1 NOTICE INVITING
PROPOSALS
NOTICE INVITING PROPOSALS
Citywide Grant Writing & Grant Support Services
The City of Signal Hill (“City”) will receive electronic proposals only for qualified consultants to provide comprehensive Grant Writing Services, no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, Thursday, March 21, 2024. The project scope of work includes: identification of appropriate funding sources and opportunities, acquisition of proposal guidelines, research and writing of proposal(s), coordination of partner agencies and preparation of proposal(s). Proposals shall be valid for 180 calendar days after the submission deadline.
Proposals must be submitted in accordance with the City’s RFP, which is available to registered vendors through the City’s electronic bid management system, PlanetBids. The RFP can be found using the link below.
https://pbsystem.planetbids.com/portal/36746/bo/bo-detail/96283 Interested bidders may participate by selecting “Bid Opportunities” on the home page.
The Contract Documents may be downloaded at no charge. Contract Documents will not be available at City Hall. Proposals must be submitted in electronic format through the City’s electronic bid management system. The electronic bid management system will not accept late proposals. Electronic modifications to or withdrawal of proposals may be made by the Respondent prior to the proposal closing deadline.
A contract shall be awarded, if at all, to the qualified consultant(s) whose competitive proposals are responsive to this RFP and are in the best interest of the City as determined by the City, a determination to be made solely by the City upon criteria as determined and weighed by the City. The decision of the City shall be final. In its discretion, the City may reject any proposal, abandon the purchase, or re-advertise. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals and to waive any informality or irregularity in any proposal received by the City.
For further information, contact Alfa Lopez, Assistant to the City Manager/Economic Development Manager at 562-989-7309. Please not that all questions related to this RFP have to be submitted via PlanetBids.
END OF NOTICE INVITING PROPOSALS
2 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 About the City
The City of Signal Hill (“City”) is located in Los Angeles County, California, a population of approximately 11,800. The City of Signal Hill covers 2.2 square miles, surrounded by the City of Long Beach. The City was incorporated in 1924, a few years after the discovery of oil and is a Charter city.
The City operates under the Council/Manager form of government. The five members of the City Council are elected at-large. They serve staggered four-year terms, with the Mayor being selected annually from among the Council Members. The Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. The City of Signal Hill's fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June
30. Signal Hill City Hall is located at 2175 Cherry Avenue Signal Hill, CA., 90755. The telephone number is 562-989-7300, and the fax is 562-989-7394. The City website address is http://www.cityofsignalhill.org.
1.2 Project Description
The City of Signal Hill seeks a qualified firm to provide professional and technical grant writing services as opportunities become available. The successful respondent may be required to prepare multiple grant applications of varying complexity and deadlines. The City of Signal Hill intends to select a firm who shows a high level of expertise and success in obtaining grants in the following, but not limited to areas identified below:
• Community/Economic Development;
• Library;
• Infrastructure Development Maintenance;
• Parks and Recreation;
• Public Safety—Police, Fire, and Disaster Recovery/Resiliency; and • Transportation/Highway/Sustainability/Transit.
The successful Respondent will be required to enter into an Agreement (incorporated herein as Attachment 3) which will include the requirements of this RFP By submitting a Proposal, the Respondent agrees to all of the terms of the RFP and Agreement. The City reserves the right to reject any proposal(s) exceptions or changes to the Agreement or RFP.
1.3 City Contact for this RFP
The principal contact for the City of Signal Hill regarding this RFP will be Alfa Lopez, Assistant to the City Manager, 562-989-7309, [email protected] or a designated representative.
3 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
1.4 Pre-Proposal Meeting
None.
2. PROPOSAL SCHEDULE
The schedule is as follows:
1 RFP Release: Friday, March 1, 2024
2 Q&A Deadline: 4:30 p.m., Thursday, March 14, 2024
3 Proposal Due Date: 4:30 p.m., Thursday, March 21, 2024 4 Estimated Council Award Date: * April, 23, 2024
5 Project Start Date: TBD
*The City expects, but does not guarantee, that the contract award will be made by the City Council on the date indicated above.
3. REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATIONS
All questions, requests for interpretations or clarifications, either administrative or technical must be requested in writing and submitted through the City’s bid management system, PlanetBids, by selecting the Q&A Tab. Questions sent directly to City Staff will not be addressed and you will be directed to submit your question(s) online. Oral statements regarding this RFP by any persons should be considered unverified information unless confirmed in writing. To ensure a response, questions must be received in writing by 4:30 PM local time on the date identified in the Proposal Schedule.
All registered vendors will be notified by e-mail when an addendum is posted. City will not be responsible for any explanations or interpretations provided in any other manner. No person is authorized to make any oral interpretation of any provision in the Contract Documents to any Respondent, and no Respondent should rely on any such oral interpretation.
