HomeMy WebLinkAboutBozeman - Equity Indicators and Gap Analysis RFP
Proposal:
Equity Indicators and Gap Analysis
November 20, 2020
Prepared by:
Hala Daher, Proposal Manager
hala@januaryadvisors.com
Jeff Reichman, Managing Principal
jeff@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
832-680-5540
Table Of Contents
A. Cover Letter 3
B. Executive Summary 4
C. Firm Profile and Project Personnel 6
D. Experience 11
E. Scope of Proposal 21
F. Budget 29
G. References 32
H. Affirmation of Nondiscrimination 34
Page 2
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
A. Cover Letter
November 20, 2020
Mike Maas, City Clerk
City of Bozeman, Montana
Dear Mike:
We are thrilled to submit a proposal in response to the RFP from the City of Bozeman,
Montana on Equity Indicators and Gap Analysis. January Advisors is a data science consulting
firm that specializes in data-informed research and policy for the public good.
Our team has experience working on equity-focused studies and strategies. These studies
span various domains, and demonstrate our ability to combine multiple topics to better
understand equity in the community, including:
●A methodology, study, and dashboard for the equitable distribution of financial
assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for Harris County, Texas.
●A study of the economic and social impacts of Hurricane Harvey on military veterans on
the Gulf Coast of the United States.
●A study of diversion and deflection programs that would reduce the jail population in
Dane County, Wisconsin.
●A study of housing affordability in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Houston,
Texas.
We are very familiar with ways that cities and their community partners can use data to close
the equity gap, especially for people within marginalized communities.
Our team has the data expertise to clarify ambiguity, develop a clear plan for the project, and
execute quickly.
We appreciate your consideration. Thank you for reading this proposal.
Jeff Reichman
Managing Principal
January Advisors
jeff@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Page 3
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
B. Executive Summary
Everyone deserves access to resources. How to achieve this goal remains one of the most
pressing issues across the United States. There are extreme disparities in wealth, housing,
education, healthcare, and economic opportunity -- even within the same neighborhood. These
disparities are especially apparent in historically marginalized communities, such as rural
populations, indiginous populations, and other communities of color.
This proposal is a comprehensive response to the RFP:
●We begin by identifying suspected areas of inequity, gather data to quantify those
inequities, and establish equity indicators for ongoing measurement.
●Through community engagement, surveys, and focus groups, we are able to gather
powerful anecdotes that add context and depth to the numbers.
●We will deliver a final report that summarizes need and capacity, a spreadsheet of
equity indicators, and recommendations for addressing gaps in services.
●In order to be as transparent as possible, we also provide an interactive dashboard
where project stakeholders can explore the data, assign weights to equity indicators,
and to understand the methodologies associated with data collection, processing, and
visualization.
January Advisors is a data science consulting firm that specializes in public and nonprofit sector
clients. Over the last ten years, we have worked at the forefront of data science for the public
good.
Our team is interdisciplinary, and includes data-focused people with backgrounds in sociology,
public policy, social work, ecology, public health, and statistics, among others. Data is our
common language.
Because of our diverse backgrounds, we are able to work at the intersection of multiple
disciplines, which is critical for equity studies. Our ability to understand this project comes from
a deep understanding of individual domains such as housing, food access, transportation
equity, criminal justice reform, economic opportunity, social determinants of health, and much
more.
At a high level, our project plan includes the following elements:
●Kickoff meeting. We start with a kickoff meeting to review project objectives, confirm
data sources, ask questions, clarify details and determine next steps. This will also be
the time when we determine the list of key stakeholders to interview.
Page 4
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
●Existing data review. Next, we look at the existing datasets and identify any gaps. This
will give us an idea of how to develop a data-collection framework, including any
data-sharing partnerships we need to establish with other organizations.
●Stakeholder interviews. We will speak with city stakeholders, community partners,
service providers, and other organizations to better understand the perceived inequities
as they exist today, and to assess the overall community capacity of institutions and
community organizations.
●Online survey. We will configure and launch an online survey designed to elicit
responses about inequities in the region. This helps us understand perceptions,
opinions, and barriers to access based on self-identification of race, ethnicity, gender,
and location, among others. It also provides a population to invite into deeper
discussion through focus groups.
