Arlington County Government Sealed Solicitation
Title: 22-AED-RFP-639 Small Business Technical Assistance Services
Deadline: 4/11/2022 1:00 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Status: Awarded
Solicitation Number: 22-AED-RFP-639
Description: Arlington County is seeking a qualified Contractor to provide targeted technical assistance to legacy and startup businesses
Pre-Bid Meeting Date: 3/10/2022 10:00 AM
Pre-Bid Meeting Details: Please sign up if you plan to attend the pre-bid meeting.
Documents:
| Documents as of 3/31/2022 |
|---|
| RFP No. 22-AED-RFP-639 Small Business Technical Assistance Services.pdf |
| Revised Proposal Form Submittal.pdf |
Addition 1
Posted: 3/31/2022
Type of Addition: Addendum No. 2
Overview: Addendum No. 2 extends Proposal due date and revises Attachment A - Cost Proposal.
Deadline: 4/11/2022 1:00 PM
Documents:
Addition 2
Posted: 3/31/2022
Type of Addition: Addendum No.
Overview: Revises proposal evaluation criteria
Documents:
Addition 3
Posted: 4/11/2022
Type of Addition: In Review
Addition 4
Posted: 7/3/2022
Type of Addition: Notice of Award
Overview: Notice of Award: Revby LLC
Documents:
Question 1
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: Would you please clarify the relationship between the Contractor & the ReVitalize/ReNew programs? Is the intention that the Contractor will refer a business to the ReVitalize and/or ReNew program if the Contractor determines one or both programs would benefit the business?
Response: Once the BizLaunch Team has vetted eligible businesses, the contractor is the first point of contact for the selected businesses that will participate in the ReLaunch program. The contractor will conduct an initial hour assessment which will then decide the path of the entrepreneur (whether it will be ReVitalize or ReNew). The role of the contractor is important because they must assess the needs of the entrepreneur and provide a recommendation as to a strategy moving forward. The contractor will then manage all small businesses in the ReVitalize program.
Question 2
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: Will the Contractor only support businesses that are pivoting or will they support new, start-up businesses as well?
Response: The contractor will support existing and new businesses.
Question 3
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: The RFP states that the Contractor will provide 12 hours of personalized technical assistance to identified businesses. May the Contractor provide more than 12 hours of personalized technical assistance to a business, if needed? If not, what other options are there to support these businesses?
Response: The ReLaunch program provides up to 12 hours per month for identified entrepreneurs. If the contractor decides more hours are needed for an entrepreneur to finish the program – the entrepreneur can re-apply for the program to request additional hours. Depending on demand, the BizLaunch Team will assess to see how many additional hours will be awarded. The BizLaunch program is a technical resource for entrepreneurs, and the Team will continue to work with businesses to ensure they are receiving the support they need.
Question 4
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: What level of guarantee is there that the Contractor will receive 12 referrals per month?
Response: The County does not guarantee work. However, the County will notify the vendor for the assistance of up to 12 referrals per month.
Question 5
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: Is there any flexibility as to how the 157 hours/month outlined in the Cost Proposal can be allocated? Depending on the businesses who will seek assistance, the type of assistance needed could vary considerably from month to month. Further, is it permissible for the Contractor to provide assistance in more than two categories (e.g., financial management and developing marketing initiatives) in one session?
Response: Yes, there will be flexibility as to how the 157 hours/month will be allocated.
Question 6
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: What are the deliverables/outcomes you would expect to see in the monthly report detailing the status of each client?
Response: The deliverable and outcomes in the monthly report would be the listing of clients, the status of the work with the clients, how many hours are remaining and the completion of the work, and recommendations moving forward. What area of need does the client have, and a recommendation to the BizLaunch Team to move the client into the ReNew program.
Question 7
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: Page 14 of the RFP states that the Offeror must provide 3 examples. How should these examples be presented, especially the oral example? Are you looking for example presentation slide decks for educational events and/or stories that explain how the Offeror has provided one-on-one technical assistance services to build a website, provide a strategic plan, or a marketing plan? Are you looking for client testimonials and/or example delivery of services?
Response: The Offeror may provide the example in any format as long as it highlights the requirements specified in the RFP. All of the examples listed in the question are acceptable. Oral examples is not a requirement and an addendum will be forthcoming to remove oral examples only.
Question 8
Posted: 3/15/2022
Question: Are we able to add line items to the cost proposal documents other than the items listed?
Response: No additional line items should be added to the cost proposal.
Question 9
Posted: 3/16/2022
Question: In Section IV, Item 3, there is a sentence that is confusing. Could you please clarify? "If the business benefit before the termination of this contract, the Contractor shall submit a final report to summarize and assess the status of the businesses which received the Offeror’s assistance."
Response: If the program ends (E.g., the maximum budget is reached), and the clients are still being serviced by the Contractor, the Contractor must provide a Final Report which states the current status of each client so the Offeror can continue assistance based on the status of the client.
