CITY OF BELL. Request for Proposal for Code Enforcement Services

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1 CITY OF BELL Request for Proposal for Code Enforcement Services INTRODUCTION City of Bell is requesting proposals from qualified consulting firms to provide municipal code enforcement services within the City. Duties will include written notification and face-to-face contact with individuals to address various code enforcement violations, the development and establishment of a code enforcement process to ensure follow through and compliance, detailed record keeping of each case from start to finish including digital photographs and other pertinent information, and all other support services to ensure code compliance within the City. Incorporated in 1927, Bell is approximately two square miles with a population of approximately 35,500. The City currently receives and responds to municipal code complaints for weeds, over-grown shrubbery, blighted vacant homes, illegal signs, unpermitted garage conversions, and other violations. Municipal code enforcement is presently handled by three full time Code Enforcement employees reporting directly to the Community Development Director. A list of activities for the past seven months is included as Attachment 1. The applicant will be required to address code enforcement issues within the City, faceto-face and in writing. A field supervisor is to be provided along with trained code enforcement field personnel. The field supervisor will report directly to the Community Development Director and will meet with the Community Development Director at least one day per week to provide updates and status checks on active code enforcement cases. Violations within the City will be handled professionally and respectfully with a goal toward resolution of violations. The applicant will also provide a system for documenting and completing all cases. The selected consultant will work out of City s offices, and will be asked to keep a regular schedule of office hours. When necessary, the selected consultant will process applications intended to bring property owners into compliance with use permit conditions and City zoning. The work may include site visits, preparing and mailing/posting notices/citations and letters, investigating complaints and researching prior approvals, meeting with property owners and staff to develop code abatement strategies, preparing staff reports and CEQA documents, and provide testimony at City and Court Hearings when necessary. The selected consultant shall make every effort to hire locally, and interview the City s current code enforcement officers. As part of this RFP, consultant shall apply California s Prevailing Wage Laws to the cost of the services, if applicable. Consultant shall state in the submittal if Prevailing Wage is or is not applicable. Code Enforcement RFP Page 1

2 SCOPE OF WORK City intends to select one firm through this RFP process. The selected consultant will be required to develop a complete program that will ensure the following goals: I. OBJECTIVE The selected consultant shall provide code enforcement services to the City. The services shall include qualified personnel for the reviewing, processing, and closing of code enforcement cases related to zoning, building, grading, nuisance, and property maintenance violations within the City of Bell. In addition, services shall involve review of case files, inspection of properties, filing notices and complaints against violators, documenting, and preparing violation cases, and testifying in court. II. SCOPE Code enforcement services shall include the following: 1. Provide a minimum of three (3) full time positions. Two (2) of which will provide services Monday through Friday, and one (1) to provide services that includes Saturday and Sunday and any combination of three weekdays; 2. One of three code enforcement officers shall be the supervisor of the other two officers. The supervising officer shall be a working field officer; 3. Code enforcement officers shall have a minimum of three years of experience; 4. Review and study local codes and ordinances related to zoning, building, grading, nuisance, and property maintenance; 5. Investigate violations of City zoning, building, grading, nuisance, and property maintenance laws, file complaints against violators, and testify in court when necessary; 6. Perform field surveys and investigate complaints of possible zoning, building, grading, nuisance and property maintenance code violations. Recognize the need for, and implement appropriate remedial actions to correct violations; 7. Perform and document inspections to determine the validity of complaints, and to identify conformance to the applicable codes and ordinances; 8. Take photographs and necessary measurements and gather all pertinent facts from the parties involved; 9. Prepare and issue a Notice of Violation, Letters of Non-Compliance and when necessary, citations; 10. Have experience in handling reporting requirements for Community Development Block Grant funding; Code Enforcement RFP Page 2

3 11. Request title searches, records or remove violation notices on titles, and ensure that legal requirements are met; 12. Communicate effectively to resolve issues with property and business owners; guide and persuade uncooperative individuals to comply with ordinances, and seek voluntary compliance; 13. Develop and implement a computerized tracking system so that each case can be documented from start to finish. A notification alarm should be included in the system to ensure timelines and progressive steps are adhered to; 14. Maintain records of inspections and enforcement of efforts; research and compile data for each case; prepare required documentation for legal actions; testify in court proceedings regarding code violations, perform follow-up actions as needed to gain compliance; 15. Confer with related agencies and City departments on disposition of complaints and code violations; prepare detailed and specialized written reports and correspondence related to code enforcement inspections, violations, and other activities that are adequate for use in the prosecution of violations; 16. Work with City Prosecutor when necessary to resolve cases; 17. Provide an array of services such as helping permit technicians with the processing of permits needed to correct code violations, handling customer needs over the phone and in person, and maintaining records; 18. Provide daily patrols for graffiti, list and report all graffiti locations to the City s graffiti removal contractor; 19. Physically lift and remove bulky items from the public right of way when encountered and/or as directed; 20. Provide code enforcement for street vendor activity within the City; 21. Provide enforcement for solid waste violations such as scavenging and illegal waste haulers; 22. Code enforcement officers shall issue citations when necessary; 23. Provide regular, on-going customer service and other technical training for code enforcement officers; 24. Provide and adhere to a code enforcement procedures manual; 25. Provide all necessary equipment, uniforms, and vehicles for code enforcement officers; 26. Provide other professional code enforcement support services as determined by the Community Development Director. Code Enforcement RFP Page 3

