RFP - Search Services

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______Name___________ School District
Purchasing Department
[Address]
[City / State / Zip Code]

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL                                     Bid Number ___

Executive Search and Recruitment Services for the Superintendent of Schools

Date:                                                                            August 18, 20__
RFP number:                                                                __#__
RFP title:                                                                      Executive Search/Recruitment Services
Proposals will be received until:                                     September 8, 20__, 12:00 noon,
                                                                                    Eastern Standard Time, at
                                                                                    (___) ___-____
Services to be performed for:                                        Board of Education
For additional information, please contact the buyer:      __Name__
                                                                                    (___) ___-____
Bid Hot Line:                                                                (___) ___-____
Award Hot Line:                                                           (___) ___-____

The undersigned hereby affirms that (1) he/she is a duly authorized agent of the vendor, (2) he/she has read all terms and conditions and technical specifications which were made available in conjunction with this solicitation and fully understands and accepts them unless specific variations have been expressly listed in his/her offer, (3) that the offer is being submitted on behalf of the vendor in accordance with any terms and conditions set forth in this document, and (4) that the vendor will accept any awards made to it as a result of the offer submitted herein for a minimum of ninety calendar days following the date of submission.

PRINT OR TYPE YOUR INFORMATION

Name of Company: __________________________________ Fax: _____________
Address: ______________________ City/State: _______________      Zip: _____________
Contact Person: ___________________ Title: _______________    Phone: ___________
Authorized Representative’s Signature: ____________________________ Phone: ___________
Printed Name: ____________________ Title: _____________________    Date: ____________
Approved by: ______________ Date: ____________
Reviewed by: ______________ Date: _____________

Executive Search/Recruitment Services
Section I
Overview

A. Purpose. It is the purpose of this Request for Proposal to solicit proposals from executive search firms or individuals to conduct a nationwide search for qualified candidates for the position of Superintendent of Schools, _______________ School District.

Vendors responding to this document should propose all services and associated costs to deliver a fully operational program to meet the district’s needs.

B. Schedule of Activities. The following activities outline the process to be used to solicit vendor responses and to evaluate each vendor proposal (interview and award dates are a goal and may vary):

August 18, 20__                                                           Issue Request for Proposal
September 8, 20__                                                       Proposals due
Weeks of September 11 and September 18, 20__        Contact finalists and conduct interviews
September 22, 20__                                                     Award contract

C. Vendor Qualifications. Selection of the most suitable vendor and proposal is essential; therefore, proposals will only be accepted from vendors that demonstrate the following qualifications:

1. Vendor must have been engaged in the business of performing executive search services for a reasonable period of time, exceptions may be made.

2. Vendor must have demonstrated capabilities to implement the recommended proposal.

3. Vendor must have resources available internally to provide the requested
services within mandated time frames.

D. Response to Questions. Questions which arise during the response preparation
period regarding issues around this solicitation, purchasing and/or award should be
directed, in writing, via fax or U.S. mail, to [full contact information].

E. Submission of Offers. Offers must be received no later than 12:00 noon,
Eastern Standard Time, Friday, September 8, 20__. Because of the short timeline
for responding to this RFP, offers may be faxed to [full contact information]. The original should then be sent by next business-day mail to [full contact information].

F. Profile of the ________________ School District. The _______________ School District serves approximately ____ students in a [metropolitan, suburban/rural] area with a population of about ______.   The district is comprised of __ schools including [list schools]. The school district employs about ___ full-time and ___part-time employees, including __ administrators in the central administration. The district covers approximately ___ square miles and shares boundaries with _____________________________________.

The district has a ten-year history of site-based management. School communities have been given authority to make decisions on many issues affecting the local schools. Each school has a collaborative decision-making team consisting of the school principal, parents, teachers, students (in the high schools), and business representatives who are elected annually by their peers.

The ___________________________ Schools are governed by a seven-member Board of Education. Members are publicly elected to three-year staggered terms. Board members are responsible for setting policy for operation of the district.

The Superintendent of Schools is responsible to the Board of Education for carrying out district policy, administering the operation of the district and schools, supervising all district personnel, and advising the Board of Education on all educational matters for the welfare and interest of the students.

Section II
Scope of Work

The district is now seeking an executive search firm to work with the Board and staff to complete the following:

A. Assist the Board in reviewing its mission statement to assure clarity of goals to be pursued by the district and the chosen superintendent;

B. Identify desired qualifications for applicants, including leadership attributes;

C. Develop an application process for the position;

D. Solicit applications nationally;

E. Develop and execute strategies for including the Board, staff, and the community in the search process;

F. Participate in negotiating a contract and hiring the chosen candidate.

Section III
Proposal Preparation and Submission Requirements

To enable the district to conduct a uniform review process of all responses to this solicitation, components of the proposal shall be submitted as set forth below. The district reserves the right to reject submittals that do not follow the requested format.

A. Cover Sheet. Submit the signed, completed cover sheet from this Request for
Proposal.

B. Management Summary (one page). Include a management summary which provides a statement of the vendor’s understanding of the services required by the district and an overview of how the vendor would provide these services to the district. Vendors should emphasize why their proposal is best suited to meet the needs of the Denver Public Schools. This summary must be signed by an official authorized to make representations on behalf of the vendor.

C. Vendor Profile (three pages excluding financial statement).
Provide a Vendor Profile, to include the following:

1. An overview of the company--address, telephone, and fax numbers; whether company is a local, regional, or national firm; areas of specialization.

2. The length of time the vendor has been in business under the present name and structure, any other names under which the vendor has done business, dates it operated under each name, and the locations at which it operated under each name.

3. An outline of the vendor’s background and overall qualifications to conduct an executive search for the position of school district superintendent.

4. The personnel to be used to complete the contract, the name of the vendor’s principal who will be responsible for supervising this project, as well as staff who will be assigned direct work on this project. Detail their qualifications, education, and work experience and provide a narrative description of the work responsibilities of each.

5. Evidence of financial stability

6. A list of executive searches vendor has successfully completed during the past five years for positions similar to school district superintendent. The list should include the position title, the name of the organization for which the search was conducted, and the date the search was completed. A contact person with the client organization must be identified.

7. A minimum of five client references, including complete addresses and telephone numbers of each as well as the name, title, and telephone number of a contact person. Describe the contract (the scope, length, and dollar value) for each reference.

D. Proposed Search Plan (three pages)

1. Give a detailed, comprehensive presentation of the approach to be used by your firm to accomplish the tasks detailed in the Scope of Work of these Specifications.

2. Discuss the methods you use to communicate and work with a supervisory body such as a school board.

3. Include time-lines inherent in your search, pre-qualification, and final recommendation processes.

4. Provide particular proposals regarding your role in assisting the Board in establishing appropriate criteria for the selection of candidates.

5. Provide your recommendations for obtaining community participation in the evaluation of candidates.

6. Specify the information you will require from the Board and staff to enable you to conduct the search.

7. Discuss methods used to identify prospective candidates and promote their interest in applying.

E. Fee Structure (one page)

1. Submit a firm fixed price proposal to perform the complete services requested
in the Scope of Work.

2. Submit the hourly billing rates of all personnel to be assigned to the project.
This information will be used to negotiate modifications to work contained in the Scope of Work.

3. Submit any other pricing/cost data necessary to carry out this project.
Include justification for any data submitted.