ClarityConsultingPartnersBid.pdf

EXHIBIT A-1 – BIDDER’S CERTIFICATION - 01620 PAGE 1

EXHIBIT A-1 – BIDDER’S CERTIFICATION

Competitive Solicitation: No. 01620 – Business Consulting Services

Bidder: Clarity Consulting Partners, LLC

Bidder’s Address: 1223 Ham Hill Rd., Centralia, WA 98531

Bidder Organization Type:

Check appropriate box

Corporation: Domestic Foreign

Limited Liability Company (LLC): Domestic Foreign

Partnership: Domestic Foreign

Sole Proprietorship:

State of Formation: Washington State

Bidder, through the duly authorized undersigned, makes this certification as a required element of submitting a responsive bid. Bidder certifies, to the best of its knowledge and belief, that the following are true, complete, correct, and made in good faith:

1. UNDERSTANDING. Bidder certifies that Bidder has read, thoroughly examined, and fully understands all of the provisions in the Competitive Solicitation (including all exhibits) and the terms and conditions of the Master Contract and any amendments or clarifications to the Competitive Solicitation, and agrees to abide by the same.

2. ACCURACY. Bidder certifies that Bidder has carefully prepared and reviewed its bid and fully supports the accuracy of the same. Bidder further understands and acknowledges that Enterprise Services shall not be responsible for any errors or omission on the part of Bidder in preparing its bid. Bidder certifies that the facts declared here are true and accurate. Bidder further understands and acknowledges that the continuing compliance with these statements and all requirements of the Competitive Solicitation are conditions precedent to the award or continuation of the resulting Master Contract.

3. NO COLLUSION OR ANTI-COMPETITIVE PRACTICES. Bidder certifies that Bidder has not, either directly or indirectly, entered into any agreement, participated in any collusion, or otherwise taken any action in restraint of free competitive bidding in connection with this Competitive Solicitation.

Bidder certifies that Bidder’s bid prices have been arrived at independently, without engaging in collusion, bid rigging, or any other illegal activity, and without for the purpose of restricting competition any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other bidder or competitor relating to (a) those prices, (b) the intention to submit a bid, or (c) the methods or factors used to calculate the prices offered. Bidder certifies that Bidder has not been and will not knowingly disclose its bid prices, directly or indirectly, to any other bidder or competitor before award of a

EXHIBIT A-1 – BIDDER’S CERTIFICATION - 01620 PAGE 2

Master Contract, unless otherwise required by law. Bidder certifies that Bidder has made no attempt and shall not make any attempt to induce any other person or firm to submit or not to submit a bid for the purpose of restricting competition. Bidder, however, freely may join with other persons or organizations for the purpose of presenting a bid.

4. FIRM OFFER. Bidder certifies that its bid, attached hereto, is a firm offer which cannot be withdrawn for a period of ninety (90) days from and after the bid due date specified in the Competitive Solicitation. Enterprise Services may accept such bid, with or without further negotiation, at any time within such period. In the event of a protest, Bidder’s bid shall remain valid for such period or until the protest and any related court action is resolved, whichever is later.

5. CONFLICT OF INTEREST. Bidder certifies that, in preparing this bid, Bidder has not been assisted by any current or former employee of the State of Washington whose duties relate (or did relate) to this Competitive Solicitation, or prospective Master Contract, and who was assisting in other than his or her official, public capacity. Neither does such a person nor any member of his or her immediate family have any financial interest in the outcome of this bid.

6. NO REIMBURSEMENT. Bidder certifies that Bidder understands that the State of Washington will not reimburse Bidder for any costs incurred in the preparation of this bid. All bids become the property of the State of Washington, and Bidder claims no proprietary right to the ideas, writings, items, or samples unless so stated in the bid.

7. PERFORMANCE. Bidder certifies that Bidder understands that its submittal of a bid and execution of this Bidder’s Certification certifies bidder’s willingness to comply with the Master Contract, if awarded such. By submitting this bid, Bidder hereby offers to furnish the goods and/or services solicited pursuant to this Competitive Solicitation in compliance with all terms, conditions, and performance requirements contained in this Competitive Solicitation and the resulting Master Contract or, if applicable, as detailed on a Contract Issues List, if permitted, in this Competitive Solicitation.

8. INSURANCE. Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

BIDDER HAS REQUIRED INSURANCE. Bidder has attached a current, valid Certificate of

Insurance with each and all of the required insurance coverages as specified in the Master Contract (note: Bidder must attach the Insurance Certificate).

