Okaloosa County BOCC — November 4, 2012 — The Mercer Group — reading text

COPY OKALOOSA COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS | Proposal for Executive Recruiting Services - COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR December 10, 2012 VUTUVLVLVUULyyyULEL Ls PELIFLISITsEsdd y fa The Mercer Group, Inc. — m Consultants To Management  FSEFFSFHSHSFSHFFSFSSSASF FA SHA FHF FSSHAFSSFESSSFSFEsSSESss sss ssid didd OKALOOSA COUNTY FLORIDA Proposal for Executive Recruiting Services COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR December 10, 2012 THE MERCER GROUP, INC. W. D. Higginbotham, Jr. Senior Vice President 9123 Cherry Trace Seminole, Florida 33777-1150 727-214-8673 WDHiggin@mercergroupinc.com Wwww.inercergroupince.com The Mercer Group. Inc. 9123 Cherry Trace Seminole, FL 33777 (954) 894-4046 Cell (727) 214-8673 E-mail: wdhiggin@bellsouth.net Consuliants To Management December 10, 2012 Okaloosa County Purchasing Department 602-C North Pearl Street Crestview, FL 32536 Re: RFQ #: 07-13 - Executive Recruiting Services - County Administrator The Mercer Group, Inc. is pleased to submit our proposal to assist the Board of County Commissioners to recruit exceptionally well-qualified candidates for the position of County Administrator. If selected to conduct the search and selection process for this position, we would have no difficulty beginning immediately to ensure a smooth process. The purpose for engaging the services of an executive search firm is to seek out and recruit experienced candidates and to assist the Board of County Commissioners in selecting highly qualified individuals who meet the profile and needs of the County and who might not otherwise apply. The Mercer Group, Inc. is well-qualified to assist the County with this project. We have conducted searches for County Administrators, Managers and similar positions for communities in Florida and throughout the country and are familiar with the candidate pool and the local needs. The Mercer Group, Inc. has been in operation for over twenty years with our corporate headquarters in Atlanta and branch offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Ulinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. The Mercer Group has the resources and time currently available to conduct this search and avoid untimely delays in the process. If selected, this recruitment will be personally led by W. D. Higginbotham, Jr. in our Seminole, Florida office. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this important assignment. This proposal is valid for 90 days from receipt by the Board of County Commissioners. We would be pleased to discuss. our proposal with you and urge you to allow us to travel to Crestview at our expense to do that. Please contact me directly at 727-214-8673 if you may have any questions. Sincerely yours, Botham, Jr.¢ Senior Vice President W.D. Higeité PINPOINTING WORKABLE SOLUTIONS FROM OUR OFFICES NATIONWIDE www.mercergroupinc.com >) BPBSDIFIFPFIFFIFISFSIFIIAIIIIIsIIIssI sd ss add ddd dadddadaaiad TABLE OF CONTENTS Section wee . Page No. i. Cover Letter I. BACKGROUND OF FIRM & RECRUITMENT TEAM........ 00... 0c ccc ccee cesssesteteteeeeeee 1-3 Il. EXPERIENCE OF FIRM........... 2.02... cc eecececceccecceeceeeencesenseneeseeeeeneeees veseseesecsees 4-7 A. Recent Executive, City, and County Manager Searches...................4¢5 B. References..............ceeececccecce cece cee eeeee seen ceeeeeseeea cesses cassseseeeees 6-7 Il. SERVICES, TIMELINE, AND FEES. ....2.....0.....2cceceeceecee cee cee cece eetenrenleceneees 8-19 A. Project Understanding and Approach...... 2.2.2.0... see ee nsec eee e eens 8-9 B. Work Plan........ 0... ccc ce ccc ence ec eeec eee eeceeeecenecesessseseeseeseesenees 9-13 C. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement................:.:.ceeee ees 13 ~D. Timeline........... cece ccc ecceec een eeeeceneeeceencescseecereessseseeneeeeeeees 14 E. Cost Proposal notading Hourly Rate... 0.2... e cee eeececese ee eee econ cess 15 F. Additional Activities.. boca eececenceceaceceeseteesesessceeeesssceees — 16 G. Proposal Acceptance.............. bene eceececeeceeeeecececeeseeenes eeeeeee 16 H. Proposed Engagement Agreement........... 022... esse cesesesssesesesesenese 17-18 I. The Mercer Group, Inc. Guarantees. ..............2..sceeeeeeeseneeee 19 APPENDIX Items as set forth in RFQ #: 07-13 Specifications............ 0c cece cece eee c eens eee een ee ec reece enone Exhibit A 1-4 Conflict of Interest..12. 0.00.0... ccc cece cc ee cece cece eeeeceeeeeceseeeeee Exhibit B Drug-Free Workplace Certification............ a eteeeceteeeeereeeees Exhibit C Indemnification and Hold Harmless............. 0.2 .:s:eeec cece eees Exhibit D per A 2 AS te I ATA The Mercer Group, Inc. for Okaloosa County, Florida a, 2 FIIAIIAIIAIIIIIIIIAIAIdIds I AIIIIIIIIa 4 SSSSIFSSFEBIDIIS I. BACKGROUND OF FIRM A. Firm Qualifications The Mercer Group, Inc. is an independent management consulting firm incorporated in the State of Georgia and operating nation-wide. The firm was founded by James L. Mercer, a long-term public management consultant. The firm has conducted business under the name The Mercer Group, Inc. since February, 1990. Mr. Mercer started his own firm in 1981 and, in 1984, merged it with another consulting firm, Wolfe & Associates, Inc. On June 1, 1986, Mr. Mercer acquired the Human Resource and Organizational Consulting Practice of Wolfe & Associates, Inc. This acquisition formed the basis for Mercer, Slavin & Nevins, Inc. He sold his interest in Mercer, Slavin & Nevins, Inc. early in 1990 and founded The Mercer Group, Inc. The Mercer Group, Inc. provides exceptionally high quality management consulting services to state and local governments, transit authorities, health care providers, utilities, special districts, and private sector clients. Specialty practice areas include: executive recruitment, organization and operations analysis, productivity improvement, strategic planning, management