Explanation
Need: This ordinance is to authorize the Executive Director of the Civil Service Commission to enter into a contract with ForPsych: A Forensic Psychology Practice (ForPsych) for psychological screening of public safety recruits for upcoming classes at the Police Academy and the Fire Academy.
Bid Information: The City of Columbus Civil Service Commission published a Request for Proposals (RFP) for these services and accepted proposals through October 1, 2020. Four proposals were received by the deadline. An evaluation committee reviewed these proposals in accordance with the criteria set forth in the RFP which included quality and feasibility of proposals, cost, competence, ability, past performance and timeliness of reporting results. Based upon the RFP results, a contract for these services was established with Association for Psychotherapy, Inc. (API). However, that contract has been terminated due to questions raised by the Ohio Board of Psychology regarding API’s provision of such services.
The Commission is now requesting authorization to enter into a contract with ForPsych, one of the four original respondents to the RFP for provision of the needed assessment services. ForPsych was not previously selected because there were concerns that the City would need to invest in several dozen computer tablets to conduct testing. However, it has been confirmed that candidate assessments could be administered via paper/pencil documents or use of a City computer lab, negating the need for any technology investment by the City.
ForPsych consists of highly qualified psychologists who can provide the assessment services and offers flexible scheduling. ForPsych’s original bid was $400 per assessment but the City is requiring an in-depth review of documentation and analysis, apparently more than originally proposed by the vendor. As such, the City and ForPsych have agreed to a per assessment cost of $550.00 which was the API rate for said servic...
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