●Focus groups. We host professionally-moderated, virtual focus groups for selected
populations. Through these focus group conversations, we are able to surface stories
behind the data. We are also able to use the data provided from the transcript to
assess sentiment, determine key themes through topic modeling, and more.
●Data analysis & equity indicator development. With data in hand we will determine
“baseline” inequities or disparities. During this process, we will assess the utility of the
available data, and develop a list of “high confidence” equity indicators. These
indicators will be determined based on data that is accurate, reliable, and updated
frequently.
●Gap analysis. Our gap analysis covers gaps in services and gaps in data. During our
stakeholder interviews and surveys, we will determine gaps in services by weighing
overall needs against capacity. During the equity indicator development, we will list
best-practice KPIs for equity measurement where the data simply doesn’t exist. In order
to add those indicators in the future, there will need to be a data collection strategy and
implementation.
●Interactive dashboard to display data and visualize potential outcomes. This
dashboard will contain equity indicators, allowing various stakeholders to model the
impact of changes on equity over time.
●Present key findings and policy recommendations. All of this work will be bundled
into a final report, that includes a gap analysis and list of indicators for the City.
Page 5
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
C. Firm Profile and Project Personnel
1. Location, number of employees, and ownership.
Our primary office is located in Houston, TX. We also have full-time employees living in
Galveston, TX and Ann Arbor, MI. We have 9 employees. Jeff Reichman is the sole owner.
2. Describe the firm’s history. Include information on how many years the firm has worked
in this topic area. Identify the firm’s annual volume of business, and speak to the firm’s
current workload.
January Advisors is a data science consulting firm with an exclusive focus on public sector and
nonprofit sector clients. Our team is made up of data people from different disciplines, such as
sociology, ecology and social work.
Founded in 2009 by Jeff Reichman and based in Houston, Texas, January Advisors has worked
on projects at the forefront of criminal justice reform, city planning, housing policy, disaster
recovery, and much more.
Our workload is divided between short term projects (1-4 months) and long term projects (4
months - 2+ years). Each member of our staff has a mix of short and long term project
obligations. On a weekly basis, we assess and manage project staffing to ensure additional
capacity and project knowledge redundancy, and to avoid burnout.
As of November 20, 2020, our firm has 34 active projects across 23 clients.
We are happy to provide our financial information in a confidential document upon request.
Page 6
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
3. Brief resumes shall be provided for each key project individual (no longer than one
page). Any proposed subcontractors should be clearly identified and their profiles
described.
Page 7
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Dr. David McClendon
Principal, Project Manager
David is a Principal at January
Advisors and leads our research
engagements. After receiving a
Ph.D. in Sociology from the
University of Texas at Austin, David
worked for Pew Research and
Children at Risk before joining
January Advisors in 2018.
Selected Projects:
●Led GHCF/Harris County COVID-19 dashboard
development and equitable distribution methodology
(2020)
●Led Network of Behavioral Health Partners/C3 evaluation
and study (2020)
●Led Harris County Jury Survey and report (2020)
●Led Oregon Child Care Desert dashboard for Portland
State Univ. (2019-2020)
●Census 2020 data science consultant for the City of
Houston (2019-2020)
●Co-lead consultant studying evictions with The Eviction
Lab (2020 - present)
●Lead consultant studying food deserts and grocery stores
with the City of Austin (2019)
●Lead consultant with Combined Arms studying the impact
of Hurricane Harvey on veterans (2019)
●Lead consultant with Catholic Charities of Houston
performing a data inventory (2019)
●Developed advocacy toolkit for combatting human
trafficking (2018 - present)
●Developed interactive dashboard for Barbara Bush
Houston Literacy Foundation (2018 - present)
●Developed interactive dashboard for Texas Criminal Justice
Coalition (2019)
Dr. Shannon Carter
Data Scientist
Shannon joined January Advisors as
a data scientist after receiving her
Ph.D. in Ecology from Rice
University.
Selected Projects:
●Developed interactive data visualization for estimating
Medicaid policy impacts.
●Analyzed rent growth predictors for workforce housing.
