Common sense vs fiscal sense

from the SPCANS website:
SPCA and Animal Service contract set to end March 2010
Halifax, Nova Scotia (January 23, 2010) –The animal control contract between HRM’s Animal Services and the Nova Scotia SPCA’s Metro Branch is set to end in March 2010. A report was released with the recommendations following a tender process on Friday, January 22, 2010.
The SPCA is disappointed by this news, as it means that abandoned and stray animals will be at greater risk for euthanasia and less comprehensive care. The SPCA has never considered itself to be a city pound. The SPCA is first and foremost an animal welfare organization and as a result has considerably higher standards as it relates to animal care. The SPCA is not only concerned with providing for the physical and medical requirements of animals, but their social and behavioural needs as well. Being involved in an animal control contract meant that the SPCA could act in the best interests of the animals once they were turned over to the SPCA’s care.
Additionally, the SPCA was and is not willing to compromise on care considerations related to the long term residents who remain in a shelter environment for periods in excess of three months. These rare, court ordered scenarios result in the need for flexible, individualized care programs, so that the health of the animal is not compromised by stress.
Lastly, the SPCA, unlike a city pound, will always work towards the adoption of animals and will never consider euthanasia for space appropriate. Additionally, the Society is very successful in addressing hard-to-adopt cases, such as animals with special medical needs or senior animals. Common euthanasia rates for city pounds are between 50% and 70%, whereas the SPCA has a live release rate of well over 90% for dogs. For full details, please click here.
Unfortunately, the loss of the contract will result in a restructuring of staff and a limitation to the SPCA’s ability to address stray and abandoned animals. The Society will continue to enlist the support of the community to permit the Metro Shelter the privilege of re-homing displaced and abandoned animals in addition to those that have come to the SPCA through cruelty investigations and have suffered abuse and neglect.
Those wishing to make a donation to the SPCA to support either cruelty investigations or animal care can go online to www.spcans.ca.
Finding information online is like being the mother of a teenager .... its always more successful when one knows what questions to ask / aka search. The following document is from the HRM website
PO Box 1749
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 3A5, Canada
Item No. 10.1.6
Halifax Regional Council
January 26, 2010
TO: Mayor Kelly and Members of Halifax Regional Council
SUBMITTED BY: ___________________________________________________________
Dan English, Chief Administrative Officer
DATE: January 15, 2010
SUBJECT: Award - Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 09-137, Animal Services -
Shelter Services
ORIGIN
The current HRM Animal Services Shelter contract is set to expiry on March 31, 2010. Staff have conducted a request for proposals (RFP) for parties interested in providing this service to HRM in the future.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that Halifax Regional Council award RFP No. 09-137 to the recommended proponent Homeward Bound City Pound for a period of two (2) years, with the right to award an additional three, one year extensions for a potential five (5) year contract, for a total price of $2,390,969.00 (net HST included). Funding exists in the operating budget, S320 - 6399 as outlined in the Budget Implications section of this report.
Award - RFP No. 09-137, Animal Services - Shelter Services - 2 - January 26, 2010
Council Report
BACKGROUND
The current animal sheltering contract ($413,820 annually), is due to expire March 31, 2010. As per procurement policies, an RFP was issued publicly for parties to provide responses on providing HRM with services and facilities to handle the containment and coordination of animals picked up by HRM Animal Services.
DISCUSSION
The scope of work was prepared and a Request for Proposal, RFP No. 09-137, was issued. The RFP closed on December 1, 2009. Included in the scope of work was the provision of shelter of all animals impounded/seized by Animal Services to specified guidelines, veterinary care for the animals including injuries, administration of the process for the return of animals to their owners, adoption of unclaimed animals, the long term care of animals held for court proceedings and euthanasia if and when required as per the legislation.
The following additional areas were to be addressed in the proposals:
• a description of the proposed structured customer friendly approach;
• verification that the hours for animal redemption would be from 8 am to 8pm
Monday to Friday and 8 am to 4pm Saturday, Sunday and Holidays;
• a description of the after hours access to the shelter for HRM Animal Services
staff;
• verification of the adequate and appropriate number of kennels for all animals;
• a description of the process for handling multiple animal seizures for which
animals may be held for extended periods of time.
RFP Responses:
There were two respondents to the RFP #09-137, Animal Service - Shelter Services:
1. Homeward Bound City Pound
2. Nova Scotia SPCA (NSSPCA).
A team consisting of staff from HRP - Community Projects, Finance and facilitated by HRM Procurement, reviewed and evaluated the proposals on the criteria in Appendix “A”.
Award - RFP No. 09-137, Animal Services - Shelter Services - 3 - January 26, 2010 Council Report
The final scoring for all proponents is as follows:
Homeward Bound City Pound 84
NSSPCA 76.8
The Director of Homeward Bound City Pound, Hope Swinimer, is a Certified Veterinary Hospital Manager with 20 years experience and has a proven and reliable history in animal care.
Additionally, the staffing structure for Homeward Bound City Pound includes individuals with extensive backgrounds in shelter management and animal care giving.
Homeward Bound City Pound’s description of the long term care options including associated costs was clear and included the fixed costs as outlined in the RFP. The SPCA did not adequately address the long term care of animals. From a financial perspective this was considered a risk as there was no definitive costing included in their proposal. It was indicated in addition to the total costs outlined in their budget proposal there would be an additional charge of $25 per day for animals held in custody over three months as well as ‘extraordinary costs’ that
would be negotiated with Animal Services, if required. Moreover, it was stated “the arrangement is and will continue to be something that is determined on a case by case basis.”
The SPCA did not clearly identify the costs and revenues associated with adopted animals. This reduced both their revenue and expenditure lines and therefore clouded their operational budget as it didn’t provide the complete picture. Homeward Bound’s proposal addressed revenue from adoptions, pickup and boarding as well as detailing all the associated shelter and medical costs.
As Homeward Bound City Pound does not have a facility currently operational that could accommodate this service the evaluation committee sought assurance that their plan was viable.
The Director of Homeward Bound City Pound presented the committee with documentation from her financial institution, letters from contractors for required services detailing proposed outlines for work to be completed, and the proposed lease agreement developed for the facility to be used.
In the event that the facility is not operational by the contract start date, Ms. Swinimer provided the Committee with a contingency plan. This contingency plan provided details on temporary kennel arrangements that have been made in the event that the facility is not fully operational by April 1, 2010
The evaluation committee did a site visit of the proposed location and were satisfied that all operational requirements were met.
Overall the Homeward Bound proposal proved an all-inclusive submission that addressed all the components of the required service provision.
Award - RFP No. 09-137, Animal Services - Shelter Services - 4 - January 26, 2010
Council Report
Therefore, it is recommended that Halifax Regional Council award a contract for a period of two (2) years effective the date of award, with the right to award an additional three, one year extensions for a potential five (5) year five year contract to Homeward Bound City Pound.
BUDGET IMPLICATIONS
Fiscal Year Costs
2010-11 $434,457
2011-12 $455,373
2012-13 $477,220
2013-14 $500,040
2014-15 $523,879
Total $2,390,969.00 (net HST included)
The 2010-11 proposed Operating Budget includes funding for this initiative.
Budget availability has been confirmed by Financial Services.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT POLICIES/BUSINESS PLAN
This report complies with the Municipality’s Multi-Year Financial Strategy, the approved Operating, Capital and Reserve budgets, policies and procedures regarding withdrawals from the utilization of Capital and Operating reserves, as well as any relevant legislation.
ALTERNATIVES
There are no alternatives.
ATTACHMENTS
Appendix A: Evaluation Document
Award - RFP No. 09-137, Animal
Services - Shelter Services - 5 - January 26, 2010
Council Report
A copy of this report can be obtained online at http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/cagenda.html
then choose the appropriate meeting date, or by contacting the Office of the Municipal Clerk at 490-4210, or Fax 490-4208.
Report Prepared by: Supt. William Moore, Halifax Regional Police 490-4817
Report Approved by: _________________________________________________
Deputy Chief F.A. Burbridge, Halifax Regional Police 490-7138
Procurement Approval by: ___________________________________________________
Anne Feist, Operations Manager, Procurement 490-4200
Report Approved by: Frank Beazley, Chief of Police, Halifax Regional Police 490-6500
APPENDIX A:
RFP # 09-137
ANIMAL SERVICES - SHELTER SERVICES
PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA
Webmaster note ... to read the appendix, and see the scoring breakdown table, please go to the source document, at http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/100126ca1016.pdf
Well then ..... what do we know about Hope Swinimer? She is the founder and director of the Hope for Wildlife Society in Seaforth, Nova Scotia ( the subject of how a certain animal owner who is currently doing battle with the society and HRM AC both, was a volunteer at that facility is an interesting topic to pursue on another day)
The questions just come rolling off the keyboard tonight:

• first and foremost of course is what will happen to the animals when their time is up?
• what will happen to the senior and special needs pets?
• will the society, rescue groups and breed rescues have access to the animals?
• How is one tender able to offer more precise figures? Is it because the current contractor/ aka Metro, knows from experience that nothing is black and white?
• will there be a time limit for sheltering the animals? What will happen to them then : ((( Will HRM 'stray dogs" go from a 90% live release rate to a more typical and much lower animal control one?
• will the new facility be altering all their adoptables?
• will the adoptables be vet checked and vaccinated
• where will the unweaned puppies go?
• what's going to happen to the 'stray' cats
• will they have special and/ or negotiable adoption fees for harder to adopt pets ... or is it all going to be black and white like their budget?

Honestly, I could go on and on but tonight my head is still spinning ... although I expect not nearly so much as the staff at Metro.

For two years after the new food services facility was completed at my last posting, cooks came from all over the country to learn what NOT to do when planning their own new facilities. It is just a fact of life that there is a country mile between the drawing board and a successful facility with fully operational and functioning systems. I have yet to work in a new facility where there were no difficulties to be ironed out.

It was the same way whenever there was a new service contract. Eventually things would work out ( or the contract would be cancelled ), but there was always a learning curve. In this case, we can only hope that it will not be at the expense of the animals.

And before the keyboards catch on fire, yes I know I keep saying that each municipality should have its own Animal Care and Control Centers. But for the moment at least.... to have such a tight timeline, a new contractor ( who may find it quite different to run a pound than an educational widlife rehabiltiaton center) and a new facility ... might make fiscal sense to HRM but it is seriously lacking in the common sense category.