SLED Opportunity · FLORIDA · CITY OF LAKELAND
AI Summary
The City of Lakeland, FL, requests proposals from executive search firms to recruit a Human Resources and Civil Service Director to lead its municipal HR department.
The City of Lakeland, Florida (“City”), is soliciting sealed proposals from qualified executive search firms to conduct a national recruitment for the position of Human Resources and Civil Service Director.
The selected firm will assist the City in identifying, recruiting, screening, and presenting highly qualified candidates capable of leading a full-service municipal HR department within a Commission-Manager form of government and Civil Service environment.
The Community
Located along the Interstate 4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando, Lakeland is the largest city between these two metropolitan areas. Built upon historic character, philanthropy, and volunteerism, Lakeland offers its residents, businesses, and visitors a distinctive sense of place.
Incorporated in 1885, Lakeland quickly emerged as one of Florida’s premier cities. From the arrival of railroad service in the mid-1890s to being one of the first cities in Florida to provide electricity, Lakeland has long been a hub of innovation and progressive ideas. Today, the City continues to thrive as population and business growth are drawn to this strategically located community in the geographic center of the state.
Lakeland’s economic base includes warehouse and distribution, transportation, education, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and tourism. The City is home to Publix Supermarkets headquarters and Florida Southern College, which hosts the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. The City is also the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers, a Major League Baseball team.
Lakeland has received national recognition, including distinction on Money Magazine’s “Best Places to Live” list and rankings among the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in Florida and the United States.
Lakeland has a population of approximately 123,760 residents, the 18th largest in Florida. Polk County’s population is approximately 826,090. The Lakeland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is the 7th largest in the state.
The Organization
The City operates under a Commission-Manager form of government. The public elects six City Commissioners and a Mayor. The City Commission establishes policy, adopts ordinances, and appoints the City Manager. The City Manager oversees day-to-day operations, prepares the annual budget, makes policy recommendations, and appoints department directors.
The Deputy City Manager and Assistant City Manager report to the City Manager and assist in the administration of City operations.
The City employs approximately 2,453 budgeted positions, including:
Collective bargaining units represent approximately 790 positions. Bargaining units include:
The Position
The Human Resources and Civil Service Director reports to the City Manager (or designee) and oversees the City’s comprehensive human resources functions, including:
The position exercises significant independent judgment and initiative in administering a comprehensive HR program designed to support workforce excellence and organizational effectiveness.
In addition to traditional HR functions, the Director serves as the administrative officer of the Civil Service Board and administers Civil Service Rules under the direction of the Civil Service Board and the City Manager. Civil Service Rules govern classification, selection, promotion, demotion, transfer, dismissal, and compensation for covered positions, except those specifically exempted by Commission resolution.
This role requires executive-level leadership, labor relations expertise, policy acumen, and the ability to balance operational needs with governance oversight.
“I attest no City of Lakeland employee, their spouse, or child has an ownership stake in this organization.”
A certificate of existing insurance coverage should be submitted with the proposal as proof of insurability. If the current coverage does not meet the RFP requirements, then the Respondent should request an affidavit of insurability from the Respondent’s insurance agent that certifies the requirements can and will be met.
THIS RFP SHALL BE VALID FOR SIXTY (60) DAYS FROM DATE OF OPENING.
The following RFP is in strict accordance with the City of Lakeland Request for Proposal No. 2026-RFP-024, dated Monday, March 16, 2026 and all attachments as referenced therein.
“I hereby certify that I understand and am aware that the City of Lakeland at its sole discretion reserves the right to waive technicalities or irregularities, to reject any or all proposals, and/or to accept that proposal which is in the best interest of the City. The award of this RFP, if made, may be based on considerations other than total cost and may be awarded based on various considerations, including without limitation; Respondent’s experience and/or qualifications, past experience, administrative cost, standardization, technical evaluation and oral and/or written presentations as required. The City reserves the right to accept all or part, or to decline the whole, and to award this RFP to one (1) or more Respondents. There is no obligation to buy. The RFP, if awarded, will be in the judgement of the City the most responsive to the City’s needs. The City of Lakeland encourages the use of minority and women owned businesses as subcontractors or in joint venture arrangements.
