HomeMy WebLinkAbout16- Professional Services Agreement - GovHR - Executive Recruiting Services630 Dundee Road, Suite 130, Northbrook, Illinois 60062
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EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT • INTERIM STAFFING • MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCE CONSULTING
May 11, 2016
Ms. Bethany Jorgenson
Human Resources Director
City of Bozeman
121 North Rouse
Bozeman, MT 59771
Dear Ms. Jorgenson:
Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with a proposal for the City of Bozeman’s Community
Development Director recruitment and selection process. GovHR USA prides itself on a tailored, personal
approach to executive recruitment and selection, able to adapt to your specific requirements for the
position.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
GovHR USA is a public management consulting firm serving municipal clients and other public sector
entities on a national basis. We work exclusively in the public sector, offering customized executive
recruitment services, as well as providing other management studies, temporary staffing and related
services for communities, counties, intergovernmental organizations and not-for-profit organizations that
serve local government. GovHR USA is co-owned by Heidi Voorhees, President, and Joellen Earl, CEO.
GovHR is a certified woman owned business firm in the State of Illinois.
GovHR USA was established in 2009 as Voorhees Associates, LLC. In January, 2014 Voorhees
Associates combined with GovTempsUSA to form GovHR USA. This combination enables us to more
effectively serve our clients by utilizing our combined resources to provide not only executive recruiting
and management consulting, but also temporary staffing solutions, including short-term, long-term, and
interim placements. Our headquarters offices are in Northbrook, Illinois.
Prior to 2009, Ms. Voorhees and a number of current GovHR USA consultants worked for The PAR
Group, a public sector national consulting firm established in 1972. Ms. Voorhees began working for The
PAR Group in 2001 and served as its President from 2006-2009. She has conducted more than 220
recruitments in her management consulting career, with many of her clients repeat clients, attesting to the
high quality of work performed for them. In addition to her years of executive recruitment and
management consulting experience, Ms. Voorhees has 19 years of local government leadership and
management service with the Villages of Wilmette and Schaumburg, Illinois, as well as the City of Kansas
City, Missouri. Ms. Earl is a seasoned manager, with expertise in public sector human resources
management. She has held positions from Human Resources Director and Administrative Services
Director to Assistant Town Manager and Assistant County Manager. Ms. Earl has worked in forms of
government ranging from Open Town Meeting to Council-Manager and has supervised all municipal and
county departments ranging from Public Safety and Public Works to Mental Health and Social Services.
The firm has a total of twenty-two consultants, both generalists and specialists (public safety, finance,
parks, etc.), who are based in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as six reference
specialists and ten support staff.
City of Bozeman, Montana page 2
Philosophy
Executive search is an important decision-making process for a community; our primary goal is to help
our client to make a good decision. Our firm’s executive recruitment philosophy embraces a professional
process of integrity, trust, and respect toward all parties involved and complete commitment toward
meeting the expressed needs and desires of our client. All of our services are handled by principals of the
firm who have established and well-regarded reputations in the search field as well as actual operating
experience in the public management fields in which they now consult. Each has impeccable professional
credentials and unblemished personal reputations. Keeping both our client and prospective candidates
informed on the status of the recruitment on a regular basis is also an important part of our recruitment
process. Our work is carried out in an open manner with particular attention given toward seeking out
critical factors of a client’s organization and governance and utilizing such information respectfully and
discreetly in seeking out candidates who truly have the ability to meet the expectations and needs of the
client—working strenuously in developing a fully qualified, “best match” candidate pool for client
consideration. Our process includes assistance in the critical final interview and selection phases of the
recruitment, and availability to both client and candidate for months following the appointment. Our
process was developed and refined over the years to meet the special, and often unique, needs and
circumstances facing our local government, public management, and related not-for-profit clients.
Experience
GovHR USA has completed 309 recruitments since its establishment in 2009. Our consultants are
experienced executive recruiters who have conducted over 500 recruitments, working with cities,
counties, special districts and other governmental entities of all sizes throughout the country. In addition,
we’ve held leadership positions within local government, giving us an understanding of the complexities
and challenges facing today’s public sector leaders.
