HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESPONSE - RFP - 8099 COMMUNITY ORIENTATION / TRANSITION SERVICESPROPOSAL
April 17, 2015
City of Fort Collins
Purchasing Department
215 N Mason St, 2
nd
Flr
Fort Collins, CO 80522
RE: 8099 Community Orientation/Transition Services proposal submission
1. Company Name: The Group, Inc. Real Estate
121 E Mountain Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80524
• Contact person: Kathleen Hollerbach
Relocation Director (account management/service)
(970)377-6047 Direct phone
khollerbach@thegroupinc.com Email
2. The Group, Inc. Real Estate is a full-service real estate brokerage with over 200 Broker
Associates/Partners. Founded in 1976 as an employee/broker owned company and committed to
providing world class service to clients, customers and the public. President is Susie Ewing, who has
been a part of the company since the beginning. She is also our Employing Broker for the entire
company, and is the Managing Broker for our Mulberry and Mountain offices. Our offices are open
seven days a week (excluding certain holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day, etc.) Our office
hours are M-Sat 8:00-5:00, Sunday 9:00-4:00.
The Group, Inc is a member of The Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®. A by-invitation-
only network of independent brokerages across the globe. All of these companies must demonstrate a
high level of service, sales volume, and expertise in their market, to be invited to join this network.
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®
- Fact Sheet
Founded by a respected group of independent brokers committed to shared values,
Leading RE members have been championing passion, performance, and top-notch
service for over 50 years.
• 500+ of the world’s premier real estate brokerage firms
• 3,500 offices, 120,000 sales associates
• Member companies operating Over 50 countries around the globe
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• Over 1.2 million home sale transactions annually, more than any real estate
network
• Fifteen of the top 25 U.S. brokerages and 27% of the sales of the top 500 U.S.
companies
• The #1 market share companies in 40 of the top 100 U.S. markets
The Relocation Department is managed by Kathleen Hollerbach. A licensed REALTOR® selling with The
Group, Inc from May 2011 until January 2014, Kathleen joined the Relocation Department in March
2014 as the Referral Coordinator, handling all of the day to day duties of relocation logistics and
management for clients/corporate accounts, incoming and outgoing referral placement, customer
service for The Group website traffic, provide relocation training for staff and brokers, prepare and
provide department reporting. On April 1, 2015, Kathleen took over as Relocation Director, now
managing this department, hiring new staff, and maintaining the daily duties in Relocation. Kathleen is
your primary point of contact for anything related to the Relocation Department.
Our Relocation Department provides exceptional relocation and candidate recruiting assistance to
many local companies and municipal entities. Our more active accounts include: OtterBox, Larimer
County, Neenan Archistruction, Colorado State University, Spirae, JBS. See item # 5 for the full list of
services we provide. All services are provided in a timely manner, communication is prompt and
complete, as is feedback to the account representative after an area VIP tour or during the home
search for the transferee (especially useful for HR purposes). Periodic updates on progress are
provided to the account representative, as well. All transferees, candidates and the
corporate/municipal clients we serve have been very pleased with having their relocation/recruiting
expectations not just met, but far exceeded.
3. Legal representation for The Group, Inc is provided by:
• Jon Goodman
(303) 494-3000
Frascona, Joiner, Goodman and Greenstein, P.C.
4750 Table Mesa Drive Boulder, Colorado 80305
Our Real Estate Brokerage license number, registered with The State of Colorado, is:
• EC9980
The Group, Inc has not had any lawsuits filed against us for anything related to Relocation/Recruiting
services that we provide, within the last five years.
Every Broker Associate with The Group is considered an Independent Contractor, and is required, by
state regulations, to complete an annual CREC Update course. This course updates all of our licensed
Broker Associates and staff (including our Managing Brokers and Employing Broker) on the
new/changed laws, regulations and Real Estate Commission Position Statements, as they relate to our
industry, our state, and our communities. Additionally, all of our licensed Broker Associates and
licensed staff and managers are members of the local and national Boards of Realtors. Those Boards
keep us updated constantly in the ever changing laws, regulations and rules, regarding our industry.
All licensed staff and Broker Associates are required, by company policy, to complete the annual CREC
Update course, and maintain their membership to the Boards of Realtors. Our Managing Brokers stay
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up to date on local laws and ordinances that relate to our industry and business, and keep everyone in
the company up to date on any changes or updates.
Additionally, ESG is contracted with The Group for our Human Resources needs for the staff who are
directly employed by The Group.
4. Our Relocation Department uses the following software/services:
• Relocation Specialist (Relocation-specific, referral database)
• RELO Xchange (Relocation-specific, referral database)
• SureClose (Transaction management)
• CorePath (Transaction management)
• Microsoft Outlook (Communication, contact database)
The Relocation management reports are stored on a local computer. They are transmitted via Microsoft
Outlook, over the Internet. There is the following security systems in place, to maintain security and
confidentiality: we guarantee security of all of our online and electronic access by managing all of our internal
networks with the highest industry standard for firewall protection, network security, and monitoring. No
information is stored on locally hosted machines and all stored information is hosted with cloud based
solutions (Microsoft Azure) utilizing Microsoft’s standard for data protection, threat management. We also
rely heavily on some of the Real Estate industry’s largest third party software providers to ensure our data is
properly backed up and secure from any outside threats (malware, data-breach, virus).
