Oxnard finance committee approves larger contracts with two IT recruiting firms

The Oxnard City Finance and Governance Committee recommended that the City Council approve first amendments to two professional services agreements for IT recruitment, expanding the spending caps and extending both contracts through June 30, 2027. The committee approved the staff recommendations on both items by 3-0 votes.

The committee voted to increase the not-to-exceed value for the Hire Cloud Inc. agreement by $1,130,000 to a new $1,350,000 cap and to increase the Core 1 LLC agreement by $680,000 to a new $900,000 cap, extending both agreements to June 30, 2027. Both items were introduced by staff as first amendments to existing contracts (agreement numbers listed in the agenda) and carried by the committee without public comment.

Why it matters: City staff said recruiting firms have allowed the IT department to find candidates who are not actively searching municipal job boards and to fill specialized or temporary needs while the city builds in-house capacity. Committee members asked for clearer future projections of hiring needs and contractor dependence so council members can assess whether large, near-term contract amendments are justified.

Rob Rubin, Oxnard’s chief information officer, described hiring as a widespread problem. "It is a challenge. It's a nationwide challenge," he said, adding that remote work patterns have changed candidate behavior and reduced the local on-site pool. Rubin told the committee the recruiters have been able to "find people that are well qualified and not necessarily looking for a government job." He said the department currently has about five open IT positions, with one candidate in final background screening.

Rubin explained reasons the city uses contractors: to provide temporary staff for short-term needs, to supply skills tied to legacy systems the city does not plan to hire permanently for, and to pilot roles such as project manager or business analyst before creating permanent posts. He described contractor hourly ranges as roughly $90–$125 per hour and said converting a successful contractor to a permanent employee has been an effective way to hire for the city.

Committee members pressed staff on why amendments were requested so soon after the original contracts were signed. Rubin said the agreements' effective dates and administrative delays (including business-license issues) contributed to the timing and that staff wanted both vendors' terms aligned for clarity. He also said the two-vendor approach keeps firms competitive: "a little competitive angle keeps them hungry," he said.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved both contract amendments 3-0. Committee Member Starr voted yes; Committee Member Rodriguez voted aye; Chair McArthur voted yes.

What happens next: These committee approvals send the recommended amendments to the full City Council for consideration and final action. Staff said they will provide clearer projections on recruiting needs in future reports so elected officials can better evaluate large contract amendments.