REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: LANCE LIPPINCOTT, Director Economic Development Department BY: KELLY TREVINO, Assistant Director Economic Development Department SUBJECT ..Title Award a consultant services agreement to Chabin Concepts, Inc. to provide a U.S. Economic Development Administration compliant Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for an amount not to exceed $100,000, (Bid File 12301676) ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends City Council approve the consultant services agreement with Chabin Concepts, Inc and authorize the City Manager or designee to sign agreement for services. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In order to be eligible for U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Grant funding, the City of Fresno is required to have a current Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). It is mandated by the EDA that this CEDS document is updated every five (5) years as well as annually as needed. The City does not have a current CEDS at this time. BACKGROUND The CEDS is a locally-based, regionally- driven economic development planning process and document that is designed to guide economic development by identifying the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of a region. The process of creating a thoughtful and effective CEDS will engage a range of partners including community leaders, residents, educational institutions and other stakeholders, with an end goal of creating good jobs, diversifying the economy and spurring healthy economic growth. Through a formal request for qualifications (RFQ) process, a total of six (6) proposals were submitted for this project through the City's Planet Bids portal. The proposals were reviewed by Economic Development Department staff and rated on a variety of points including: cost, conformance to the terms and conditions of the RFQ, ability to meet the stated service requirements, past performance and experience, financial stability and other related information. Staff determined that Chabin Concepts, Inc was the best suited for this project. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, this recommendation does not qualify as a "project" as defined by CEQA. LOCAL PREFERENCE None of the proposers are considered local and none submitted a form for certification of local preference. FISCAL IMPACT Funding for the CEDS is included in the Economic Development Department's FY 2023 budget. Attachments: RFQ 12301676 Bid Evaluation Agreement