REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CONSULTING SERVICES FOR

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CONSULTING SERVICES FOR Denver Shared Spaces, a collaborative project supported by the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships

2 CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER DENVER OFFICE OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Denver Shared Spaces The City and County of Denver, on behalf of Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships, has issued a Request for Proposals (the RFP ), for technical assistance consulting services for the project named above. Complete RFP documents will be available for download online at the following web address: ding/nonprofitfundingopportunities/tabid/444457/default.aspx Responses in the form of ed proposals will be due at 5:00pm local time on April 11, 2014 delivered via to Nanette Mosby, nanette.mosby@denvergov.org. General Statement of Work: The Contractor will provide technical assistance consulting services to help facilitate the analysis, relationship building, and partnership design for cohorts of nonprofits participating in creating intentional shared space centers through Denver Shared Spaces. Specific services may vary depending on the needs of each cohort. As the City s best interests may appear, the Director of the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships reserves the right to waive informalities in, and to reject any or all, proposals. Publication Dates: March 24, 2014

3 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CONSULTING Date of Issuance: March 24, ) PROJECT INFORMATION a) Introduction This Request for Proposal ( RFP ) is issued to provide the selection process for technical assistance consulting services to be provided to the cohorts selected through Denver Shared Spaces (DSS). DSS is on the leading edge of the national trend toward intentional, shared workspace. Effective shared spaces create a sense of place, extend the reach of organizations housed within them, and achieve greater impact on local communities. As an innovative collaborative dedicated to providing technical assistance and targeted support to the Denver shared space community, DSS is not just connecting organizations with shared space resources, but also advocates for a resource and policy environment that supports and utilizes shared spaces. The goals of DSS are to: Increase development and optimization of shared spaces Increase availability and access to information and tools around the creation and operation of shared spaces Increase support and investment in shared space efforts to further City agency goals and better meet community needs. DSS maintains that, in achieving these goals, we can support shared spaces centers in achieving the core outcomes of affordability of space, stability for tenants, intentional collaboration between organizations, and energy efficient facilities. Firms submitting a response to the RFP will be asked at a minimum, to state their qualifications, understanding/experience relating to the project and offer their methodology for meeting the design criteria. The finalists from the RFP Phase will proceed to the Interview Phase and be requested to participate in oral interviews. Tentative Selection Schedule: Advertise and Issue RFP... March 24, 2014 Responses (Electronic Proposals) to RFP Due... April 11, 2014 Notify Short Listed Firms and Schedule Interview... April 18, 2014 Interviews... April 21-25, 2014 Notice of Selection... May 1, 2014 Complete Contract Negotiations... May 2-May 30, 2014 Contract Execution/NTP... June 1, 2014 The competitive selection process provided for under this RFP will focus on the qualifications and prior history of performance on similar projects of each prime firm and the members of the prime firm s proposed team, in accordance with the selection criteria set forth in this RFP. Thoughtful written responses to this RFP will enable the City to select the most qualified proposers.