●Developed a COVID-19 jail population dashboard for
ACLU of Texas.
Page 8
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Jeff Reichman
Principal
Jeff is a Principal at January
Advisors. Over the last eleven
years, he has worked on data and
policy projects in affordable housing,
disaster response and recovery,
environmental justice, social
services, food policy, and resilience
strategy, among others. Some of the
work Jeff completed recently
includes affordable housing research
for the City of Houston, an
affordable housing study for the
Montrose TIRZ, and a series of
evictions analyses for Harris County,
Texas.
Selected Projects:
●Co-lead studying evictions with The Eviction Lab (2020-)
●Affordable housing study for the Montrose TIRZ (2019-)
●Affordable housing study data lead for City of Houston
(2019-2020)
●Project lead for low-level felony diversion program study
for Dane County, Wisconsin (2019-2020)
●Technology lead for the City of South San Francisco
general plan (2019-present)
●Census 2020 data science consultant for the City of
Houston (2019-2020)
●Led a hotel occupancy tax/arts funding review of AirBnB in
Houston (2018)
●Developed an arts education access dashboard for the
Texas Cultural Trust (2018)
●Led an affordable housing study and dashboard for LISC
Houston (2018)
●Census 2020 data science consultant for Harris County
(2018-2019)
●Data science consultant for the City of Houston Housing
Department (2017-2019)
●Developed criminal justice dashboards for Texas Criminal
Justice Coalition (2017-)
●Redesigned and relaunched the City of Houston Open
Data Portal (2017)
●Technology lead on the City of Houston General Plan
(2015)
Carly Sessions
Principal. Director of Quality
Assurance
Carly is a Principal at January
Advisors and ensures quality across
all of our project engagements.
Selected Projects:
●Lead consultant providing data training to Catholic
Charities of Houston.
●Led stakeholder coordination for study of Network of
Behavioral Health Partners.
●Led stakeholder coordination for study of entrepreneurship
in the veteran’s community.
Page 9
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Marissa Goerna
Data and Policy Consultant
Marissa is a data and policy
consultant who will lead the
incentive and policy review aspects
of this project. Prior to January
Advisors, she was a special projects
coordinator with the Houston Food
Bank. She received a Master’s in
Social Work from the University of
Houston.
Selected Projects:
●Led research on policies related to jury diversity.
●Led research on policies impacting predatory debt
collection in communities of color.
Brian Barr
Data and Policy Consultant
Brian is a data and policy consultant
who will lead the data inventory
process. Prior to joining January
Advisors, Brian was a fellow with
Venture for America. After joining
January Advisors, Brian has worked
on policy analysis for a variety of
clients including the Montrose TIRZ,
Beacon Law, and the Texas Criminal
Justice Coalition. Brian received his
Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical
Engineering from Rice University.
Selected Projects:
●Led research on affordable housing strategies for the
Montrose TIRZ.
●Led development of a web application and database
designed to help Texans expunge their criminal histories.
●Led technical development for the City of South San
Francisco general plan.
●Led user experience development for the CIty of Sugar
Land mobility plan.
4. Primary contact information for each firm including contact name(s) and title(s), mailing
address(s), phone number(s), and email address(s).
Contact name: Jeff Reichman
Title: Managing Principal
Mailing address: PO Box 728, Houston, TX 77001
Phone number: 832-680-5540
Email address: jeff@januaryadvisors.com
Page 10
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
D. Experience
1. Describe firm’s experience collecting data used to inform community-wide
efforts to advance equity and inclusion for a local government entity. Please
provide examples from at least two previous projects.
January Advisors is a data science consulting firm that specializes in public and nonprofit sector
clients. We have deep experience working with government agencies, as well as local
nonprofits and foundations.
Sometimes data is readily available that can be analyzed right away. For example, the City of
Bozeman makes parcel data and zoning data available through its open data portal. This data
would be collected and analyzed right away.
Other times, we need to collect data from various sources. We are adept at collecting
observation data from the internet and assembling useful datasets. For example, there is data
available from Gallatin County that could be useful for this project, such as court disposition
data or other public records.
The examples on the following pages show how we collected, analyzed, and visualized data
for community impact.
