The City of Cranston received bids from two polling firms to measure the opinions and attitudes of Cranston voters on the potential uses of $42.6 million in federal funds received by the City from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The two bids come from EMC Research Inc. and Systems Change Strategies; the intent of the polling is to serve as one guide on how the administration should distribute APRA funds. The city has the approval from City Council to use up to $25,000 of ARPA funds for a professional polling firm.

EMC Research Inc. is a national full-service market and research firm with locations across the country. They provide services in branding and positioning, data analytics, political research, customer satisfaction, ad testing and social and behavioral studies. Systems Change Strategies is a local firm from Providence that offers a collection of services, saying on their website that they “partner with progressive causes and businesses to create meaningful, lasting change in their communities.”

Bids closed on Feb. 1 and the two came in around $20,900 – they were within $20 of one another. Chief of Staff Anthony Moretti said the next step in this process is to have the Board of Contracts and Purchasing decide which bid to go with. This committee plans to convene next week and come up with a decision.

When it comes to choosing a vendor, the Cranston’s polling RPF said the city would be looking at experience, the ability to provide the services needed on a timely basis and price.

The city put forth criteria that firms should consider when submitting a proposal. This list included a minimum 400-person sample of live telephonic call interviews with respondents who are to be randomly selected by a computer-generated sample. Additionally, these respondents should be limited to registered voters in the City of Cranston.

The RFP stated that at least 60 percent of the polling sample should be cell phone respondents with the balance being landlines. The questionnaire should be no longer than 15 questions including necessary screening and demographic questions. The polling will measure public opinion and interests on a range of spending priorities including but not limited to infrastructure, housing, small business, job training, property tax relief and public health services. The vendor will coordinate the preparation of a sample survey with city officials.

The overall margin of error of the polling results should not exceed five percent and poll results and the analysis should be completed and submitted no later than 30 days after award of the bid; a written analysis and report of findings will be provided to the City and will be considered a public document. The report will provide results with cross tabulations of results including by sex, age, political party, income, and zip code.

The goal is to have the polling completed by mid March.

In addition to the poll, the city council is holding two special ARPA public workshops where residents can voice their opinions on how the money should be spent. The first meeting took place on Jan. 27 and final meeting will convene at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10. via Zoom. The workshop will run until 8 p.m. and individuals can access the meeting through the City of Cranston’s website calendar and clicking on the ARPA meeting’s agenda.