4 2) Project Description and Draft Statement of Work a) Selected Cohorts: The selected consultant team will work with one or both of the following selected 2014 Cohorts. These groups of nonprofits were selected through competitive process by the DSS Review Team to receive consulting services that would support the creation or development of a new shared space center. The original proposal narratives from each selected cohort can be found in Appendix A. i) Cohort #1 Veteran s One Stop: Create a Veterans' One-Stop at 1247 Santa Fe that will provide a spectrum of services to allow veterans to survive (basic needs), thrive (education and vocational) and engage (quality of life programs like volunteering, arts). (1) Members: Volunteers of America - Colorado (lead); additional partners to be finalized, but may include The Family Tree, US Dept of Veterans Affairs, Rocky Mountain Human Services, Denver Human Services, Team Rubicon ii) Cohort #2 Center for Peacemaking: Create a center for peacemaking and anti-violence that increases the reach of partners' programs and improves the quality of life for participants. (1) Members: The Conflict Center (lead), Project PAVE, Colorado Anti-Violence Project b) Services: The Contractor will provide consulting services to help facilitate the analysis, relationship building, and partnership design for cohorts of nonprofits in creating intentional shared space centers through Denver Shared Spaces. Specific services may vary depending on the needs of each cohort, but will include: i) Contractor will work with cohorts conduct a partner needs assessment ii) Contractor will work with cohorts to analyze financial feasibility, develop financial projections, and develop budgets. iii) Contractor will work with cohorts on space planning and programming and preliminary architectural renderings. iv) Contractor will facilitate cohort development of vision, theme, program collaboration opportunities, and programmatic offerings for their Center. v) Contractor will guide cohorts in development of governance, decision-making, and conflict resolution structures. vi) Contractor will work with identified commercial broker to support cohorts in providing feedback and information for site selection, and other elements of the acquisition or leasing process. vii) Contractor will develop plans and policies for use of shared space and shared services. viii) Contractor will assist cohorts in development of plans for landlord/tenant relationship and responsibilities, including role for tenant input, efforts around collaboration, sharing for economies of scale, conflict resolution mechanisms, and exit resolution. ix) Contractor will assess success of projects and document recommendations and lessons learned. c) Expected Deliverables: i) Written plan: Within one month of beginning service to a cohort, develop a written plan with defined timelines, activities, and points of responsibility for specific services offered. ii) Quarterly written updates describing work undertaken and reflections and insights on progress, challenges, and learnings from the process with the cohort. iii) Mid-Contract and End of Contract Meetings with Denver Shared Spaces Steering Committee and cohort members to present progress, findings, and recommendations from the process with the cohort. Final contract meeting will include a verbal and written presentations with recommendations about next steps for the cohort. d) Consultant Team Qualifications i) Minimum five years experience working in or consulting for nonprofit organizations ii) Experience working with multiple organizations to collectively create a collaborative project

5 iii) Experience leading and coordinating teams of disparate individuals in working toward a common and concrete goal iv) Expertise in small group facilitation resulting in creation of concrete plans and agreements v) Experience in analysis of nonprofit space and back office needs vi) Expertise in strategic planning vii) Expertise in analysis of nonprofit financials and pro-forma projections viii) Expertise in organizational growth projecting ix) Understanding of nonprofit governance x) Ability to interact with wide variety of stakeholders xi) Strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills xii) Strong written and verbal communication skills xiii) Experience working on creation of shared space or shared service opportunities a plus e) Programmatic and Performance Requirements i) Confidentiality: The Contractor will maintain as confidential information about the Family Services Cohort and will not disclose to any third party any material information received orally, in written documents, or in observation when visiting facilities, about the Denver Shared Space Project, the agencies in the selected Centers, or others involved in the Project unless disclosure of such information is required by law. ii) Data Collection and Reporting: (1) The Contractor will submit a Monthly Activities Report form to accompany each invoice. (2) The Contractor will also submit a full report detailing progress toward project outcomes on a quarterly basis. (3) The Contractor s final program report shall be submitted to DOSP within 45 days after the end of the Contract. f) Administrative Requirements (1) Compensation and Methods of Payment (a) The method of payment to the Contractor by DOSP shall be in accordance with established City and County of Denver financial procedures for contract reimbursement. The Contractor must submit expenses and accruals to DOSP on or before the 20th day of each month for the previous month s activities. (b) The Contractor shall be reimbursed for services provided under this agreement in an amount not to exceed a total maximum payment of $15,000. Monthly billings will be paid at a rate of $75 per hour up to a maximum of two hundred (200) expected total hours between June 1, 2014 and May 31, (c) The Contractor shall submit the final invoice for reimbursement within forty-five (45) days after the end of the contract. g) Budget and Tentative Schedule/Contract Value and Term; Requests for Services: The total budget for DOSP s contribution to this project is $15,000. This figure does not reflect any cash match that either of the cohorts may bring to the project. Each are offered the opportunity to match up to $7000 to contribute toward the project. If additional cash match is brought by the cohorts, those funds will be exchanged directly between the selected proposer and the cohort. The City liability for expenditure of public funds pursuant to this proposal shall be contingent upon and limited to the appropriation of funds for the Agreement to the successful proposer by the Denver City Council and payment of such funds into the Treasury of the City. The maximum contract value of each contract resulting from this RFP, including services performed and reimbursement of costs and expenses incurred, if any, may not exceed $15,000. The term of the agreement will be for one year.