Page 11
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Example 1: Harris County, TX - Evictions Dashboard
Every day, we pull eviction court data from the Harris County Justice of the Peace Court,
geocode and transform it, and make it available for the public. We developed data collection
scripts, automated procedures for data update and transformation, and easy ways to visualize
the information. Currently, this dashboard is used by the Harris County Housing Stability Task
Force to inform eviction diversion efforts, such as rental assistance programs and right to
counsel funding allocations. Dashboard is available at
https://www.januaryadvisors.com/evictions
Page 12
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Example 2: Austin. TX - Grocery Store and Site Selection Dashboard
We helped the City of Austin evaluate the best city-owned sites for a grocery store based on
equity indicators such as distance to affordable housing, proximity to SNAP retailers, and much
more. This allows various stakeholders and elected officials across the city to prioritize what
was most important to them, and determine the best possible sites for a new supermarket.
The dashboard recalculates suitability based on a model that the user configures through
inputs. The user can choose to prioritize specific equity elements, such as proximity to
affordable housing, as well as business case elements, such as market demand.
Page 13
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Example 3: Dane County, WI - Diversion & Deflection Program Analysis
Dane County, Wisconsin implemented several programs to reduce its jail population, in
anticipation of constructing a new jail with a smaller capacity than the current jail. In late 2019
to early 2020, we conducted research based on the most common reasons why people were in
jail, and determined a range of diversion and deflection programs that would serve to divert
people from incarceration.
We looked at misdemeanor-level, “non-violent” offenses such as disorderly conduct, retail
theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, among others. Shown above, disorderly conduct is the
most frequently occurring offense, and it can be jailable or a civil violation. This example shows
a summary of the data, as well as a summary of our recommendations. Excerpted from a
presentation to their County Executive, as well as law enforcement leadership.
Page 14
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
2. Describe firm’s approach to ethical data governance, including collection,
usage and storage, and proficiency ensuring the process does not
inadvertently perpetuate further inequities.
Data ethics for social inequities is an emerging field, and we stay on top of our research. For
example, just last week, The GovLab and Data Assembly released the Response Data Re-Use
Framework in response to emerging needs for data re-use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ultimately, decisions about data governance need to balance immediate operational
improvements (e.g. a social service client does not need to enter their information for each
agency that serves them) and long-term security issues (e.g. a tenant wins an eviction case, but
a tenant screening service keeps their name on a do-not-rent list). Additionally, we comply
with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws regarding personally identifiable information.
We understand the importance and sensitivity around data collection, usage, storage and
analysis. Ultimately, we take a “Do No Harm” approach based on best practices. In other
words, we ask ourselves a simple question: could the collection and storage of these data be
used to discriminate against the people we are trying to serve?
Before the project commences, we will work with the City of Bozeman to set up a project data
governance process. This would include guidelines about how data is collected, stored, shared,
and managed over time. It assigns “data stewards” who are responsible for ensuring the
quality and accessibility of the data they manage.
Page 15
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
3. Describe firm’s approach to conducting inclusive public engagement with
historically underrepresented populations and a local government entity.
It is critical to make every effort to reach historically underrepresented populations. However,
there is no “one size fits all” solution. We have a combination of approaches that we can try to
ensure adequate representation in public engagement, including:
●Online surveys. We can set up custom-branded online surveys that run throughout the
duration of the project, passively collecting information over time. With the Harris
County District Clerk, we are surveying opinions about showing up to jury service to
increase the diversity of the jury pool.
●Focus groups. Using the responses from the online surveys, we can curate discussions
with representatives from the communities we wish to reach. We pay people for their
participation, and we employ a culturally relevant and/or bilingual moderator. With the
City of Houston, we helped facilitate focus groups of various races/ethnicities for
Census 2020.
●Data visualization. It’s critical that people understand the numbers. We do this through
clear visuals that tell complex stories in a compelling and easy-to-understand way.
Some of our public sector clients who worked with us on public engagement include:
●Harris County District Clerk (survey and report about jury service)
●Harris County Clerk (Vote Your Way campaign)
●City of Sugar Land (Mobility Plan community engagement)
●City of South San Francisco (General Plan digital engagement)
●City of Houston (General Plan digital engagement)
Page 16
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
4. Describe firm’s experience performing a gap analysis similar in scope.
Combined Arms - Hurricane Harvey’s Impact on Veteran Population of the Gulf Coast
Working with Combined Arms, we studied the impact of Hurricane Harvey on the regional
population of veterans. We worked with government and non-profit agencies to collect data
on the veteral population of the Gulf Coast area, and determined the gaps in service provided.
We delivered a written report with maps and other data visualizations that highlight key
findings in the assessment.
Policy recommendations from the Combined Arms study of the impact of Hurricane Harvey on the
region’s veteran population.
Page 17
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
5. Describe how the firm demonstrates equity, inclusion and diversity frameworks,
learnings, and concepts in their work.
As a consulting firm working with the public and nonprofit sectors, we value equity, inclusion
and diversity in all of our practices. Some of these practices include:
●Inspiring trust. We seek to inspire trust by educating stakeholders, being clear on what
we do, and why we do it. In terms of data collection and assessment, we articulate our
methods and are transparent with stakeholders.
●Respect for diversity by realizing that not everyone has equal access to opportunity.
We encourage diversity in our applicant pool by recruiting from non-traditional sources,
and valuing work experience equal to or greater than educational pedigree.
●Emphasis on volunteering in the community. We seek to advance data and
technology literacy in our communities by hosting and participating in learning events,
hackathons, and much more. Jeff is the founder of Sketch City, a Code for America
brigade in Houston. He is also on the board of the League of Women Voters of
Houston, and Impact Hub Houston.
We believe our values are best demonstrated by our clients and the projects we complete.
Page 18
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
6. Describe firm’s experience crafting engaging and visual representations of data.
We love engaging visual presentations that go further than static pictures and reports. On one
hand, reports are great for communicating what’s happening with the data. On the other hand,
with interactive visualizations, maps, and dashboards, people reveal the story for themselves.
This is a powerful way to help communicate the impact of what they see. We have experience
building modular dashboards that allow stakeholders to change inputs and adjust
methodologies and priorities, and automatically recalculate the impact on the region.
We have developed interactive visualizations for many different disciplines, including
environmental justice, criminal justice, disaster recovery, Census 2020, early childhood
education, arts access, and much more. An equity indicators dashboard for this project could
include:
●Ability to filter by fields and analyze the impact of specific policy actions.
●Ability to select and compare statistics based on the filters above.
●Ability to embed the dashboard on a website, and/or add links.
●Ability to simulate the effects on a population based on estimated impacts of policies.
●Calculate other key statistics such as impact on specific communities.
Main screen of the ACLU Texas dashboard showing pre-trial incarcerated populations in Texas
county jails.
Page 19
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
The policy simulator on this dashboard allows users to adjust the reduction in the jail
population and model how much money that would save the state and county taxpayers.
Harris County criminal court data dashboard developed for the Texas Criminal Justice
Coalition. Data provided by the Harris County District Clerk.
Page 20
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
E. Scope of Proposal
1. Provide a detailed narrative of the services proposed if awarded the contract per the
Scope of Services outlined above. Describe the methodology and framework for data
collection, community engagement, data analysis, visual data reporting, and development
of equity indicators. Include assumptions used and the limitations of the analysis.
1. Data collection and stakeholder mapping
→ 1.1: Project Initiation
We begin every project with a kickoff meeting where we clarify project goals, time lines,
approaches, and other nuances that will inform data collection. We will review suggested
partners for outreach, assemble a stakeholder list, and set interim milestones for the project.
→ 1.2: Background Research
Next, we will develop a data collection strategy, including a review of which data already
exists and identification of new data sources. We will work with the City to develop a mutually
agreed upon data collection, storage, usage, analysis and reporting framework. We will work
in collaboration with other organizations on developing data sharing partnerships to assist
with data collection and management.
At the same time, we will conduct a comprehensive review of existing policies and programs
that affect equity and inclusion in the region. Our goal in this review is to understand the
existing policy and program landscape to inform and provide context for the equity indicators
and gap analysis.