4 III. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Consultant s staff shall possess general knowledge of: 1. State and local regulations pertinent to land use / zoning, building, grading, nuisance and property maintenance, and some knowledge of the principles and practices of urban planning. Specific knowledge of the city zoning code, planned communities, specific plans, and codified ordinances; 2. Preferred but not required: a) Completion of POST (Peace Officer Standards Training) certified training b) Completion of CACEO (California Association of Code Enforcement Officers) basic, intermediate and advanced training c) Code enforcement supervisor to have completion of advanced and supervisor CACEO training d) 832 PC Certified 3. Geography of the City of Bell, including locations and layout of streets; 4. Customer service techniques and principles; 5. Methods for overcoming hostility. Ability to: 1. Read and interpret land use, building, grading, and property maintenance codes, and apply this knowledge to specific problems (including interpreting ordinances and regulations for the public); 2. Prepare and maintain concise, comprehensive records, reports, and appropriately document investigations; 3. Establish and maintain effective working relations with City employees, and the public in potentially adverse conditions; 4. Provide excellent customer service; treat the public diplomatically and with respect; 5. Follow oral and written instructions (including policies and procedures); 6. Speak and write clearly and logically; 7. All code enforcement personnel must be bilingual (English/Spanish). Code Enforcement RFP Page 4

5 SUBMITTAL FORMAT AND CONTENT All respondents are required to follow the format specified below. The contents of the submittal must be clear, concise, and complete. Each section of the submittal shall be titled according to the numbering and naming system shown below to aid in expedient information retrieval (NOTE: Respondents shall base their submittals on the "Scope of Work.") Cover Letter - The cover letter must be on Consultant Firm letterhead and should include in the subject heading Proposal for Code Enforcement Services September 16, The cover letter should be brief (two pages maximum), and any changes to the format or deletions of requested materials clearly explained. Describe how the delivery of services will be provided to City, including the location of the consultant s offices and the response time to City's requests. In addition, describe those conditions, constraints, or problems that are unique to the scope of work that may adversely affect either the cost or work progress; identify the team members other than the consultant s firm s employed personnel (i.e., joint partners, sub-consultants and contract personnel); and include the title and signature of the firm's contact person for this procurement. The signatory shall be a person with official authority to bind the company. I. Methods and Strategic Plan - Describe methods and plan for carrying out the Scope of Work. II. Qualifications and Experience - This section shall contain the following: A description of the consultant firm s experience in providing Code Enforcement Services. III. The name of the consultant firm s proposed personnel for this contract. The consultant firm s and proposed personnel s experiences in the past five (5) years specifically related to the scope of work of this project. Experiences shall be listed consecutively with name of the City or agency the work was completed for. Each listed experience shall include the name(s) and telephone number(s) of the consultant s project manager and inspector and the client's project manager or contact for each listing. When listing sub-consultants, describe the listed experience and the exact tasks that each entity will perform. IV. List of Project Personnel - This list should include the identification of the field supervisor or contact person with primary responsibility for this contract, the personnel proposed for this contract, and any supervisory personnel, including partners and/or sub-consultants, and their individual areas of responsibility (include their addresses). The persons listed will be considered as those committed to the contract. A résumé for each professional and technical person assigned to the contract, including partners and/or sub-consultants, shall be submitted. The résumés shall include at least one reference from previous assignments. A minimum of three field personnel is required. V. Organization Chart - An organization chart containing the names of all key personnel, joint venture partners, and sub-consultants with titles and their specific task assignment for this contract shall be provided in this section. Code Enforcement RFP Page 5

6 VI. Other Information - This section shall contain all other pertinent information regarding this procurement in the following order: A. Description of insurance coverage for prime respondent if different than that which is currently valid and on file with the City and co-venture partner(s) (types of coverage and policy limits, deductible, exclusions, and outstanding claims) B. Description of in-house resources for prime respondent and co-venture partner(s) (i.e., vehicles, mobile telephone, beeper, computer capabilities, software applications, etc.) VII. Not-to-Exceed Fee and Schedule of Hourly Rates - The respondent shall provide a Not-to-Exceed Fee and a Schedule of Hourly Rates. SUBMITTAL SCHEDULE The solicitation, receipt, and evaluation of submittals and the selection of the provider of consultant services will conform to the following schedule (Note: Dates are subject to change): Distribution: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 Submittal of Proposal Due: Thursday, September 26, 2013 before 4:00 p.m. Interviews with Short Listed Firms: Week of October 21, 2013 City Approval: November 6, 2013 Notice to Proceed: TBD Three (3) copies (one of the copies shall be unbound and paper clipped) of the proposal shall be submitted and one electronic copy in Microsoft Word format no later than the proposal due date and time above. Submittal of Proposal to: Janet Martinez, Interim City Clerk City of Bell 6330 Pine Avenue Bell, CA Copies received by FAX shall not be deemed received. Code Enforcement RFP Page 6