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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Viviana Ramirez, Chief Community Services Officer
Mike Pegues, Chief Information Officer
Jeff Anderson, Deputy Chief Information Officer
DATE: March 14, 2024
SUBJECT:
A Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to purchase a 5-year subscription for grants management software to Dulles Technology Partners, Inc., of Leesburg, VA, for $102,800.00.
PURPOSE:
The Community Services Department seeks a comprehensive, cloud-based software tool that provides comprehensive Grant Management capabilities. Beyond administering outbound city-funded and federal grants, stakeholders seek the capability to apply for, track, and manage inbound grant awards.
BACKGROUND:
Aurora's Community Services Department first acquired a digital solution to process outbound grants at the end of 2019. Project leaders have used this tool to administer the application, evaluation, and post-award management of grants that Aurora funds directly or distributes on behalf of the federal government.
This current vendor only provided outbound grant administration and cannot support inbound grant management including managing applications, tracking, and reporting.
At this point, Community Services requires a broader tool that can support tracking applications submitted to external funders and the management of grant projects awarded to the City by external funding sources.
DISCUSSION:
The city engaged Marketplace.city to find a Grants Management software provider.
Process Overview:
-- Created Market Landscape with 40 potential companies.
-- Drafted RFQ document based on needs of Community Development, Community Services, and IT Departments.
-- Based on the market landscape and City Stakeholder review, Marketplace.city publicly posted and distributed the Opportunity and Scope Document for vendors to complete in order to be included in the reporting and selection process.
-- It was posted and distributed on 11/28/22 and closed 12/14/22.
-- There were 17 responses completed by the deadline.
-- After reviewing the submitted documentation, the team organized demos with the following five companies:
Amplifund, CommunityForce, Dulles Tech (WebGrants), Neighborly, and OpenGov.
-- Based on further demonstration & review of proposal materials, the five companies were evaluated based on the following criteria: Capabilities/Solution, Experience and Qualifications, Approach, Services, Implementation and Methodology, Pricing and Contract Model, Additional Services/Innovation.
-- Based on the scoring results CommunityForce was eliminated and the project team requested final pricing & information on potential access to a test environment from the four remaining finalists.
-- After scoring was completed, demonstrations from the top 4 vendors were requested followed by extensive testing by city staff. In some cases vendors created specific testing on their systems to match the services requested in the RFP. After testing, final questions were submitted to vendors before city staff from Community Development, Information Technology, Finance, and the Police Department revaluated vendor submittals before finalizing the recommendation of Dulles Tech.
-- After scoring, demonstrations, and testing, the preferred comprehensive solution resulted in Dulles Technology scoring the highest among the final four.
-- The project team contacted references and worked within test environment to verify choice.
-- Internal stakeholder review confirms the need for a combined inbound & outbound grant management solution, rather than separate software packages for each function.
Based on overall review of all desired factors, Dulles Technology Partners is the desired vendor.
A budget transfer for this project was made to 101-1280-419.38-11 - Computer Software - for this purchase.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
This grant management software would streamline the City’s grant program development, review, and management processes as well as its many other grant administrative compliance aspects related to recordkeeping, reporting, and payment requests. For the City’s 2024 City grant programs, City staff reviewed 85 paper grant applications, with the City Council subsequently awarding funds for 59 projects totaling over $4.4 million. This software would improve City staff’s efficiency and tracking of prospective grant applicants and current grantees through the centralization of each grant program’s records (application, reports, data, communications, etc.). A separate benefit of the grant management software is its additional capacity to serve as an application portal for programs such as the City’s housing rehabilitation and down payment assistance programs.
City Grant Writers will also utilize this software to screen and apply for grant opportunities through local, state, and federal funding sources. As the City receives grants, the software will allow for centralization and standardization of record-keeping to improve compliance. Various reports and tracking for both inward and outward grants will be easier to generate to track accomplishments and other metrics. In 2023 over 280 grant opportunities were assessed. The City was awarded over $7 million through 25 separate grant awards in six different departments.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff recommends approval of a resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to purchase a 5-year subscription for grants management software to Dulles Technology Partners, Inc., of Leesburg, VA, for $102,800.00.
cc: Finance Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
title
A Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to purchase a 5-year subscription for grants management software to Dulles Technology Partners, Inc., of Leesburg, VA, for $102,800.00.
body
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the City marketed this opportunity through Marketplace.city following the City's approved purchasing processes; and
WHEREAS, the City's Community Services Department currently manages all inbound and outbound grants for the City; and
WHEREAS, the City's previous software solution only managed inbound grants; and
WHEREAS, City staff competitively scored and extensively tested each product to produce a final recommendation; and
WHEREAS, after thoroughly evaluating all marketing results, the comprehensive solution proposed by Dulles Technology Partners will best manage both inbound and outbound grants; and
WHEREAS funding for this purchase is available in 101-1280-419.38-11.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: the Director of Purchasing is hereby authorized to purchase a 5-year subscription for grants management software to Dulles Technology Partners, Inc., of Leesburg, VA, for $102,800.