25-8379_Solicitation.pdf

Procurement Services Division

COLLIER COUNTY

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

FOR

LOAN AND/OR GRANT ACQUISITION AND COMPLIANCE

SERVICES

SOLICITATION NO.: 25-8379

DANIA GUERRERO, PROCUREMENT STRATEGIST

PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION

3295 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST, BLDG C-2

NAPLES, FLORIDA 34112

TELEPHONE: (239) 252-7989

Dania.guerrero@colliercountyfl.gov (Email)

Any alterations to this document made by the Vendor may be grounds for rejection of proposal, cancellation of any subsequent award, or any other legal remedies available to the Collier County

Government.

SOLICITATION PUBLIC NOTICE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

NUMBER:

25-8379

PROJECT TITLE: LOAN AND/OR GRANT ACQUISITION AND COMPLIANCE SERVICES

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: N/A

LOCATION: N/A

DUE DATE: July 24, 2025 @ 3:00 PM (EST)

PLACE OF RFP OPENING: PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION

3295 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST, BLDG C-2

NAPLES, FL 34112

All proposals shall be submitted online via the Collier County Procurement Services Division Online Bidding System:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/collier-county-fl.

INTRODUCTION

As requested by the Transportation Management Services Department (hereinafter, the “Division or Department”), the Collier County Board of County Commissioners Procurement Services Division (hereinafter, “County”) has issued this Request for Proposal (hereinafter, “RFP”) with the intent of obtaining proposals from interested and qualified Vendors (also referred to as “Proposers”) in accordance with the terms, conditions and specifications stated or attached. The vendor, at a minimum, must achieve the requirements of the Specifications or Scope of Work stated.

The results of this solicitation may be used by other County departments once awarded according to the Board of County Commissioners Procurement Ordinance. Historically, County departments have spent approximately $600,000; however, this may not be indicative of future buying patterns.

BACKGROUND

Collier County Transportation Management Services Department is seeking the non-exclusive services of a Loan and/or Grant Acquisition and Compliance Services professional to provide training, planning, solicitation assistance, documentation, monitoring, and other related services pertaining to the administration of Federal, State, or other potential loans and grants i.e. state revolving funds (SRF) or loans.

TERM OF CONTRACT

The contract term, if an award(s) is/are made is intended to be for three (3) years with two (2) one (1) year renewals. Prices shall remain firm for the initial term of this contract.

Surcharges will not be accepted in conjunction with this contract, and such charges should be incorporated into the pricing structure.

The County Manager, or designee, may, at his discretion, extend the Agreement under all of the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement for up to one hundred eighty (180) days. The County Manager, or designee, shall give the Contractor written notice of the County's intention to extend the Agreement term not less than ten (10) days prior to the end of the Agreement term then in effect.

DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK

The Vendor, at a minimum, must achieve the requirements of the Specifications or Scope of Work stated herein.

Collier County is seeking a provider of these services which may consist of, but shall not be limited to, research, grant writing, application assistance, compliance training, oversight of funding-related projects, documentation of fund disbursement, monitoring and documentation of compliance, close-out coordination and assistance, and draft preparation of audit requirements. The County expects that the successful vendor shall conduct research, and draft and present to the County for final review and approval, any, and all documents as described in each of the following six services.

The County foresees utilizing the successful Vendor for the following six services.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/collier-county-fl

1. Planning, Application Development and Submittal

a. Review of project concept and design.

b. Review budget for grant eligibility and approval.

c. Provide cost benefit analyses.

d. Assist in negotiation and review of funding agreements.

e. Draft and coordinate legal ads and recording of Board of County Commissioner’s Resolutions.

f. Assist and participate in presentations to the Board of County Commissioners.

g. Work directly with County Attorney and Grant Compliance Office on required reviews.

h. Work with prospective Grantors in support of application.

i. Prepare and submit applications.

j. Provide assistance in updating the County’s Grant Administration Handbook.

k. Provide training to selected County staff in grant writing, research to insure appropriate and responsive interface with County, State and Federal Agencies.

l. Develop and provide training of 2 CFR Part 200 compliance with inclusion of County procedures and practices.

m. Research and collaborate with County divisional staff on new funding opportunities.

2. Pre-Construction Requirement

a. Organize applicable plans and submit documentation to the funding source provider for contract award.

b. Assist in providing information to potential respondents on loan and/or grant requirements.

c. Provide assistance and compliance training during the bidding phase in accordance with requirements.

d. Provide support at public hearing meetings, including presentations to the Board of County Commissioners.

e. Provide required bid and other documents for loans/grants such as but not limited to independent cost estimates and cost/price analysis.

f. Independently process forms requiring County management’s review and approval, i.e., “Authorized Representative Site

Certification.”

