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As noted above, the vast majority (89%) of all professional services and consulting contracts are awarded through Council-approved, competitively bid contracts. On average, approximately $78,000 (out of a total budget of $32 million) is appropriated for non-recurring, project or issue- specific matters. While it is difficult to compare the City's utilization of consulting services to that of peer cities, one can arguably conclude that Roseville's low t�c rate demonstrates that the City has remained prudent and responsible in this regard. Finally, Council is asked to consider the cost of procuring consultants or professional service providers through a formal RFP or bid process as contrasted with the amount of compensation paid to the consultant or professional service provider. From both the City's and the service provider's business point of view, spending lots of time and money formally procuring a service provider for a small project may not be feasible. The service provider may not want to spend time and money bidding or proposing on small projects they may not be awarded. The City may want to spend its time and money on the project in question and not on the process to obtain a consultant. Recommended Consulting Practices Certainly it remains the Council's discretion as to whether the procurement of consulting services should receive added scrutiny and/or controls. For the Council's consideration, Staff has prepared a list of potential revisions to current city practices that recognize the challenges noted above, and that reflect industry best practices. In an effort to ensure a high degree of accountability, necessary spending controls, a practical procurement environment, and a fully informed electorate, Staff submits the following recommendationsregarding the procurement of consulting services. They include: f� The decision to acquire professional and consulting services shall be made by the City Manager in accordance with governmental best practices, and as directed by the City Council. The decision process shall include; an assessment of in-house Staff expertise, the availability of Staff, and the desire to obtain an independent viewpoint �� All bud•°� professional and consulting services, regardless of their nature, that are anticipated to result in the expenditure of $5,000 or less for a particular project, may be procured as deemed appropriate by the City Manager within the Council-approved budget #� All bud e•°� regular, on-going professional and consulting services that are anticipated to result in the expenditure of more than $5,000 for a particular project shall be awarded in a manner consistent with the City's Professional Services Policy, and in accordance with the Council-approved budget. Procurement of professional or consulting services under these circumstances shall be made in conjunction with a written Scope of Services Agreement that defines the general services to be performed along with an estimate of the costs �� All non-bud e� ted professional and consulting services (except as noted below) shall receive prior Council approval, and shall be documented through a written Scope of Services Agreement that defines the general services to be performed along with an estimate of the costs