systems, compensation/classification/policy studies, privatization, budget evaluation services, government consolidation and organization development, training, and general management consulting. Our key consultants have conducted successful searches for hundreds of public sector organizations nationally and can offer numerous references as testimony of our work. ; While this important engagement for the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners will be personally led by W. D. Higginbotham, Jr. in our Seminole, Florida office, it will be assisted and.abetted by Mr. James L. Mercer. Mr. Mercer has conducted or assisted in the conduct of more than 2000 successful executive searches in recent years. The spectrum of our search experience is below. Mr. Mercer's resume is included below, as is Mr. Higginbotham’s. Mr. Mercer is the Chief Executive Officer of our firm. There is no parent, subsidiary or affiliation of other firms. The closed service office and our corporate headquarters are as follows: James L. Mercer, President The Mercer Group, Inc. 5579 B Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Suite 511 Atlanta, Georgia 30338 Telephone: (770) 551-0403; FAX: (770) 399-9749 jonercer@mercergroupinc.com www.mercergroupinc.com Federal Tax ID No.: 58-1877068 The Mercer Group, Inc. for Okaloosa County, Florida Page 1 FFFFFFFFFPFF AA DAA AAAGFAAGIAdDddAIAGdAGGGgessdssdsasaod ®*ssDd RECRUITMENT TEAM & SKILLS MATRIX CATEGORIES OF SKILLS « - . RECRUITMENT TEAM AND EXPERIENCE . J. Mercer W. Higginbotham K. Prince-Mercer Special District/Non-Profit - e ° Small Municipality Large Municipality Urban County Rural County Suburban Government Search Committee Citizen Committee Minority Placements Internal Candidate Placement Women Placement _ Candidate Videotaping Local Government Work Experience Commission/Manager Goal Setting Sunshine and Open Records Act National Experience and Contacts Other Public/Private Experience CEO & Department Head Placements Unbundled Search Process B. Resumes of Our Key Staff 1. James L. Mercer, President - Atlanta and Santa Fe Offices Mr. Mercer holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from the same institution. He has also received a Certificate in Municipal Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a graduate of the Executive Development Program at Cornell University. Mr. Mercer is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and has more than 25 years of experience in executive search and management consulting. He has authored or co- - authored five books and has written more than 250 articles on various management topics. His experience covers the following functional areas: executive search, organization and operations analysis, management systems, productivity improvement, seminars/training, goal setting, strategic planning, privatization, government, consolidation, and general consulting. Prior to founding The Mercer Group, Inc., Mr. Mercer held positions as President of Mercer, Slavin & Nevins, Inc.; Regional Vice President of Wolfe & Associates, Inc.; Partner and Vice President of Korn/Ferry International; General Manager of Battelle Southern Operations; National Program Director for Public Technology, Inc.; and Assistant City Manager of Raleigh, North Carolina. He has also been President of James Mercer & Associates, Inc., and has served as Director of Government Consulting Services for Coopers & Lybrand in the Southeast and ‘Southwest, and Director of the Industrial Extension Division for Georgia Tech. The Mercer Group, Inc. for Okaloosa County, Florida Page 2 SSEFFEFEFEFSFFSEFIFIDIISIIIFIFIFGFIIIIGIGIIIIIIIIAT 2. W. D. Higginbotham, Jr., Senior Vice President - Florida Office Mr. Higginbotham’s distinguished public sector career of over 30 years has included serving as chief executive officer and chief financial officer of cities in Florida and California. He served as City Manager of Gainesville, Florida, Melbourne Beach, Florida, Surfside, Florida, and Madeira Beach, Florida ranging in population from 3,100 to 123,100 and CFO in Bakersfield, California with a population of 352,400. Mr. Higginbotham also served eight years as the Director of Economic Development for the eleven (11) county, 7,000 square mile area of the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council. After being recruited by the International City/County Management Association (CMA) on behalf of the Department of Defense, his service to Florida cities was briefly interrupted in late 2007 and early 2008 when he served in Baghdad, Iraq as a member of the United States Provincial Reconstruction Team. He is an active member of ICMA and the Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) and has been recognized by both organizations for over 25 years in the local government management profession. Mr. Higginbotham’s particular areas of expertise are executive search, organizational development and economic development. In addition to graduating from Tulane University where he earned his Certificate in Accounting, he has completed and instructed training programs at the Emergency Management Institute (FEMA) in Emmitsburg, Maryland in Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Resistant Jobs Training, TRAIN-THE-TRAINER. 3. Karolyn Prince-Mercer, Senior Vice President - Santa Fe Office Ms. Prince-Mercer received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History with minors in Art, Political Science and Education from the University of Nevada. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Woodrow Wilson College of Law. She is licensed to practice law in New Mexico and in Georgia. She has practiced law for over 20 years beginning in Georgia. Ms. Prince-Mercer is also qualified to administer and interpret the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTD instruments. Ms. Prince-Mercer also specializes in public sector executive search. She has been in management consulting for over eighteen years. She has experience working in executive search and has conducted