invited to submit proposals. To be considered, all proposals must be received by the time specified under "SUBMISSION DEADLINE."
PROJECT AND LOCATION The bid proposal is being requested for the Town and School District, with meetings and planning to be held at the Town Hall, 171 Bridge Street, Hartford, VT 05001.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Name: J. Brannon Godfrey/Thomas DeBalsi
Title: Town Manager / Superintendent of Schools
Phone: 802.295.9353 / 802-295-8600
Fax: 802.295.6382 / 802-295-8602 email:Bgodfrey@hartfordvt.org/Debalsit@hartfordschools.net
PROJECT OBJECTIVE The objective and ultimate goal for this project is to develop a community-based strategic plan for equity and inclusion in collaboration with a municipal planning equity organization.
PROJECT SCOPE AND SPECIFICATIONS The Town and HSD are seeking an organization to develop a Strategic Plan for Equity and Inclusion and to advise on its public dissemination and internal implementation through the offices of the Town Manager and School Superintendent.
The plan will provide recommendations and benchmarks to remediate race-based disparities in Town & HSD operations and services. The plan must research, analyze, and make recommendations with respect to each of the three following goals:
● Goal 1: Identify and make recommendations for remediation of race-based disparities across all Town and School departments
● Goal 2: Promote inclusion and engagement of all community members
● Goal 3: Develop means to respond to racial discrimination in the greater Hartford community.
Using the HCOREI Charge and Recommendations, the consultant will:
● Identify and analyze race-based disparities leading to social inequity within the Town Government & School District and the broader Hartford community;
● Research best practices among towns of similar size and demographics including urban-rural classification for addressing comparable disparities;
● Collect and incorporate past Town and HSD history, demographics and data;
● Establish benchmarks for these initiatives;
● Present analysis and outline assessment tools to measure progress in meeting annual benchmarks and/or respond to failures.
Schedule Timeline
The following timeline has been established to ensure that our project objective is achieved, however, the following project timeline shall be subject to change when deemed necessary during the discovery phase of the project.
RFP Issue Date: April 15, 2019
Questions Due: April 29, 2019
Proposals Due: May 13, 2019
Anticipated Finalist Interviews: Week of May 27-31, 2019
Anticipated Award Date: June 28, 2019
Consulting Organizations
Town and HSD are seeking an organization with the following attributes:
● Experience researching and writing strategic plans
● Experience working on racial diversity issues
● Familiarity with best practice models related to municipal employment, public school systems, engagement of communities of color
● Familiarity with auditing and assessing progress in these areas
● Excellent facilitation skills
● Experience working with a wide range of stakeholder groups
● Ability to present complex ideas and data in compelling graphic representation
● Ability to define achievable benchmarks and assist in mapping a path to meeting them
RFP responses should detail how the organization plans to approach the scope of
Work; including the anticipated meeting schedule. The Offices of the Town Manager and Superintendent will ensure that Town and HSD personnel will collaborate closely with consultant and supply all needed and available information to consultant in a timely manner.
Organizational Background Requirements
● Name(s)
● Physical address
● Contact information (and preferred method of communication)
● Legal form of organization (e.g. Sole proprietor, partnership, corporation)
● Date organization formed
● Description of organization in terms of size, range and types of services offered and clientele
● Federal employer identification number (EIN)
● Evidence of legal authority to conduct business in Vermont (e.g. Business license number)
● Organization chart showing key personnel that would provide services to town of Hartford, Vermont
● Financial information - state whether the organization or its parent company (if any) has ever filed for bankruptcy or any form of reorganization under the bankruptcy code
● Licensing and bonding - provide details of licenses and bonds (if any) for any proposed services that the organization/contractor may plan on providing for this project.
● Insurance -details of any liability or other insurance provided with regard to the staff or project
● References – at least two closely relevant for strategic plans for equity and inclusion
Organization agrees that the Town and HSD may contact all submitted references to obtain any and all information regarding organization’s performance.
Organizations should note that any and all work intended to be subcontracted as part of the bid submittal must be accompanied by background materials and references for proposed subcontractor(s).
Selection Process Overview
This process begins with the receipt of proposal submittals in response to the RFP outlined herein. Applicants will receive a confirmation email once their submittal is received. Proposals will be evaluated, and invitations will be made to the top-ranked consultants to participate in an interview conducted by a selection committee. Consultants not selected for an interview will be notified of the selection outcome. Proposals that commit to completing the project scope at lower cost than the contract cap are desired and will be viewed favorably.
Submittals should be limited to no more than 5 pages and contain:
A. Cover letter highlighting relevant skills and experience, explaining the applicant's understanding of the project and planned approach
B. Cost proposal summary and breakdown including
● A detailed list of any and all expected costs or expenses related to the proposed project.
● Summary and explanation of any other contributing expenses to the total cost.
● Brief summary of the total cost of the proposal.
List any and all equipment or services required for this proposed project and the number of each. ● Estimated cost for each piece of equipment or service.
● List any equipment or services required of a subcontractor, along with a brief explanation.
● List any accommodation, services, or space required from Town of Hartford, Vermont, along with a brief explanation.
C. Resumes and references for each individual involved. Individuals will be subject to a background check.
D. Supplemental electronic links to other similar documents or projects undertaken
PROJECT PROPOSAL EXPECTATIONS
Town and HSD shall award the contract to the proposal that best accommodates the various project requirements. The Town and HSD reserve the right to award any contract prior to the proposal deadline stated within the "Scheduled Timeline" or prior to the receipt of all proposals, award the contract to more than one organization. The Town and HSD reserve the right to refuse any proposal or contract without obligation to either Town or HSD or to any organization offering or submitting a proposal.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT PROPOSAL
Please include ten copies of the complete proposal. All proposals must be received by the office of the Town Manager no later than 5:00 pm on May 13, 2019 for consideration in the selection process.
Questions may be submitted in written form no later than April 29, 2019 to: Name: J. Brannon Godfrey Title: Town Manager Phone: 802.295.9353 Fax: 802.295.6382 Email: Bgodfrey@hartford-vt.org
EVALUATION CRITERIA Only those proposals received by the stated deadline will be considered. All proposals, submitted by the deadline, will be reviewed and evaluated based upon information provided in the submitted proposal. In addition, consideration will be given to cost and performance projections. Furthermore, the following criteria will be given considerable weight in the proposal selection process:
● Organization's performance history and ability to timely deliver proposed services.
● Organization's ability to provide and deliver qualified personnel having the knowledge and skills required to effectively and efficiently execute proposed services.
● Overall cost effectiveness of the proposal.
● Presence and involvement of people of color in the execution of the proposed project, as well as in managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the organization.
Each organization will be evaluated by a selection sub-committee of the HCOREI using the following criteria as a measure of the applicant's ability to successfully complete the project. Hiring of the selected organization must be approved by the Hartford Selectboard and Hartford School Board. Consultants will be scored up to a maximum of 100 points based on the following:
1. Experience & qualifications (25 pts) 2. Depth of skills related to strategic planning and facilitation (25 pts) 3. Level of understanding of the project, goals, issues, and local need(s) (15 pts) 4. Proposed cost and schedule (20 pts) 5. Quality, clarity, and completeness of submitted package (15 pts)
Town and HSD shall reserve the right to cancel, suspend, and/or discontinue any proposal at any time they deem necessary or fit without obligation or notice to the proposing organization.
Attachments – HCOREI Charge, recommendations for Strategic Plan for Equity and Inclusion & Cultural Sensitivity Training