Meeting_Body
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
DECEMBER 1, 2022
Subject
SUBJECT: ON-CALL COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT SERVICES BENCH - TASK ORDER NO. 1
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to award Task Order No. 1 under the Communications Support Services Bench Contract No. PS85397007 in the amount of $6,753,722.52 to Lee Andrews Group to provide Street Teams, Community Based Intervention Specialists, and Program Administration through the end of June 30, 2023. Subject to the resolution of any properly submitted protest(s).
Issue
ISSUE
In September 2022, the Metro Board of Directors approved the establishment of Communications Support Services Bench contracts (Bench) for an amount not-to-exceed $32,000,000 for a four-year term. The approval also limited staff delegated authority on Task Orders under these contracts to a maximum of $5,000,000.
Staff recommends that this Task Order be awarded above the $5,000,000 limit to expand the Street Team Program, which is integral to Metro’s layered approach to public safety utilizing alternatives to policing.
Background
BACKGROUND
A holistic, equitable, and welcoming approach to public safety prioritizes building trust with our communities. Grounded in values of diversity, compassion, openness, and accountability, Metro is reimaging public safety so that riders feel safe in and around our transit system. The layered approach concentrates on three key areas, including rider and employee safety, customer care, and cleanliness, through programs such as the Metro Ambassadors and Street Teams Programs.
Metro has utilized Street Teams for outreach since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Initially, they distributed more than 250,0000 Personal Protective Equipment packets consisting of masks, hand sanitizer, and information on how to ride the Metro system safely. Since then, their roles and reach have expanded. They have been an on-the-ground presence at key transit stops and stations during special events and peak commute times. They assist customers enrolling in the LIFE program and have helped increase student enrollment in the GoPass Program.
As Metro continues to look for ways to improve the customer experience, the Street Teams have been deployed to complement the work of the Metro Ambassadors at fixed posts along the K Line. These supplemental Street Teams work seven days a week, from 6:30 a.m. through 8 p.m. This support has been critical in providing additional non-law enforcement presence on the system. Street Teams provide guidance and information during targeted initiatives or special events and are tasked with reaching specific and diverse stakeholders and target demographics. Together, the ambassadors and street teams reassure riders, deter trouble, and intervene to mitigate conflict. They provide a proactive and more community centered approach to violence prevention.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
To continue to meet the demand for the Street Teams and to augment the efforts of the Metro Ambassador Program, Metro staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Task Order No. 1 under the current Communications Support Services Bench authorized by the Board of Directors in September 2022.
Task Order No.1 was issued to the twelve (12) firms that make up Discipline 1 - Strategic Communications of the Bench Contract. Via the competitively bid task order, Metro requested the services of a program administrator to provide strategic direction and oversight of the Street Teams Program. Four proposals were submitted and evaluated by a diverse proposal evaluation team representing several units within Metro’s Customer Experience Department. The highest-ranking team, Lee Andrews Group (LAG), demonstrated a strong understanding of the services and labor resources needed to implement and manage the Street Teams Program successfully.
The program administrator will liaise with Metro staff on scheduling, training, compensating, and managing the overall Program. Further, the program administrator will partner with various CBOs in accordance with Metro’s CBO Partnering Strategy. The LAG team has partnered with CBOs who serve Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), low-income, disabled individuals, and other marginalized communities. CBO partners include 2nd Call, Able Solutions, and the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles. The CBOs have a cultural affinity and connections to the communities Metro serves. They lead conversations in the community about public safety aimed at preventing violence and changing behavior. As part of the Street Teams, the CBO partners will deploy Community Intervention Specialists on the system consisting of community members with violence prevention experience.
Given the number of street teams requested and the compensation requirements to each member and the CBO Partners, the anticipated budget for this effort exceeds the $5,000,000 Task Order limit authorized under the Communications Support Service Bench Contract. Therefore, authorization to execute and award Task Order No. 1 in the amount of $6,753,722.52 is recommended through the end of FY23.
Determination_of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Award of this task order has a positive impact on safety as the Street Teams provide a presence and support the layered approach to public safety.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The funding for these task orders depends on the specific project and has been allocated in the FY22/23 budget.
The FY23 Budget includes $40 million under Cost Center 5420, Customer Programs and Services, Project 300040, Rail Operations Management and Admin for Street Teams assisting Ambassadors. Street teams not assisting the Transit Ambassador program will be charging the respective projects. Upon board approval, the contract will be negotiated and executed, and services will be billed monthly at rates determined in the contract.
Impact to Budget
The sources of funding are Enterprise Funds and sales tax revenues dedicated for rail operations, which are eligible for bus and/or rail operating expenses.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The Street Teams Program fully supports the agency’s equity, customer experience, and safety goals of deploying a layered approach to public safety utilizing alternatives to policing. As an agency, Metro is working to overcome the public safety and customer experience challenges and deliver the type of system that Angelenos want and deserve, especially for BIPOC, low-income, individuals with disabilities, and other marginalized groups who disproportionately are transit dependent and make up a large part of our riders.
Metro has launched the Street Teams Program to provide a community-oriented approach to public safety that provides alternatives to the traditional law enforcement model. Through these Street Teams, our riders are noticing a difference. Based on comments made by patrons to our Customer Care Department, the reviews have been positive. They have shared that Street Team members are friendly, helpful faces who support them. They help direct, give people information, call security, PATH workers, or custodians when they see something that needs to be addressed. Based on the Program’s daily logs, they have even saved lives on our system.
The recommended team for this effort, Lee Andrews Group, is a certified Small/Women/ Minority Business Enterprise headquartered in Los Angeles. Their proposal includes CBOs that serve BIPOC, low-income, disabled and marginalized individuals and Street Team employees that reflect the diverse demographics of our patrons by hiring individuals from the communities we serve. There will be 116 street team members hired under this task order.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommended actions support the following goals:
Goal 1: Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling;
Goal 2: Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system;
Goal 3: Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity;
Goal 5: Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization
The Street Teams Program allows the agency to engage stakeholders in an authentic, meaningful, and responsive manner on the agency’s customer experience and public safety programs and initiatives.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVE CONSIDERED
Cancel the solicitation for Task Order No. 1 and re-procure to solicit proposals with fewer Street Teams requirements to stay within the $5,000,000 threshold limit. This alternative is not recommended as it would delay the expanded deployment of the Street Teams on our system - a much needed service to continue to meet our customer experience and public safety goals.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will execute Task Order No. 1 under Contract No upon board approval. PS85397007 with Lee Andrews Group to provide Street Team Program Administration through June 30, 2023.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Procurement Summary
Attachment B - DEOD Summary
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Joni Honor, Executive Officer, Media Relations, Customer Experience, 213-922-6931
Lilian De Loza-Gutierrez, Director, Community Relations, Customer Experience, 213-922-7479
Mark Lu, Sr. Manager, Vendor/Contract Management, 213-922-4689 Monica Bouldin, Deputy Chief, Customer Experience, 213-922-4081
Debra Avila, Deputy Chief Vendor/Contract Management, 213-418-3051
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, 213-922-4060