If claiming Local Vendor Preference, I certify that the company satisfies each of the following criteria at the time of their submission of a response to the solicitation necessary to qualify as a “Local Business”: a vendor, supplier or contractor that: (i) conducts business within the jurisdictional limits of Lakeland Electric’s service territory by providing goods, services or construction; (ii) maintains a physical business location within the jurisdictional limits of Lakeland Electric’s service territory in an area legally zoned for conducting such business; (iii) conducts business on a daily basis from the local business location; (iv) has conducted business from such location for at least twelve (12) consecutive months prior to the due date for the applicable bid or proposal; and (v) provides a copy of its local business tax receipt, if located within the City of Lakeland, or a copy of its Polk County local business tax receipt, if located outside of the City limits but within Lakeland Electric’s service territory.”
If claiming Local Vendor Preference, a valid Local Business Tax Receipt must be provided at the time the response is submitted in order to qualify for such consideration.
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Q (Contract Award Amount): What was the amount of the previous 3 executive search contract awards?
A: We typically handle these recruitments in-house. The prior searches conducted by an outside agency were in 2020 for a City Manager recruitment; the cost was $21,000. Then, in 2015, SGR performed recruitment for us for a Police Chief at $23,724.27, and also in 2014 for an HR Director at $23,991.
Q (Applicant Tracking System): Does the City of Lakeland have an ATS? If so, what platform is being utilized? Will candidates apply there directly?
A: Yes, the City uses NeoGov. In previous recruitments where an outside agency performed the search, they did not apply through NeoGov.
Q (Previous Incumbent): Who was the previous incumbent(s) awarded this contract or 2-3 previous executive search contracts?
A: We typically handle these recruitments in-house. The prior searches conducted by an outside agency were in 2020 for a City Manager recruitment; the cost was $21,000. Then, in 2015, SGR performed recruitment for us for a Police Chief at $23,724.27, and also in 2014 for an HR Director at $23,991.
Q (Contract Budget): What is the budget for this contract?
A: Budget has not been set
Q (Time To Fill): How long did it take to fill this role previously? (ex. Post to Offer)
A: The previous incumbent was with the City for approximately 11 years. Most of our recruitments, even at the executive level, are handled in-house. We do not have a record of the timeline for hiring the previous incumbent.
Q (Pain Points): Name 2-3 pain points the hiring team experience with the previous search firm.
A: N/A
Q (References): How many references would the City like proposers to submit?
A: Please submit a minimum of three.
Q (Section A. Position Assessment): Under Section “A. Position Assessment” it calls to “meet with City leadership and stakeholders.” Have these been identified as group or individual meetings or a combination thereof? Please identify how many of each.
A: This would be a combination of individual and group. The individuals/groups would most likely consist of the City Manager, Deputy City Manager, and Civil Service Board.
Q (No subject): How many interviews are anticipated and whether or not the candidate(s) has to be interviewed by each commissioner separately?
A: The commissioners do not have to interview this candidate. The City Manager and the Civil Service Board must both interview candidates in accordance with the City Charter and Civil Service Rules.
Q (Firm References): a) Are private/commercial sector references acceptable, or only public sector? b) If we have worked with multiple departments of the same state, can we put them as separate references?
A: a) Both are acceptable, but public is preferred. b) The reference should be based on each award.
Q (Previous Spending): The RFP does not provide a budget range. For context, if a City previously paid $23,724.27 for a Police Chief search and $23,991 for an HR Director search, was that amount proposed by the search firm, or was that the actual contract amount paid by the City?
A: That was the actual contract amount paid for the previous searches.
Q (Public Sector Credentials): Under "Proposal Requirements – B. Project Team," the RFP lists "Public sector credentials" as a required element. Please clarify what specific documentation or information you expect respondents to provide for this item.
A: We would like to confirm that you have previously conducted searches for the public sector and have experience in that arena.
Q (Local Vendor Preference): How many additional points will a qualified local business receive?
A: Per the City's Ordinance No. 5912, below is the excerpt pertaining to RFP points for a local business that meets the criteria. "2. Other Types of Competitive Solicitations. For all other competitive solicitations such as Requests for Proposals, Requests for Qualifications, Letters of Interest or other competitive negotiations and selections for which objective factors are used to evaluate responses by assigning point totals, local businesses shall be assigned additional points equivalent to five percent (5%) of their total combined evaluation score."
Q (No subject): For pricing, will the City accept a mark-up percentage fee based on the placement's first year salary?
A: Yes, we would accept that. Please indicate in your proposal whether it includes stipends or only the annual salary.
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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