Item - 2024.GG14.16

The General Government Committee recommend that:

1. City Council authorize the Chief Communications Officer, Strategic Public and Employee Communications to negotiate and execute a non-competitive three (3)-year agreement, substantially in the form of the originally issued solicitation terms and conditions, from the date of award to August 27, 2027, and an option to renew for one (1) additional term of two (2) years, with Hootsuite Inc., in the amount of $853,343 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($868,362  net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Chief Communications Officer, Strategic Public and Employee Communications, and the Executive Director, Customer Experience Division, in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

2. City Council request the Chief Communications Officer, the City Clerk, and the Chief Technology Officer, to explore the feasibility of including access for Members of Council and their offices once a social media enterprise solution is in place.

The purpose of this report is to request authority to enter into a non-competitive contract with Hootsuite Inc. for an enterprise social media management solution. A competitive procurement was attempted but unsuccessful. A non-competitive procurement is necessary to continue the City’s contract for an enterprise social media management platform. The contract will be for an initial three (3)-year period from date of award to August 27, 2027 with the option to renew the agreement on the same terms and conditions for one (1) additional term for a two (2)-year period, in the total amount of $853,343 net of Harmonized Sales Tax ($868,362 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries).

The initial contract was awarded to Hootsuite Inc. in February 2020 during a possible labour disruption to centralize the management and access to the City's numerous social media accounts and reduce reputational risk. The City made a non-competitive purchase and signed a one (1)-year contract with Hootsuite Inc. for their enterprise package. The contract was extended until August 27, 2024 to afford staff the opportunity to pursue a new agreement through a competitive process.

The competitive procurement process, which ran from October 6, 2023 to November 24, 2023, resulted in an unsuccessful outcome where no proponent met the City's requirements. Strategic Public and Employee Communications Division (SPEC), Customer Experience Division (CXD) and Purchasing and Materials Management Division (PMMD) are requesting approval to pursue a non-competitive agreement with the existing supplier, Hootsuite Inc. as the current agreement expires on August 27, 2024.

City Council approval is required in accordance with Municipal Code Chapter 195 - Purchasing, where the current request exceeds the Chief Procurement Officer's authority of the cumulative five-year commitment for each supplier, under Article 7, Section 195-7.3 (D) of the Purchasing By-Law or exceeds the threshold of $500,000 net of Harmonized Sales Tax allowed under staff authority as per the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 71- Financial Control, Section 71-11A.