3. Contractor Processing, Payment and Reporting

a. Assist in the review of payment applications/invoices (including stored materials when applicable).

b. Provide cost identification and data entry- for loan and/or grant eligibility prior to release of funds.

4. Grantor Agency Reporting and Submittal Requirements

a. Accumulate data for calculation of request for funds.

b. Prepare and submit as directed by the County, documentation required to support the request for funds.

c. Prepare final request forms and packages.

d. Review detailed data of grant/loan funds available for amendments.

e. Monitor funds requested and cash flow management for loan and/or grant compliance.

f. Prepare Capital Financing Plan.

g. Prepare documents for inclusion of specific project.

h. Prepare environmental support documentation as required by the regulations of the federal or state grant program at the appropriate level for the project to obtain grantor environmental clearance.

i. Prepare periodic status reports, frequency to be determined on a project-by-project basis.

j. Coordinate with other potential funding source providers.

k. Coordinate responses to Regulators and Auditors questions through Corporate Financial & Management Services and/or

Fiscal and Grants Services staff.

5. Monitoring for Compliance

a. Review and monitor Florida Certified Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE), Woman-Owned Business Enterprises.

(WBE), and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation (as well as any other required socioeconomic classes) to track and/or report the actual level of participation.

b. Provide assistance with MBE/WBE/DBE status revisions.

c. Perform Commercially Useful Function reviews in relation to DBE monitoring.

d. Perform Davis-Bacon Act monitoring to ensure weekly certified payroll compliance and EEO requirements when applicable.

e. Perform Build AmericaBuy American Act (BABA) or Buy America/n Acts (BAA) monitoring when applicable.

f. Monitor grants/loans contractual requirements as determined and provide monthly status updates.

6. Program Coordination

a. Schedule and participate in program coordination meetings.

b. Participate in Pre-Construction meetings to review grant compliance requirements passed on to Third Parties such as the

Davis Bacon Act.

c. Review draft change orders for eligibility.

d. Coordinate submittals to funding source of change orders and documentation.

e. Assist in contract, project and report closeout including final amendment.

f. Assist with preparation of documentation for audit of project/program.

g. Project close-out assistance with the appropriate grantor agency/agencies and external auditors.

h. Work directly with consultants to obtain required engineering documentation.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) PROCESS

1.1 The Proposers will submit a qualifications proposal which will be scored based on the criteria in Evaluation Criteria for Development of Shortlist, which will be the basis for short-listing firms.

The Proposers will need to meet the minimum requirements outlined herein in order for their proposal to be evaluated and scored by the COUNTY. The COUNTY will then score and rank the firms and enter into negotiations with the top ranked firm to establish cost for the services needed. The COUNTY reserves the right to issue an invitation for oral presentations to obtain additional information after scoring and before the final ranking. With successful negotiations, a contract will be developed with the selected firm, based on the negotiated price and scope of services and submitted for approval by the Board of County Commissioners.

1.2 The COUNTY will use a Selection Committee in the Request for Proposal selection process.

1.3 The intent of the scoring of the proposal is for respondents to indicate their interest, relevant experience, financial capability, staffing and organizational structure.

1.4 The intent of the oral presentations, if deemed necessary, is to provide the vendors with a venue where they can conduct discussions with the Selection Committee to clarify questions and concerns before providing a final rank.

1.5 Based upon a review of these proposals, the COUNTY will rank the Proposers based on the discussion and clarifying questions on their approach and related criteria, and then negotiate in good faith an Agreement with the top ranked Proposer.

1.6 If, in the sole judgment of the COUNTY, a contract cannot be successfully negotiated with the top-ranked firm, negotiations with that firm will be formally terminated and negotiations shall begin with the firm ranked second. If a contract cannot be successfully negotiated with the firm ranked second, negotiations with that firm will be formally terminated and negotiations shall begin with the third ranked firm, and so on. The COUNTY reserves the right to negotiate any element of the proposals in the best interest of the COUNTY.