4. SCOPE OF REQUIRED SERVICES
A detailed Scope of Services is attached hereto as Attachment "1". The Respondent will be expected to fulfill, at a minimum, the services described in the attached Scope of Services.
Upon final selection, the Scope of Services may be modified and refined during negotiations with the City.
5. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
5.1 Proposal Content: Proposals shall be concise, well organized and demonstrate qualifications and applicable experience. Proposals shall be organized, tabbed, and numbered in the order presented below. Proposals must include page numbers for all pages in the proposal.
The proposal shall be uploaded (.pdf file) as an attachment(s) and submitted through PlanetBids. 4 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The proposal shall be signed by an individual, partner, officer or officers authorized to execute legal documents on behalf of the Proposer.
The content and sequence of the information contained in each copy of the proposal shall be as follows:
(a) Executive Summary: (limit 3 pages) Summarize the content of your proposal in a clear and concise manner. Include a completed copy of the Summary Sheet included with this RFP (Attachment 2, “Required Forms”). (b) Table of Contents: Include a clear identification of the material. (c) Key Personnel.
(i) Provide the number of staff to be assigned to perform the Services and include the names/discipline/job title.
(ii) Identify three (3) persons that will be principally responsible for working with the City. Indicate the role and responsibility of each individual. (iii) Describe proposed team organization, including identification and responsibilities of key personnel. Please include one-page resumes. (iv) Provide brief biographies of individuals that will be working directly with the City.
(v) Identify any functions that are likely to be subcontracted and identify the subcontractor that is anticipated to perform each function, if known at this time.
(d) Experience and Technical Competence:
Describe the technical and management approach to providing the Services to the City. Proposer should take into account the scope of the Services, goals of the City, and general functions required.
i. Provide five (5) references regarding the Proposer’s experience and performance performing similar services. Include the following information: (1) Organization/City, contact name, phone number, email address; and (2) project size and description, if applicable, and description of services.
ii. Describe the Proposer’s experience in researching, identifying, preparing, and securing grants. Proposer should provide a list of all relevant applications completed in the last five (5) years where Proposer played a lead or primary role, including project description, services provided, and the outcome of the application(s), i.e., were the applications successful in receiving funding. If the application(s) was unsuccessful in securing funding, the Proposer should provide a brief explanation of why they believe the application(s) was unsuccessful. 5 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
iii. Provide a summary table for each project referenced above demonstrating a proven track record in securing new funding opportunities.
iv. Include a draft first year schedule of tasks, milestones, and deliverables that will provide for timely provision of the Services (e) Certificate of Proposal
Include a fully completed copy of the Certificate of Proposal included with this RFP (Attachment 2, “Required Forms”).
(f) Cost Proposal
The Respondent must enter the price of its Proposal in the electronic proposal form.
(g) Insurance Requirements
Provide appropriate evidence of required insurance coverage prior to finalizing the contract and commencing work. The City’s standard contract terms and conditions are provided in the attached sample Professional Services Agreement (Attachment 3)
(h) Compliance with Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
Identify and describe any final decisions or orders of Federal or State agencies that Respondent has received governing the subject of nondiscrimination in employment. If none, verify in writing Respondent has not received any such decisions or orders.
5.2 Proposal Format
Proposals shall include one (1) electronic pdf version. Proposals shall be organized, tabbed, and numbered in the order presented above. Proposals must include page numbers for all pages in the proposal.
6. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS
Proposals must be submitted in electronic format through the City’s electronic bid management system no later than 4:30 pm, Friday, February 16, 2024 on the date indicated in Section 2. The City’s electronic bid management system, PlanetBids, can be accessed at http://www.cityofsignalhill.org/ by selecting “Bids and Proposals” on the home page. Proposals submitted in any other way (e.g., email, oral, telephonic, facsimile) will not be considered. 6 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Electronic modifications to or withdrawal of proposals may be made by the Respondent prior to the proposal closing deadline.
The Respondent must attach pdf files to the electronic proposal submission containing its Proposal and all of the required forms completed and signed. The Respondent must enter the price of its Proposal in the electronic bid form.
It is the sole responsibility of each Respondent to see that its Proposal is properly submitted to PlanetBids in the proper form and prior to the stated closing time. THE ELECTRONIC BID MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE PROPOSALS. The City will only consider Proposals that have transmitted successfully and have been issued a confirmation number with a time stamp from PlanetBids indicating that the Proposal was submitted successfully.
Respondents experiencing any technical difficulties with the proposal submission process may contact PlanetBid’s system support at 818-992-1771. If you continue to have difficulty, call the City’s Finance Department at 562-989-7319. Neither the City, nor the City’s bid management system, make any guarantee as to the timely availability of assistance, or assurance that any given problem will be resolved by the proposal submission date and/or time.
