HomeMy WebLinkAboutSole Source - The Lew Edwards GroupCity of San Luis Obispo Sole Source Justification Form
Lew Edwards Group
It is the policy of the City of San Luis Obispo to solicit quotations or bids for purchases of commodities or services for
specified dollar amounts and to select vendors on a competitive basis (See City of San Luis Obispo Financial
Management Manual, Section 201, Exhibit 201-B).
Pursuant to San Luis Obispo Municipal Code Chapter 3.24.060, certain acquisitions in which the products or services
may only be obtained from a single source may be purchased without engaging in bidding procedures. Such Sole
Source acquisitions must be justified in sufficient detail to explain the basis for suspending the usual competitive
procurement process and approved by the approving authority before such a purchase is made.
1. What product or service is being requested? Why is it necessary?
The service being requested is public education and outreach post-placement informational strategy
and materials related to a ballot measure that has been placed on the November 3, 2020 election.
The vendor provides a unique set of services that follows all local and statewide processes and
procedures for educating the public, impartially, as defined by state election code.
2. Is this “brand” of product or services offered the only one that meets the City’s requirements? If
yes, what is unique about the product/services?
Due to the vendor’s work experience and history of services related to the SLO Forward initiative, it is
the only vendor with a brand of services that can be used by the City. Due to this experience, the City
will save on time and materials.
3. Is the product or service proprietary or is it available from various dealers? Have you verified this?
The service is not proprietary, however, there are only a couple of vendors in the state that provide
this type of service and due to the previous work on this initiative, the vendor is uniquely positioned
to be the only vendor that can provide this service to the City.
4. Have other products/vendors been considered? If yes, which? and how did they fail to meet the
City’s requirements?
Other vendors were considered for the original service, in January 2020, through an informal bid
process. This vendor was selected based upon a combination of experience, scope of work, and cost
estimate.
5. Is the purchase an upgrade or addition to an existing system or brand of products adopted citywide?
If so, will purchase of this product avoid “switching” costs as opposed to purchasing another
product or service (e.g., additional training required; data conversion; implementation of a new
system; etc.)?
With the unique knowledge and experience working on the SLO Forward initiative, the vendor will not
have to conduct an exploratory phase and additional information gathering, saving the City direct
cost, time and materials.
6. Is this a request for services by a contractor with necessary, unique and critical knowledge of
established City systems or programs? If so, will the use of the contractor’s services avoid other
costs (e.g., significant staff time in compiling information, data transfers, etc.)?
Yes, the contractor has specific knowledge of existing City systems, staff, policies and background
information. Using this contractor’s services will avoid other costs including significant staff time, data
gathering, etc.
7. What is the quoted price for the product or services and is it reasonable (based on other products
or services in the same field or based on historical pricing for the City for similar products or
services)?
The quote price of $9,950 is part of a large scope of work ($14,900) by the contractor. The first
phase, $4,950, has been approved and encumbered. The quote price of $9,950 is reasonable based
upon services in this field and is identified as a discount on the quote due to already acquired
knowledge of the project and City staff.
Ryan Betz, Assistant to the City Manager
Requester
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Dan Clancy, Purchasing Analyst Date