RESPONSE FORMAT AND EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SHORTLIST:

1.7 For the development of a shortlist, this evaluation criterion will be utilized by the COUNTY’S Selection Committee to score each proposal. Proposers are encouraged to keep their submittals concise and to include a minimum of marketing materials. Proposals must address the following criteria:

Evaluation Criteria Maximum Points

1. Cover Letter / Management Summary 5 Points

2. Business Plan 20 Points

3. Cost of Services to the County 25 Points

4. Experience and Capacity of the Firm 25 Points

5. Specialized Expertise of Team Members 25 Points

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS 100 Points

Tie Breaker: In the event of a tie at final ranking, award shall be made to the proposer with the lower volume of work previously awarded. Volume of work shall be calculated based upon total dollars paid to the proposer in the twenty-four

(24) months prior to the RFP submittal deadline. Payment information will be retrieved from the County’s financial system of record. The tie breaking procedure is only applied in the final ranking step of the selection process and is invoked by the Procurement Services Division Director or designee. In the event a tie still exists, selection will be determined based on random selection by the Procurement Services Director before at least three (3) witnesses.

Each criterion and methodology for scoring is further described below.

***Proposals must be assembled, at minimum, in the order of the Evaluation Criteria listed or your proposal may be deemed non-responsive***

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 1: COVER LETTER/MANAGEMENT SUMMARY (5 Total Points Available)

Provide a cover letter, signed by an authorized officer of the firm, indicating the underlying philosophy of the firm in providing the services stated herein. Include the name(s), telephone number(s) and email(s) of the authorized contact person(s) concerning proposal. Submission of a signed Proposal is Vendor's certification that the Vendor will accept any awards as a result of this RFP.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 2: BUSINESS PLAN (20 Total Points Available)

In this criteria, include but not limited to:

• Planning and Application Development

• Pre-Construction Requirement

• Contractor Processing, Payment and Reporting

• Agency Reporting and Request for Funds

• Monitoring for Compliance

• Program Coordination

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 3: COST OF SERVICES TO THE COUNTY (25 Total Points Available)

For all services, please provide a proposed fee schedule of principals and staff (including sub-consultants). Fee schedule pricing shall be inclusive of all costs and shall be full compensation for all services, labor, tools, equipment, local travel (within Lee and Collier County) and any other items required for project completion and/or completion of services. Travel expenses outside of Lee and Collier County shall be reimbursed at the rates used by Collier County for its employees as per Section 112.061 Florida Statute.

• Initial pricing is for evaluation purposes and is subject to change during negotiations with the selected Vendor.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 4: EXPERIENCE AND CAPACITY OF THE FIRM (25 Total Points Available)

• Provide the number of state revolving funds (SRF) loans you have helped clients execute over the last 5 years (10/1/2019 – 9/30/2024 that were over $3 million in project costs.

• Provide at least two examples.

a. Of the total number provided in response #1 above, how many SRF loans were for Transportation

b. Of the total number provided in response #1 above, how many SRF loans were for Transportation

• Please identify your success rate of grant applications approved (in both number and percentage format; for example: 68/100 = 68.0%).

• What type of grant compliance and reporting to local, state and federal agencies represents the largest percentage of your grant work? What types of grants does your company work on?

• During the last five years, what is your track record for post-award audit?

• Provide the number of years the company has been conducting research, designing, drafting and presenting to the companies for final review and approval, any, and all documentation as described in the six services identified in this solicitation.

The County requests that the vendor submits no fewer than three (3) and no more than ten (10) completed reference forms from clients during a period of the last 5 years whose projects are of a similar nature to this solicitation as a part of their proposal. Provide information on the projects completed by the Proposer that best represent projects of similar size, scope and complexity of this project using form provided in Form 5. Proposers may include two (2) additional pages for each project to illustrate aspects of the completed project that provides the information to assess the experience of the Proposer on relevant project work.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 5: SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE OF TEAM MEMBERS (25 Total Points Available)

• Identify the firm’s transition plan should a vacancy occur in one of the key project positions.

• Provide information that documents your firm’s personnel assigned to this contract as requested below:

a. Provide the number of years of SRF and grant compliance experience that the project manager(s) assigned to this contract has/have in the scope of work identified by the County. Attach resume(s).

b. Provide the number of SRF water loans that the project manager has coordinated.

c. Provide the number of SRF wastewater loans that the project manager has coordinated.

d. Identify the number of fulltime equivalents that will be assigned to Collier County from the firm. (Fulltime is defined as 100% assigned to Collier County.) (Attach resumes.)

e. Identify the number of part-time equivalents that will be assigned to Collier County from the firm. (Part-time is defined as 50% or less assigned to the Collier County account.) (Attach resumes.)

VENDOR CHECKLIST

***Vendor should check off each of the following items as the necessary action is completed (please see, Vendor Check List)***