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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 1 • 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 2 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 3 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. 4 • 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. 5