6-1. CJA126932 E-RFP FINAL.pdf

Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program – Collaborative Community Plan Alignment and Focus Group Consultant

RFP# CJA126932

EXPEDITED REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Services cannot exceed $50,000

I. PURPOSE

Salt Lake County’s Office of Homelessness and Criminal Justice Reform, on behalf of the Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness (SLVCEH) seeks proposals from qualified consultants or firms to facilitate and document the next phase of work supporting the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) and the Collaborative Community Plan (CCP).

This project will focus on grounding CCP advancement in Youth Action Board (YAB) leadership, aligning YHDP priorities with community progress, and identifying clear action areas for immediate and year 2 program work planning. Deliverables will include organizing and facilitation of focus groups, write-up and draft recommendations to inform the CCP and Year 2 planning for the YHDP Program, as well as transparent project management tools to track progress and support HUD reporting.

The Office of Homelessness and Criminal Justice Reform (OHCJR) is the collaborative applicant and provides administrative support for the SLVCEH which fulfills the role of the Salt Lake County Continuum of Care (CoC) and oversees federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding for Salt Lake County. The goal of all partners is to create a strong and effective homelessness structure that supports a community-wide commitment to ending homelessness, unites communities and service providers in profoundly new ways, and optimizes self-sufficiency among those experiencing homelessness.

The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) is an initiative designed to reduce the number of youth experiencing homelessness. The goal of the YHDP is to support communities, including rural, suburban, and urban areas across the United States, in the development and implementation of a coordinated community approach to preventing and ending youth homelessness. YHDP was established to accelerate progress toward ending youth homelessness through system coordination, youth engagement, and evidence-based action planning.

Progress has been made on several CCP goals, particularly in housing access and education/employment pathways. This consultancy position aims to reassess focus areas with the YAB and community partners to ensure continued momentum, leverage existing work, and identify where YHDP capacity can have the most impact.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION

The consultant will coordinate closely with the Salt Lake County OHCJR team, YAB representatives, VOA and key community partners. Regular check-ins with supervisor (bi-weekly or as agreed) will ensure alignment and transparency.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

Proposers must have experience working on a YHDP grant, conducting focus groups, and working with youth with lived experience.

II. TERM OF AGREEMENT

The Salt Lake County Office of Homelessness and Criminal Justice Reform intends to begin this contract upon award (anticipated January 2026) with completion of deliverables by April 10th, 2026.

This is a one-time service agreement. There is no guarantee that contract(s) will be awarded from this solicitation.

III. SCOPE OF WORK

Work to be Completed/Deliverables

The consultant will facilitate and document a short-term strategic process aligned with the CCP and led by the YAB.

Phase 1: Focus Group Interviews

• Conduct interviews with key stakeholders (e.g., YAB members, CoC/YHDP leadership, VOA, and government partners).

• Capture the perceptions of community progress toward CCP goals, emerging priorities and gaps and YAB’s desired outcomes from upcoming focus groups and their specific support needs.

Deliverable: Focus group findings report, comparison to Year 1 Focus Groups and summary report.

Phase 2: Review & Prioritization with YAB and CoC

• Facilitate a discussion with the YAB to review focus group results, identify focus areas, and solidify draft of the focus group report.

• Outline Continuous Quality Improvement opportunities and key action areas aligned with community progress.

Deliverable: Brief presentation and facilitation notes summarizing decisions and priorities.

Phase 3: Align Focus Group Findings with CCP

• Develop a short-term (3–6 month) action plan highlighting priority areas within the CCP, alignment with other community efforts, and specific roles for the consultant in supporting progress.

• Create a transparent visual tool to track alignment with the CCP.

o an internal project management tracker connecting partner efforts to CCP progress and o a summary template for reporting to HUD on CCP advancement.

Deliverables:

• Written Action Plan and tracking tools.

• Presentation of findings and recommendations to SLCo OHCJR YHDP team, appropriate SLVCEH Core Function Groups and Task Groups (ex. Youth Experiencing Homelessness) and the YAB.

IV. COSTS & FEES

A. The current funding for this project is $21,000 and must include all costs for services rendered including reimbursable travel costs, phone, project printing, etc.

B. If additional funding becomes available, any resulting contract may be amended to include the additional funding. However, in no event will total funding for this project exceed $50,000.

C. Proposers should indicate how they would work with the current budget of $21,000 and may present an alternative fee proposal should additional funding become available.

D. Progress payments may be submitted monthly for the work completed in the prior month. Final payment will be made upon submission of all deliverables. The County has the right to correct an incorrect invoice before paying.

V. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS and EVALUATION WEIGHT

All proposals submitted for evaluation must include the following information:

• Cover Letter summarizing qualifications, relevant experiences with homelessness, system planning, or facilitation and approach (no more than 3 pages).

• Proposed Work Plan and Timeline.

• 3 References from comparable projects.

• Cost Proposal.

• Resume for team members (if applicable).

• Relevant Experience (40%) o Demonstrated understanding of youth homelessness systems and YHDP context.

o Experience facilitating collaborative planning processes.

• Project Approach (40%) o Quality and feasibility of proposed approach.

o Commitment to centering youth voices and lived experience.

• Proposed Cost (20%) o Cost Proposal and cost-effectiveness and clarity of deliverables. Proposers must submit their fee as per Section IV.

VI. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Proposals are to be submitted through the Utah Public Procurement Place (U3P) at https://purchasing.utah.gov/for-vendors/ by the date and time posted. No responses will be accepted after that date and time.

Questions shall be submitted through U3P. Questions are due prior to the question date and time specified in U3P. If a question/answer changes the RFP document, the change will be released in an addendum. Do NOT contact the Agency, Division, Department, or other County officers or employees.

Reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals may be provided upon receipt of a request with 5 working days’ notice. Please contact Contracts and Procurement at

385.468.0300. TTY users shall call 711.

VII. NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

A. Scoring Proposals The proposal will be evaluated, scored, and ranked by a Selection Committee. Each member of the committee will be provided a score sheet to complete the proposal evaluation utilizing the point system listed below. Committee Members individually score the proposals and rank them 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. according to their total score.

B. Costs All costs associated with the preparation of the proposal, as well as any other related materials, will be borne by the Proposer. All proposals become the property of Salt Lake County. Salt Lake County reserves the right to stop the selection process at any time if it is considered to be in the best interest of the County. Salt Lake County also reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted.

C. Written Agreement Required The selected Proposer must agree to all requirements in the RFP scope of work unless an exemption is stated in the proposal. The selected Proposer must also be willing to enter into a written agreement with County and agree to all the terms set forth in the https://purchasing.utah.gov/for-vendors/

Standard Form RFP Agreement, attached to this RFP. IF YOU WISH TO ALTER THE

RFP INCLUDING EXHIBITS, ATTACHMENTS, AND ADDENDA AND/OR ANY OF

THE TERMS OF THE STANDARD AGREEMENT, THE EXCEPTION MUST BE

SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED IN YOUR PROPOSAL WITH REASONABLE

ALTERNATIVES PRESENTED. PROPOSER UNDERSTANDS THAT DEVIATIONS

FROM THE STANDARD FORM AGREEMENTS ARE MADE AT THE COUNTY’S

DISCRETION. Proposers are advised that County is not bound by the terms of the RFP until a written agreement is fully executed and any activity taken by Proposer prior to a written agreement being fully executed is done at the Proposer’s sole risk.

D. Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA):

County is a governmental entity subject to the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act (“GRAMA”), Utah Code Ann. §§ 63G-2-101 to -901. As a result, County is required to disclose certain information and materials to the public, upon request. Generally, any document submitted to County is considered a “public record” under GRAMA. Any person who provides to County a record that the person believes merits protection under subsection 63G-2-305(1) or (2) must submit with their proposal all of the following: (1) a written claim of business confidentiality, (2) a concise statement of reasons supporting the claim of business confidentiality, and (3) a separate copy of the proposal with the information requested to be protected redacted.

Failure to comply with any of the three requirements for a claim of business confidentiality waives the request for protected record. Generally, GRAMA only protects against the disclosure of trade secrets or commercial information that could reasonably be expected to result in unfair competitive injury. For your convenience, County has provided a Business Confidentiality Request Form which is attached to this RFP as Attachment B. All documents submitted in response to this RFP will be treated as public records in accordance with GRAMA, unless a claim of business confidentiality has been properly made and approved by County. All proposed costs/pricing/fees submitted to the county are public records. An entire proposal cannot be identified as “PROTECTED,” “CONFIDENTIAL,” or “PROPRIETARY” and may be considered non-responsive if marked as such.

E. Copyrighted Material Waiver:

In the event that the proposal contains copyrighted or trademarked materials, by submitting its proposal the Proposer grants the County the right to use, reproduce, and publish the copyrighted or trademark materials in any manner the County deems necessary for conducting County business and for allowing public access to the responses under GRAMA or otherwise, including but not limited to photocopying, County Intranet/Internet postings, broadcast faxing, and direct mailing.

F. Restrictions On Communications From the issue date of this solicitation until a Proposer is selected and the selection is announced, Proposers are prohibited from communications regarding this procurement with agency staff, evaluation committee members, or other associated individuals EXCEPT the Procurement Officer overseeing this procurement. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification.

G. RFP Cancellation This RFP may be cancelled at any time prior to the execution of a written agreement if deemed in the best interests of County. This includes cancellation of the RFP after an award has been made, but prior to the execution of a written contract. Proposer is not entitled to recover any costs related to the preparation of the proposal due to cancellation of the RFP or withdrawal of an award prior to the execution of a written agreement.

H. Firm Pricing All prices, quotes, or proposals are to remain firm for 60 days after the closing date, unless a different period is stated in County’s RFP. Any proposal that does not offer to remain firm for the required period may be considered to be non-responsive.

I. Receiving Proposals Contracts and Procurement will administer receipt and opening of all proposals. After the closing time, only the identity of each Proposer will be made public.

J. Protests Pursuant to Salt Lake County Code of Ordinances § 3.20.150, a protest in regard to the RFP document must be submitted in writing prior to the RFP closing date. All other protests must be submitted in writing within five (5) business days after notification of the award is posted on Bid Sync. A protestor may file only one (1) protest after the RFP closing date. Protest letters must specifically and completely state the facts that the protestor believes constitute error in the RFP document or the award.

K. Free and Competitive Selection Any agreement or collusion among prospective Proposers to fix a price or limit competition will render the proposal void, and such conduct is unlawful and subject to criminal sanction. By submitting a proposal, the Proposer hereby certifies that no one in its firm or company has either directly or indirectly restrained free and competitive selection, participated in any collusion, or otherwise taken any action unauthorized by County Purchasing Ordinances or applicable law.

L. Environmentally Responsible Procurement Practices County has implemented environmentally responsible procurement practices.

M. Debrief Meetings Debrief meetings with the selection committee members will not be allowed, however, a Proposer may discuss the RFP process with the Procurement Officer at any time.