→ 1.3: Stakeholder Engagement
Next, we will interview key stakeholders including City officials, their staff, staff from
supporting nonprofits and other organizations, and any other stakeholders identified by the
project team. These interviews will help us better plan for inclusive community participation to
collect data, identify gaps, build a framework for data analysis and begin to develop equity
indicators.
Some of the stakeholder engagement tactics we will use include:
●One-on-one interviews
●Ongoing online survey
●Focus groups with key populations
Page 21
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
●Weekly project updates for City stakeholders and project team
→ 1.4: Data Collection
In collaboration with City and community stakeholders, we will establish an inventory of
existing datasets, data owners, and level of confidence in the data. We will work with relevant
stakeholders to share the data in a way that can inform equity indicators without disclosing
personally identifiable information.
Some of the data we collect may include:
●Housing data, such as parcel characteristics, rental rates, real estate listings, and other
information.
●Education data, such as high school graduation rates, school ratings, and demographic
information.
●Census data, including race, ethnicity, income, and other characteristics.
●Environmental data, such as land use, environmental justice communities, and
environmental violations.
●Criminal justice data, such as law enforcement encounter data, jail population data, and
court disposition data.
●Mobility data, such as bus routes, stop locations, transit performance, and system gaps.
●Public health data, such as mental health caseloads, system involvement, food security
information, and COVID-19 rates of infection.
●Survey data, such as perceived barriers to economic opportunities based on race,
ethnicity, or geographic location.
●Focus group data, such as anecdotes and other real-life illustrations of barriers to
opportunities.
We will set up a secure cloud environment to house the data and transfer this environment to
the City upon project completion.
Page 22
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
2. Data Analysis
→ 2.1: Analyze Data Sets to Determine Equitability of Experience
Using the data collected in task 1.4, we will conduct a series of analyses that look at the
disparities between people by race, ethnicity, income, and geographic location. Our hope is to
identify trends in the data that point towards existing inequities in the system, then to conduct
interviews and focus groups to gather stories that provide more detail about these inequities.
Our interdisciplinary experience with each of these domains means that we can quickly locate
datasets, get up to speed about the nuances behind the data, tease out illustrative stories, and
communicate everything in an intuitive and easy-to-understand way.
→ 2.2: Perform Gap Analysis
It’s difficult to know what you don’t already know. We approach the gap analysis from two
different perspectives: services and data.
The services gap analysis will look at the unmet need in the community, and estimate capacity
to serve based on existing government programs and social service organizations. This
estimate will be determined based on conversations with partners organizations about
capacity, as well as their perceived barriers to growth.
The data gap analysis will look at data best practices for equity analysis across the United
States, identify which key performance indicators can be determined based on data as it exists
today, and provide recommendations for additional data to track to meet national best
practices.
Ultimately, each gap analysis is designed to highlight areas that need attention, and
recommendations to address them.
→ 2.3: Draft Final Report
Throughout this project, we will be exploring data and reviewing what we find with the City.
It’s our hope that we can collaborate to ensure that our work aligns with the best available
information within the City and the community at large. We will deliver a draft report of equity
indicators and a gap analysis that outline our thinking.
Based on feedback from these sessions, we will update our deliverables accordingly. Towards
the end of the engagement, we will begin to include data analysis and results of the gap
analysis.
Page 23
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
In addition to a written report, January Advisors will develop an interactive dashboard for use
throughout the project. We will use this dashboard to:
●Visually explore available datasets
●Review findings visually with City and/or community stakeholders.
●Inform conversations about equity with specific connections to how it affects the City.
●Allow users to adjust the equity indicators and simulate the impact to the City.
We find the process of exploring data visually with experts of all kinds to be very informative,
and leads to more informed policy recommendations.
3. Develop Equity Indicators
January Advisors will use the information gathered above to develop equity indicators. These
indicators will be developed in collaboration with community stakeholders as well as the City.
The equity indicators will prioritize strategies that have a high impact and are easy to measure.
Page 24
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
2. Describe the methods and technical tools used to reach and include
community members. Touch on relevant experience conducting inclusive and
accessible community engagement virtually or modified to account for
COVID-19 safety precautions.
