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EXHIBIT "A" Strategic Support Services for Multiple Initiatives BACKGROUND The City of Santa Ana (City) is interested in utilizing services to supplement internal resources at a time when the City is tasked with coordinating and facilitating major capital project and operational activities at the same time, while also keeping an eye on future opportunities. The federal and state governments have approved funding for a number of new or enhanced programs and the City desires to better understand funding projections and implementation strategies to maximize the potential for targeting and accessing these funds. Additionally, the City has strategic initiatives — such as the Civic Center Modernization Project - that require specialized, time -intensive efforts in concert with coordination between various other external agencies. The following background provides greater detail on the needs and goals of external services, including proposed categories of support. Growing Need for External Advisory Services The reasons for increased use of third -party owner's representatives (or owner's advisors) are generally driven by a combination of the growing technical complexities and economic risks associated with modern construction projects, the evolution of new and more complex project delivery methods, new and unique funding opportunities, and increased specialization of design professionals who have historically served the role of owner's representative. Additionally, the pandemic has put significant strains on existing public agency staff who are dealing with heavy workloads due to a booming housing market, the inability to fill numerous positions due to a talent war, and the unusually high number of employees leaving the workforce. Thus, both private owners and public -sector awarding authorities are retaining third -party advisors to supplement their internal management and administrative capabilities and address gaps in services rendered by design professionals, land developers, and construction contractors. Broad Range of Skills and Services Given that public agency internal teams have a host of work issues and competing priorities within their areas of responsibility, engaging the services of an owner's representative off -loads significant pressures — especially for highly visible, politically charged projects, and / or fiscally constrained initiatives. The representative filling this role needs to be well versed in key fundamentals of architectural design, engineering, construction and construction field management, economic evaluations, project scheduling, budget development, value engineering, and dispute resolution. Acknowledging the heightened level of community interest and engagement, excellent communication and facilitation skills are also paramount. PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK Silsby Strategic Advisors, Inc. (or "Silsby Strategic Advisors") will provide "External Support Services" to assist the City with targeting / acquisition strategies for federal funding (as applicable), to produce federal funding projections, and owner advisor services on strategic initiatives - such as the Civic Center Modernization Study - that require specialized, time -intensive efforts in concert with potential coordination between various other agencies. The Scope of Work associated with assisting the City in high-level strategy, summary reports, and follow up strategies for this initiative includes: Page 2 of 11