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Case Study · Municipal Government

City of Birmingham:
Performance Assessment

Providing project management oversight, stakeholder advocacy, and vendor liaison services for a comprehensive financial and operations Performance Assessment of City Hall under Mayor Randall Woodfin.

Client

City of Birmingham, AL

$204MM addressable spend

Identified as viable for cost reduction and revenue generation opportunities

8%–14% estimated savings

Potential unexpected savings to the City of Birmingham identified

33 recommendations

Targeting cost savings, new revenue opportunities, and operational efficiencies

9 departments assessed

Across Community Development, Finance, HR, IMS, Law, Court, Police, Public Works, and PEP

The challenge

All 28 departments needed to align to Mayor Woodfin's "Putting People First" strategy

Within the first 100 days in office, Mayor Woodfin determined that a Performance Assessment of the City’s financials and operations was needed to assist his administration in determining the most efficient path to transform City Hall into a transparent, accountable, and effective government.

  • Obtain a better understanding of the City's current functions and services
  • Increase overall transparency and accountability within City departments
  • Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs without sacrificing essential services
  • Assess the long-term financial sustainability of the City
  • Assess the strength of internal control environments to safeguard taxpayer funds
The requirements

Six key business drivers defined by the City's Executive Leadership Team

The Executive Leadership Team established guiding principles and business drivers used to inform how the City would make decisions, prioritize initiatives, and implement the desired future state.

  • Generate cost savings
  • Achieve operational efficiency and effectiveness
  • Improve customer service
  • Promote transparency and accountability
  • Enable right sizing
  • Reduce risk or risk exposure

Scope included 9 key departments:

Community Development | Finance | Human Resources | IMS | Law | Municipal Court | Police | Public Works | Planning, Engineering & Permits

How We Help

We develop strategies and tools that make your community engagement clear, impactful, and measurable.

Take the next step today – schedule a consultation and start engaging your community with confidence.

  • Message Development & Branding – Craft messages that resonate with your audience.
  • Community Outreach Strategies – Plan and execute campaigns that drive participation.
  • Stakeholder Engagement Plans – Build meaningful connections with boards, agencies, and local leaders.
  • Workshops & Training – Equip teams to communicate effectively and lead engagement initiatives.
  • Impact Measurement & Reporting – Track engagement results and refine strategies.

  • Short workshops or micro-sessions
  • Multi-day planning retreats
  • Ongoing engagement advisory support
  • Custom campaigns tailored to your audience

When your community is informed and engaged, participation grows. Stakeholders understand your mission, relationships strengthen, and your organization achieves meaningful, lasting impact.

Take the next step today – schedule a consultation and start engaging your community with confidence.

The solution

iSeek selected as project management partner and City advocate alongside Crowe Horwath and PGV Advisors

Assessment vendors

Crowe Horwath & PGV Advisors

Selected to conduct the Performance Assessment — expert advisory teams adept at helping government agencies evaluate compliance, manage financing, and uncover cost saving opportunities

Assessment vendors

iSeek Solutions

Selected as a local, Birmingham-based consulting firm to provide project management oversight, serve as advocates for the City, and act as liaison between City stakeholders and vendors

iSeek was uniquely qualified for this role as they were personally familiar with the challenges faced by the City and its citizens, along with the mayor’s vision for the City. The role of the iSeek City Project Manager included 10 defined responsibilities:
  • Liaison between Department Heads and 3rd party vendors
  • Contribute in development of vendor's project scope, plan, and communication plan
  • Collaborate with Executive Leadership Team and vendors on assessment readiness and preparation
  • Coordinate department representative interviews to gather needed information
  • Gather, package, and deliver information and documentation required for assessment
  • Facilitate discussions, communications, and meetings for ad-hoc information needs
  • Onsite facilitator of assessment needs for remote 3rd party vendors
  • Conduct weekly meetings with 3rd party vendors to determine needs and resolve issues
  • Conduct weekly meetings with Executive Leadership Team to communicate needs and provide status
  • Monitor and control execution of engagement activities and adherence to agreed timeline

$204MM

In addressable spend identified as viable for opportunities to reduce costs and generate revenues — with an estimated 8%–14% in unexpected savings to the City of Birmingham across utilities, professional fees, employee benefits, and insurance rates.

33 recommendations

Targeting cost savings, revenue, and operational efficiencies

9 departments

Each recommendation aligned to 6 key business drivers and priorities

Heat map created

Priority ranking correlating each initiative with proposed timing

4 expense areas

Utilities, professional fees, employee benefits, and insurance rates

"I immediately turned to iSeek Solutions to serve as thought-partners and hands-on leaders to ensure we fully engaged our vendors, staff, and other stakeholders throughout our Performance Assessment. iSeek co-owned the heavy thinking and communication required to keep our Mayor and Executive Leadership Team attuned to the brightest opportunities and possible pitfalls uncovered throughout the project. iSeek brought a lot of experience and wisdom to the process and it was clear that their ultimate commitment was for the success of the engagement and our administration."

Ed Fields
Senior Advisor & Chief Strategist, City of Birmingham

"With the performance assessment, we peeled back the layers and asked, are we the most efficient & effective in how services are delivered?"

Mayor Randall Woodfin
City of Birmingham

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