It is important to involve the community, especially those with lived experience. These are the
people not only most affected by inequity but also the ones who can provide the most
qualitative input on solutions.
First, we will design and execute an online survey to City residents to better understand
barriers to opportunity in Bozeman. We find that online surveys result in direct and truthful
responses from those experiencing inequity, and the survey will include room for their
thoughts on reducing disparities.
Next, we will hold online focus groups to gather stories about barriers to opportunity. These
focus groups can be culled from survey respondents and/or recommendations from community
partners. All focus groups will have a moderator, and all participants will be paid.
We will also work with the City to develop a partner strategy. When we worked on Census
2020 campaigns with the City of Houston, we helped the extended stakeholder group identify
partnerships with nonprofits, religious institutions, and service organizations to help spread the
word about the Census to communities at risk of an undercount.
Although not everyone has access to a computer, we find that providing a financial incentive to
participate in the focus group often overcomes those barriers.
Page 25
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
3. Describe the methods and timeline of communication you will use with the
City’s Project Manager and other parties including anticipated site visits.
We believe that successful projects are the result of good planning and communication. We
look forward to maintaining close contact with the City Project Manager and other parties
throughout the project to ensure successful, on-time delivery.
Below are a list of how and when we plan to communicate with the City:
●Remote meetings. Per CDC guidelines, we will avoid site visits at this time to prevent
the spread of COVID-19. Instead we will conduct all meetings remotely using Zoom. If
towards the end of the project we determine that travel is safe, we will plan a site visit
to meet with City officials to present our findings.
●Initial work planning. We like to begin each project with a kickoff meeting where we
confirm the scope of work and determine next steps to make sense of any ambiguities.
We also reiterate project goals and raise any questions that need additional
clarification.
●Weekly status calls. We will have a regularly scheduled call with the project team
every week. We also anticipate ad hoc meetings as needed with the City team in order
to resolve any immediate questions.
●Final presentations. Often, the findings from these types of analyses need to be
presented to multiple committees and stakeholder groups. We will assist the City with
the presentation of our findings, making ourselves available as necessary to reach the
full stakeholder group.
Page 26
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
4. Provide an outline of the schedule for completing tasks. Include
deliverable milestones.
We will complete this project by June 30, 2021.
Final deliverables include:
●Equity analysis final report, including data analysis, gap analysis, and recommendations
●List of equity indicators and associated dataset
●Interactive dashboard showing data collected for this project
Projected milestones include:
●January 2021: Initial data inventory spreadsheet; launch online survey
●February 2021: Final data inventory spreadsheet; draft gap analysis; initial dashboard
●March 2021: Initial data analysis findings; initial stakeholder interview report
●April 2021: Draft findings; draft presentation; complete focus groups
●May 2021: Final equity indicators; final version of dashboard
●June 2021: Final report; final presentation
Page 27
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Phase Jan
2021
Feb
2021
March
2021
April
2021
May
2021
June
2021
1 - Data Collection and Stakeholder Mapping
2 - Data Analysis
3 - Develop Equity Indicators
5. Include a description of the software and other analysis tools to be used in data
collection, analysis, data visualization and reporting.
Tools used:
●R/Shiny for dashboards.
●Limesurvey for survey administration.
●Zoom for video conferencing.
●Basecamp for project management.
●Slack for chat.
●Google Docs for notes.
Data export:
We are able to export data in any format including database formats (e.g. PostgreSQL,
Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, or ESRI Geodatabase) as well as file formats (e.g. CSV, XLS, or
ESRI Shapefile).
6. Identify what portion of work, if any, may be subcontracted.
We do not plan to use any subcontractors on this project. All work will be performed by
full-time employees of January Advisors.
Page 28
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
F. Budget
1. Estimated Hours by Task: Provide estimated hours for each proposed task by job title
and employee name, firm, including the time required for meetings, conference calls, etc.