6 h) RFP Administration: This RFP solicitation is issued by the Director of the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships pursuant to the authority vested in the Director by the Charter of the City and County of Denver. As its best interests may appear, the Director reserves the right to terminate, modify or suspend the process, reject any or all submittals, modify the terms and conditions of this selection process and/or waive informalities in any submission. i) Contract Administrator: The Director hereby designates Nanette Mosby to serve in the capacity of administrator for this selection process and will be responsible for coordination of the procedures and rules specified in this RFP, managing this process and all other matters related to this process. In conducting the process in a fair and equitable manner, the administrator will serve as the primary intermediary between the consultant professionals, the City, and the members of the Selection Committee. All inquiries and questions regarding this RFP shall be directed to Nanette Mosby in the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships in writing via at nanette.mosby@denvergov.org. Any applicant that contacts any member of the Selection Committee, other than the designated contact from the date of issuance of the RFP and before the completion of the selection process may be disqualified from further participation in the selection process, at the administrator s sole discretion. ii) Project Manager: Megan Devenport is the City representative (Project Manager) authorized to administer the Agreement and directs and approves all services provided and work performed. The selected consultant team will be directed by the Project Manager and work closely with the Client Agency, relevant City partners, and the designated cohort(s). The Project Manager will have the right to reject inaccurate or substandard work and require 3) Selection Process and Criteria a) Selection Committee: The Selection Committee is charged with the responsibility of reviewing and evaluating all responsive submittals and other information received in accordance with the requirements of this RFP, later directives from the City and the official advertisement. In assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each respondent, the Selection Committee may, at its discretion, request clarification of any response to this RFP or other issue that may arise during the selection process. The City reserves the right to include or allow the Selection Committee to consult with any additional, non-voting commentators during the selection process. The Selection Committee for this Project is comprised of: City staff and contractors for the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships and representatives from the two selected cohorts that will be working with the Consultant. b) Selection Process Overview: The RFP selection process for the project Consultant will proceed, under the oversight and direction of the Project Manager in accordance with the following stages: i) In making the selections under this RFP, the Selection Committee will focus on the submittals of the applicants, general qualifications and prior history of performance in accordance with the selection criteria set forth in this RFP. ii) The selection process for the Consultant will proceed with the following stages: Stage I: Submission of Electronic Proposal, and all attachments (attachments do not count toward page limit totals.) Stage II: In-person Interview

7 Finalists will be asked to state their understanding of the Project, offer their methodology for meeting the goals of the project, and state how they will interface with the City, the selected cohorts and the project manager. iii) At any stage, the City reserves the right to terminate, suspend or modify this selection process; reject any or all submittals at any time; and waive any informalities, irregularities or omissions in submittals, all as the best interests of the City may appear. iv) The City will not accept any information, in any form whatsoever, from Proposers after the proposal due date. Unsuccessful Proposers will be notified in writing that they were not selected to compete in the next stage of the selection process and such notification shall result in no further consideration of these submissions. All determinations of the City regarding rejection shall be final. c) Selection Criteria: Proposals will be rated by the committee according to the following criteria, using a 100 point scale plus the possibility for 10 bonus points. Teams rated the highest according to this criteria will be invited to an interview. i) Qualifications and experience of the firm in the professional areas listed in this RFP. ii) Qualifications and experience of the Project Manager, Lead Consultant, and other Key Personnel (including subcontractors) in the professional areas listed in this RFP and in similar projects. iii) Proposed approach to completing the scope of work. Philosophy and understanding of the project and project issues. iv) Proposed utilization, commitment, and management of project team and work tasks; including project schedule. v) Ability to communicate and build project consensus, proposal completeness; ability to provide all of the necessary coordination to complete the project, including coordination with various public agencies, utilities, and adjacent property owners/ citizen groups using the public involvement process. Determination of items to be included in the project which balance the needs and objectives of the project stakeholders. 4) GENERAL REQUIREMENTS a) Public Contracts. This contract is subject to Article 17.5 of Title 8, Colorado Revised Statutes, as amended, regarding certification of the employment or contract with illegal aliens. The selected contractor must be familiar with the requirements of Article 17.5 of Title 8, Colorado Statutes, and shall be required to comply with all provisions. Please review Article 17.5 of Title 8, Colorado Statutes and the Sample Agreement provisions regarding compliance. b) Colorado Open Records Act. Documents submitted in response to this RFP are subject to the Colorado Open Records Act, C.R.S , et seq. ( CORA ). If the proposer believes that any information, data, process or other material in its proposal constitutes trade secrets, privileged information, or confidential commercial, financial, geological, or geophysical data, then the proposer should mark those items as confidential or proprietary and provide a list of those items with specificity as to the page and paragraph and on what basis it believes the material is confidential or proprietary. The City is not bound by the proposer s determination as to whether materials are subject to disclosure under CORA and reserves the right to independently determine whether the materials are required to be made available for inspection or otherwise produced under CORA. If the City receives a request for such information marked as confidential, it will notify the Proposer. If a suit is filed to compel disclosure of such information, the City will notify the Proposer, and the Proposer shall be responsible for taking appropriate action to defend against disclosure of its confidential information.