Question 10
Posted: 3/16/2022
Question: How much lead time with the County be able to provide as to the number of hours that may be needed for any given month? I'm assuming that since this demand or need may vary, would the awarded contractor get 1 week notice prior to a month's expected workload? More?
Response: ReLaunch applications close on the 9th of each month. The BizLaunch Team undergoes a verification process ensuring eligibility requirements, and typically within 2-business days will notify the Contractor of the confirmed selection of the new cohort.
Posted: 3/31/2022
Type of Addition: Addendum No. 2
Overview: Addendum No. 2 extends Proposal due date and revises Attachment A - Cost Proposal.
Deadline: 4/11/2022 1:00 PM
Documents:
Posted: 3/31/2022
Type of Addition: Addendum No.
Overview: Revises proposal evaluation criteria
Documents:
Posted: 4/11/2022
Type of Addition: In Review
Posted: 7/3/2022
Type of Addition: Notice of Award
Overview: Notice of Award: Revby LLC
Documents:
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: Would you please clarify the relationship between the Contractor & the ReVitalize/ReNew programs? Is the intention that the Contractor will refer a business to the ReVitalize and/or ReNew program if the Contractor determines one or both programs would benefit the business?
Response: Once the BizLaunch Team has vetted eligible businesses, the contractor is the first point of contact for the selected businesses that will participate in the ReLaunch program. The contractor will conduct an initial hour assessment which will then decide the path of the entrepreneur (whether it will be ReVitalize or ReNew). The role of the contractor is important because they must assess the needs of the entrepreneur and provide a recommendation as to a strategy moving forward. The contractor will then manage all small businesses in the ReVitalize program.
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: Will the Contractor only support businesses that are pivoting or will they support new, start-up businesses as well?
Response: The contractor will support existing and new businesses.
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: The RFP states that the Contractor will provide 12 hours of personalized technical assistance to identified businesses. May the Contractor provide more than 12 hours of personalized technical assistance to a business, if needed? If not, what other options are there to support these businesses?
Response: The ReLaunch program provides up to 12 hours per month for identified entrepreneurs. If the contractor decides more hours are needed for an entrepreneur to finish the program – the entrepreneur can re-apply for the program to request additional hours. Depending on demand, the BizLaunch Team will assess to see how many additional hours will be awarded. The BizLaunch program is a technical resource for entrepreneurs, and the Team will continue to work with businesses to ensure they are receiving the support they need.
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: What level of guarantee is there that the Contractor will receive 12 referrals per month?
Response: The County does not guarantee work. However, the County will notify the vendor for the assistance of up to 12 referrals per month.
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: Is there any flexibility as to how the 157 hours/month outlined in the Cost Proposal can be allocated? Depending on the businesses who will seek assistance, the type of assistance needed could vary considerably from month to month. Further, is it permissible for the Contractor to provide assistance in more than two categories (e.g., financial management and developing marketing initiatives) in one session?
Response: Yes, there will be flexibility as to how the 157 hours/month will be allocated.
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: What are the deliverables/outcomes you would expect to see in the monthly report detailing the status of each client?
Response: The deliverable and outcomes in the monthly report would be the listing of clients, the status of the work with the clients, how many hours are remaining and the completion of the work, and recommendations moving forward. What area of need does the client have, and a recommendation to the BizLaunch Team to move the client into the ReNew program.
Posted: 3/10/2022
Question: Page 14 of the RFP states that the Offeror must provide 3 examples. How should these examples be presented, especially the oral example? Are you looking for example presentation slide decks for educational events and/or stories that explain how the Offeror has provided one-on-one technical assistance services to build a website, provide a strategic plan, or a marketing plan? Are you looking for client testimonials and/or example delivery of services?
Response: The Offeror may provide the example in any format as long as it highlights the requirements specified in the RFP. All of the examples listed in the question are acceptable. Oral examples is not a requirement and an addendum will be forthcoming to remove oral examples only.
Posted: 3/15/2022
Question: Are we able to add line items to the cost proposal documents other than the items listed?
Response: No additional line items should be added to the cost proposal.
Posted: 3/16/2022
Question: In Section IV, Item 3, there is a sentence that is confusing. Could you please clarify? "If the business benefit before the termination of this contract, the Contractor shall submit a final report to summarize and assess the status of the businesses which received the Offeror’s assistance."
Response: If the program ends (E.g., the maximum budget is reached), and the clients are still being serviced by the Contractor, the Contractor must provide a Final Report which states the current status of each client so the Offeror can continue assistance based on the status of the client.
Posted: 3/16/2022
Question: How much lead time with the County be able to provide as to the number of hours that may be needed for any given month? I'm assuming that since this demand or need may vary, would the awarded contractor get 1 week notice prior to a month's expected workload? More?
Response: ReLaunch applications close on the 9th of each month. The BizLaunch Team undergoes a verification process ensuring eligibility requirements, and typically within 2-business days will notify the Contractor of the confirmed selection of the new cohort.