Page 29
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Task Staff Time (Hour)
Phase 1- Data Collection and Stakeholder Mapping All 202 total
1.1 - Project Initiation All 12
1.2 - Background Research All 50
1.3 - Stakeholder Engagement Brian, Marissa,
Carly
90
1.4 - Data Collection David, Shannon,
Carly, Jeff
50
Phase 2 - Data Analysis David,
Shannon,
Marissa, Brian,
Jeff
140 total
2.1 - Analyze Data Sets to Determine Equitability of
Experience
David, Shannon,
Jeff
50
2.2 - Perform Gap Analysis David, Marissa,
Jeff, Brian
40
2.3 - Draft Final Report David, Jeff 50
Phase 3 - Develop Equity Indicators All 60
2. Cost by Task: Provide the cost of each task identified in the Scope of Proposal section
detailed by employee/job position and number of hours. Provide a total not to exceed
figure for the Scope of Proposal. Price all additional services/deliverables separately.
Page 30
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Task Staff Cost
Phase 1- Data Collection and Stakeholder Mapping All $33,400
1.1 - Project Initiation All $2,200
1.2 - Background Research All $7,350
1.3 - Stakeholder Engagement Brian, Marissa,
Carly
$13,600
1.4 - Data Collection David, Shannon,
Carly, Jeff
$10,250
Phase 2 - Data Analysis David, Shannon,
Marissa, Brian,
Jeff
$28,500
2.1 - Analyze Data Sets to Determine Equitability of
Experience
David, Shannon,
Jeff
$9,125
2.2 - Perform Gap Analysis David, Marissa,
Jeff, Brian
$6,875
2.3 - Draft Final Report David, Jeff $12,500
Phase 3 - Develop Equity Indicators David, Jeff,
Marissa
$11,875
Total $73,775
3. Schedule of Rates: Provide a schedule of billing rates by category of employee and job
title to be used during the term of the Agreement. This fee schedule will be firm for at
least one (1) year from the date of the Agreement. The fee schedule will be used as a basis
for determining fees should additional services be necessary. A fee schedule for
sub-consultants, if used, shall be included.
4. All direct costs (i.e., travel, printing, postage, etc.) specifically attributed to the project
and not included in the billing rates must be identified.
Not applicable.
Page 31
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Staff Role Hourly Rate
Dr. David McClendon Project Manager and Demographer $250
Jeff Reichman Project and Research Support $250
Dr. Shannon Carter Data Scientist $175
Carly Sessions Quality Assurance and Client Service $175
Marissa Gorena Data and Policy Consultant $125
Brian Barr Data and Policy Consultant $125
G. References
Please provide name and contact information for at least three references for similar
projects completed in the last two years.
Page 32
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Project Name Diversion and Deflection Analysis for Dane County, Wisconsin
Description Using jail population data and law enforcement encounter data, we
identified key areas where Dane County could institute
diversion/deflection programs to reduce its jail population. This work
also included policy best practices from across the United States.
Date Completed January 2020
Team Jeff Reichman
Contact Information Lisa MacKinneon, MacKinnon@countyofdane.com
Project Name Grocery Store Site Evaluation Framework and Dashboard
Description Using publicly available data, we helped the City of Austin determine
which of its parcels would be best suited for a grocery store. We
developed an interactive dashboard that allowed stakeholders to
construct and weigh their own model, taking into account inputs like
proximity to transit, proximity to affordable housing, and number of
SNAP retailers within a 5 minute drive.
Date Completed October 2019
Team Dr. David McClendon, Jeff Reichman
Contact Information Lance Gilliam, lgilliam@watermansteele.com
Project Name Census 2020 data analysis
Description We assisted the City of Houston team and the complete count
committee with using limited outreach capabilities to reach the most
vulnerable communities in Houston who were at risk of an
undercount.
Date Completed 2019 -2020
Team Dr. David McClendon, Jeff Reichman
Contact Information Margaret Wallace-Brown, Margaret.WallaceBrown@houstontx.gov
Page 33
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001
Project Name Housing Policy Analysis for the Montrose TIRZ
Description Working with a local government entity, we analyzed the current
conditions of affordable housing in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood
and made policy recommendations to mitigate the effects of rising
housing costs.
Date Completed June 2019 - present
Team Jeff Reichman, Brian Barr
Contact Information Lisa Hunt, Lisa@montrosehtx.org
H. Affirmation of Nondiscrimination
Page 34
hala@januaryadvisors.com
PO Box 728 · Houston, TX 77001