Request for Proposal: Grant Writing Services

Transcription

1 POSTED: 2/2018 Request for Proposal: Grant Writing Services Contract Title: Grant Writing Services POWER 2018 Organization: Staff Contact: Friends of Southwest Virginia One Heartwood Circle Abingdon, Virginia, Grants Program Administrator; Executive Director Issue Date: February 27, 2018 RFP Number: FSWVA RFP Deadline: March 9, 2018 Initial Period of Contract: March 15, 2018 May 30, 2018 with option by Friends of SWVA to extend contract. CONTRACT OVERVIEW: Friends of Southwest Virginia is seeking a contract vendor to provide grant program development, compilation, writing and submission services for the 2018 POWER Grant through the Appalachian Regional Commission.

2 Purpose The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to enter into an agreement ( Agreement or Contract ) with a qualified vendor to provide grant writing services for the following grant opportunity: For Friends of Southwest Virginia: The Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative: Federal Fiscal Year 2018: Deadline: May 1, 2018 Contracted Needs: o Assist staff with the recruitment, vetting and background research on potential regional projects to include in the 2018 POWER application among qualifying communities. o Assist staff with program definition and development. o Ensure all programs match the mission and scope of ARC s POWER funding opportunity. o Work with staff and regional partners to develop a strong application with applicable match. o Compilation and writing of the funding request to the Appalachian Regional Commission. o Submission of all funding request materials and supporting documentation by May 1, For Friends of Southwest Virginia on behalf of the Clinch River Valley Initiative: The FY 2016 FY 2019 EDA Planning Program and Local Technical Assistance Program: Deadline: May 30, 2018 Contracted Needs: o Assist staff with the recruitment, vetting and background research on potential Clinch River projects to include in the 2018 EDA application among qualifying communities. o Assist staff with program definition and development. o Ensure all programs match the mission and scope of EDA s funding opportunity. o Work with staff and regional partners to develop a strong application with applicable match. o Compilation and writing of the funding request to EDA. o Submission of all funding request materials and supporting documentation by May 30, Background ABOUT FRIENDS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA: FRIENDS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA / SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA CULTURAL HERTIAGE FOUNDATION: The Southwest Virginia region includes 19 counties and four independent cities located near the southern and western border of Virginia. The Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation, established in 2008 by the Virginia General Assembly, takes the lead in developing a creative economy in Southwest Virginia in an effort to transition from the traditional industries of coal, tobacco and labor-intensive manufacturing to creative economy based businesses. In 2011, the foundation established a supporting non-profit organization Friends of Southwest Virginia to become a self-sustaining community development organization with support from the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Housing and Community

3 Development. Key initiatives underway by the organization in the coalfields of Virginia include: Identify the cultural and natural assets of the region and coordinate initiatives engaged in cultural and natural heritage toward more efficient operations. Branding and marketing Southwest Virginia to the world as a distinct culture and destination. Sustaining Heartwood: Southwest Virginia s Artisan Gateway as a cultural and visitor destination center to drive visitation throughout the region. Expanding outdoor recreation development initiatives and marketing throughout the region. Planning and implementation of downtown revitalization throughout the region to instill a high quality of life and promotion to the world for a broad spectrum of economic development opportunities. CURRENT PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON COAL IMPACTED COMMUNITIES The organization s daily work focuses on the economic redevelopment of coal-impacted communities of Southwest Virginia. In recent years, the organization has been awarded over $5.8 million through ARC s Power Grants in 2015 and 2016 with match funding from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission and dozens of private developers to assist these communities through a program entitled Appalachian Spring: Southwest Virginia Outdoors. This program consists of planning, redevelopment and new construction projects across 16 of the 19 counties within Southwest Virginia: Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe. Examples of projects include: master planning of current and potential sustainable development around natural assets throughout the coalfields of Virginia; capacity building for outdoor recreation business development and community incentive implementation; developing four access points to the New River that strategically link the river to nearby communities hospitality and tourism services; construction of a 4,000 square foot Gateway Center to the High Knob Recreation Area providing visitors with more centralized access to numerous nearby recreation assets; construction of an Appalachian Trail Center in downtown Damascus; creation of a 30-mile, multi-use trail connecting Breaks Interstate Park directly to downtown Haysi s business district; and several other planning and construction projects throughout the region. The program is expected to increase travel expenditures (as calculated by the United States Travel Association) in project locations by $30 million, create 60 new businesses and generate 200 new FTE jobs over the next five years. PARTNERSHIPS Efforts to build Southwest Virginia's creative economy are the work of the Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation / Friends of Southwest Virginia with support and funding from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Resources, the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, and the Appalachian Regional Commission. ABOUT CLINCH RIVER VALLEY INITIATIVE: The Clinch River Valley Initiative originated at a forum in the fall of 2010 around Building Local Economies in Southwest Virginia. Since that time, many meetings have been held as part of the Clinch River Valley Initiative, with numerous community events and meetings planned for 2016 and beyond. The Clinch River Accomplishments Document is a cumulative document that highlights the collaborative progress of the Initiative throughout the Southwest Virginia region. The Initiative is coordinated by the Institute for Environmental Negotiation at the University of Virginia and is supported by numerous local, regional, and state partners. Building on a shared vision for the Clinch River Valley, five active action groups are currently making substantial efforts around five goal areas as part of the Initiative: Vision Statement: By 2020, the Clinch River Valley will be a global destination based on its unique

4 biodiversity, natural beauty, cultural attractions, and outdoor opportunities. This collaboration will bring measurable economic, environmental, and social benefits to the region s communities while protecting the Clinch s globally rare species. Goal 1: Develop a Clinch River State Park. Goal 2: Develop and integrate access points, trails, and campgrounds along the Clinch River. Goal 3: Enhance water quality in the Clinch River. Goal 4: Develop and enhance environmental education opportunities for all community members in the Clinch River watershed. Goal 5: Connect and Expand Downtown Revitalization, Marketing and Entrepreneurial Development Opportunities in the Clinch River Valley. The initiative is a collaborative of over 50 communities, foundations, non-profit organizations, businesses and regional stakeholders who work together to bring economic transition to the Clinch River Region. The collaborative is not incorporated and Friends of Southwest Virginia serves as the organizational and fiscal agent. For more information on the Clinch River Valley Initiative please visit PROPOSAL PREPARATION & SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS General Requirements Friends reserves the right to cancel or postpone the RFP for any reason at any time prior to the proposal submittal deadline. If cancelled or postponed, those Offerors will be notified in writing by of any cancellation or postponement. Offerors will also be notified in like manner of the procedure that will be followed should the process be resumed. Proposal Preparation The Offeror shall sign the proposal. All information requested should be submitted. Failure to submit all information requested may result in Friends requiring prompt submission of missing information and/or giving a lowered evaluation of the proposal. Proposals, which are substantially incomplete or lack key information, may be rejected. Mandatory requirements are those required by law or regulation or are such that they cannot be waived and are not subject to negotiation. Proposals received after 8 a.m. EST on March 9, 2018, will not be considered. Proposals must be submitted electronically. Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. Emphasis should be placed on completeness and clarity of content, and how pay for performance objectives will be met. RFP Response In order to be considered for selection, Offerors must submit a completed Offer s Information Form (Attachment A) and a complete response to the proposal submission requirements. Proposal Submission Requirements Proposals should be as complete and succinct as possible so that Friends may properly evaluate Offeror s capabilities to provide the required services. The Offeror is expected to include the following items in their proposal:

5 Offeror Qualifications and Experience Describe Offeror s specific capabilities, qualifications and past experience for providing the proposed services including, but not limited to: I. Knowledge of federal grant processes. II. Experience in acquiring government grants. III. Ability to conduct research and data mining activities which support the grant application case statements. IV. Must provide examples of grants written and awarded/received, including amounts and participants. Compensation Proposal Provide a proposed fee structure that meets stated needs. All costs associated with the contract shall be itemized and clearly documented in the proposal. Any costs outside of this will be rejected unless previously agreed upon in writing by Friends. EVALUATION & AWARD Award of Contract Friends will select the Offeror, which in its opinion has made the best proposal, and upon successful negotiations will award the contract to that Offeror. Friends may cancel this RFP or reject proposals at any time prior to the award, and is not required to furnish a statement of the reasons why a particular proposal was not deemed to be the most advantageous. Should it be determined only one Offeror is fully qualified, or one Offeror is clearly more highly qualified than the others under consideration, a contract may be negotiated and awarded to the Offeror. The award document will be a contract incorporating the Contractor s proposal as negotiated. Clarification Process Offerors may be requested to clarify ambiguities or information presented in the proposal. Clarifications may be sought throughout the process of evaluation. It is incumbent on the Offeror to respond adequately and in a timely fashion to these requests. Offerors may also be required to present their proposals orally, after which time the selected Offerors will be evaluated. After the closing date, no additional information will be accepted from the Offerors except that information requested by Friends as clarification. Offerors are to make no unsolicited contact with any Friends personnel during the evaluation period. Extraordinary requests for exception to this prohibition against contact with Friends personnel may be directed to the person identified on the cover sheet for this request for proposal. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS Ownership of Material and Databases All electronic files and databases, and all reports and materials used or created during the performance of this contract shall be the property of Friends and shall not be used by the Contactor for any use other than fulfilling the obligations under this contract without Friends s prior written consent. The Contractor may not sell or share any of this information without the written consent of Friends. All property of Friends shall be turned over to Friends within 10 business days upon completion or termination of the contract in a format to be determined by Friends. Applicable Laws and Courts This solicitation and any resulting contract shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and any litigation with respect thereto shall be brought in the Courts of

6 the Commonwealth. The Contractor shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations. Proposal Acceptance Period Any proposal resulting from this solicitation shall be valid for 90 days. At the end of the 90 days the proposal may be withdrawn at the written request of the Offeror. If the proposal is not withdrawn at that time it remains in effect until an award is made or the solicitation is cancelled. Releases of Information Friends is the only entity authorized to issue any and all information releases relating to this RFP, its evaluation, award of any contract and the resulting performance thereunder. Independent Contractor Status It is agreed that the Contractor is an independent contractor and neither it, nor its employees, are agents or employees of Friends of Southwest Virginia. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A Offeror s Information Must complete and submit with proposal

7 Attachment A OFFEROR S INFORMATION NOTE: The following information is required as part of your response to this solicitation. Failure to complete and provide this sheet may result in finding your offer nonresponsive. 1. OFFEROR S CONTACT INFORMATION: Offeror Name: Preparer Name (if different than Offeror): Phone: Date 2. YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: Indicate the length of time you have provided this type of good or service: Years Months 3. VENDOR INFORMATION FIN or FEI Number if Company, Corporation, or Partnership Social Security Number: if Individual 4. TYPE OF ORGANIZATION Offeror operates as a(n) ( ) Individual Proprietorships, ( ) State or Local Agency, ( ) Partnership, ( ) Association, ( ) Joint Venture, ( ) Educational Institution, ( ) Not-for Profit, ( ) Corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of, authorized to do in Virginia the business provided for in any resultant contract. 5. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION It is the policy of Friends of Southwest Virginia to pursue an aggressive contract compliance program that will ensure that all business entities contracting with Friends of Southwest Virginia will maintain nondiscriminatory hiring and employment practices for all persons without regard to race, color, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or age. All Offerors must certify that they are and will continue to be in compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements in this request for proposal. Signature Date