RFQ-Grants Management Consultant

Request for Qualifications for Grant Management Consulting Services Town of Berlin, Vermont §1.0 Purpose and Intent This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is issued by the Town of Berlin, Vermont (“Town”) . The purpose of this RFQ is to solicit qualifications from qualified Bidders to provide grant management consulting services to the Town concerning multiple grants in the town as described in Section 2.0 Scope of Work. The Town will indicate in each specific Task Order whether the Contractor(s) awarded the Contract will be able to complete their engagements in-person or remotely. §2.0 Scope of Work Contractor(s) shall, under the direction of the Town Administrator, provide grant management consulting services to the Town that has been awarded funding through multiple grant opportunities This includes Congressionally Directed Spending, and Federal Discretionary Grants. The Contractor(s) shall be directed through Task Orders issued by Town that specify the scope of work and deliverables required of each assigned engagement. • Current projects include: Congressionally Directed Spending for replacement of a Waste water pump station. • Congressionally Directed Spending for a multi-use path in Berlin Common (New Town Center designation) • State of Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development grant for Fox Run Housing Project Steps required of each project may include: • Initial project application (including SF-424, SF-424A applications including work plans and narratives) • Post award Accounting mentoring and project invoicing • Monthly project meeting updating stakeholders • Required progress reporting to awarding agency (usually quarterly) • Final “Project Completion” certification to regulating agencies. Bidders must therefore demonstrate significant experience in interpreting and applying federal regulations such as the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CF.R. Part 200) Contractor(s) shall provide advice and assistance during or after the grant period of performance to ensure the Town has a system of internal controls to ensure eligible costs are reviewed adequately, documentation is collected and maintained properly, and that program funding and expenditures are not 2 duplicative with other State and local programs, as reported by the Town. Contractor(s) may be tasked with performing additional services as it relates to the need to implement a compliance and monitoring program to ensure conformance with federal and state guidance. Contractor(s) shall adhere to the State’s Standard Contract Terms and Conditions and all applicable federal and state statutes, regulations, and policies. §3.0 Contract Terms and Payment §3.1 Contract Deliverables The Contractor(s) shall complete the required deliverables specific to each project. The deliverables shall be enumerated in the Task Orders and may include survey work, analysis, implementation plans, reports, among other deliverables determined by the Town. The Contractor(s) shall participate in status calls with the Town and awarding agencies to review each submittal prior to submission of deliverables to the Town. §3.2 Contract Term/Extensions/Transition The term of this Contract shall be twenty four (24) months. The Contract may be extended for up to two 1 year options. The Contract for this RFQ consists of this RFQ, the terms and conditions of any grant agreement, and the successful Bidder’s Quote. The terms and conditions of each individual grant agreement will apply to this Contract, in addition to the terms and conditions otherwise set forth in this RFQ, and any additional Federal or State requirements. Both should be read in conjunction, unless the RFQ indicates otherwise. Within five (5) days of award, the Contractor(s) shall conduct a kick-off meeting with the Town to finalize processes and procedures, discuss potential engagements, and complete any outstanding administrative items. The Town expects the Contractor to be ready to begin assignments after two (2) weeks of award. §3.3 Task Orders The Town will issue a Notice to Proceed letter reflecting the authorized scope of work, deliverables, and timeframe for completion, authorized for each Task Order. Any work undertaken without such authorization is at the Contractor(s)’ risk. §3.4 Payment Payment shall be made in accordance with the contract. Contractor will submit pricing for each Task Order, including the NTE amount, based on the Scope of Work contemplated in the Task Order. The Town will pay the Contractor after the Contractor has completed the Task Order and submitted the required deliverables. §4.0 Bidding Process 3 §4.1 Question and Answer Period The Town will accept questions up to ten (10) business days after the posting of the solicitation, or 2:00 pm on August 7, 2024. Bidders shall send their Questions via email to: contact@example.gov The Town will post the questions and answers on the town website (www.berlinvt.gov) in an Addendum to the RFQ on a rolling basis. Any Addendum to this RFQ will become part of this RFQ and part of any subsequent Contract. Questions regarding the terms and conditions, specifically incorporated herein, and exceptions to mandatory requirements, must be posed by prospective bidders during the Question-and-Answer period and should also contain suggested changes. Quotes that are submitted with any terms that conflict with the RFQ terms, will render a quote non-responsive. §4.2 Contents of Quote The Quote shall include a discussion of the Bidder(s)’ approach and plans for accomplishing the work outlined in Section 2.0, Scope of Work, on-time and within budget. In narrative form, the Bidder must set forth its understanding of the requirements of this solicitation and its approach to successfully complete the Contract. Mere reiterations of the tasks and deliverables in the solicitation are strongly discouraged since this does not provide insights into the Bidder(s)’ approach to complete the Scope of Work. The Town needs to determine that the Bidder(s)’ plan to complete the Scope of Work are realistic, appropriate and attainable for completion of the project within a tight deadline. The Bidder(s) shall identify the key personnel who will manage this project and perform the Scope of Work and include their resumes with the Quote. The narrative shall also include the Bidder(s)’ relevant experience, along with a comprehensive listing of contracts of similar size and scope that it has successfully completed, as evidence of the Bidder’s ability to successfully complete the work required by this RFQ. §4.3 Instructions for Quote Submission Bidder(s) shall submit Quotes no later than 12:00 Noon on August 16, 2024, and include, at minimum, the plan to accomplish the Scope of Work provided in Section 2.0, relevant experience of the firm and the staff who will perform the Scope of Work Bidders may submit quotes via email to contact@example.gov or deliver “hard copies” to: Town Administrator Town of Berlin 108 Shed Road Berlin, VT 05602 4 §5.0 Award Methodology The Town will award the Contract to the Contractor that receive the highest point total from the Evaluation Committee and whose Quotes, conforming to this RFQ, are the most advantageous to the Town, price and other factors considered. The Town intends to conduct a comprehensive, fair and impartial evaluation of all Quotes received. All Quotes will first be reviewed to determine responsiveness and non-responsive Quotes will be rejected without Evaluation. The Town may also reject any and all Quotes that is incomplete or where there are significant inconsistencies or inaccuracies. The Town reserves the right to negotiate price reductions or request Best and Final Offers with the Bidder(s). §5.1 Evaluation Process Quotes will be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee, composed of members from the Town. For evaluation purposes, Bidders will be ranked from lowest to highest according to the total Quote price In addition to price, the Evaluation Committee will evaluate Quotes based on the following technical factors, according to a pre-determined weight: • Personnel: The qualifications and experience of the Bidder’s management and key personnel assigned to this project; • Experience of the Contractor(s): The Bidder’s documented experience in successfully completing projects of a similar size and scope; especially concerning federal grant funding including all aspects of the grant process, and • Ability of the Contractor(s) to complete the Scope of Work: The Bidder’s demonstration in the Quote that the Bidder understands the requirements of the Scope of Work and presents an approach that indicates the technical requirements of the Contract could be met successfully and, importantly, within deadline. §5.2 Right to Waive The Evaluation Committee reserves the right to waive minor irregularities. The Committee also reserves the right to waive a requirement provided that the failure to comply with the mandatory requirement does not materially affect the procurement of the State’s interests associated with the procurement