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Home My WebLink AboutAgenda - 12-11-2007-4jORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: December 11, 2007 Action Agenda Item No. _ E~~ SUBJECT: Contract and Proposal Approval: Leading and Governing Associates Training and Facilitation Services DEPARTMENT: County Manager and PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No Purchasing ATTACHMENT(S): Proposal INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Blackmon (919) 245-2300 Pam Jones (919) 245-2652 PURPOSE: To consider approving an agreement with Leading and Governing Associates for training and facilitation services associated with the County Commissioner retreat and Department Director training. BACKGROUND: Phillip Boyle has previously facilitated two mini-retreats for the County Commissioners on September 28, 2007 and December 7, 2007. The County Manager and Mr. Boyle have collaborated to develop a series of sessions that would: (1) Enhance the County's capacity to identify strategic directions, goals and priorities; and (2) Use these skills to develop the best possible balance among multiple county needs and interests. The attached proposal articulates the full proposed scope of work to give the Board a comprehensive view of the effort, however, since some of the work has been accomplished in the previous sessions, the contract amount for which approval is being sought has been reduced accordingly. A revised agreement will be obtained that reflects the level of funding approved by the Board in this action (not to exceed an additional $10,000 is requested). FINANCIAL IMPACT: The estimated cost for the remaining sessions is $8,000 - 10,000. Funding for this training is included in the 2007-2008 Governing and Management Non- Departmental budget. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve an agreement with Leading and Governing Associates in an amount not to exceed $10,000 for training and facilitation services as identified in the attached scope of services; and authorize the Manager to execute the agreement. Uberty '~"~ ~ LEADING AND GQVERNING ASSOCIATES Equality Prosperity Strategic Direction and Policy Navigation for Orange County Draft 8/22/07 Purpose 1. Enhance the county's capacity to identify strategic directions, goals, and priorities. 2. Use these to help the board and staff navigate the best possible balance among multiple county needs and interests. Goals and Outcomes 1. Engage board and staff members in a collaborative planning process to create a greater shared understanding of the issues and challenges facing the county and county government today and a shared sense of direction about tomorrow. 2. Refine the mission, vision, core values, and guiding principles of county government to help focus on core county functions and help distinguish between what the county must do, should do, and could do. 3. Jointly chart a strategic direction for the county by identifying countywide goals, integrating board and staff goals, and connecting departmental goals to broader county goals. 4. Strengthen communication, relationships, and the governing partnership between board members and staff. 5. Create a living document that can serve as a strategic guide for planning, focusing, organizing, and communicating the work of county government. Proposed Process and Tasks Step 1-Navigating Political Interests and Policy Choices (% day session + % day ,~`~+~ preparation) ~ ~ Define the board's vision of the "good life" in Orange County ~~ i-'l I' Identify driving forces and challenges to the board's vision of the good life. • Practice using board tools and processes for navigating policy issues, balancing choices, and making collective decisions. Step 2 -Strategic Conversations (7 day session + 7 day preparation) • Develop a shared understanding of county government and its challenges. • Define the county's mission, vision, and core values. • Address how the board and staff can best respond to these challenges and fulfill the county's mission and vision. Mission and core values - developing a shared understanding of county government: • What does the county do -how does it behave? • Based on what the county does, what does the county believe in, what are the county's core beliefs? • Based on what the county does and believes in, what does it stand for, what does it value? • Why does Orange County government exist -what is county government's purpose? • How should Orange County government carry out its mission? Crafting a shared vision for Orange county government: • What da you value about Orange County, what makes Orange "Orange?" • What major issues and challenges does county government face in creating and sustaining the Orange you described? • How would you like to see county government respond to these issues and challenges in order to preserve what you value about Orange County? • What is your vision for Orange County, what difference do you want county government to make, what should Orange County government aspire to, what legacy do you wish to leave as a board for those who will follow you? Guiding principles and best practices for board and staff: • What key themes emerged from your conversations about what you value about Orange County, the issues and challenges you face, and how Orange county government should respond to these issues and challenges? • How can the board and staff best respond to these challenges, carry out the county's mission, and achieve its goals and vision in terms of organization, structure, role, best practices, and operating principles? Step 3 -Strategic Directions (7 day session + ~ day preparation time) • Identify issues and needs, challenges and choices facing the county, and priorities and actions that should be addressed. • Identify common themes and group themes into categories that can serve as platforms for countywide goals. • Reframe categories as affirmative countywide goal statements. • Assign all individual issues, actions, and challenges to county goals. • Reframe issues, actions, and challenges into a set of specific initiatives or objectives to achieve each county goal. Step 4 -Connecting Policy Navigation and Strategic Directions (% day + % day preparation time) • Organize current programs, services, priorities, commitments, and investments according to the countywide goals and initiatives. • Use the countywide goals and initiatives to identify core programs, services, functions and priorities Adopt a county platform and integrate goals into the budget. 