RP038-22 ADD 3 Page 1

December 9, 2022

Addendum 3

RP038-22, Small Business Assistance Program (SBAP) utilizing Gwinnett County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and CARES Act Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) Funding on an Annual

Contract

The proposal Due Date has been postponed until December 16, 2023 at 2:50 PM

Q1. Does the County have an estimated range for grant award amounts?

A1. See Potential structure and tiers below:

Potential structure and tiers; subject to adjustment:

# of employees Gross Revenue* Grant amount

0 to 5 $25,000 to $100,000 $2,500 $100,001 to $250,000 $5,000

6 to 20 $150,000 to $250,000 $7,500 $250,001 + $10,000

*We need to determine which year’s tax return is used to calculate the gross revenue.

Q2. Does the County have an estimated number of applicants that may apply to the program?

A2. No, but we had just over 1,700 grants awarded for the CARES Act grant program two years ago.

Q3. Does the County expect applicants to be beneficiaries, subrecipients, or both? (terms as defined in the U.S. Treasury Final Rule under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds). If beneficiaries and subrecipients, does the County have an estimate for % split between subrecipients and beneficiaries?

A3. The selected vendor(s) will be defined as contractors for the purpose of this award in accordance with 2 CFR 200. The small businesses receiving the assistance will be defined as the beneficiary.

The total amount of CDBG-CV funds awarded will allow for up to 20% to be used for program administrative costs with 80% being reserved for direct assistance to beneficiaries. ARPA administrative funds are limited to 10% of the allocation.

Q4. Is technical assistance envisioned to help applicants apply for funding, or implement funding, or both?

A4. The County encourages technical assistance at the time of application to improve quality of application submissions and reduce additional technical assistance and reporting needs post award.

Q5. Does the County have a preference on the type and/or amount of technical assistance that is to be performed?

A5. There is no required approach, but we've identified that grant application workshops, FAQs, and email/phone support for clarifications on what is allowed as eligible expenses and how to document that ensures successful submissions.

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Q6. Does the County have a preference on the scope and scale of monitoring? For example, does the

County envision subrecipient monitoring to be performed on awarded applicants? (subrecipient monitoring defined per U.S. Treasury Compliance and Reporting Guidance under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds).

A6. The selected vendor will be defined as a contractor for this award and therefore will not be subject to subrecipient monitoring. However, the contractor will be responsible for following all program requirements (eligibility documentation, record-keeping, etc.) identified both in this RFP and the subsequent Service Provider Contract.

Q7. Will the County promote and market the program, or is the County seeking contractor support for that activity?

A7. The County will market the solicitation.

Q8. Will Gwinnett County consider an electronic submission?

A8. Electronic submittals will not be accepted for this solicitation.

Q9. Are you able to provide me with a list of what is required for "eligible applicants"? In other words, is there a County specific business registration process? or - Is the Georgia business registration all that is needed? This is our firm's first time submitting for a Gwinnett County RFP.

A9. Respondents do not need to be registered as a vendor to submit a proposal. However, if awarded, you will need to register at the following link:

https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/web/gwinnett/departments/financialservices/purchasing/ven dorloginandregistration

Q10. How many small businesses are expected to apply for this program?

A10. See A2.

Q11. What is the County’s expectation for software? Is a software solution anticipated to be developed as part of the scope of work?

A11. The County does not have a set expectation for software usage but does expect small businesses to be accessing a safe and secure site where data is not a threat for exposure.

Q12. Under section III on page 4 of the RFP entitled Proposal Submission Instructions, it lists the following categories: A. Firm Experience, B. Staff Resources, C. Understanding and Approach, D.

References, and E. Cost Proposal. Under section III on page 4 of the RFP entitled Proposal Submission Instructions, it lists the following categories: A. Firm Experience, B. Existing Resources, C. Experience, Skills and Qualifications, D. Understanding and Approach, E.

References, and F. Cost Proposal. Can you provide some clarification on the differences between what is listed in the scope and what is listed in the scoring criteria?

A12. There is no substantive difference. The wording and order are slightly different.

Q13. What type of software does Gwinnett County use to track customer relations information and does the contractors software have to be integrated with the county?

A13. Contractor will be the only organization to interact with Gwinnett County’s vendor registration.

Q14. Does Gwinnett County require background checks, drug screenings and resumes on contractors’ employees?

A14. No. The prime vendor will be responsible for their sub-contractors.

Q15. Is the contractor required to have a physical location in the state and/or county to do the work?

A15. No.

https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/web/gwinnett/departments/financialservices/purchasing/vendorloginandregistration https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/web/gwinnett/departments/financialservices/purchasing/vendorloginandregistration

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Q16. Will you post the list of attendees from the Pre-Proposal Meeting?

A16. See below:

Company Representative Contact Information

Major Vision Promotions Kenneth Daly info@majorvisionpromotions.com

Witt O-Brien's Robin D'Sa rdsa@wittobriens.com

Witt O-Brien's Nicholas Foster NFoster@wittobriens.com

Soulcial Brand Ty Porter ty@soulcialbrand.com iParametrics Katie Dickerson Katie.Dickerson@iparametrics.com

Guidehouse Stephen Tubman stubman@guidehouse.com

PACE Consulting Monique Chadband mc@strategicpace.com

Peek, LLC C. Earl Peek epeek@peekllc.com

Wellsons Financial Group Christina Thurston boldlybeautifulexpo@gmail.com

Cybernetics Global Cheryl Upshaw cheryl@cyberneticglobal.com

Q17. Will the county provide requirements/ templates for contractor reporting or does the contractor need to provide in the response how they plan to provide reports on the SBAP progress?

A17. The County will develop a reporting template for use by the contractor to provide beneficiary data updates. This template will allow for the reporting of overall program progress in addition to breaking out expenditures and beneficiaries served by funding source.

Q18. How many days after the contractor is awarded do they have to show proof of insurance?

A18. Vendors should use the insurance requirements provided to make sure they have/they could obtain the appropriate coverage if awarded. The vendor will have ten (10) days after the request is made to provide a certificate of insurance that meets all of the requirements.

Q19. Are bonds required as part of this proposal A19. No, bonds are not required.

Q20. Do vendors need to bring a software solution to manage the delivery of the grant system?

A20. The County does recommend the contractor use software for the number of awards to be administered/managed to beneficiary small businesses, but this is not something the County will have oversight of.

Q21. Under Scope of Work, bullet 5, sub-bullet 2 Participant Reporting, sub-sub bullet Beneficiaries, it appears that the County is considering its relationship with these small businesses as subrecipients (i.e., asking for Participant Reporting, SAM.gov verification, etc.). If this is correct, can the County confirm who falls under the “Beneficiaries” heading?

A21. Beneficiaries are the small businesses that will be assisted through this program. Beneficiary reporting will be required. Data may be captured at the time of application or through post award approach.

Q22. Are you leveraging any state data/resources for this program (or business verification)? If so, which ones? Will grant awards be limited to Georgia headquartered, licensed, small businesses?

A22. The awarded contractor will not be required to be a Georgia headquartered company, but must have a current business license, show proof of an active secretary of state filing, and be registered on SAM.gov.

mailto:info@majorvisionpromotions.com mailto:rdsa@wittobriens.com mailto:NFoster@wittobriens.com mailto:ty@soulcialbrand.com mailto:Katie.Dickerson@iparametrics.com mailto:stubman@guidehouse.com mailto:mc@strategicpace.com mailto:epeek@peekllc.com mailto:boldlybeautifulexpo@gmail.com mailto:cheryl@cyberneticglobal.com

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For program beneficiaries, they must be a business operating in Gwinnett County and it will be the responsibility of the contractor to ensure that they receive documentation of local business license (County or City), Georgia Secretary of State filings (if applicable), and SAM.gov registration. All program beneficiaries will be required to be registered with SAM.gov to receive assistance through this program.

Q23. How many applications in total, do you anticipate?

A23. See A2.

Q24. Service Provider and SubService Provider are defined in the RFP however Contractor /Consultant and SubContractor are referenced, as well. Will the COUNTY please confirm that these terms mean the same and are used interchangeably.

A24. Contractor/Consultant and SubContractor terms within the solicitation mean the same and are used interchangeably as Service Provider and SubService Provider.

Q25. This RFP is for Consulting Services please clarify the purpose of the provision on page 26, VI.

TESTING AND INSPECTION?

A25. This section is part of the GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSERS, TERMS AND

CONDITIONS, that is included in all proposal documents. That section does not apply directly to this solicitation.

Q26. This RFP is for Consulting Services please clarify the purpose of the provision on page 26, VII.

F.O.B. Point?

A26. This section is part of the GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSERS, TERMS AND

Q27. Will the County please clarify how the provision on page 27, X. Discounts, applies to requested services?

A27. This section is part of the GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSERS, TERMS AND

Q28. The INDEMNITY Clause, page 32, XXXI. Indemnification, differs from the others, is this the intent of the COUNTY? If so, please explain purpose of engineer.

A28. The INDEMNITY Clause, page 32, XXXI. Indemnification, is part of the GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

FOR PROPOSERS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS, that is included in all proposal documents and does not apply directly to this proposal. The clause in the sample contract will apply.

Q29. Will the County accept previously completed/submitted forms from our company? This information was provided to another buyer.

A29. Forms previously submitted for another solicitation will not be taken into consideration as part of this proposal. All forms and/or requested information should be submitted again, per the requirements/specifications in RP038-22.

Q30. Is the County seeking a software solution as a part of this scope of services?

A30. No.

Q31. For security purposes, our IT Security Policy does not allow the use of external media (i.e., flash drives). Would the County consider allowing us to submit the electronic version via email instead of a flash drive?

A31. Gwinnett County does not accept electronic submittals for formal solicitations. If you are unable to submit a flash drive, please submit a duplicate unbound copy of your proposal, marked

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“electronic version”, one-sided, on regular size printer paper, with no tabs, so that it can be easily scanned in. Make sure not to include any cost with this copy.

Q32. Is it the County’s direction that the Small Business Grant Program awardees to be beneficiaries or subrecipients?

A32. See A3.

Q33. Will you provide the list of attendees from the pre-proposal meeting?

A33. See A16.

Q34. Where will the application be housed on the contractor’s website or the county website? A34.

The contractor’s website.

Q35. Will there be a separate website for the grant program through the county that the contract will have access to manage and pull information from or will we be responsible for creating the website?

A35. The County will have a promotional website, but the contractor must post the application.

Q36. What is the expected timeline of fund disbursement once the applications are approved?

A36. The County will transfer the grant total fund to the contractor and the contractor will disburse to grant recipients immediately. Except those applicants who apply under the future need scenario will receive their grants once they submit paid invoices and revenue documentation.

The Contractor is disbursing funds and the expectation is that funds are disbursed within 15 days of the application being approved.

No less than 80% of the awarded CDBG-CV funds must be expended by October 31, 2023. Our expectation is that all grant funds will be disbursed by December 31, 2023.

Q37. Does the county have a department that contractors can work with to develop marketing materials to ensure that it meets county standards?

A37. Yes. Mark Farmer in the Office of Economic Development. He will bring in representatives from the county Communications Department to ensure compliance with county branding guidelines.

Q38. Will the contractor be responsible for providing reports of the awardees' usage of funds throughout the duration of their awarded grant or will they report directly to the county?

A38. The contractor will be responsible for reporting on the usage of funds at regular intervals throughout the duration of the awarded grant. Templates for this reporting will be provided by the County. A majority of data/information will be requested at the time of application to determine eligibility.

Q39. Can applicants that have been previously denied for Federal funding reapply for this source of grant funding?

A39. If they meet the program’s eligibility requirements, then they are eligible to apply for funding.

Q40. If the county has a database of previous applicants from other grant application opportunities will the contract have access to that information?

A40. Yes, the County can provide the selected contractor with a list of small businesses that applied for previous small businesses assistance program.

Q41. Can applicants self-certify as Disadvantaged Business Enterprise?

A41. No. DBE is an official designation that can be verified with government agencies. However, applicants will be able to self-certify as a minority-owned business.

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Q42. Eligibility requirements - Is the expectation for the vendor to develop in partnership with the County the eligibility standards for the businesses? Or - Will the County develop those eligibility requirements prior to selecting a vendor?

A42. The County will expect the contractor to develop the program eligibility standards for small businesses to be assisted, while also adhering to requirements that at least 51% of beneficiaries are qualifying low- to moderate-income small businesses for the use of CDBG-CV funding.

Q43. Our company, is established in Fulton County. Being that we are not based in Gwinnett County, would we still be Eligible for this grant?

A43. Only small businesses registered in Gwinnett County are eligible for grant assistance. The firm selected to manage the Small Business Assistance Grant Program does not have to be based in Gwinnett.

Q44. Is the County willing to record the rescheduled conference on December 1 and make it available for those not able to attend?

A44. Please reach out to lindsey.gravitt@gwinnettcounty.com directly for the recording of the pre-proposal meeting.

Q45. Have you run any grant programs for small businesses in the past? If yes, what vendor(s) have you used to administer these programs?

A45. Yes, for the CARES Act funded SBAP the County contracted with WFN for the administration of grants and ACE for the administration of loans.

Q46. We understand the County seeks a cost proposal that includes a cost per transaction. Can you provide an example of a transaction? (per application, per grant award, etc.)

