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A Resolution Approving a Purchase and Subscription Agreement with Granicus, LLC for Government Experience Service Cloud, Granicus Operations Cloud, Communications Cloud Advanced Package, Government Experience Agent, Boards and Commissions and AzureAD Connector License Through a Master Agreement Secured By OMNIA Partners For a Term of One Year With Four Option Years in An Amount Not to Exceed $179,489.65 Annually, Authorizing its Execution
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Introduction
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This option-year proposal would expand the relationship between the Village of Oak Park and Granicus to harness the evolving solutions Granicus offers to help the Village better connect and engage with residents, while also creating additional efficiencies for both residents and staff.
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Recommended Action
Adopt the Resolution.
Prior Board Action
The Board has taken the following prior action(s):
• RES 26-110 was presented to the Board during its Regular Meeting on January 13, 2026. The Board engaged in discussion with staff and expressed interest in seeing some optionality in the agreement. The Resolution was withdrawn, and the item was ultimately tabled that evening to be brought back at a future meeting.
• The Board received a memo from the Village Manager on December 12, 2025, which provided an informational update and answers to questions that arose during a discussion at its Regular Meeting on December 2, 2025. No action was taken at that meeting, as it was discussed that the item would come forward at a future date.
• The Board approved a purchase and three-year subscription agreement with Granicus on September 6, 2022.
Background
Staff believe that this proposal offers the flexibility that the Board was seeking during the discussion that took place on January 13, 2026. In the Future Year Pricing section on Page 4 of the proposal, the four subsequent years following 2026 are listed as Optional Years. With a minimum notice of 90 days to Granicus, the Village of Oak Park can remove any Solution(s) from the next period of performance.
The Village of Oak Park has relied on components of the Granicus government transparency suite in increasingly broader ways since 2011, and this latest proposal would expand the relationship to harness the enhanced solutions Granicus offers to help the Village better connect and engage with residents and other key stakeholders.
By transitioning from individual subscriptions to Service Cloud and Operations Cloud, the Village can unlock the full potential of its investment through annually renewing service credits, a dedicated Government Experience Partner, and enhanced service levels.
Service credits provide flexible resource allocation by allowing the Village to use pre-purchased credits across all Granicus products for training, configuration, and workflow optimization without additional procurement. Service credits also improve cost efficiency by avoiding unexpected expenses and renewing annually to support continuous improvement without requiring new budget approvals.
The Government Experience Partner (XP) provides for a proactive and strategic partnership through a dedicated experience partner who serves as the Village’s primary point of contact and internal advocate within Granicus. Through tailored insights, cross-product expertise, and guidance on service credit usage, the experience partner helps maximize platform adoption, efficiency, and long-term return on investment.
It is a primary responsibility of the XP to ensure that the Village maximizes its available service credits. With cross-product expertise and a deep knowledge of the Village’s priorities, the XP is positioned to recommend the most impactful ways to utilize the credits.
Enhanced service levels provide priority assistance with clearly defined response times, ensuring faster resolution for critical issues across all severity levels. Direct access to live support equips the Village with prompt help for customer service and technical challenges that may occasionally arise.
The Village’s existing technology components included in Service Cloud are: OpenCities (Village website), GovDelivery (e-newsletters), EngagementHQ (Engage Oak Park), and OpenForms (digital forms).
The Village’s existing technology components included in Operations Cloud are: Legistar (agenda and legislative management), Open Platform Suite, Meeting Efficiency Suite, and Government Transparency Suite (self-managed video streaming, recording, etc.).
Timing Considerations
Approval allows for minimal (if any) disruption in service delivery with existing solutions, and for the implementation process to begin with new solutions such as GXA. The anticipated implementation time for GXA is approximately 6-8 weeks.
Financial Impact
For the period of performance from January 18, 2026, to January 17, 2027, the pricing summary is as follows:
- Terminating subscriptions: $89,478.48
- New subscription fees: $134,476.02
- Renewing subscription fees: $13,190.57
- One-time fees (GXA onboarding and optimization): $15,000
- Total: $162,666.59
The cost for FY26 was considered by the Finance Department and has already been factored into the budget that was adopted on December 9, 2025.
Future year pricing for the optional years is as follows:
- Jan. 18, 2027-Jan. 17, 2028: $155,049.93
- Jan. 18, 2028-Jan. 17, 2029: $162,802.42
- Jan. 18, 2029-Jan. 17, 2030: $170,942.54
- Jan. 18, 2030-Jan. 17, 2031: $179,489.65
The five-year average amount is $166,190.23. The annual average, less the $15,000 one-time payment for GXA implementation, is $163,190.226. The five-year total amount is $830,951.13.