References
The following references can speak to the quality of service provided by GovHR USA (recruitments
marked * were conducted under the firm’s previous name, Voorhees Associates):
Community Development Director recruitment*
Chief Engineer II recruitment
Senior Engineer for Development recruitment
Senior Engineer for Street Maintenance recruitment
Chief Financial Officer recruitment
Director of Communications recruitment
Director of Public Services recruitment
City of Elgin, Illinois
Sean Stegall, City Manager
150 Dexter Ct.
Elgin, IL 60120
847/931-5590
Stegall_s@cityofelgin.org
Community Development Director recruitment*
Director of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services
Director of Public Works recruitment*
City of Evanston, Illinois
Elizabeth Tisdahl, Mayor
Wally Bobkiewicz, City Manager
2100 Ridge Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
TEL: 847-866-2936
citymanagersoffice@cityofevanston.org
City of Bozeman, Montana page 3
Director of Community Development recruitment*
Director of Finance recruitment
Fire Chief recruitment*
Director of Public Works recruitment*
City of Highland Park, Illinois
Ghida Neukirch, City Manager
1707 St. Johns Ave
Highland Park, IL 60035
847-926-1000
gneukirch@cityhpil.com
Consultant Assigned
GovHR USA Vice President Paul Harlow will be responsible for your recruitment and selection process.
Paul M. Harlow
Vice President
Paul M. Harlow has 38 years of municipal experience in both public safety and municipal management for
the Village of Glencoe, Illinois on Chicago’s North Shore. This included 10 years as Director of Public
Safety of the fully consolidated Public Safety Department and 13 years as Village Manager.
As Director of Public Safety, Mr. Harlow was responsible for coordinating and managing police, fire and
emergency medical services in a fully consolidated public safety department. Overseeing the effort of
international accreditations in a public safety environment, the department initiated and achieved
accredited status in law enforcement through CALEA and initiated the process of fire service accreditation
through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. Upon receiving those certifications, the
organization was identified as the only combined services public safety agency in the world with dual
accreditation status.
During his tenure as Director of Public Safety, Mr. Harlow led efforts to enhance community based human
relations programs and led in the enhancement of numerous regional mutual aid initiatives for
effectiveness and efficiencies in area law enforcement and fire service, including the formation of a Major
Crimes Task Force and Mutual Aid/Automatic Response Programs. In addition, as Director of Public
Safety, Mr. Harlow was an Assessor for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
(CALEA). As President of the Northern Illinois Police Crime Laboratory, Paul led a successful effort to
achieve accreditation; becoming at that time, the only such private crime laboratory in the world to be
awarded that status.
Mr. Harlow served as a founding member of the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy
(NIPSTA). He has chaired numerous committees, served as Treasurer and Vice-President and currently
volunteers as Chair of the NIPSTA Corporate Liaison Committee.
As the 7th Village Manager of the first community in Illinois (and 14th in the Nation) to adopt a Council-
Manager form of Government, Mr. Harlow maintained the standard of excellence for fiscal integrity and
governmental responsibility. AAA Bond Ratings, a series of voter approved infrastructure and business
district improvements, GFOA awards for Excellence in Financial Reporting and Popular Annual Financial
Report and fiscal stability in an era of economic downturn were maintained throughout his tenure. As
Village Manager, Mr. Harlow directed the implementation of public communications policies leading to the
Illinois Policy Institute acknowledgment for “receiving the highest score for transparency in the State of
Illinois.” Paul oversaw the operation of a variety of municipal services, including the operation of a water
production facility and a municipal golf course; both distinguished for their quality. Mr. Harlow initiated and
implemented numerous “shared services” programs with other local governmental entities that have led to
effective cost savings to the taxpayers.
City of Bozeman, Montana page 4
During his tenure as Village Manager, a significant enhancement to “the arts” in the community was
fostered by the Village’s retention and approved expansion of Writers’ Theatre, “a cultural destination with
a national reputation for excellence.” The position of the community was also improved by the enhanced
relationship between the Village and the Chicago Botanic Garden, an internationally recognized venue.