A46. A transaction means all work and activity required to service a grant for a small business, from application review through verification of all applicant requirements, reporting to the County or Federal government and then closing of the file.

Q47. Would the county be open to other cost proposal options and formats?

A47. No, vendors should use the provided cost proposal form when submitting.

Q48. Is this contract subject to Section 3 HUD requirements?

A48. Yes, any jobs created by the contractor for the purposes of administering this program would be subject to Section 3 HUD requirements.

Q49. Section I. Introduction on page 2 of the RFP states the County's goal is to publicize the program as soon as possible in Q3. Will the County expect the bidder to perform marketing and outreach activities as it pertains to this program?

A49. The county will advertise this program and is open to marketing/communication efforts proposed by the contractor.

Q50. Section II. Scope of Work on page 3 states "Award grant amounts based on a defined formula, to be determined through an underwriting process at the conclusion of the application period." Does the County have a rough estimate of the number of grants? Estimate on number of applications?

A50. No, but we had just over 1,700 grants awarded for the CARES Act grant program two years ago.

Q51. Will the County desire a mechanism for businesses to submit paper applications?

A51. No.

mailto:lindsey.gravitt@gwinnettcounty.com

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Q52. Will funds be disbursed to awardees by the City or by the vendor? If by the vendor, will the funds be released in tranches for the vendor's use, or will the vendor be invoicing the City for reimbursement following disbursement?

A52. Funds will be disbursed as one tranche after a contractor is selected. Regular reporting on program expenditures and beneficiaries will be required.

Q53. Can you confirm the total funding available for this program is $5,448,814? ($4.5M ARPA, $948,814 CDBG-CV)?

A53. The total funding available is updated to $5,948,814 ($5M ARPA, $948,814 CDBG-CV).

Q54. Do you have any caps or limits on the percentage of funds that can be used for administration?

A54. Up to 20% of awarded CDBG-CV funds and up to 10% of ARPA funds can be used for administration and program expenses.

Q55. Is there any software that the winning bidder is expected to use?

A55. Gwinnett County will not expect the vendor to use a specific software but does expect that small business applicants will be accessing a safe and secure portal where their information is being registered.

Q56. How long do you expect applications for small business assistance to be open to eligible applicants?

A56. No less than 30 days but no more than 60 days. However, the County reserves the right in its sole discretion to close the application period earlier.

Q57. Is the prime contractor required to be a nonprofit organization?

A57. No, it is not required that the contractor be a nonprofit organization.

Q58. Will the online application solution that Gwinnett County also be responsible for payment processing?

A58. Gwinnett County will disburse tranche payment to contractor only. Contractor will administer payments to beneficiary small business recipients.

Q59. Is technical assistance a required component or is the funding strictly for grants?

A59. See A4 and A5.

Q60. If technical assistance is a required component, is there a minimum or maximum ratio of grant funding to business coaching technical assistance?

A60. See A4 and A5. The provision of technical assistance is seen as an administrative expense.

Administrative costs are limited to up to 20% of CDBG-CV and 10% of ARPA funds.

Q61. What are our fiduciary responsibilities of disbursement? Will disbursements happen through our fiduciary accounts or Gwinnett County’s?

A61. Gwinnett County will disburse tranche payment to contractor only. Contractor will administer payments to beneficiary small business recipients.

Q62. Is there a minimum or maximum or ratio/amount that can be allocated to program management and oversight?

A62. The provision of program management and oversight is seen as an administrative expense.

Administrative costs are limited to up to 20% of CDBG-CV and 10% of ARPA funds.

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Q63. What’s the overall program funding breakdown (with funding coming from two sources)? Will the program funding be consolidated or separate? Will we have to report to two funding sources or one?

A63. The total funding available has been updated to $5,948,814 ($5M ARPA, $948,814 CDBG-CV).

The County will develop a reporting template for use by the contractor to provide beneficiary data updates. This template will allow for the reporting of overall program progress in addition to breaking out expenditures and beneficiaries served by funding source.

Q64. We wanted to confirm that the completion/submittal of the Section 3 forms within the RFP were not necessary for this proposal, since the project is not being funded using HUD dollars. Do you mind confirming that we do not need to complete these?

A64. The project is being funding with HUD and ARPA funds. The Section 3 requirement does apply.

This addendum should be acknowledged in the space provided on the firm information page and returned with your proposal. Failure to do so may result in your proposal being deemed non-responsive.

Thank you.

Lindsey Gravitt

Purchasing Associate II