REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 07/19/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Communications Division
SUBJECT:
Title
FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH PASTILLA INC. FOR THE PROFESSIONAL BRANDING SERVICES PROJECT
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to consider the approval of the First Amendment to the Professional Branding Services Project between Pastilla Inc. and the City of Corona. The existing agreement includes research, community engagement, and brand development of the logo and city seal including 3 to 5 art revisions. The First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement adds additional city seal revisions.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. City Council approve the First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Pastilla Inc. to increase the total compensation by $11,000 for additional branding services.
b. City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Pastilla Inc. for a total contract amount of $110,000.
c. City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue Change Order No. 1 to Purchase Order P22564 to Pastilla, Inc. for an additional $11,000, bringing the new total to $110,000.
d. City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to approve amendments/change orders necessary for the execution of the work, in accordance with the Corona Municipal Code Section 3.08.060 (J), up to 10 percent of the amended contract amount, or $11,000.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City of Corona’s Strategic Plan for 2021-2026 Strategic Plan Goal 5 is Sense of Place, which includes the reimagining of the City of Corona’s brand, identity, and story.
The City of Corona issued Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 22-042AC on December 8, 2021 for Professional Branding Services. The RFP was posted on the City’s PlanetBids bidding website and advertised in the Sentinel Weekly. A total of eleven proposals were received by the January 21, 2022 due date. The eleven proposals were evaluated by a team of three staff members based upon criteria of completeness of response, qualifications of firm, qualifications of personnel, work plan/project understanding and approach, and value.
Based upon the results of the RFP evaluation process, City staff awarded the contract for RFP 22-042AC for the Professional Branding Services to Pastilla, Inc. (Pastilla) in the amount of $99,000. Pastilla’s proposal demonstrated a thorough understanding of the requested scope of work and vision for the City of Corona’s desired outcomes from this project. Pastilla was the highest rated proposal as well as the best value.
On May 16, 2022, Pastilla, in partnership with the Communications Team, kicked off the project. Pastilla successfully and thoroughly performed discovery research including audience research, competitive analysis, and a SWOT analysis of the current brand. The robust community engagement included a webpage, focus interviews, community survey, workshops, and pop-up engagements at City events. A total of over 2,200 residents provided their feedback on reimagining the City’s brand.
On February 15, 2023, Pastilla presented the City Brand Strategy and Brand Identity System. On May 17, 2023 City Council approved the implementation of the new brand including the new Wordmark and logo as well as received an update on the new City Seal draft.
ANALYSIS:
At the direction of the Corona City Council, the Communications Team is seeking to add additional City Seal revisions in the First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Pastilla in the amount of $11,000.
During the execution of work for the first draft of the City Seal, Pastilla provided more than ten art revisions of the seal design to staff for review and comment. The requested revisions exceeded the number in the scope of work, yet Pastilla’s remained committed to the project and completed the work to the team’s satisfaction.
The additional services proposed in the First Amendment of the Professional Services Agreement will provide additional illustration and design work to include sketching, revisions, and refinements for four additional revisions to the seal design. Pastilla will approach each need with multiple sketches/variations, all while ensuring testing for size, scale, and legibility.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The initial Professional Services Agreement with Pastilla Inc. for the Professional Branding Services Project was budgeted within the Measure X Fund 120 Communications Division budget for $99,000. These funds have now been exhausted. Additional funding to cover the costs of the First Amendment has been included in the Adopted FY 2024 Operating Budget in the Communications Division budget within Measure X Fund 120.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is simply to approve the amendment to a professional services agreement and there is no possibility this will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: CINDY SOLIS, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER
REVIEWED BY: SHAUGHN HULL, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Pastilla Inc. First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement