On March 29th, Check CU published an article about the City of Champaign, Illinois hiring private security to patrol their downtown area. The City’s Request for Proposals (RFP) describes issues such as noise, trash, loitering, fights, and shootings.
On March 31st, the City Manager’s Office released a two page addendum to their original request. An RFP process often has an opportunity for potential vendors/contractors to ask the issuer questions, however it appears that almost all of the questions for this RFP came from concerned residents.
The questions and answers are reprinted below, and the full RFP addendum and original RFP issued by City of Champaign are provided at the end of this article.
Question 1: Can you provide more background about where this is coming from — concerns of downtown businesses and their customers? Do they feel unsafe downtown and is it impacting traffic at these businesses?
Response: The decision to pursue additional resources for the Downtown area was brought about by a number of considerations. First, there was a direct request from business owners following some order and maintenance issues in recent months. These have included minor offenses, such as loud music and alcohol consumption in City parking lots and the public way, along with a handful of more concerning events along the fringe of the Downtown area in recent months.
Additionally, as COVID concerns continue to decline, the City of Champaign preparing for the return of large-scale special events, including Streetfests, Friday Night Live, and other gatherings in Downtown. In prior years, Champaign utilized additional staffing resources in the Downtown area from the Champaign Police Department, but current staffing levels call for creative solutions to provide this assistance. This RFP is just one facet in a proactive effort to ensure that we can head off any potential issues and maintain a safe, fun environment for those coming to enjoy our vibrant Downtown.
Question 2: Will the private security officers be armed with guns, and what kind of training would they have to deal with the issues listed in the specs, especially large gatherings, shootings, fights, etc.? (Police are trained to deal these things, but would a private security officer have anywhere near that training? Or would their response be to call for police officers to handle?
Response: Section 2.4 of the Request for Proposals asks that, among other qualifications, responding parties should “have the capacity to provide unarmed and/or less-lethal options.” The RFP also requests that the guards wear conspicuous uniforms and body-worn cameras. The intent is for these security guards to serve as eyes and ears in Downtown Champaign, and to assist in addressing simple concerns in real time before they rise to the level of requiring a Police Officer. Champaign Police will still be on assigned patrol in the North District, and will still respond to Downtown, as always.
Question 3: How many nights a week (it says at least 3 — any more information available about when and where) and for how many hours would the city be hiring security officers?
Response: The intent of the RFP is to establish staffing at the times that Downtown Champaign is at its most active, with plans for up to four security staff in place from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. There is also the potential to hire additional staff on an infrequent basis for special events expected to draw large crowds.
Question 4: We didn’t see this come through a city council agenda. Does this need to be approved by the council?
Response: Under the City’s purchasing process, any purchase exceeding $35,000 is taken before the City Council. Ahead of that approval, a formal Request for Proposal process allows City staff to receive proposals from interested vendors and evaluate those submissions for the stated qualifications, arriving at a proposal that meets our needs based upon the provided metrics. As this purchase is expected to be in excess of that threshold, the selected proposal will be presented before the City Council for consideration and approval. A date for Council consideration is not known at this time.
Question 5: I don’t want to hold up your answers for this question, but if you know, what’s the city’s liability exposure if something goes wrong between private security and people downtown[?]
Response: I have contacted the City’s Legal Department for additional details on this, but all respondents considered under a Request for Proposal Process must provide proof of coverage for a liability policy and umbrella policies for their area of work.
Question 6: Is there a tentative budget for this and can you say what it is while the RFP is out?
Response: The City of Champaign is working hard to proactively ensure that our vibrant Downtown remains a safe, fun environment. Funding has been identified for this project, but it would be inappropriate for staff to provide a budget figure while the Request for Proposals is still active.
Question 7: Is the CDAP (Champaign Diversity Advancement Program) form required to be completed?
Response: Yes, the responder is required to complete and sign the CDAP form in order for the proposal to be considered responsive.
The City of Champaign RFP addendum issued by Purchasing/Compliance Specialist Adonis Fuller is provided below, as well as the original RFP for private security services (click images for full PDFs).
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