OR

BIDDER WILL OBTAIN REQUIRED INSURANCE. Bidder does not have a current, valid

Certificate of Insurance with each and all of the required insurance coverages as specified in the Master Contract but, if designated as the Apparent Successful Bidder, Bidder will provide such a Certificate of Insurance, without exception of any kind, to Enterprise Services within twenty-four (24) hours of such designation or notification by Enterprise Services or be deemed a nonresponsive bid.

OR

BIDDER DOES NOT HAVE REQUIRED INSURANCE. As detailed on the attached explanation

(Bidder to provide), Bidder does not have a current, valid Certificate of Insurance with each and all of the required insurance coverages as specified in the Master Contract and, if designated as the Apparent Successful Bidder would not be able to provide such a Certificate of Insurance to Enterprise Services within twenty-four (24) hours of such designation.

X

EXHIBIT A-1 – BIDDER’S CERTIFICATION - 01620 PAGE 3

9. DEBARMENT. Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

NO DEBARMENT. Bidder and/or its principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from contracting with any federal, state, or local governmental entity.

OR

DEBARRED. As detailed on the attached explanation (Bidder to provide), Bidder and/or its principals presently are debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from contracting with a federal, state, or local governmental entity.

10. CRIMINAL OFFENSE. Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

NO CRIMINAL OFFENSE. Bidder has not, within the three (3) year period preceding the date of this Competitive Solicitation, been convicted or had a civil judgment rendered against Bidder for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a governmental contract;

violation of any federal or state antitrust statute; or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property. Bidder further certifies that it is not presently indicted or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in this paragraph.

OR

CRIMINAL OFFENSE. As detailed on the attached explanation (Bidder to provide), within the three (3) year period preceding the date of this Competitive Solicitation, Bidder has been convicted or had a civil judgment rendered against Bidder for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a governmental contract; violation of any federal or state antitrust statute; or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property.

11. WAGE THEFT PREVENTION. Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

NO WAGE VIOLATIONS. Bidder has NOT been determined by a final and binding citation and notice of assessment issued by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries or through a civil judgment entered by a court of limited or general jurisdiction to have willfully violated, as defined in RCW 49.48.082, any provision of RCW chapters 49.46, 49.48, or 49.52 within three (3) years prior to the date of the above-referenced Competitive Solicitation date.

OR

VIOLATIONS OF WAGE LAWS. Bidder has been determined by a final and binding citation and notice of assessment issued by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries or through a civil judgment entered by a court of limited or general jurisdiction to have willfully violated, as defined in RCW 49.48.082, a provision of RCW chapters 49.46, 49.48, or 49.52 within three (3) years prior to the date of the above-referenced Competitive Solicitation date.

12. PAY EQUALITY. Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

PAY EQUALITY FOR SIMILARLY EMPLOYED WORKERS. Bidder’s similarly employed individuals

X

X

X

X http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.48.082 http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.46 http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.48 http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.52 http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.48.082 http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.46 http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.48 http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.52

EXHIBIT A-1 – BIDDER’S CERTIFICATION - 01620 PAGE 4

are compensated as equals. For purposes of this provision, employees are similarly employed if the individuals work for the same employer, the performance of the job requires comparable skill, effort, and responsibility, and the jobs are performed under similar working conditions. Job titles alone are not determinative of whether employees are similarly employed. Bidder may allow differentials in compensation for its workers based in good faith on any of the following: a seniority system; a merit system; a system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production;

a bona fide job-related factor or factors; or a bona fide regional difference in compensation levels. A bona fide job-related factor or factors may include, but not be limited to, education, training, or experience that is: consistent with business necessity; not based on or derived from a gender-based differential; and accounts for the entire differential. A bona fide regional difference in compensation level must be consistent with business necessity; not based on or derived from a gender-based differential; and account for the entire differential.

OR

NO PAY EQUALITY FOR SIMILARLY EMPLOYED WORKERS. Bidder’s similarly employed individuals are NOT compensated as equals.

13. WORKERS’ RIGHTS (EXECUTIVE ORDER 18-03). Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

NO MANDATORY INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION CLAUSES AND CLASS OR COLLECTIVE ACTION WAIVERS

FOR EMPLOYEES. Bidder does NOT require its employees, as a condition of employment, to sign or agree to mandatory individual arbitration clauses or class or collective action waivers.