8 In the event of the filing of a lawsuit to prevent or compel disclosure, the City will tender all responsive materials to the court for judicial determination of the issue of disclosure. The proposer agrees 1) to intervene in any lawsuit arising out of a request for its materials to protect and assert its claims of privilege against disclosure of such material; 2) that its failure to object or intervene and assert claims of privilege against disclosure in relation to its proprietary or confidential information results in waiver the same; 3) to release and defend, indemnify and save and hold harmless the City, its officers, agents and employees, from any claim, damages, expense, loss or costs, including reasonable attorneys fees, arising out of or in any way relating to requests for disclosure of material provided or produced in response to this RFP. c) Submission Ownership, Use and Rights. The City reserves the option of retaining any or all of the materials and tools submitted by the Proposers/Respondents to this RFP. d) Proposal Preparation, Consultants Costs and Expenses. The City is not liable for any costs or expenses arising out of preparation of Consultant s proposal. If selected, Consultant may not include any of these costs or expenses as part of its fee, rates, or charges for performing work under the Contract. e) Verification of Information. The City will rely on the accuracy and completeness of all information provided in making its selection. As such, proposing firms are urged to carefully review all information provided to ensure the clarity, accuracy, and completeness of such information. As the City deems necessary and appropriate, the City reserves the right to make any inquiries or other follow up required to verify the information provided. 5) INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS a) Each respondent must comply with the submission requirements as outlined below. Submittals that fail to comply with the requirements as specified may be deemed non-responsive and such determination will result in no further consideration of that respondent or the respondent s submittals by the City. b) Proposals must be received via by the Contract Admnistrator in the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships no later than date and time stated above. Late submittals will be rejected. Proposals must be submitted in a single pdf file to the address nanette.mosby@denvergov.org. c) All Proposals must be limited to the following prescribed information and be submitted in a single file via . Pages are to be numbered in sequence and font size must be at least 11 pt. font. Proposals shall not exceed 15 single-sided pages in length (double-side pages count as two pages). This page limit does not include cover pages, divider sheets, resumes, disclosures of legal and administrative proceedings, or required forms. The proposal must include a table of contents and be organized as follows: Part 1 Letter of Intent. Clearly indicate the single contact, mailing address, telephone and address. Indicate unique features of the organization and the project team that makes the team uniquely suited to undertake this specific project. Part 2 Key Personnel and Team Members. Using Attachment 1, identify the firms and individuals from each firm who will be involved in the project and their responsibilities. Include major subconsultants that will be part of the team with a description of services they will provide.

9 Part 3 Proposal Questions. Complete the following questions in order to express your interest in this project and identify your qualifications for selection. 1) For which Cohort are you applying to be a Process Consultant? Cohort 1 Veteran s One-Stop Cohort 2 Center for Peacemaking Both Either 2) Are you interested in being paired up with other complimentary companies/organizations to work together? Yes Maybe No 3) Please describe why you would be a good fit for the above Cohorts you have selected. 4) Please describe any prior experience you have working with the Cohort(s) for which you are applying. Do you have any overt or perceived potential conflicts of interest with the Cohort for which you are applying that we should be aware? 5) If your application reflects a team of firms or individuals, what is your past experience working together. Which firm will be the lead? How would you structure your working relationship between these firms, and between your team and the cohort(s)? please provide an organizational chart. 6) In addition to the information provided in Attachment 1, please describe key staff qualifications and provide resumes of each. 7) Please provide an overview of your firm s history and where you are located, as well as your experience and relevant background. 8) Please address your experience in the following areas. Provide specific examples where relevant. o Working and/or consulting with nonprofit organizations o Project management o Nonprofit facilities and real estate o Organizational capacity assessment, including financial analysis. If you have a specific assessment tool you use, please name and describe the tool. You may also include the tool as an attachment. o Organizational growth projection o Building formally structured collaborations or partnerships between nonprofit agencies o Development of memoranda of understanding or partnership agreements o Development or negotiation around lease arrangements o Shared space and/or shared services o Space planning/design 9) What is your experience working as the lead of a team? What is your experience working with other consultants on a team in which you are not the lead?

