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Council rejects grant-writing and federal-lobbyist bids, orders revised RFPs
Summary
After reviewing proposals and cost ranges, the council voted to reject submitted proposals for a grant-writing team and federal lobbyist and directed staff to reissue RFPs that incorporate council feedback and additional evaluation criteria.
The West Covina City Council voted Jan. 21 to reject all proposals in two requests for proposals—one for grant-writing/management services and one for federal lobbyist services—and directed staff to reissue both RFPs incorporating council feedback on evaluation criteria and performance history.
Lede: Staff had circulated results from competitive RFPs: 15 proposals for a grant-writing team and six for federal lobbying. Staff summarized vendor scoring and estimated price ranges; the highest-ranked federal lobbying proposer offered a $42,000 annual retainer while some proposers quoted as much as $150,000. For grant-writing the evaluated firms provided hourly or per-project estimates.
Nut graf: Council members asked for deeper detail on vendors’ municipal track records, demonstrated success in securing state and federal funding for similar-sized cities, potential client conflicts of interest, and how firms would prioritize West Covina projects. After discussion the council voted to reject the closed proposals and rebid the procurements with clarified evaluation criteria and a plan to consider municipal track records and success metrics.
Staff presentation: Kelly McDonald (Assistant to the City Manager) reviewed that recent awards to the city from federal and congressional appropriations total tens of millions over past years and that staff had compiled lists of recent grants and congressional items. Staff noted that the highest-ranked grant-writing firm’s per-project estimates ranged roughly from $3,510 to $13,500 and that one top federal lobbying firm proposed a $42,000 annual retainer.
Council direction and vote: Councilmembers asked that new RFPs require proposers to (1) show municipal success stories for cities of comparable size, (2) list dollar amounts and outcomes secured for past clients, (3) disclose current local/regional municipal clients to identify potential conflicts, and (4) propose performance-based deliverables or measurable benchmarks. The council directed staff to reissue the RFPs, coordinate with council members on final evaluation language, and seek quicker posting (targeted reissue in February). The motion to reject and rebid passed unanimously.
Ending: Staff committed to returning with reposted RFPs and a procurement schedule; councilmembers emphasized existing grant writing should continue while new procurements are prepared.