OR

MANDATORY INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION CLAUSES AND CLASS OR COLLECTIVE ACTION WAIVERS FOR

EMPLOYEES. Bidder requires its employees, as a condition of employment, to sign or agree to mandatory individual arbitration clauses or class or collective action waivers.

14. TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT OR CAUSE. Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

NO TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT OR CAUSE. Bidder has not, within the three (3) year period preceding the date of this Competitive Solicitation, had one (1) or more federal, state, or local governmental contracts terminated for cause or default.

OR

TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT OR CAUSE. As detailed on the attached explanation (Bidder to provide), within the three (3) year period preceding the date of this Competitive Solicitation, Bidder has had one (1) or more federal, state, or local governmental contracts terminated for cause or default.

15. TAXES. Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

TAXES PAID. Except as validly contested, Bidder is not delinquent and has paid or has arranged for payment of all taxes due to the State of Washington and has filed all required returns and reports as applicable.

OR

DELINQUENT TAXES. As detailed on the attached explanation (Bidder to provide), Bidder has not paid or arranged for payment of all taxes due to the State of

X

EXHIBIT A-1 – BIDDER’S CERTIFICATION - 01620 PAGE 5

Washington and/or has not timely filed all required returns and reports as applicable.

16. LAWFUL REGISTRATION. Bidder, if conducting business other than as a sole proprietorship (e.g., Bidder is a corporation, limited liability company, partnership) certifies as follows (must check one):

CURRENT LAWFUL REGISTRATION. Bidder is in good standing in the State of Washington and the jurisdiction where Bidder is organized, including having timely filed all required annual reports.

OR

DELINQUENT REGISTRATION. As detailed on the attached explanation (Bidder to provide), Bidder currently is not in good standing in the State of Washington and/or the jurisdiction where Bidder is organized.

17. SUBCONTRACTORS. Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

NO SUBCONTRACTORS. If awarded a Master Contract, Bidder will not utilize subcontractors to provide the goods and/or services subject to this Competitive Solicitation.

OR

SUBCONTRACTORS. As detailed on the attached explanation (Bidder to provide), If awarded a Master Contract, Bidder will utilize subcontractors to provide the goods and/or services subject to this Competitive Solicitation. In such event, Bidder certifies that, as to the State, Bidder shall retain responsibility for its subcontractors, including, without limitation, liability for any subcontractor’s acts or omissions.

Note: Bidder must provide the precise legal name (including state of organization), business address, and federal tax identification number (TIN) for each subcontractor.

Note: If the TIN is a SSN, provide only the last four (4) digits.

18. WASHINGTON SMALL BUSINESS. Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

WASHINGTON SMALL BUSINESS. Bidder is a Washington Small Business as defined in

RCW 39.26.010. To qualify as a Washington Small Business, bidder must meet two

(3) requirements:

1. Bidder’s principal office/place of business must be located in and identified as being in the State of Washington. A principal office or principal place of business is a firm’s headquarters where business decisions are made and the location for the firm’s books and records as well as the firm’s senior management personnel.

2. Bidder must be owned and operated independently from all other businesses and have either: (a) fifty (50) or fewer employees; or (b) gross revenue of less than seven million dollars ($7,000,000) annually as reported on its federal income tax return or its return filed with the Washington State Department of Revenue over the previous three consecutive years).

3. Bidder must have certified its small business status in WEBS.

OR

NOT WASHINGTON SMALL BUSINESS. Bidder is not a Washington Small Business as defined in RCW 39.26.010.

X

X http://www.des.wa.gov/services/ContractingPurchasing/Business/Pages/WEBSRegistration.aspx

EXHIBIT A-1 – BIDDER’S CERTIFICATION - 01620 PAGE 6

19. VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS. Bidder certifies as follows (must check one):

VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS. Bidder is a certified Veteran-Owned business under

RCW 43.60A.190 and is identified as such on WEBS (which is confirmed by the Washington Department of Veterans’ Affairs).

OR

NOT VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS. Bidder is not a certified Veteran-Owned business under

RCW 43.60A.190.

20. REFERENCES. Bidder certifies that the references provided to Enterprise Services have worked with Bidder and that such individuals and firms have full permission, without any additional requirement or release, to provide such references and information to Enterprise Services. Bidder hereby authorizes Enterprise Services (or its agent) to contact Bidder’s references and others who may have pertinent information regarding Bidder’s prior experience and ability to perform the Master Contract, if awarded. Bidder hereby authorizes such individuals and firms to provide such references and release to Enterprise Services information pertaining to the same.