Since FY23, the average of the agreement between the Village and Granicus has been $103,520.22. It would have been higher; however, Granicus was unable to deliver a Customer Service solution to the Village after at least two years of attempted configuration. Therefore, the Village received a credit and paid a lower amount in FY25 than what was originally anticipated.
Moving forward, money will be budgeted annually in Account GL 1001.41022.101.530660 (General Contractuals).
Operations Impact
Expanding the Village’s partnership with Granicus aims to enhance operational efficiency for staff by transitioning to Service Cloud and Operations Cloud. This integration allows staff to manage multiple services, such as website, e-newsletters, digital forms, engagement tools, etc., from a single platform, streamlining workflows. The use of service credits enables flexible resource allocation for training and optimization without the need for additional budget approvals, while also avoiding unexpected costs. A dedicated Government Experience Partner will serve as an extension of the staff and provide tailored support and guidance, maximizing platform adoption and overall effectiveness. Enhanced service levels ensure priority assistance for critical issues, minimizing disruptions.
Additionally, the AI-powered Government Experience Agent will improve resident interactions by providing accessible information, reducing staff workload, and allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks.
This proposal supports continuous improvement and better service delivery for the community.
DEI Impact
There is no DEI impact associated with this item.
Community Input
The Village’s Civic Information Systems Commission (CISC) discussed this item at its meeting on January 15, 2026. CISC focused particularly on the Government Experience Agent (GXA) portion of the proposal. Several Commissioners reported their experiences personally testing the product on other municipal sites and were largely pleased with the outcomes. CISC did not make an official recommendation at the meeting, but it generally understood the benefits of the solution and supported at least its initial implementation.
The CISC also expressed willingness to share technical expertise and further assist staff during the implementation phase of GXA if needed and called upon.
Staff Recommendation
The staff recommendation is to adopt the resolution and approve the agreement between the Village and Granicus.
Advantages:
• Flexibility to analyze on a yearly basis and remove Solution(s) from the agreement that do not work for the Village long-term
• Coordinated and strategic use of existing Granicus tools
• Improved consistency, efficiency, and resident engagement
• Enhanced service levels will deliver improved response times and direct support
• Dedicated Government Experience Partner to offer proactive guidance, prioritize organizational needs, and maximize both the use of service credits and the value of overall investment
• Service credits help to deliver not only product solutions, but also a better understanding for staff on how to best integrate all Solutions to maximize the return.
Disadvantages:
• Cloud-based model may increase cost compared to maintaining only essential individual subscriptions
• Reliance upon a single vendor could limit future flexibility beyond the scope of the agreement
Alternatives
Alternative 1:
The Village could opt to purchase Granicus products on an individual basis, rather than in a bundled Cloud format.
Advantages:
• By only paying for specific products the Village needs, costs may be reduced in the short term
• Minimizes disruption without requiring a transition to new systems
Disadvantages:
• Access to bundled benefits such as service credits, enhanced support levels, and a dedicated consultant/partner is lost
• Potential for less coordination across tools and departments, thereby reducing organizational efficiency
Alternative 2:
The Village could seek similar products from other providers and vendors.
Advantages:
• Allows Village to compare pricing, features, and service models from multiple sources
• Potential to discover new solutions not offered currently
• Reduces reliance on a single vendor
Disadvantages:
• Transitioning to new providers would require significant staff time in terms of research, training, onboarding, etc.
• Integration of multiple new systems can create a lack of consistency and require additional long-term maintenance
Anticipated Future Actions
Staff will report to the Board during the fourth quarter of FY26 to provide usage data and a report on optimization and utilization of Solutions. This analysis will take place annually through FY29. If any changes to the agreement are requested, staff can work with Granicus to revise accordingly.
If no changes are requested, the agreement moves forward.
Prepared By: Dan Yopchick, Chief Communications Officer
Reviewed By: Ahmad M. Zayyad, Deputy Village Manager
Approved By: Kevin J. Jackson, Village Manager
Attachment(s):
1. Resolution
2. Oak Park Proposal
3. Executive Summary - Granicus
4. Granicus Government Experience Agent Memo
5. Granicus Service Credit Catalog
6. Granicus Response Letter