5. Proposed Services:
• Customized community information packet (“RELO Packet”) in either print or digital form (or
both, if requested) sent directly to the individual (recruit, new hire, or transferee). Sample
available by request. Provided at no cost.
• Customized VIP area orientation tours, including schools, neighborhoods (including individual
property showings, if requested by the individual), local points of interest/landmarks, cultural
and municipal facilities, recreation opportunities, etc. Provided at no cost.
• Gift “Welcome Basket” provided and left at the hotel for high-interest prospective job recruits,
as well as for new-hires and transferees on their initial housing search visit. Sample available
upon request. Provided at no cost.
• Housing assistance: Relocation will provide assistance with guiding the individual toward the
appropriate requested temporary, short-term housing resources, as well as assign a Group
Realtor (carefully placed to match personalities and needs) to assist with a real estate purchase,
if necessary, depending on market availability. Long-term rental assistance is limited to
providing information on the publicly accessible sources for long-term rentals. The Group does
not have any inventory properties for long or short-term rentals, nor does The Group provide
property management services. Rental information and guidance provided at no cost. Home
purchases by the individuals are subject to Realtor commissions, paid by the parties to the
transaction, as per the contract for purchase, and typical to the industry.
• Assistance for the trailing family and/or spouse. Information provided on local employers and
career opportunities, lifestyle and interests, recreation, schools, medical facilities, children’s
resources, local events, shopping, etc. This information is provided at no cost.
• ***OPTIONAL*** In the event of a large group move, we will travel where needed to present
an orientation on Northern Colorado, including setting up a resource center at your site, to
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provide regional, Northern Colorado information. This cost for this service is negotiable,
depending on your specific needs.
• For the new hires and transferees, receiving a full relocation expense package paid (allocated)
and managed by the employer, we will also:
o Assist with arranging household good moving companies
o Assist with vehicle or pet transport (if necessary)
o Assist with travel arrangements for an initial house-hunting trip
o Assist with travel arrangements for the final move
For these services, the employee has to have a full relocation funds package in place, funds held
and allocated to be paid by the employer. In those cases, The Group covers the cost of these
items up front, but is reimbursed by the employer out of those allocated relocation package
funds that are held by the employer for this purpose. Invoiced and payable within 30 days of
the invoice date.
• For the new hires and transferees who receive a flat, sign-on bonus directly from the employer,
The Group will not cover any of the costs of the relocation, but will provide expert relocation
guidance and information, as needed.
• Typically, for the new-hires and transferees who engage in a home purchase or sale, and work
with one of our Group Realtors, they will receive additional information and guidance from
their assigned Realtor. We encourage that so that it creates a solid relationship between the
client and the Realtor. Relocation does not participate in any guidance regarding the home
purchase or sale.
• The Group can also provide the referral to a Realtor in the region where the new-hire or
transferee is relocating from/to, to assist with a purchase/sale in that area, if needed and
desired.
• Finally, any additional Relocation services desired, but not covered in this proposal, are open to
discussion regarding feasibility, cost (if any) or reimbursement (if necessary). We are absolutely
open to discussing your suggestions, requests and ideas!
6. The Group, Inc consents to adhere to the Scope of Services. The Group maintains all insurance
required for a Real Estate company in the State of Colorado. Our individual Broker Associates also
carry the insurance required by the State of Colorado, and by company policy. All of the policy
information is attached to this proposal. Additionally, as far as workman’s comp is concerned, we have
a PEO (Professional Employment Organization) – We are technically employed by them under their EIN
# and they provide our Workman’s comp insurance. The Group, Inc is not bonded.
7. References:
• OtterBox, contact Meghan Sweeney
Meghan Sweeney
Talent Engagement Coordinator
970-490-7578
meghan.sweeney@otterproducts.com
209 South Meldrum Street, Fort Collins, CO 80521
OtterBox has been our most active account, and uses all of our services on a very
regular basis.
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• Larimer County, contact Lorenda Volker and Sarah Hunt (I not certain, but I think Sarah may
have left to pursue another job. She has been my main point of contact.)
Lorenda Volker
Human Resources, Department Director
200 West Oak Street
Suite 3200
Fort Collins, CO 80521
volkerl@co.larimer.co.us
(970) 498-5970
• Colorado State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, contact is Ashley Meyer
Ashley Meyer, Technician II (under the Dean), School of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences
ashley.meyer@colostate.edu
(970) 217-0515
1601 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1601
The Group, Inc thanks you for the consideration for this proposal to provide Relocation assistance for job
candidates, new-hires and transferees. We are certain that The City of Fort Collins will appreciate and place
high value on the services described, herein. If you have any questions regarding anything included in this
proposal, please do not hesitate to call Kathleen Hollerbach at (970)377-6047. Or email
at khollerbach@thegroupinc.com.
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