Notes from Pre-Proposal Meeting, November 15, 2017

Al Beavers (Supply Chain) emphasized that we heavily utilize temporary staffing for construction labor and explained that there may be extensivetravel involved for some construction positions. He stated that this is a common need and a requirement of whomever receives the contract.
Melissa Garcia (Human Resources) emphasized that the MSP is viewed as an extension of Human Resources and this is the companywide perception we want to continue.
Melissa explained that our expectation is for construction temporary workers to learn how to operate heavy equipment and to eventually obtain a commercial driver license (CDL).
Shelby Soleimani (Human Resources) emphasized that more managers in the technical space are utilizing the temporary services model due to market conditions. We anticipate seeing this continue to increase in future years.
FLOW CHART.
Al stated that we want the hiring managers and HR to work closely with the MSP. (e.g., direct conversations).
Al stated that our expectation is that the MSP provide their own requisition tracking system, Vendor Management System (VMS).
LCRA does not want to interface with sub-contractors. We want all of the information and processes to flow through the MSP. From our perspective, we want that consolidated.
MILESTONES:
Al stated that the deadline for questions is tomorrow at 3:00pm. We will try to answer questions within two business days.
Proposal Deadline is November 28, 2017. (Note that incorrect year of 2018 was listed on the slide however it was verbally corrected to be 2017.)
Anticipated award date is May 2018.
Al stated that whenever one sees “LCRA prefers” on the documentation, it would be very helpful to LCRA to receive information in those fields.
Al stated that LCRA is very stringent on information security. This must be completed on the documentation returned to LCRA in order to be considered.
Melissa explained that the supplier should have ability to accept timekeeping data aggregated from LCRA systems, if desired. This is a change from the past that was pointed out (Refer to Section 2.3.1.4.1 of the updated Statement of Work (dated 11/14/17).
Melissa explained that LCRA may need temporary staff to enter time in LCRA’s system and then the data would transfer over to the vendor’s system. The data would be input into our system, though. This is just a possibility at this point, though.
We are allowing the MSPs to indicate the premium for driving on each category. This is a change from how we have done things in the past. The change is that all driving rates are no longer lumped into the industrial category. They can now apply to administrative, craft and trade, and other categories as well.
Shelby indicated that an on-site account manager has worked very well for us. We hope to continue this type of model.
Susie Baxter Harwell (Parks Management) explained that our parks business follows a typical parks model. We have two science centers. McKinney Roughs Park has a strong seasonal presence. It’s a unique job to recruit for at McKinney because of the educational and summer programs. The MSP (and subs) recruit from colleges where students are looking to do this type of work (e.g., education, kinesiology, etc.). Matagorda is one of Parks’ struggles. The power plants in Matagorda sometimes scoop up the available workforce down there; it’s a similar type of candidate as what we are seeking for some of the parks temporary assignments. Passing a background check is also a challenge for the Matagorda candidate pool.
Shelby emphasized that it is very helpful for the account manager be very familiar with the sub-vendors (e.g., good relationships, familiar with processes, etc.)
Melissa explained that all current temporary workers would roll over to the new MSP at the payrolled rate. This is the idea.
Shelby explained that we would want to know about visa sponsorships early in the process, even when it’s a temporary situation, due to the potential to convert later. She emphasized that open communication is necessary.
We have a stakeholder who was not in attendance at the meeting, but would like to highlight an ongoing temporary services need. As mentioned at the meeting, LCRA’s Transmission Services group will experience considerable growth in projects over the next five years, and our Transmission Contract Construction Department regularly has positions that are responsible for construction inspection and oversight. These positions are Construction Coordinators, and you will find the description for the entry-level job on the Job Capabilities Matrix (Construction Coordinator I). However, this is a family of jobs with increasing requirements and corresponding increased levels of responsibilities and expectations
Ideal candidates will have experience in construction trades, industrial maintenance, or construction project management, including some experience monitoring contract labor and projects to ensure compliance with contract specifications, building codes and safety regulations. The work regularly involves overnight travel during the week; and about 3-4 hours of travel between sites during the days.
This department generally uses 2-4 Construction Coordinators at this level; however, often the department experiences high turnover when the unemployment rate is so low, so LCRA seeks a provider that has a good pipeline for these types of workers.

Data from additional slides presented:

Illustration of how we envision the MSP may provide service via the VMS