Bidder further certifies that it shall provide immediate written notice to Enterprise Services if, at any time prior to a contract award, Bidder learns that any of its certifications set forth herein were erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances.

I hereby certify, under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington, that the certifications herein are true and correct and that I am duly authorized to make these certifications on behalf of the Bidder listed herein.

BIDDER NAME: CLARITY CONSULTING PARTNERS, LLC

Print Name of Bidder – Print full legal entity name of the firm submitting the Bid

By: Kelly S. Smith Johnston Signature of Bidder’s authorized person

Title: Owner Title of person signing certificate

Date: 1/23/2021

Kelly S. Smith Johnston Print Name of person making certifications for Bidder

Place: Centralia, WA Print city and state where signed

Return this Bidder’s Certification to Procurement Coordinator at:

DESContractsTeamCedar@des.wa.gov mailto:DESContractsTeamCedar@des.wa.gov

EXHIBIT A-2 – BIDDER’S PROFILE - 01620 PAGE 1

EXHIBIT A-2 – BIDDER’S PROFILE

Competitive Solicitation No.: 01620 – Business Consulting Services

Bidder: Clarity Consulting Partners, LLC

BIDDER INFORMATION

Legal name and address of Bidder:

Note: This must match information from Business License

Clarity Consulting Partners, LLC Business Name 1223 Ham Hill Rd.

Address Centralia, WA 98531 City, State, Zip Code

Washington State Department of Revenue Registration Number:

Note: This is the Unified Business Identifier (UBI)

603-590-961

Federal Tax ID No. (TIN):

Note: If your TIN is a Social Security number, provide only the last four digits.

Is your firm certified as a minority or woman owned business with the Washington State Office of Minority & Women’s Business Enterprises

(OMWBE)?

Yes No Certification currently pending If yes, provide MWBE certification no.

Is your firm a self-certified Washington State small business?

Note: See definitions of ‘microbusiness,’ ‘minibusiness,’ and ‘small business,” set forth in

RCW 39.26.010.

Yes No

If yes, what is your business size?

Small Mini Micro

Is your firm certified as Veteran Owned with the Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs?

Yes No If yes, provide WSDVA certification no.

EXHIBIT A-2 – BIDDER’S PROFILE - 01620 PAGE 2

CONTRACT MANAGEMENT POINTS OF CONTACT

Authorized Representative Name: Kelly S. Smith Johnston Email: kelly@developingclarity.com Phone: 360-870-7947

Contract Administrator Name: Kelly S. Smith Johnston Email: kelly@developingclarity.com Phone: 360-870-7947

Sales Reporting Representative Name: Kelly S. Smith Johnston Email: kelly@developingclarity.com Phone: 360-870-7947

Sales Reporting Alternate Name: N/A Email :

Phone:

Management Fee Representative Name: Kelly S. Smith Johnston Email: kelly@developingclarity.com Phone: 360-870-7947

Management Fee Contact Alternate Name: N/A Email:

Phone:

Address for Enterprise Services to send management fee invoices:

Company name: Clarity Consulting Partners, LLC Attn: Kelly S Smith Johnston Address: 1223 Ham Hill Rd.

City/State/Zip: Centralia, WA 98531

ORDERING/SALES POINTS OF CONTACT (expand as necessary)

Name Phone Number E-mail Area of Responsibility

Kelly S. Smith Johnston 360-870-7947 kelly@developingclarity.com Management and Sales mailto:kelly@developingclarity.com

EXHIBIT A-2 – BIDDER’S PROFILE - 01620 PAGE 3

REFERENCES

Provide a minimum of two (2) commercial or government references for which bidder has delivered goods and/or services similar in scope as described in the Competitive Solicitation. Additional references may be required if Bidder intends to submit a bid for more than one category. See instructions in Exhibit C-1 – Bid Evaluation Criteria, Item No. 2 Experience.

Reference 1 – Organizational Development, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries Division Amy Scarton, WSDOT Deputy Secretary 206-571-5162 scartoa@wsdot.wa.gov

Reference 2 – Organizational Development, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Rosetta Stone/Cambium Learning Group, Inc.

Christine Chambers, VP of Financial Planning and Analysis 206-276-9382 – email preferred cchambers@rosettastone.com

Reference 1 – Change Management, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Washington State Health Care Authority Jody Costello, Administrative Services Director 360-725-1937 jody.costello@hca.wa.gov

Reference 2 – Change Management, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Washington State Employment Security Department Phil Castle, Director, Product, Planning and Performance 360.522.4029 PCastle@esd.wa.gov

Reference 1 – Management and Business Analysis, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board/Governor’s Office John Aultman, Executive Policy Advisor for Higher Education & Workforce Development; Office of Governor Jay Inslee 360.810.0118 john.aultman@gov.wa.gov

Reference 2 – Management and Business Analysis, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Port of Centralia Kyle Heaton, Executive Director 360-880-4664 heaton@portofcentralia.com mailto:PCastle@esd.wa.gov mailto:john.aultman@gov.wa.gov

EXHIBIT A-2 – BIDDER’S PROFILE - 01620 PAGE 4

PURCHASE CARDS (I.E., CREDIT CARDS)

Please indicate which types of purchasing (credit) cards are accepted (note: any card fees must be included in the unit price of the bid):

Visa Master Card American Express Discover Other: Do not accept credit cards

Return this Bidder’s Profile to Procurement Coordinator at:

EXHIBIT A-3 – RESPONSIBLE BIDDER (COMPETENCIES) - 01620 PAGE 1

EXHIBIT A-3 - RESPONSIBLE BIDDER (COMPETENCIES)

Competitive Solicitation: No. 01620 – Business Consulting Services

Bidder, through the duly authorized undersigned, makes this certification as a required element of submitting a responsive bid. Bidder certifies, to the best of its knowledge and belief that the following are true, complete, correct, and made in good faith:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is important to Washington State must be present in the fabric of the work we do in all areas. For professional services, where outside entities are coming into and directing the work of our civil servants, it is essential that they align with these values. As a requirement for responsibility, your firm must attest to the state’s values and culture. This will become part of any resultant contract and Bidder will be required to meet or exceed the commitments listed herein.

ATTESTATION

☒ I and the named leader(s) below have read and understand the Washington State Enterprise Leadership Competencies and the Enterprise DEI Competencies for all employees posted by the DEI Committee of the Office of Financial Management, and titled “Enterprise DEI Competencies – All Employees – A pathway for success [PDF]”. The named leader(s) below have the authority to, and shall ensure, that Bidder, Bidder’s employees, and Bidder’s subcontractors will follow the base expectation for values and culture established by Washington State. As Washington State continues to listen to our state family, this leader will enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion within this organization. I will notify Enterprise Services within 30 days if these named leader(s) need to be changed.

Kelly S. Smith Johnston, Owner______________ _Kelly S. Smith Johnston 1/20/2021_____ Name, Title Signature Date

Name, Title Signature Date

Name, Title Signature Date https://des.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/documents/Training/LeadershipDevelopment/Leadership_Competencies.pdf?=420bb https://des.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/documents/Training/LeadershipDevelopment/Leadership_Competencies.pdf?=420bb https://ofm.wa.gov/state-human-resources/workforce-diversity-equity-and-inclusion/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-resources/dei-committee-documents https://ofm.wa.gov/state-human-resources/workforce-diversity-equity-and-inclusion/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-resources/dei-committee-documents

EXHIBIT A-3 – RESPONSIBLE BIDDER (COMPETENCIES) - 01620 PAGE 2

CERTIFICATION

Bidder further certifies that it shall provide immediate written notice to Enterprise Services if, at any time prior to a contract award, Bidder learns that any of its certifications set forth herein were erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances.

I hereby certify, under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington, that the certifications herein are true and correct and that I am duly authorized to make these certifications on behalf of the Bidder listed herein.

BIDDER NAME: CLARITY CONSULTING PARTNERS, LLC

Print Name of Bidder – Print full legal entity name of the firm submitting the Bid

By: _Kelly S. Smith Johnston____________ Signature of Bidder’s authorized person

Title: owner__________________________ Title of person signing certificate

Date: _1/20/2021

_Kelly S. Smith Johnston_______________ Print Name of person making certifications for Bidder

Place: Centralia, WA Print city and state where signed

Return this Bidder’s Certification to Procurement Coordinator at:

Bidder Name: Clarity Consulting Partners, LLC

EXHIBIT C - 2 – BIDDER RESPONSE SHEET / 01620-BUSINESS CONSULTING SERVICES

Categories that your company is bidding on (Mandatory, Not Scored)

Check the box(s) next to each category that your company is bidding on:

Organizational Development Change Management Management and Business Analysis

Bidder’s Organization (4 pages maximum) (150 points)

We are an organizational development consulting practice focused primarily on state and local governments.