7. EVALUATION AND AWARD
7.1 Evaluation Criteria
The City will evaluate and rank the proposals. Proposals will be evaluated according to the following non-exhaustive list of criteria:
(a) Experience with similar projects involving municipalities and/or local government agencies;
(b) Team members’ experience and performance.
(c) Track record and success in obtaining grants of similar scope to this RFP. (d) Clarity and conformance of proposal to RFP.
(e) Fee Proposal;
(f) References.
7.2 Respondent Presentations/Interviews
The City may, at its discretion, invite a shortlist of Respondents to participate in a panel interview to be held at the City. The City may require that Respondents prepare a presentation as part of the interview. No Respondent shall be entitled to or otherwise guaranteed an interview.
7.3 Selection, Negotiation, and Award
During the evaluation process, the City reserves the right, where it may serve the City's best interest, to request additional information or clarifications from Respondent, or to allow corrections of errors or omissions. The contract, if awarded, shall be to the most qualified 7 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Respondent, which submits the proposal that, in the sole judgment of City, is the best interest of the City.
Upon selection of a Respondent, the City will endeavor to negotiate a mutually agreeable agreement with the selected Respondent. In the event that the City is unable to reach agreement, the City will proceed, at its sole discretion, to negotiate with the next Respondent selected by the City. The City reserves the right to contract for Services in the manner that most benefits the City including awarding more than one (1) contract if desired.
After negotiating a proposed Agreement that is fair and reasonable, City staff will make the final recommendation to the City Manager or City Council concerning the proposed Agreement. Subject to the contract amount, the City Council has the final authority to approve the Agreement.
7.4 Protests
(a) Protest Contents: Protests based on the content of the RFP shall be submitted to the City no later than ten (10) calendar days prior to the scheduled proposal submittal deadline. If necessary, the proposal submittal deadline may be extended pending a resolution of the protest. Respondent may protest a contract award if the Respondent believes that the award was inconsistent with City policy or this RFP is not in compliance with law. A protest must be filed in writing with the City (email is not acceptable) within five (5) calendar days after receipt of notification of the intended contract award. Any protest submitted after 5 p.m. of the fifth calendar day after notification of the intended contract award will be rejected by the City as invalid and the Respondent’s failure to timely file a protest will waive the Respondent’s right to protest the contract award. The Respondent’s protest must include supporting documentation, legal authorities in support of the grounds for the protest and the name, address and telephone number of the person representing the Respondent for purposes of the protest. Any matters not set forth in the protest shall be deemed waived.
(b) City Review: The City will review and evaluate the basis of the protest provided the protest is filed in strict conformity with the foregoing. The City shall provide the Respondent submitting the protest with a written statement concurring with or denying the protest.
Action by the City relative to the protest will be final and not subject to appeal or reconsideration.
The procedure and time limits set forth in this section are mandatory and are the Respondent’s sole and exclusive remedy in the event of protest. Failure to comply with these procedures will constitute a waiver of any right to further pursue the protest, including filing a Government Code claim or legal proceedings.
8. GENERAL PROVISIONS
8.1 Amendments to RFP
The City reserves the right to amend or revise the RFP and its attachments or issue to all Respondents a Notice of Amendment to answer questions for clarification. Amendments or revisions, if any, shall be made by written addenda. All addenda issued by the City shall be included in the proposal and made part of the Contract Documents. Copies of addenda will be issued by the City through the City’s bid management system. Respondents must acknowledge receipt of all addenda through the City’s bid management system by clicking “acknowledge.” Respondents are responsible for ensuring that they have received any and all addenda. Each Respondent should contact the City to verify that it has received all addenda issued, if any, prior 8 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
to the proposal opening. Failure to acknowledge receipt of all addenda may result in proposal rejection.
8.2 No Commitment to Award.
Issuance of this RFP and receipt of proposals does not commit the City to award a contract. The City expressly reserves the right to postpone the RFP process for its own convenience, to negotiate any price or provision, task order or service, to accept or reject any or all proposals received in response to this RFP, to negotiate with more than one Respondent concurrently, or to cancel all or part of this RFP. The Agreement, if any is awarded, will go to the Respondent whose proposal best meets City’s requirements.
8.3 Amendments to Proposals.
Unless specifically requested by the City, no amendment, addendum or modification will be accepted after the deadline stated herein for receiving Proposals. Respondent may modify or amend its Proposal only if the City receives the amendment prior to the deadline stated herein for receiving Proposals.
8.4 Non-Responsive Proposals.
A Proposal may be considered non-responsive if conditional, incomplete, or if it contains alterations of form, additions not called for, or other irregularities that may constitute a material change to the Proposal.
8.5 Costs for Preparing.
The City will not compensate any Respondent for the cost of preparing any Proposal, and all materials submitted with a Proposal shall become the property of the City. The City will retain all Proposals submitted and may use any idea in a Proposal regardless of whether that Proposal is selected.
