Item Coversheet

Action Item - 5.

Title: Contract with Executive Search Firms ($470,250) - Updated 2.22.2023

Board of Education Meeting Date:
  2/23/2023

Action under consideration

 The Administration recommends that the Board of Education authorize The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute and perform a contract, subject to funding, as follows: 

 With:

 Alma Advisory Group, LLC

Edgility Consulting LLC

HYA Corporation
Isaacson Miller, Inc.
McPherson & Jacobson, LLC
Polihire Strategy Corporation
 

 Purpose: 
Executive search firms to conduct nationwide talent searches for senior leaders in the District

 Start date: 2/24/2023

 End date: 6/30/2026
 Compensation not to exceed: $470,250 
 Separate Compensation by Vendor:
All entities will be paid out of the aggregate amount not to exceed $470,250.
 Location: 
Administrative offices


 Renewal Options:  No

 Description:

Why is this contract needed? The District is seeking the ability to retain an executive search firm(s) to conduct successful nation-wide searches to identify top talent to fill senior leadership roles within the District. While the District does recruit for all positions, from time to time certain roles become open that benefit from a wider reach beyond our individual networks and recruitment pipelines. As such, the District has solicited qualified vendors to be on an approved qualified list of search firms that can be utilized if/when the need arises. In the immediate, upon approval of this Action Item, the District will work with search firms for up to three senior leadership positions -- the Deputy Superintendent of Operations, the Chief of Diverse Learners and Special Education, and the Chief of Curriculum & Instruction. Additional searches are included here for future years; costs would only be incurred if searches were conducted when a need was identified by the Superintendent.

 

How is this work connected to the District’s plan to achieve Goals & Guardrails? Having available qualified search firms to identify topic talent will support the District's efforts to ensure we effectively recruit and select from a competitive pool of candidates for critical District leadership positions that are responsible for implemented the Goals and Guardrails.

 

How will the success of this contract be measured? Success will be measured by the search firm being able to identify a diverse group of high-quality candidates in the agreed upon timeline and ultimately hiring high-quality talent into the identified leadership role.

 

If this is the continuation of a contract, how has success been measured in the past and what specific information do we have to show that it was successful? This is not a continuation of a previous contract. However, the District has used executive search firms, including most recently with the search for the new Superintendent and the identification of leadership positions within the Operations office. Those searches were conducted within the identified timeframe with successful high-quality candidates.



 Funding Source(s): 
FY23-26 Operating and Grant Dollars (if grant dollars accepted by the Board of Education)

 Office Originating Request: Talent