Mr. Harlow holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and a Masters Degree in Business
Administration and Administration of Justice. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of
Police Staff and Command and Executive Development Institute. He is also a graduate of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation National Academy and Law Enforcement Executive Development Symposium.
SCOPE OF WORK
A typical recruitment and selection process can take 175 hours to conduct. At least 50 hours of this time
is “administrative” including ad placement, acknowledgment of résumés, reference interviews, and due
diligence on candidates. These tasks may take longer if someone is performing them for the first time. We
believe our experience and ability to professionally administer your recruitment will provide you with the
best possible outcome. GovHR USA clients are kept informed of the progress of a recruitment throughout
the recruitment process. Consultants are always available to provide information and answer questions,
and details of the process such as placement of advertising and applications received are discussed in
regular updates via either telephone or email.
GovHR USA suggests the following approach to your recruitment, subject to your requests for
modification:
Phase I – Position Assessment, Position Announcement and Brochure Development
Phase I will include the following steps:
Interviews with the City Manager, and the City’s senior staff as well as any other individuals you
deem appropriate to best understand the responsibilities, challenges, and culture of the City.
At least eight (8) hours of one-on-one interviews will be conducted with elected officials, staff and
the public in order to develop our Recruitment Brochure. This important document outlines the
expectations that the City has for its next Community Development Director, providing us with the
information we need to target our recruitment. During this process we will assist you with
establishing the salary for the Community Development Director by conducting a salary survey of
comparable communities, if so desired.
Development of a Position Announcement.
Development of a detailed Recruitment Brochure for your review and approval.
Agreement on a detailed Recruitment Timetable.
Phase II – Advertising, Candidate Recruitment and Outreach
Phase II will include the following steps:
Placement of the Position Announcement in appropriate professional online publications. In
addition to public sector publications and web sites, outreach will include LinkedIn and other
private sector resources. We can provide the City with placement recommendations, if so
desired.
City of Bozeman, Montana page 5
The development of a database of potential candidates unique to the position and to the City of
Bozeman, focusing on the leadership and management skills identified in Phase I as well as size
of organization, and experience in addressing challenges and opportunities also outlined in
Phase I.
Outreach will be done through e-mail and telephone contacts as appropriate. GovHR USA
consultants have extensive knowledge of the municipal government industry and will personally
identify and contact potential candidates. With more than 600 collective years of municipal and
consulting experience among our consultants, we often have inside knowledge about candidates.
Phase III – Candidate Evaluation and Screening
Phase III will include the following steps:
Review and evaluation of candidates’ credentials considering the criteria outlined in the
Recruitment Brochure.
Candidates will be interviewed by Skype or Facetime to fully grasp their qualifications and
experience as well as their interpersonal skills. This is an hour long interview, asking specific
questions about their experience and skill set. This allows us to ask follow up questions and
probe specific areas. It also provides us with an assessment of their verbal skills and their level of
energy for and interest in the position.
Formal and informal references (two per candidate) and an internet search of each candidate will
be conducted to further verify candidates’ abilities, work ethic, management and leadership skills,
analytical skills, interpersonal skills, ability to interact with the media, and any areas identified for
improvement.
All résumés will be acknowledged and contacts and inquiries from candidates will be personally
handled by GovHR USA, ensuring Bozeman’s process is professional and well regarded by all
who participate.
Phase IV – Presentation of Recommended Candidates
Phase IV will include the following steps:
GovHR USA will prepare a Recruitment Report that presents the credentials of those
candidates most qualified for the position. You will advise us of the number of reports you will
need for the individuals involved in this phase of the recruitment and selection process. We
provide a binder which contains the candidate’s cover letter and résumé. In addition, we prepare
a “mini” résumé for each candidate, so that each candidate's credentials are presented in a
uniform way. As résumés come in all different formats, these “mini” résumés will give you a clear,
consistent look at each candidate “at a glance.”
GovHR USA will provide you with a log of all candidates who applied. You may also review all of
the résumés should you so desire.
GovHR USA will meet with you to review the Recruitment Report and expand upon the
information provided. The report will arrive two to three days in advance of the meeting, giving
you the opportunity to fully review it. In addition to the written report, we will spend 2 to 3 hours
with you to bring the candidates to “life” by reviewing their telephone interview and providing
excerpts from two (2) references we will have done on the individual.