8.6 Alternative Proposals.
Only one final proposal is to be submitted by each Respondent. Multiple proposals will result in rejection of all proposals submitted by the Respondent.
8.7 Public Documents.
All Proposals and all evaluation and/or scoring sheets shall be available for public inspection at the conclusion of the selection process.
8.8 No Exceptions.
Submission of a Proposal constitutes acceptance by Respondent of the conditions contained in this RFP and the Professional Consultant Services Agreement (attached as Attachment 3), should Respondent be selected, except for those exceptions specifically identified in the Proposal.
9 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
8.9 Conflict of Interest
By submitting a Proposal, the Respondent declares and warrants that no elected or appointed official, officer or employee of the City has been or shall be compensated, directly or indirectly, in connection with the award of the Agreement or any work for the proposed project.
For the term of the Agreement, no elected or appointed official, officer or employee of the City, during the term of his/her service with the City and for two (2) years following his/her termination of office or employment with the City, shall have any direct interest in the Agreement, or obtain any present, anticipated or future material benefit arising therefrom.
8.10 Site Examination - None
55728.00300\33359615.1
10 ATTACHMENT 1
SCOPE OF SERVICES
ATTACHMENT 1
PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK
Citywide Grant Writing & Grant Support Services. This RFP is intended to enable the City of Signal Hill to select a qualified firm to provide professional and technical grant writing services on an as-needed basis as opportunities become available. Proposer may be required to prepare multiple grant applications of varying complexity and deadlines simultaneously. The City of Signal Hill intends to select the firm who shows a high level of expertise and success in obtaining grants in the following, but not limited to areas identified below:
1) Grant Research: Conduct grant research to identify grant resources that support the City Strategic Goals and Objectives including but not limited to the following areas:
a) Economic Development
b) Library, Parks, and Recreation
c) Public Safety-Policy and Disaster Recovery
d) Public Infrastructure Capital Projects/Maintenance
e) Water Infrastructure Capital Project/Maintenance
f) Sustainability Programs and Infrastructure-including electric vehicles and charging stations
g) Transportation and Street Rehabilitation
The services related to this Scope of Work may include, but is not limited to, the following:
2) Grant Application Development and Review: Provide general grant application writing services associated with the completion of grant applications on behalf of the City of Signal Hill. This includes preparation of funding abstracts, production, and submittal of applications to funding sources.
3) Project Management: Throughout the period of grant application development, lead staff from the consultant team shall coordinate and facilitate a kick-off and check-in meeting with the City of Signal Hill staff to review the status of grant application preparation. At the kickoff meeting, the consultant team will present, if applicable, grant program guidelines, application approach, candidate projects, a detailed work plan and schedule, application templates and as draft application checklist. The checklist shall identify parties responsible for completing or addressing checklist items.
4) Review Program and Project Documents: The Consultant shall ensure that applications are competitive and responsive to the screening and scoring criteria of a given grant program by obtaining a full understanding of both the grant program and the project or program for which the application is being prepared. Multiple projects or programs for potential submission of grant application shall be ranked by competitiveness based on the Consultant’s professional expertise and assessment.
5) Compile and Review Project Information: Compile and develop all relevant project information and exhibits, including a’ la carte services project cost estimate, funding plan, narrative, project’s benefits, and other information and data, graphics, maps, charts, tables or photos pertinent to addressing grant program requirements and evaluation criteria and to producing a competitive application.
55728.00300\33359615.1
11 ATTACHMENT 1
SCOPE OF SERVICES
6) Identify and Address Missing Project Data: Communicate to the City of Signal Hill whether a project has sufficient background data to assemble a complete and competitive application.
The Consultant shall identify missing project data and how best they may be produced to meet application requirements and evaluation criteria. If sufficient alternatives for addressing the missing information exist, the Consultant shall inform the City of Signal Hill and produce the data.
7) Develop Draft Applications and Grant Reporting: Once the groundwork has been laid through comprehensive review of grant program requirements and project, the Consultant shall prepare at least two successive iterations of the draft applications for each project. If significant quality or completeness issues persist in the second draft, up to two additional drafts shall be required. Throughout the period of grant application development, lead staff from the Consultant team shall attend coordination meetings convened by the City of Signal Hill and provide written status reports (including application status, issues, and resolutions) in advance of the meeting and meeting summaries following the meeting. 8) Keep in contact with grant-making organizations during their review of a submitted grant application to be able to supply additional supportive material, if required. 9) Monthly reports/Billing- the successful consultant(s) shall submit monthly reports to the City summarizing the amount of time expended and describe activities undertaken during the previous month.
12 ATTACHMENT 2
REQUIRED FORMS
ATTACHMENT 2
REQUIRED FORMS
1) SUMMARY SHEET
2) CERTIFICATION OF PROPOSAL TO THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL