Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Jim Eggemeyer, Director, Office of Sustainability
Subject: Agreement with Cascadia Consulting Group for Sustainability Academy Program Design and Support
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing an agreement with Cascadia Consulting Group for support designing and implementing environmental educational curriculum for San Mateo County residents for the term of September 4, 2018 to September 3, 202, in an amount not to exceed $305,169.
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BACKGROUND:
The Sustainability Academy (formerly known as the Volunteer Academy) serves County residents by providing diverse and relevant environmental educational opportunities since 2014. The Academy’s main goal is to reduce the amount of solid waste generated in the County by promoting more sustainable solid waste management methods in communities. The program is designed to help the County comply with state legislation (AB939) that requires all jurisdictions to have an Integrated Waste Management Plan, a component of which must include outreach and engagement.
The Academy has historically provided educational programming focused on composting, and to further reduce the solid waste generated by County residents and to continue to raise awareness about environmental issues facing our communities, the Academy has broadened the diversity of its offerings and the residents it reaches.
The Academy offers two master courses annually, a Master Resource Conservation course and a Master Composter course, several shorter compost workshops, and other workshop series focused on topics ranging from home gardening to food waste reduction. The Academy will continue to improve the interactivity and applicability of its curriculum, expand its partnerships with community organizations to find locally relevant ways of bringing environmental education to all residents, and will focus on underserved areas of the County.
DISCUSSION:
The contract with Cascadia expired last fiscal year and County staff conducted an RFP to select a new contractor for the Academy. Staff released the RFP on May 3 and closed the solicitation process on May 30. Six applications were received. The review committee consisted of four individuals with program and topic-area expertise within the Office of Sustainability and the review committee meeting was conducted on June 11 to evaluate and score all proposals based on the criteria outlined in the RFP. The committee ranked Cascadia as the best overall proposal due to its qualifications, its experience, its unified and coherent vision for the Academy, its institutional attention to racial equity, and its competitive price. A Notice of Intent was released and contract negotiations began on June 21.
The Sustainability Academy provides multiple benefits to communities throughout the County. The program helps residents reduce the amount of waste they generate, improve the sustainability of their daily lives, and build local relationships around environmental and socially inclusive values. The program provides an innovative way for the County to raise its visibility and presence in the broader community and advance values that are at the core of the County’s mission. The new contract will also allow the County to fulfill their requirements of AB939.
County Counsel has reviewed and approved the resolution and agreement as to form.
SHARED VISION 2025:
Approval of this amendment contributes to the Shared Vision 2025 outcomes of an environmentally conscious community by helping residents reduce the amount of solid waste they produce, providing resources and educational opportunities for residents to improve the sustainability of their daily lives, and increasing environmental awareness in ways that are locally relevant.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
|
Measure |
FY 2018-2019 Targets |
FY 2019-2020 Targets |
FY 2020-2021 Targets |
|
Number of participants |
1,300 |
2,000 |
2,700 |
|
Average satisfaction rating (out of 5) |
4.4/5 |
4.5/5 |
4.7/5 |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the Agreement is September 4, 2018 to September 3, 2021 and the not-to-exceed amount of $305,169 with each year of proposed work being authorized by County staff before the following year of work commences. The budgeted amounts are included in the FY 2018-2019 Recommended Budget and will be included in the 2019-2021 Recommended Budgets. The total budgeted amount is $305,169.
|
Funding Sources |
|
25% |
AB 939 Fund |
|
75% |
General Fund |