Board approves $110,000 contract with consultant for strategic plan after split vote

The Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education voted 4-3 to award a contract not to exceed $110,000 to Through Consulting LLC to facilitate the district's strategic planning process, the board decided after an extended discussion and a roll-call vote. Board members spent more than an hour debating whether to hire an outside facilitator, and how to avoid duplicating work already done by a previous vendor, Galapagos. Supporters said an outside, third-party facilitator would bring objectivity and national perspective; opponents said the district has internal expertise and existing data that could reduce cost. Trustee debate repeatedly returned to scope and deliverables, and whether the proposal should be pared back to reflect prior community data collection. The committee that vetted proposals reported that 33 firms responded to the district's RFP, that the committee narrowed candidates to three and recommended Through Consulting based on price and services. The strategic planning committee chair moved the award on the board floor and the motion was seconded; the motion passed 4-3 on a roll-call vote after discussion about whether components of the vendor's proposed work duplicated Galapagos's earlier engagement. Board members who opposed the motion cited the $110,000 not-to-exceed figure and urged stronger contractual language requiring a clearly defined scope and deliverables and reductions for tasks already completed. Supporters said the contract as written includes flexibility and that the proposal's illustrative work plan would be tailored to the district, including using Galapagos's dataset as a starting point. Several trustees asked that the superintendent and staff negotiate a final scope that avoids duplication and clearly states deliverables before the vendor begins work. The consultant engagement will cover facilitation, workshops, data review and visioning work intended to produce a comprehensive strategic plan and tools to track KPIs. The board directed staff to negotiate scope clarifications and return documents as needed to committee oversight. The vote followed an earlier study-session-level discussion of the strategic planning options and of how Galapagos's prior work could be reused; the board later recorded the final roll call and the 4-3 outcome.