10 10) Please describe your facilitation style specifically working with collaborative/partnerships and assembling partnership agreements? 11) What is your experience negotiating between disparate groups, mediating, and conflict resolution? 12) Do you work best with a particular type of organization size of organization, life cycle, culture, social mission, etc.? 13) How would you describe your communications and report writing abilities? Written, graphic, verbal communications? 14) What do you consider to be the most exciting thing about this project? The most challenging? 15) How would you define success in this process? Part 4 Required Submittal Forms. Submit the following attachments to complete your application. Attachment 1 Attachment 2 Attachment 3 Attachment 4 Team Members / List of Key Personnel Proposal Acknowledgement Letter Three (3) relevant examples of past work. These may include: MOU/Partnership Agreements Collaboration Plans Strategic Plans Organizational Assessments Other relevant reports Three (3) references (name, organization, telephone number, address) and the nature of consultant team s relationship to those references. 3. Signing of Proposal. An authorized representative of the proposer shall execute Attachment 2, the Proposal Acknowledgment Letter. If the proposer is a corporation or limited liability company, it must include with its proposal a certificate of good standing from the Secretary of State showing that it is qualified to do business in the State of Colorado. Certificates of good standing may be obtained by calling the Secretary of State for Colorado at (303) or online at If the proposer is a partnership, the proposer must include with its proposal evidence satisfactory to the City that the partner signing the proposal has the authority to do so. If the proposer is a joint venture, the proposer shall submit with its proposal a notarized copy of the joint venture agreement. The agreement must describe the scope and amount of work each participant will perform and contain a provision that each participant will be jointly and severally liable to the City for completing all of the work and to third parties for all duties, obligations, and liabilities arising out of the joint venture s performance of the work. - End -

11 Appendix A Volunteers of America Proposal Narrative for Creation of Veteran s One Stop

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17 Appendix B The Conflict Center Proposal Narrative for Creation of Center for Peacemaking

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22 Attachment 1 TEAM MEMBERS and KEY PERSONNEL PROPOSER: (Consultant may copy this page or modify it to conform to the services being offered) Firm Address Primary Contact Phone Primary Responsibilities

23 RFP for Technical Assistance Consulting Services Issued By the City and County of Denver On Behalf of the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships Attachment 2 Proposal Acknowledgment Letter Proposer: Date: City and County of Denver 201 West Colfax Avenue, Dept. 701 Denver, Colorado I agree to be bound by the prices, rates, and costs set forth in the proposal throughout the term as specified in the RFP. I also acknowledge and agree that by submitting a proposal, the proposer is hereby bound to the provisions set forth in the instructions of the RFP. I, the undersigned, certify that I have examined and am fully familiar with the proposal documents; that I have satisfied myself with the respect to all questions I have regarding the RFP that could in any way affect my understanding of the Scope of Services and my estimate of the cost thereof; and that this proposal is submitted in accordance with and subject to the provisions of the RFP, including without limitations, those set forth in C.2., Colorado Open Records Act. The Proposer hereby warrants that it has validly and duly authorized the person singing this Proposer Acknowledgement Letter to do so. The person or persons signing and executing this Proposer Acknowledgement Letter on behalf of the Proposer hereby warrants that he or she (they) has (have) been fully authorized by the Proposer to execute this letter on behalf of the Proposer and to validly and legally bind the Proposer to all the provisions set forth in the RFP. Proposer: Proposer s Business Address: By: (signature, title) (type or print name) By: By: (signature, title) (type or print name) By: