26-27-04 Addendum#1.pdf

Addendum No. 1

RFP# 26-27-04: Built to Grow: Contractor Capacity Building Program Date: 8/20/26 Prepared By: Tish Williams

General Questions, Clarifications & Requirements:

1. Q: Does the City have a budget range for the Built to Grow Program?

A: The City has not established a published budget range for this project. Proposers should develop their cost proposal based on the scope of work and their recommended approach for delivering the Program. Cost will be considered as part of the overall evaluation process.

2. Q: Does the City have a target number or percentage of participants that should successfully complete the Program?

A: The City would like to see as close to 100% participant completion as possible. Proposers should include strategies for participant engagement and retention throughout the Program.

3. Q: How will the City evaluate direct construction-industry experience compared with experience in business capacity building, operational improvement, program management, training, and organizational development? If a proposer includes a construction-industry subject-matter expert or subcontractor, will that individual's experience be considered as part of the overall team qualifications?

A: The City will consider the demonstrated knowledge and experience of the Project Manager and key personnel, particularly experience working with contractors and construction businesses. Relevant experience in business coaching, technical assistance, capacity building, and similar programs will also be considered. If a proposer includes a construction-industry subject-matter expert or subcontractor as part of the proposed team, that individual's relevant qualifications and experience will be considered as part of the overall team qualifications.

4. Q: Should proposers include fully burdened hourly rates on the Cost Proposal Form, or only estimated hours and the proposed cost by category?

A: Proposers are not required to provide fully burdened hourly rates. Proposers should provide the assigned staff role, estimated hours, and proposed cost for each applicable cost category/deliverable identified on the Cost Proposal Form. The total proposed cost shall represent and include all costs necessary to perform the required services.

5. Q: Should the post-program monitoring period be included in the proposed cost, and must monitoring continue for 12 months?

A: Yes. The proposed cost should include the cost associated with the proposer’s recommended post-program monitoring approach. Proposed hours and associated costs for post-program monitoring should be included under the Post-Program Summary Report section of the Cost Proposal Form. The City anticipates a monitoring period of up to twelve (12) months; however, proposers may recommend a shorter monitoring period based on their proposed methodology and experience.

6. Q: Should the Cost Proposal be submitted separately from the proposal?

A: No. The completed Cost Proposal Form should be submitted as part of the proposal under Tab 5, in accordance with the proposal submission requirements.

7. Q: It sounds as though the City currently has a program initiative for general contractors who are performing work in your housing rehab program. Are these residential contractors?

A: Yes. Majority of them specialize in residential construction.

8. Q: Is Built to Grow intended only for residential contractors?

A: No. Built to Grow is intended to strengthen the capacity of eligible licensed general contractors.

While the Program was informed by the needs of contractors participating in the City's Housing Rehabilitation Program, the Program is intended to strengthen contractor business operations, organizational capacity, and readiness to pursue future construction opportunities.

9. Q: Is the City's Housing Rehabilitation Program ongoing, and approximately how many rehabilitation projects are typically completed annually?

A: Yes. The City's Housing Rehabilitation Program is ongoing and currently completes approximately 12 rehabilitation projects annually.

10. Q: Does the City have a preferred approach or frequency for post-program monitoring?

A: No specific frequency has been prescribed. Proposers should recommend a post-program monitoring approach, including the proposed duration, frequency of follow-up, methods of engagement, and performance measures, based on their proposed methodology and experience.

11. Q: What does success look like for an individual contractor participating in Built to Grow?

A: Success may look different for each participant based on the contractor's starting point, individual Business Assessment, and Business Growth Plan. The City is looking for participants to demonstrate measurable progress toward their individual goals and the Program's desired outcomes rather than applying a single measure of success to every participant.

12. Q: Must participant outcomes be limited to City contracting opportunities, or may success include readiness for state, federal, or other contracting opportunities?

A: Participant growth and success are not limited to City contracting opportunities. Growth that positions a contractor to pursue appropriate opportunities with other public-sector entities or in other markets may also represent a successful Program outcome.

13. Q: Does the City have an existing curriculum that the selected Program Partner must use?

A: No. The City has established the overall purpose and Program framework for Built to Grow.

Proposers are expected to leverage their expertise to develop the curriculum, coaching model, participant materials, and implementation approach in alignment with the Program goals and desired outcomes. The needs identified through the Contractor Needs Assessment should be considered because some Housing Rehabilitation contractors may participate in Built to Grow; however, those findings are not intended to prescribe a one-size-fits-all curriculum.

14. Q: Will the selected Program Partner receive the results of the Contractor Needs Assessment?

A: Yes. The City will provide the selected Program Partner with the available results of the Contractor Needs Assessment to provide additional background and context for Program planning. The results do not replace the individualized Business Assessments required under the RFP.

15. Q: Does the City have a preference for firms located within or near Greenville, or for smaller firms versus larger firms?

A: No. The City has not established a preference based on a proposer's proximity to Greenville or firm size.

16. Q: Is there a limit on the number of subcontractors or key personnel included in a proposal? Beyond the requirements under Tab 4, are letters of commitment, teaming agreements, or separate disclosure forms required for subcontractors?

A: The City has not established a specific limit on the number of subcontractors or key personnel that may be proposed. Proposers should provide the information required under Tab 4 for the Project Manager and all key personnel assigned to the project, including their roles, responsibilities, qualifications, relevant experience, resumes, and reporting relationships. No, there isn’t a separate requirement for letters of commitment or teaming agreements.

17. Q: For the experience requirements under Tab 2, will the City consider comparable projects involving construction-trades workforce development, contractor training, procurement readiness, or small-business technical assistance, or must the two required projects specifically involve business coaching for licensed general contractors?

A: Comparable projects are not required to have involved business coaching exclusively for licensed general contractors. Proposers should demonstrate how the experience presented is relevant to the scope, goals, and desired outcomes of Built to Grow. The RFP identifies experience in contractor development, construction business consulting, technical assistance, business coaching, or other capacity-building programs supporting licensed general contractors and construction businesses.

18. Q: Should proposers calculate the firm-fixed price based on the maximum cohort of 10 contractors?

If the City selects fewer than 10 participants, will the negotiated contract price remain fixed, or should proposers provide a participant-based adjustment methodology?

A: Proposers should develop their firm fixed-price proposal based on a cohort of up to ten (10) participants, consistent with the quantities identified on the Cost Proposal Form.

19. Q: The Cost Proposal Form requests assigned staff roles, estimated hours, and proposed costs but does not include an hourly-rate column. Should proposers provide fully burdened hourly rates in the supporting narrative?

A: Proposers are not required to provide fully burdened hourly rates. Proposers should provide the assigned staff role, estimated hours, and proposed cost for each applicable cost category/deliverable identified on the Cost Proposal Form. The total proposed cost shall represent a firm fixed price and include all costs necessary to perform the required services.

20. Q: Does the City have a minimum expected number of individualized coaching hours per participant?

A: No. The City has not established a minimum number of individualized coaching hours per participant. Proposers should recommend the number of coaching hours and coaching approach based on their proposed methodology and the Program's goals and desired outcomes.

21. Q: Should the firm's fixed price and project schedule include both the active Program and the full post-program monitoring period?

A: Yes. The proposed cost and project schedule should account for both the active Program and the proposer's recommended post-program monitoring period. The City anticipates post-program monitoring for up to twelve (12) months; however, proposers may recommend a shorter monitoring period if supported by their methodology and experience.

22. Q: Does the City have a preferred frequency for post-program participant follow-up?

A: No. Proposers should recommend the frequency of follow-up, methods of engagement, duration, and performance measures as part of their proposed post-program monitoring approach.

23. Q: Will the Program Partner be expected to provide the City with participant-level financial, operational, bonding, insurance, or contract information collected during assessments, or should detailed business information remain confidential, with only aggregate findings and progress measures reported to the City?

A: The Program Partner will be expected to provide the City with participant-level information necessary to monitor participant progress and Program outcomes. The specific information to be provided and the appropriate level of detail will be determined in coordination with the selected Program Partner during the Program planning and implementation process.

24. Q: Will the selected Program Partner retain ownership of pre-existing assessment instruments, curricula, templates, coaching tools, and other proprietary materials incorporated into the Program?

A: Yes. The selected Program Partner will retain ownership of its pre-existing proprietary materials.

Content, documents, work products, and other materials developed on behalf of the City as part of the Built to Grow engagement shall be provided to the City.

25. Q: Appendix I requests references for similar services provided within the past three years, while Tab 2 requests two comparable projects completed within the past six years. May the three references include projects completed within the six years identified in Tab 2, or must all three references document work performed within the past three years?

A: Yes. The three references may include clients for whom the proposer provided similar services or completed relevant projects within the past six (6) years. The intent of the reference requirement is to obtain feedback regarding the proposer's performance on similar services and projects completed within the six-year period identified under Tab 2. The RFP is hereby clarified accordingly.

26. Q: Tab 6 identifies Appendix IV as the Conflict of Interest Certification and Appendix V as Exceptions to the RFP, while the actual forms reverse those numbers. Which numbering should proposers follow?

A: The listing under Tab 6 contains a numbering error. Proposers should follow the numbering and titles shown on the actual appendix forms: Appendix IV – Exceptions to the RFP and Appendix V – Conflict of Interest Certification for Consultants/Contractors. The RFP is hereby clarified accordingly.

27. Appendix III, Section 4 states, “However, the City shall not be obligated to make payment to the Contractor for any services performed under this contract.” Please clarify whether this sentence is a drafting error and confirm the City's payment obligation for approved services and accepted deliverables.

A: Yes. The referenced sentence in Appendix III, Section 4 was included in error and is hereby stricken from the RFP. The City will make payment to the selected service provider for services properly authorized, performed, documented, and invoiced in accordance with the terms of the Contract.

28. Q: Will commercial automobile liability insurance be required if the Program Partner and its subcontractors do not use vehicles as an integral part of service delivery, other than ordinary travel to Program locations?

A: Yes.

29. Q: Has the City established an anticipated budget range or a not-to-exceed amount for Built to Grow that proposers should consider when developing the firm-fixed-price proposal?

A: The City has not established a published budget range or not-to-exceed amount for this project.

Proposers should develop their cost proposal based on the scope of work and their recommended approach for delivering the Program.

30. Q: Does the City require construction subject-matter experts to hold specific licenses or certifications, such as an active North Carolina General Contractor license?

A: The RFP does not establish a specific license or certification requirement for individuals proposed to provide construction-industry expertise. However, given the construction-specific nature of the Program, proposers should demonstrate that the proposed team includes personnel with substantial, relevant construction-industry experience and knowledge appropriate to the services to be provided.

31. Q: If a proposer plans to use a subcontractor or subject-matter expert for specialized areas such as construction estimating, bidding, bonding, contract administration, financial management, or risk management, should those individuals be included as key team members under Tab 4?

A: Yes. Individuals who will have substantive roles in delivering specialized Program services should be identified as part of the proposed team in accordance with Tab 4, including their roles, relevant experience, qualifications, resumes, and reporting relationships.

32. Q: How hands-on does the City expect the construction-related technical assistance to be? For example, should the Program Partner work directly with contractors on areas such as estimating, takeoffs, bid preparation, project scheduling, bonding readiness, subcontractor management, and contract administration, or is the expectation more focused on overall business capacity building with referrals to specialized resources when needed?

A: The City is looking for proposers to recommend an approach that provides meaningful, individualized technical assistance based on participant needs. The RFP intentionally provides flexibility for proposers to bring their expertise in determining the appropriate combination of direct assistance, coaching, training, and connections to specialized resources. The proposed approach should support the Program goals and desired outcomes.

33. Q: What types of information should participants be expected to provide during the individual Business Assessments, and what confidentiality requirements will apply?

A: The individual Business Assessments should collect information necessary to identify each participant's business strengths, operational challenges, growth opportunities, and technical assistance needs, consistent with Section 2.5 of the RFP.

Regarding confidentiality, proprietary or confidential information shall be handled in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions of the RFP and applicable law.

34. Q: Should proposers recommend individual performance measures based on each contractor's Business Assessment and Business Growth Plan, along with overall measures for the Program? Are there specific measures the City wants tracked?

A: Yes. Because participants may enter the Program at different stages, the City is interested in both individual measures of progress based on each contractor's starting point and overall Program performance measures. Proposers should recommend meaningful measures aligned with the Program's goals and desired outcomes.

35. Q: If a participant needs specialized assistance from an attorney, accountant, lender, bonding professional, insurance professional, or similar provider, is the Program Partner expected to pay for those services as part of its proposed cost?

A: The Program Partner is expected to connect participants with appropriate strategic partners, business resources, and referral partners. The RFP does not require the Program Partner to pay for third-party professional services on behalf of individual participants.

36. Q: Can experience in business capacity building, operational improvement, program management, training, and organizational development be considered along with direct construction-industry experience?

A: Yes. Relevant experience in these areas may be considered as part of the evaluation of the proposed team's overall qualifications. The City will also consider demonstrated knowledge and experience working with licensed general contractors and construction businesses, consistent with the qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the RFP.

37. Will the selected Program Partner receive the existing Contractor Needs Assessment results?

A: Yes. The City will provide the selected Program Partner with the available Contractor Needs Assessment results to assist with Program planning. These results provide background and context and do not replace the individualized Business Assessments required for participating contractors.

38. Q: May individual Business Growth Plans include goals related to municipal, state, federal, commercial, or other larger contracting opportunities when appropriate for the contractor?

A: Yes. Individual Business Growth Plans may include goals related to other public-sector, commercial, or larger construction opportunities when appropriate based on the individual contractor's capacity, needs, and growth goals.