Explanation
This year's campaign marks the 24th anniversary of City of Columbus employees participating in a Combined Charitable Campaign. The Combined Charitable Campaign is a citywide collaborative effort that provides employees the opportunity to make donations to charitable organizations through payroll deduction or one time contributions. The city's annual Combined Charitable Campaign allows qualified multi-charity federations access to our work place for the purpose of soliciting charitable contributions from city employees while minimizing work place disruption and administrative costs. This year's campaign includes approximately 200 health and human services agencies.
Examples of direct health and human services are programs aimed at one or more of the following:
• health support and services
• research or education in the health fields
• safety and protective services for children and adults
• food and nutrition services
• preparation and delivery of meals
• adult, family and child care
• foster care for children and adults
• programs for school age children with special needs
• home management and maintenance
• transportation services
• information, referral and counseling services
• emergency shelter, care and relief
• adoption assistance
• neighborhood and community agency programs
• services to meet recreational and cultural needs
• social adjustment and rehabilitation services
• the protection, preservation or restoration of the air, water and land
• the preservation of the rights of animals that provide a direct benefit to individuals
During the campaign, presentations to employees reflect all health and human services agencies participating in the campaign. For the purposes of the Combined Charitable Campaign, health and human services are any combination of programs designed to meet the needs of adult, children and youth, the ill and infirm, the mentally and physically handicapped, the elderly, poor, minorities or women.
The city's annual Combined Charitable Campaign enables us to bring together labor and management, who all have a stake in the community, to go one step further in voluntarily supporting the needs of others. As the collective branch of government that is charged with leading this city, there are times when we simply need to support what is already working. Over the past 23 years, City of Columbus employees have voluntarily donated over $4.7 million through one time donations, fund raising activities, and payroll deductions.
In previous years, costs for campaign coordination services were withheld from employee contributions designated for a charitable agency or federation. Each agency that received donations had its share of the costs withheld from the first distribution. This effectively reduced the funds that reached the employee's designated charity. Beginning with the 2013 campaign, the Department of Human Resources has been funding the coordination efforts. Now, each dollar donated by city employees reaches the designated charity.
This contract represents an agreement between the City of Columbus and United Way of Central Ohio for the coordination of three combined charitable campaigns. Each campaign encompasses a twenty four month period, with 2016 being the beginning of the first campaign. The contract specifications outline all deliverables.
Competitive bidding is being waived because the contractor is uniquely able to provide the coordination services needed in this campaign and has worked with the City of Columbus for over 20 years in this capacity.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding for this contract is budgeted in the 2016 employee benefits fund budget.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Human Resources to contract with the United Way of Central Ohio for the purpose of providing coordination services for the City of Columbus 2016 Combined Charitable Campaign; to authorize the expenditure of $36,000.00 from the Employee Benefits Fund; to waive competitive bidding requirements of the Columbus City Code ($36,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus has successfully contracted with the United Way of Central Ohio for the purpose of providing coordination services for the City of Columbus Combined Charitable Campaigns for over 20 years, including the current campaign; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the City of Columbus and its employees to fund this campaign to ensure that donations made by employees are reaching the employee's designated charity; and
WHEREAS, waiver of competitive bidding requirements set forth in the Columbus City Code is necessary because of the contractor’s unique ability and resources to provide the coordination serves needed to properly administer this program; and.
Now therefore;
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Department of Human Resources is authorized and directed to contract with the United Way of Central Ohio for the purpose of providing coordination services for the City of Columbus 2016 Combined Charitable Campaign.
SECTION 2. That for the purpose cited in Section 1 of this ordinance, the expenditure of $36,000.00 or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby authorized to be expended from the Employee Benefits Fund, Fund 5502, Object Class 03 Services, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That this Council finds it in the best interest of the City to waive the relevant provisions of Chapter 329 of the City Code relating to competitive bidding to permit the aforementioned action.
SECTION 4. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 5. That this ordiannce shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.