Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Department of Administrative Services

TO:	Mike Wildgen, City Manager
FROM:	Frank S. Reeb, Administrative Services Director/City Clerk
CC:	Dave Corliss, Assistant City Manager/Director of Legal Services
Date:	September 1, 2005
RE:	Approve Agreement with ETC Institute for 2005 Employee Survey

On June 14, 2005, the City Commission authorized the Administrative Services Department to request proposals for professional services to assist the City with developing and conducting the 2005 Employee Satisfaction Survey.  Staff has completed that request for proposal process and, as more fully described below, staff recommends contracting with ETC Institute of Olathe, Kansas to design and administer the 2005 Employee Survey.

Earlier this summer staff issued a request for proposals and received 9 responses.  Those responses were reviewed based on several criteria, including: the vendor’s proposed project plan; public sector employee survey experience, cost, and ability to analyze and present the survey results in a clear and meaningful format.  ETC Institute ranked at or near the top in all categories and, when all the criteria was considered, ETC Institute was the overall first choice.     

As for a project plan, ETC Institute submitted a clear 12 week plan with clearly defined tasks and deliverables, which includes employee communication, survey design, survey administration, and analysis, final report and presentations.  A copy of the general Project Plan is included with the proposed contract as Appendix A: Scope of Work. 

ETC Institute also has extensive public sector employee survey experience.  In the last three years ETC Institute administered employee surveys for the cities of Olathe, Kansas, Lee’s Summit, Missouri and Blue Springs, Missouri.  City staff contacted officials from those three cities and all three were very pleased and satisfied with the quality of ETC Institute’s work.  In addition, ETC Institute is familiar with the City of Lawrence and the Lawrence community.  ETC Institute conducted both a resident survey and a survey of youth for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan efforts.  In 2001 and 2005, they conducted resident surveys for the City regarding 23^rd Street improvements as part of projects for HNTB and TranSystems.

ETC Institute also presented the best proposal for data analysis and final report presentations. Among the analysis highlights are the use of a unique Importance-Satisfaction Analysis research tool and an Importance-Agreement Rating.  Examples of both research tools are included in the Appendix A: Scope of Work.  

Based on the information provided above, staff recommends that the City Commission authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with ETC Institute to assist City staff with the 2005 Employee Satisfaction Survey in an amount not to exceed $21,300.