Explanation
BACKGROUND:
This legislation authorizes the City Clerk to enter into a contract with Heart & Hunter Inc, dba Hunter Marketing, for marketing and community outreach services related to pay equity legislation passed by City Council in March 2023.
This contract agreement was authorized by formal bid solicitation RFQ024928, which received 5 responses.
Sky Nile Consulting LLC ($75,000.00)
Heart & Hunter Inc, dba Hunter Marketing ($75,000.00)
LA-Ink Publishing ($75,000.00)
Experience Management Institute ($74,759.00)
The Mark Seven, LLC, dba Common ($75,000.00)
The City Clerk selected Heart & Hunter Inc, dba Hunter Marketing as the best responsive bidder.
In March 2023, Columbus City Council passed legislation that prohibits employers from asking job applicants about their previous salary or wages. The legislation will go into effect in March of 2024. To support employers, and to communicate this new law to both job-seekers and to employers, the Columbus City Council sought the support of a marketing and outreach professional to develop an outreach campaign. The campaign will provide businesses and individual applicants an understanding of the impacts of pay equity legislation and will include partnering with current HR experts to develop a toolkit useful for impacted employers.
The total cost associated with this ordinance is $75,000.00 for the above-described purpose.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The funds for this expenditure are available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
EMERGENCY:
Emergency designation is being requested to expedite authorization in order to initiate services from this vendor as soon as possible to begin the development of the marketing materials in time to reach employers well in advance of the pay equity legislation going into effect.
Title
To authorize the City Clerk to enter into contract with Heart & Hunter Inc, dba Hunter Marketing, for marketing and community outreach services; to authorize an appropriation and expenditure of $75,000.00 from the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and to declare an emergency ($75,000.00).
Body
WHEREAS, the City Clerk solicited bids by publishing RFQ024928 and received 5 responsive bids; and
WHEREAS, the City Clerk determined Heart & Hunter Inc, dba Hunter Marketing offered the best responsive bid; and
WHEREAS, Columbus City Council passed legislation in March 2023 to promote pay equity by prohibiting employers from asking job applicants about their salary history; and
WHEREAS, Columbus City Council seeks to partner with employers to promote HR practices that lift up all workers and promote pay equity and seeks to develop a toolkit to further these efforts; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the City Clerk to enter into a contract with Heart & Hunter Inc, dba Hunter Marketing in order to initiate services from this vendor as soon as possible to begin the development of the marketing materials in time to reach employers well in advance of the pay equity legislation going into effect; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the City Clerk is hereby authorized to enter into a professional services contract with Heart & Hunter Inc, dba Hunter Marketing, for marketing and community outreach services in an amount of up to $75,000.00.
SECTION 2. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $75,000.00 in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018, to the City Clerk per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of $75,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed pursuant to the action authorized in SECTION 1 of this ordinance, is hereby authorized in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018 per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 5. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.