To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Yvonne Shu, 565-1739
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Second Amendment to Agreement with Glen Price Group for Grant Writer Services
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Recommended Actions:
Recommended action
Authorize the County Administrator to execute a second amendment to the agreement with the Glen Price Group to provide grant writer services from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, with a not-to-exceed amount of $225,000.
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Executive Summary:
The County has contracted for grant writer services for over a decade as part of an ongoing effort to support departmental staff grant writing capacity and to maximize access to external funding sources. Given the pressure on Sonoma County’s budget, grants remain a critical way to supplement local discretionary sources to fund hazard mitigation, recovery and resiliency efforts, and also to finance County services.
The current agreement with Glen Price Group was authorized by your Board for an initial three-year term from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2019, with a not-to-exceed amount of $150,000 per year. The agreement provided the option to extend for up to two years. The first amendment was executed in June 2019, with a not-to-exceed amount of $225,000, and ensured continued grant-writing support to departments. The additional $75,000 was added on the previous and proposed amendment so that County departments could leverage the same contract, if needed. This proposed second amendment extends the term of the current agreement.
The County Administrator’s Office recommends extending Glen Price Group’s agreement for an additional 12-months, with the same not-to-exceed amount of $225,000, in light of emerging coronavirus funding and in anticipation of continued hazard mitigation needs. Glen Price Group has agreed to keep their 2016 hourly fees unchanged for the duration of this amendment. A
Request for Proposal (RFP) for grant writing services and support will be issued in FY 2020-21.
Discussion:
An RFP was issued in February 2016 for grant development and writing consultants. A Review Committee comprised of staff from General Services, Probation and the County Administrator’s Office selected the Glen Price Group, and your Board authorized the County Administrator to execute the initial agreement for a three-year term.
The Glen Price Group’s range of grant writing experience includes hazard mitigation, agriculture, environmental protection, water conservation, information technology, family and community violence, workforce development, violence protection, health services, community development, child care, recreation, transportation planning, energy conservation, open space/parks, planning and emergency services.
The County has contracted with the Glen Price Group since 2003. The Glen Price Group has helped the County to secure over $30 million in grants and contracts and has also provided research and professional learning programs for the County and community-based organizations.
Following the October 2017 fires, the Glen Price Group assisted departments in drafting $15 million in FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) proposals, of which $9 million in grant funding has been received. The need for grant writer services continues, as natural disasters persist and as funding opportunities arise in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Grant applications typically require turnarounds of just a few weeks, and a resource such as the Glen Price Group aids departments whose staff are at maximum capacity. Finally, the Glen Price Group understands the grant process itself and provides valuable project management capacity.
Glen Price Group Contract Amendment. Given that the agreement can be utilized by all departments, staff recommends the following combined option for the amended contract: a) $2,000 monthly retainer payment; b) up to a maximum of $126,000 for full comprehensive proposal development services, and c) up to $75,000 for departments to directly use and pay out of the respective departmental budgets for Glen Price Group Services.
The monthly retainer will provide the County with two, on-site grant development training workshops per year, ongoing funding opportunity monitoring and related weekly newsletter, a survey of Department Heads to identify funding priorities, bid/no-bid analysis identified for grants, and a monthly progress report to the County Administrator’s Office.
Prior Board Actions:
May 21, 2019: Authorized first amendment with Glen Price Group
June 14, 2016: Authorized agreement with Glen Price Group
June 16, 2015: Authorized amendments with Glen Price Group
June 25, 2013: Authorized amendments with Glen Price Group
June 26, 2012: Authorized agreements with Glen Price Group
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY 20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
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225,000 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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150,000 |
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other |
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75,000 |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
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225,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The costs for the Glen Price Group contract are appropriated in the proposed FY 2020-21 budget.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A - I Step) |
Additions (number) |
Deletions (number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Second Amendment to Agreement with the Glen Price Group
First Amendment to Agreement with the Glen Price Group
2016-2019 Agreement with the Glen Price Group
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Prior Board Actions with the Glen Price Group