Phase V –Interviewing Process
Phase V will include the following steps:
City of Bozeman, Montana page 6
At the Recommendation meeting, the Interviewing Process will be finalized including the
discussion of any specific components you deem appropriate, such as a writing sample.
GovHR USA will develop the first and second round interview questions for your review. GovHR
USA will provide you with interview books that include the credentials each candidate submits, a
summary of each candidate’s credentials, a set of questions with room for interviewers to make
notes, and an evaluation sheet to assist interviewers in assessing each candidate’s skills and
abilities.
GovHR USA will work with you to develop an interview schedule for the candidates, coordinating
travel and accommodations. The schedule will incorporate a tour of City of Bozeman facilities and
interviews with Department Heads and elected officials.
We offer a community “Meet and Greet” option, at no charge, as a means for the community to
interact and get to know the candidates in an informal setting. At this "Meet and Greet,"
candidates would give a brief overview of themselves and answer questions from the audience.
Once candidates for interview are selected, additional references will be contacted, along with
verification of educational credentials, criminal court, credit, and motor vehicle and records
checks. Using the candidate's name and work experience we review the top 200 search results
available from Google, as well as his/her activity (if publicly available) on Facebook, Twitter, and
other social media platforms. Employment verification can also be provided if so desired.
GovHR USA recommends a two-step interviewing process with (typically) five candidates
interviewed in the first round. Following this round, we strongly suggest that two or three
candidates are selected for second round interviews. Again, we will prepare a second round of
interview questions and a “score sheet.”
GovHR USA consultants will be present for all of the interviews, serving as a resource and
facilitator.
Phase VI – Appointment of Candidate
GovHR USA will assist you as much as you request with the salary and benefit negotiations and
drafting of employment agreement, if appropriate.
GovHR USA will notify all applicants of the final appointment, including professional background
information on the successful candidate.
Optional 360° Evaluation
As a service to the City of Bozeman, we offer the option to provide you with a proposal for a 360°
performance evaluation for the appointed Community Development Director at about six months into his
or her employment. This evaluation will include seeking feedback from both Elected Officials and
Department Directors, along with any other constituent the City feels would be relevant and beneficial.
This input will be obtained on a confidential basis with comments known only to the consultant. If you are
interested in this option, GovHR USA will prepare a proposal for this service.
Recruitment Schedule
A detailed recruitment schedule will be provided in Phase I. The recruitment and selection process
typically takes 90 days from the time the contract is signed until the candidate is appointed. We can work
with you on a shorter process, should you so desire.
City of Bozeman, Montana page 7
Our typical recruitment process includes the following milestones and deliverables:
On-site interviews of Bozeman officials and staff, weeks 1-2
development and approval of recruitment brochure
Deliverable: recruitment brochure
Placement of professional announcements; candidate weeks 3-8
identification, screening, interview and evaluation by
consultant
Consultant recommendation to City Manager of qualified candidates week 9
Deliverable: recruitment report
Selection of candidate finalists by City Manager; additional week 10
background and reference checks, report preparation
and presentation
Deliverable: interview reports including suggested questions
and evaluation sheets
Interviews of selected finalist candidates; City Manager selection weeks 11-12
of final candidate; negotiation, offer, acceptance and
appointment
Summary of Costs
Recruitment Fee: $12,000
Recruitment Expenses: (not to exceed) 5,500
Expenses include consultant travel,
candidate outreach, and candidate due
diligence efforts..
Advertising costs 2,000
Total Fees: $19,500*
Expenses include billing the client for up to 10 recruitment reports and 10 interview books. Clients
requesting additional copies will be billed an additional per-book charge which may then exceed
the estimated expenses. Advertising costs over $2,000 will be placed only with client approval. If
less than $2,000, Client is billed only for actual cost.
*This fee does not include travel and accommodations for candidates interviewed. Recruitment
brochures are produced as electronic files. Printed brochures can be provided, if desired, for an
additional cost of $900.
