SUBJECT: Ordinance amending Ordinance No. 2014-0861, as amended, to increase the maximum contract amount; approving and authorizing a Second Amendment to Agreement for Professional Services between the City of Houston and Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership for economic development support.
RECOMMENDATION: Ordinance amending Ordinance No. 2014-0861, as amended, to increase the maximum contract amount; approving and authorizing a Second Amendment to Agreement for Professional Services between the City of Houston and Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership for economic development support.
SPECIFIC EXPLANATION: Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP) is a non-profit organization founded in 1983 with the goal of expanding and diversifying the local economy. It is primarily funded by membership consisting of area governmental entities and the Clear Lake/Bay Area and Houston business community. BAHEP has been under contract with the City since 1999 to provide services to enhance Houston’s tourism and economic development. Funding under the proposed contract is to be provided by the City of Houston utilizing hotel occupancy tax proceeds retained by the City as part of its creation of the Houston First Corporation.
A contract between BAHEP and City of Houston was approved on October 1, 2014, with an effective term of three years. During FY 2016, recognizing unique opportunities for expanded collaboration between BAHEP and the City of Houston, City Council approved an amendment to the original agreement on November 4, 2015 for an additional $50,000.
During FY 2017, the Houston Airport System has been competing for major aviation manufacturing projects at Ellington Field. BAHEP has worked closely with HAS to engage prospective companies for new development projects. Ellington Field and the majority of these projects are located within District E. Therefore, Council Member Dave Martin has approved the use of District E discretionary funds in the amount of $50,000 to fund the new scope of services. These include:
1. BAHEP will participate along with Houston Airport System and the Chief Development Office to assess existing and potential land use, existing or planned development, community assets, infrastructure assets and other factors needed to determine development projects for the site.
2. BAHEP will promote and market development sites.
3. BAHEP will attend working sessions, meetings and site visits with prospective companies who are considering project development at Ellington.
4. BAHEP will serve as a member of a task force with representatives from the Houston Airport System, Chief Development Office, GHP and other key partners to evaluate prospective projects.
The contract requires compliance with the City’s “Pay or Play” ordinance regarding health benefits for employees of City contractors. In this case, the contractor provides health benefits to eligible employees in compliance with City policy.
The contract includes a 7% goal for MWBE participation.