout the process. Notify
all applicants of final decision.
j) Warranty: Reinitiate additional search and screening activities, at no/reduced fee to the City, if the first
search effort is unsuccessful or successful candidates leave (via resignation or termination with or
without cause) the employment of the City within one (1) year of placement.
2. SUBMITTAL CONTENT REQUIREMENTS:
Submittal requirements are intended to enable the City to make an objective comparison of each proposal, and
to select a partner that best meets the City's stated objectives. The selected partner will be expected to execute
a consulting services agreement with the City immediately following selection.
In order to be considered responsive, two paper (2) copies and one (1) electronic copy (flash drive) of the
Proposal must be submitted. Proposers are encouraged to avoid the use of synthetic report covers and partitions.
Paper copies may be submitted by mail, courier and in-person and shall be delivered to:
Tina M. Waterman, Purchasing Manager
City of Concord
Combined Operations Maintenance Facility
311 N. State St.
Concord, NH 03301
Proposals may also be submitted electronically through Euna OpenBids at
https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/new-hampshire/city-of-concord/procurement-
opportunities/b2a9a744-d808-4b29-9cb3-103bb077c029/
Join OpenBids for free at https://www.demandstar.com/registration
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It is the sole responsibility of the Proposer to ensure that their submission includes all required documents, is
submitted in the proper manner, and prior to the deadline for submittal of proposals. It is recommended that the
Offeror thoroughly reviews their submittal in its entirety to ensure that all portions follow all requirements
stated in this Request for Proposals.
Proposal Statements shall follow the format below:
A. Cover Letter
The cover letter is the proposer's official letter transmitting the complete proposal to the City. The
cover letter must include:
* the full name and address of the proposer's organization(s);
* the state of incorporation or in which it is licensed to operate; and
* the form of business, and the name and contact information for your organization.
The cover letter should identify who will be the lead consultant responsible for all aspects of the
recruitment and be signed by an individual who is authorized to commit the firm to the obligations
contained in the proposal.
B. Firm Narrative & Recruitment Approach
Provide a detailed description of your proposal, describing your approach to the scope of services and
schedule. Include examples of successful community outreach processes you have incorporated into
recruitments, noting approaches to keeping both the community and prospective candidates well
informed as to the methodology and progress of the recruitment.
Information to be provided includes but is not limited to:
* Samples of recruitment materials used in past searches;
* A proposed timetable for this search;
* Five (5) references of chairs of past search committees of comparable communities, conducted
within the last 3 years, with full contact information; for each client, please provide the scope of
work performed and size of the client's organization.
* Calculation of total, not-to-exceed proposed consulting fee, broken down by task categories (e.g.
leadership profile development; preliminary screening; final screening and interviews; etc.) Travel
costs and expenses for the firm should be itemized separately. Air travel and hotel expenses for
candidates will be paid by the City directly. Include an hourly rate for services performed beyond
those originally contemplated by the agreement.
Fee proposals must be submitted in a separate sealed envelope, marked "City Manager Search -
Fee Proposal." For electronic submittals uploaded through OpenBids, a separate fee proposal
file shall be uploaded aside from, and in addition to, the Proposal Statement.
C. Firm Experience and Personnel
Please include a brief history of your firm, and provide details such as number of clients served
(including number of local government clients), number of staff, services typically offered, and resumes,
and respective roles of individuals expected to provide consulting services under this RFP.
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3. PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS:
The City will choose a firm that will, in its judgement, provide the highest quality of recruitment consulting
services for a competitive price. Proposals will be evaluated on the firm's qualifications, experience, and
approach.
The selection process may include interviews with up to three (3) qualified firms where proposers will be asked
to make presentations of their recruitment approach and services.
A. Schedule
Task Date
Issue RFP October 2, 2026
Questions Due No Later Than October 15, 2026
Responses Issued October 22, 2026
Proposals Due October 29, 2026
Search Firm Interviews Week of Nov. 9th, 2026
Selection of Search Firm Week of Nov. 16th, 2026
Recruitment Process Determined by Firm
New City Manager Target Start Date TBD
B. Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following:
* Experience in recruiting City Managers or other similar chief executive positions;
* Capacity of firm to generate the necessary outreach materials professional networking, social media and
other outreach and candidate evaluation and to fulfill the project schedule;
* Evidence of having completed successful community engagement components of a city manager search
process;
* Recruitment strategy and search plan;
* References;
* Competitive fee proposal;
* Interview;
* The extent to which the overall proposal meets or is likely to meet the City's objectives.
C. Selection Process
Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated based on the evaluation criteria set forth in section B above. The
City may select one or more entities to invite to be interviewed, which will involve a presentation of the
proposal and introduction to key staff. Additional questions regarding specific proposals may be asked at
this time. Interviews will factor in the overall qualitative evaluation of Proposals. While the City places
priority on a quality-based selection, the proposed fee for services may also factor in evaluation and
selection.
* Based upon all of the evaluation criteria and interview, the City may select a preferred firm. The City
reserves the right to negotiate with selected Firm to further refine the proposal(s).
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* If the City is unable to reach agreement with its preferred Firm, the City may enter into negotiations
with the Firm whose proposal was deemed to be next most advantageous to the City.
4. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Contract documents will include a standard City agreement, this RFP, and the proposal and any subsequent
negotiations with the selected firm. Upon receipt, all proposals become the property of the City. In general,
materials submitted in response to this RFP will become public records, subject to disclosure.
All requests for additional information and/or questions shall be directed, in writing (email preferred), to the
Purchasing Manager no later than the date set forth in the Schedule. All responses (addenda), if applicable,
will be posted online at www.concordnh.gov/purchasing and emailed to all firms of record.
5. REVISIONS TO THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:
Any questions or inquiries must be submitted in writing and must be received by the Purchasing Manager no
later than fourteen (14) calendar days before the RFP submittal date in order to be considered. All responses
will be provided to all FIRMS of record via addenda seven (7) days prior to the submittal due date.
6. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS
The City reserves the right to undertake such investigation as it deems necessary to evaluate the proposals.
The City reserves the right to request additional information as part of this selection process. The City of
Concord also reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, to waive technical or legal deficiencies, to
proceed or not with any proposal or process, and to negotiate such terms and conditions of any proposal or
contract that may be in the best interest of the City. The City reserves the right to terminate or amend this
process at any time.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Proposers can view/download the City's terms and conditions from the City's FTP site by visiting
https://ftp.concordnh.gov and using the following credentials to login: Account - vendor; Password - Concord1.
The terms and conditions may also be downloaded from Euna OpenBids (for registered users only).
All Respondents are required to review the full terms and conditions prior to submitting a proposal in response
to this RFP. You must acknowledge receipt of these terms and conditions on page 12 of this request for
proposals.
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