2 y Based on mission, vision, core values, goals and initiatives, and budget, identify priority goals, objectives, and actions. Adjust budget and investments accordingly. Estimated Tirne, Cost, and Scheduling Based on the total proposed design, I estimate about 8 days of time, broken out as follows: • Session and facilitation time - 3 days • Consultation, planning, preparation, design and reporting/feedback - 5 days In terms of cost, Leading & Governing charges per day or per unit of work, depending upon the specific client and project. For ongoing work where the time is easier to identify than the specific tasks, I often use a per day fee. My current daily rate is $1650 per day, which covers all consultation, planning, and facilitation, and includes all administrative and operating costs. Alternatively, for work that is more finite or intermittent, such as conference sessions or a stand-alone board workshop, I usually charge per session. My half-day session fees range from $1000 - $3000, and my full-day sessions range from $2500 - $5000. We can discuss the scope of work and cost at your convenience, and I am happy to work with any specific administrative requirements you may have. In terms of scheduling, I prefer to try to schedule whatever we think seems feasible up front, so I can reserve the time and guarantee my availability. About Leading & Governing Established in 2004, we are an education and consulting practice dedicated to strengthening democratic governance and representative government. We work with elected and appointed officials to engage their constituents, communities and each other in problem solving, decision making, policy design, and strategic navigation. Our clients include state and local government, universities, public schools, school boards, and state and national associations. Below are some recent and current clients and projects related to the work we have discussed for Orange County: • Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of Wake County • Cabarrus County Board-Staff and Countywide Planning • Catawba County Board of Commissioners Retreat • Durham County Board-Staff Planning Retreat • Moore County Strategic Visioning and Directions Initiative • N. C. Association of County Commissioners Strategic Planning Initiative • N. C. League of Municipalities' Strategic Directions Initiative • Special Transit Advisory Commission for North Carolina's Triangle Region • Town of Boone/Watauga County/Appalachian State University Joint Retreat • Town of Chapel Hill Management Team Retreat and Organizational Realignment • UNC-CH School of Government's Advanced Education Initiative for Local Elected Officials • Wake County Board of Education Poiicy Design 106 Weathervane Drive Carrboro, North Carolina 27510 Office: 919.918.7067 Mobile: 919.260.4084 Email: ~boyle(cr~leadingandgoverning.com Web: www leadingandgoverning.com TIN: 20-1443348 3 5 DRAFT - SEP. 77, 2007 Memorandum of Agreement between Leading and Governing Associates, Inc. and Orange County To: Laura Blackmon, County Manager 200 South Cameron Street P.O. Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 From: Phillip Boyle, Leading and Governing Associates, Inc. Re: Strategic Direction and Navigation for Orange County Date: September 17, 2007 Leading and Governing Associates, Inc. agrees to assist Orange County in addressing strategic directions and priorities. Based on our planning discussions, Leading and Governing would work with the county board and staff to: 1. Enhance the county's capacity to identify strategic directions, goals, and priorities to help the board and staff navigate the best possible balance among multiple county needs and interests. 2. Engage board and staff members in a collaborative planning process to create a greater shared understanding of the issues and challenges facing the county and county government today and a shared sense of direction about tomorrow. 3. Refine the mission, vision, core values, and guiding principles of county government to help focus on core county functions and help distinguish between what the county must do, should do, and could do. 4. Jointly chart a strategic direction for the county by identifying countywide goals, integrating board and staff goals, and connecting departmental goals to broader county goals and create a living document that can serve as a strategic guide for planning, focusing, organizing, and communicating the work of county government. 5. Strengthen the governing partnership among board members and between board members and staff. The proposed process and tasks include: • Step 1 -Address the board's strategic leadership role in addressing policy issues and choices on behalf of the public good. • Step 2 = Develop a shared understanding of county government and its mission, vision, core values, and challenges. • Step 3 -Engage the board and staff in identifying issues and needs, challenges and choices facing the county, and priorities and actions that can then serve as platforms for jointly developing countywide goals. 1 Step 4 -Organize current programs, services, commitments, and investments according to countywide goals and initiatives; identify priorities: and integrate into the budget. I estimate about 8-10 days of time for board and staff engagement. session facilitation, consultation, planning, design, and preparation. For this type of work Leading & Governing charges 81650 per day, which includes all administrative and operating costs. The estimated not-to-exceed total cost for the tasks outlined in this agreement is between $13,200 and $16,500. Leading & Governing will invoice Orange County only for work requested and performed. Leading & Governing typically invoices clients in months following completion of work. Payment should be made to Leading and Governing Associates, /nc. Our tax identification number is 20-1443348. Questions about the administration of this agreement should be addressed to Scottie Seawell, managing partner, at 919.918.7067 or fsea~Nell a[~,leadingandgoverning.com. For Leading 8 Governing Associates: Date Name For Orange County: Title Name Title Date About Leading & Governing Established in 2004, we are an education and consulting practice dedicated to strengthening democratic governance and representative government. We work with elected and appointed officials to engage their constituents, communities and each other in public problem solving, decision making, policy design, and strategic navigation. Our clients include state and local government, universities, public schools, and state and national associations. 106 Weathervane Drive Carrboro, North Carolina 27510 Office: 919.918.7067 Mobile: 919.260.4084 Email: phoylena leadingandgoverninq.com Web: www.leadingandgoverning.com 2