NeoGov_Online Employement Application VendorTO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Online Employment Application Vendor
DATE: October 27, 2009
Personnel Manager Randy Peck is recommending that the City contract with NeoGov to
provide enhanced online employee application services, subject to a future budget
amendment.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Randy Peck, Personnel Manager
'THE CITY OF Dubuque
D~ T~ ~ All-AmericaC~y
'~J i I
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
2007
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Randy Peck, Personnel Manager
SUBJECT: Online Employment Application Vendor
DATE: October 26, 2009
In December of 2008 we began offering an electronic option for employment
applications. Since April of 2009, the number of applications sent electronically has
steadily increased. Currently, nearly 70% of all applications are received electronically.
The current system is limited in the information we are able to obtain. We are still
required to print the applications and manually tally the EEO information. In addition,
there is a limited amount of space available for applicants to provide information about
their work history.
Training and Workforce Development Coordinator Andre Lessears has been exploring
other options. He has identified two vendors - SonicRecruit and NeoGov. Both
vendors provide online application processes with significantly enhanced services. Our
current vendor charges an annual fee of $1,200. The fees for NeoGov would be
$16,704 for the first year and an annual recurring cost of $9,204. SonicRecruit's fee
schedule provides for an annual cost of $24,400 in the first year and an annual recurring
cost of $20,300.
I concur in the need to find a vendor that provides us with enhanced services. I
recommend that NeoGov be selected as the vender to provide online employment
application services. The first year cost of $16,704 would be offset by a savings of
$1,000 in paper usage and by replacing the current online application vendor which cost
$1,200 per year. The remainder of the first year cost will be paid for through savings
from the Sustainability Coordinator office space CIP, which is $14,504. The annual.
recurring cost of $9,204 would be offset by a savings of $1,000 in paper usage, $1,500
in over-time/comp-time and the $1,200 annual fee for the current on-line application
vendor. The remaining $4,504 would come from refunding bond savings.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call.
RP:sya
cc: Chris Kohlmann, Information Services Manager
Jenny Larson, Budget Director
Andre Lessears, Training and Workforce Development Coordinator
)gack~round:
Early December 2008 the City of Dubuque began offering. an electronic application option for
employment applicants. Since April, 2009 the number of applications sent via e-mail or through
the electronic application has steadily increase. Currently nearly 70°% of all applications received
are electronic.
The current system is severely limited in its ability. Much printing is still required, statistical
reporting for EEO must be done manually, limited reporting, frequency of lock-ups, no
recruitment tools, and no ability to automatically filter applicants. These issues have caused the
processing of applications to become a monumental task.
1Vlarket Search:
During the past three months extensive research has gone into identifying a vendor who could
provide a more efficient online application processing and storage system. The ideal vendor
would provide advanced tools for recruitment, selection, tracking, reporting and analysis, and
automation. Two companies came highly recommend SonicRecruit and NeoGov (see cost chart
below).
Each vendor is able to meet our basic need for an advanced online application process.
SonicRecruit, however, are geared toward clients who process thousands of applications on a
monthly basis.
Cost:
Annual Cost associated with NeoGov
. -.Annual ~ on-
?Recurrin~ l~ecurrin
::Line" I~.escriphon_ Cosh. Cost
1.0 Insight Enterprise Edition
1.1 Subscription License $9,204.00
1.2 Provisioning $5,000.00
1:3 Training $2 500.00
2.0 Governmentjobs.com annual license Included Included
Sub Total: $9,204.00 $7,500.00..
:. ,.
_ ~ .. _.
Order Total:.. ~ = ; ''
~TG,704.:00`
3-Year Gross Expense Forecast for SonicRecruit*
*(The following features, or customization, are offered at an additional cost: traclhing, reporting
and analysis, anal autoBnation.)
??eco*_nmPndation: ~1eo~ov
NeoGov functions as the only public sector specific application tool. NeoGov's familiarity with
Civil Service organizations, heightened security precautions, and exclusivity to the public sector
made it seem ideal. In addition, NeoGov is half the price of the competitors without eliminating
vital features. Also, NeoGov currently works with over 500 cities and counties across the country
as well as 13 state agencies. They are the leading provider of Applicant Tracking Systems to the
Public Sector and have been in business for the past 10 years. In the State of Iowa, Davenport,
City of Des Moines, Scott County, City of Ames, Polk County, and City of Clinton use NeoGov.
The NeoGov system cost, as shown above, brings substantial training, and support that our
current system does not provide. Budget Direct Jenny Larson has identified savings in general
funding that could go toward the recurring cost. We have also identified several areas of savings
by switching to the NeoGov system which could easily cover cost. 'T'hose areas are:
Cost for printing copies:
Total prints, and copies for personnel the last quarter were 59,734 or 6.09% of the city wide print
total. Comparative departments: Housing/Section 8 ~1,0~6 or x.26%, DLEC Outer Patrol Area
70,667 or 7.20 %, City Manager 63,473 or 6.37% (Note: Section 8lHousing 15+ users;
DLEC/Outer Patrol 60+ Users; City Manager's Office ~+ Users; Personnel 4 Users .Utilizing
the NeoGov will provide a nearly 40% reduction in printing cost.
Soft Savings:
Although the need overtime will regularly. The adoption of this service has the potential to allow
Personnel Office support staff to reclaim nearly 35% of time dedicated to "processing"
applications
Current System Cost:
The current online application has a recurring cost of $100 per month or $1,200 per fiscal year.
This cost can be reallocated toward the cost for the new service.
Key k'eatures
Neogov will provide us more efficient services in the following areas. These areas have been
identified as critical areas of need that will allow us to better serve the community.
]R.ecruitment
a Customized online job application
• Accept j ob applications online
Online applications integration with current agency website
® Online j ob announcements and descriptions
o Automatic online job interest cards
a Proactively search your applicant database
o Real-time database of all applicant information
• Recruitment and examination planning
Selection
~, +
® Create, store,'and reuse supplemental questions in the Insight item bank
® Screen applicants automatically as they apply
o Define unique scoring plans per recruitment, or copy existing scoring plans
a Test Item bank (optional in TMS)
Conduct item analysis
a Test processing (automatically.input Scantron test data sheets)*
0 Test analysis and pass-point.setting
® Score, rank, and refer applicants
Applicant T'racl~ing .
m Email and hardcopy notifications
® EEO Data collection and reports
® Track applicants by step hurdle
® Schedule written, oral, and other exams
® Detailed applicant history record
® Skills tracking and matching
Reporting and Analysis
m Collect and report on EEO data
a Analyze and report on adverse impact and applicant flow
0 Track and analyze data such as time-to-hire, recruitment costs, staff workload,
applicant quality, etc.
a Over 80 standard system reports
a Ad Hoc reporting tool
HR Automation
® Create and route j ob requisitions
® Refer and certify applicants electronically
Scan paper application materials
®utcome:
In addition to the application features, the NeoGov system will allow us to track the success of
our efforts to ensure equality of opportunity in the hiring process by providing us with easily
accessible, objective data to work with. Currently, we are having difficulty implementing the
recommendations from One Ummah Consulting related to tracking and accountability in the
recruitment and hiring process because we are often working with only the perceptions of
various individuals involved rather than with specific, factual information -the nature of the
NeoGov tracking system will remedy this. First, the system's recruitment and selection module
will help us identify whether applicants of particular backgrounds within certain job categories
are disproportionately failing to be hired and the reasons for those failures.
This will allow the Intercultural Competence Steering Team to identify whether education or
experience levels of applicants are the bamer to employment with the City, or whether
managers may be overlooking relevant qualifications because of a cultural bias of which they are
unaware. This information, in turn, will allow us to work with managers to improve their ability
to identify potential bias and better identify relevant qualifications. It is extremely difficult to
educate and hold managers accountable without being able to provide concrete examples of bias
that have occurred/are occurring within the context of their departments.