The above cost proposal is predicated upon three consultant visits to Bozeman; the first for the
recruitment brochure interview process; the second to present recommended candidates; and the
third for the candidate interview process. Any additional consultant visits requested by the City
Manager may result in an increase in the travel expenses and those expenses will be billed to the
client.
Payment for Fees and Services
Professional fees and expenses will be invoiced as follows: Recruitment expenses and the costs for the
Recruitment Brochure printing will be itemized with sufficient detail and invoiced as incurred. In addition,
the Recruitment Fee will be invoiced in three (3) equal payments, billed during the course of the
recruitment. The first invoice for the Recruitment Fee will be sent upon acceptance of our proposal. The
City of Bozeman, Montana page 8
second invoice will be sent following the recommendation of candidates and will include any expenses
incurred to date. The final invoice will be sent upon completion of the recruitment assignment and will
include all remaining expenses. Upon receipt of each invoice the City will approve payment in accordance
with its claims procedures within thirty (30) days of receipt.
GovHR USA Guarantee
It is the policy of GovHR USA to assist our clients until an acceptable candidate is appointed to the
position. Therefore, no additional professional fee would be incurred should the City Manager not make a
selection from the initial group of recommended candidates and request additional candidates be
developed for interview consideration. Additional reimbursable expenses may be incurred should the
situation require consultant travel to Bozeman beyond the planned three visits.
Upon appointment of a candidate, GovHR USA provides the following guarantee: should the selected
and appointed candidate, at the request of the City of Bozeman or the employee’s own determination,
leave the employ of the City of Bozeman within the first 24 months of appointment, we will, if desired,
conduct another search for the cost of expenses and announcements only.
In addition, in accordance with the policy of our firm as well as established ethics in the executive search
industry, we will not actively recruit the placed employees for a period of five years.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
It is our understanding that the City is interested in considering additional consulting assistance to probe
reasons for turnover in the Community Development Director position and provide recommendations, if
appropriate, to address this turnover. In order to assess this, our consultant would spend additional time
on site during his initial visit in order to interview the City Manager, other department heads, previous
directors, department staff, and other suggested stakeholders regarding the Community Development
Director position. We would then prepare and present a report on our findings to the City Manager. We
estimate an additional 32 hours of consultant time for interviews and report preparation.
The charge for this service would be $4,000 professional fee plus an additional $1,000 in consultant
expenses.
Why Choose GovHR USA?
The heart and soul of a professional recruitment firm is the expertise it brings to its clients. GovHR USA
consultants are all experienced local government executives who have demonstrated careers and
expertise that brings first hand knowledge of the disciplines in which they now consult. This knowledge
can assist clients in designing the appropriate interview questions, the development of written and oral
exercises to best assess candidates’ abilities, and facilitation of the clients’ discussion of the candidates.
Our process reflects the client’s goals and objectives—therefore, the time we spend developing the
Recruitment Brochure is critical in our understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and culture of the
position under consideration. Our candidate assessment and interviewing skills are based on thousands
of interviews over the course of our Consultants’ many years of experience in the recruitment and
selection field. This professional familiarity allows us to be sensitive to the nuances, not only the obvious.
In addition, as experienced local government professionals, our Consultants are able to ask probing,
thoughtful questions and effectively evaluate the candidates’ answers. We provide the client with a
diverse list of potential candidates who have been fully vetted by our staff and who are truly interested in
and well-qualified for the position. We respect the confidentiality of candidates’ applications and are
respectful of the candidates’ current employment situation when we conduct reference calls. We are not a
gatekeeper—clients will be provided with a list of everyone who applied and may view the résumés
should they so desire.
City of Bozeman, Montana page 9
Our firm’s executive recruitment standards embrace a professional process of integrity, trust, and respect
toward all parties involved and a commitment toward meeting the expressed needs and desires of our
Client. Our ultimate goal is for the client to be completely satisfied with the selected candidate.
This proposal will remain in effect for a period of six months from the date of the proposal. We look
forward to working with you on this recruitment and selection process!
Sincerely,
Heidi J. Voorhees
President
GovHR USA
ACCEPTED BY THE CITY OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA
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