Posting Language
Title
Authorize a contract for fire cadet hiring for Austin Fire with Morris & McDaniel, Inc., for an initial term of two years in an estimated amount of $400,000 with up to two two-year extension options each in an estimated amount of $400,000 for a total contract amount not to exceed $1,200,000. Funding: $200,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Operating Budget of Austin Fire. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets.
Body
Lead Department
Austin Financial Services.
Client Department(s)
Austin Fire.
Fiscal Note
Funding in the amount of $200,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Operating Budget of Austin Fire. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets.
Procurement Language:
Austin Financial Services issued a Request for Proposals solicitation RFP 8300 RGW3010 for these services. The solicitation was published on April 20, 2026, and closed on May 28, 2026. Of the four offers received, the proposal submitted by the recommended contractor represented best value to the City based on the solicitation’s evaluation criteria. A complete solicitation package, including a log of offers received, is available for viewing on the City’s website. This information can currently be found at https://financeonline.austintexas.gov/afo/account_services/solicitation/solicitation_details.cfm?sid=144011.
MBE/WBE:
This solicitation was reviewed for subcontracting opportunities in accordance with City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program). For the services required for this solicitation, there were no subcontracting opportunities; therefore, no subcontracting goals were established.
For More Information:
Direct questions regarding this Recommendation for Council Action to Austin Financial Services - Central Procurement at: FSDCentralProcurementRCAs@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2500. Respondents to the solicitation and their Agents should direct all questions to the Authorized Contact Person identified in the solicitation.
Additional Backup Information:
The contract will provide Austin Fire with the services required to develop, validate, administer, score, and analyze the results of an employment assessment process for the entry-level position of Fire Cadet. The employment process for entry-level firefighter applicants is governed by state civil service law and the collective bargaining agreement between the City and the Austin Firefighters Association Local 975. The employment process for a Fire Cadet addresses traditional hiring of unexperienced candidates and lateral hiring of candidates who are certified with several years of previous experience with a paid fire department. The recommended contractor, Morris & McDaniel, Inc., will assist with assessments for multiple cadet classes each year with 35 to 50 cadets per class.
Austin Fire, the Civil Service Office, and Morris & McDaniel, Inc., will cooperatively conduct the employment process throughout the term of the contract. Morris & McDaniel, Inc., has provided Fire Cadet hiring services for Austin Fire since 2013. They have experience with large municipal public safety departments, and their assessment tools meet the City’s described psychometric requirements. Morris & McDaniel, Inc. will be responsible for conducting written assessments and a structured oral assessment as well as scoring and ranking the candidates. As in past hiring processes, the City will continue to perform pass/fail assessments of the top ranked candidates’ physical, medical, and psychological well-being as well as verification of past employment, educational and military records, and a criminal background check prior to final hiring.
The contract will replace an existing contract that will expire January 1, 2027. Requested authorization is based on departmental estimates, historical spend and forecasted usage. The recommended contractor is the current provider for these services.
An evaluation team with expertise in this area evaluated the offers and scored Morris & McDaniel, Inc. as the best to provide these services based on concept and strategy, experience, qualifications, personnel, price, local business and small business preference.
If the City is unable to secure a contract, cadet hiring could be delayed during a critical period. In the 2025 Collective Bargaining Contract, Council provided Austin Fire with 54 additional firefighter positions to address the October 2027 workweek reduction implementation. Without this contract and a third-party hiring contractor, vacancies and overtime spending would increase significantly.
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Contract Details: |
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Contract Term |
Length of Term |
Contract Authorization |
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Initial Term |
2 years |
$400,000 |
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Optional Extension 1 |
2 years |
$400,000 |
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Optional Extension 2 |
2 years |
$400,000 |
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Total |
6 years |
$1,200,000 |
Note: Contract authorization amounts are based on the City’s estimated annual usage and may be more or less in the initial term and in each exercised optional extension; however, the total contract amount will not exceed $1,200,000.