Organization Overview

Our consulting practice is dedicated to serving and supporting public servants. Approximately 80% of our client portfolio is state and local governments. This is purposeful, as we are former public servants with a deep commitment to democracy. We understand the impact that government services have on the everyday lives of residents and want our knowledge and expertise to be used to strengthen government. We serve organizations ranging from very small (<50 employees) to agencies with 1,000s of employees and responsible for multi-billions of taxpayer dollars.

We do some work in the private sector and with non-profit organizations. We believe that by supplementing our government client portfolio with other sector representation, we can cross-pollinate the best of each sector, broaden our clients’ options and toolkits and strengthen our understanding of the context within which government operates.

We have been in business as an organization for 5 years, with a 75% increase in revenues over those 5 years. Our team members often have more than 20 years’ experience, so while the organization is young, it is staffed by seasoned professionals. We are a micro-business because our team wants to focus on delivering services vs. managing a team of consultants. We supplement our full-time team with a cadre of highly qualified consultants. This wider community includes a psychologist; two PhDs, one a professor working on racial justice; two ICF certified coaches; business leaders and technology experts.

This allows us to scale for large projects and bring the capability needed by the client.

Services Provided

Organizational Development

• Executive Coaching: We provide customized individual coaching that focuses on helping leaders effectively meet their business challenges. Coaching combines feedback with practical tools in a structured conversation for growth. Our topics cover the gamut of critical leadership skills, including leadership clarity and self-awareness, motivating teams, interpersonal skills, managing competing priorities, communication skills, decision-making (and decision-making bias) and delegation. Our executive coaching services are usually provided as an 8-session package with 360 assessments, direct supervisor check-ins and a written development plan. We also provide on-going coaching for clients who prefer monthly coaching sessions. Some sample titles of people we have coached include: Chief Executive Officer, VP Finance, Assistant Secretary, Deputy Director, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Communications Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Operations Manager, Senior Director, Operations Chief.

Sectors we have provided coaching include: Health and Human Services, Technology, Transportation, Regulation and Learning/Education.

• Concerning diversity, equity and inclusion: Issues of power and privilege are a critical concern in the work we do. In almost every project, there are power differentials that must be acknowledged and, at times, subverted, in order to create psychological safety and ensure thought diversity can be present. We understand that we must facilitate and lead in a way that provides for meaningful, safe contributions from all. We’re experienced in using a variety of “liberating structures” and other practices that disrupt normal power and privilege hierarchies in order to establish psychological safety and fully engage all participants. We assist clients in evaluating their own leadership and change efforts for adherence to state and agency-specific DEI values, goals and targets.

• Team Development Coaching: We provide customized team development coaching for teams at all levels in an organization. Often these engagements are data-driven, including both qualitative and quantitative data to determine the opportunities and challenges within the team. We use the Tuckman model for team development (forming – adjourning) when appropriate. We also utilize other common models, including the Google model that prioritizes psychological safety and the Lencioni model popularized in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. We provide a 5-session series to build the foundation for a team, specific team communication, conflict and decision-making tools and we are responsive to a team’s current state, whether it is under-performing, high-performing or dysfunctional. We offer executive and leadership team off-sites. These are generally 1-2 day events focused on developing the leadership team as well as organizational leadership. Senior leadership teams must regularly ensure they have alignment on the direction for the organization and are clear on the organization’s strategic priorities.

Many of our clients have our team design and facilitate these sessions on an annual or semi-annual basis in order to strengthen team alignment and organizational leadership.

• Coaching Workshops: We deliver workshops on multiple topics designed to build skills over a wide variety of situations. Workshops can include participants from a broad spectrum or be specific to a team, an organization or a project. Our workshops are delivered both live and virtually. Our team has a background in education, so our workshops are rooted in solid pedagogy, engage learners across learning styles and emphasize transference of new skills into the routine work where participants are expected to apply their learning. Workshops fall into these categories: Leadership Skills, Productivity, Interpersonal Skills, Effective Meetings and Design Thinking. We have over 20 workshops ranging in topics from Neuroscience and Change to Leading Laterally to Email Management. We also customize workshop offerings to meet specific client needs.

• Additional Organizational Development Consulting: In addition to the three broad categories above (from Exhibit B – Performance Requirements), we offer several additional organizational development services. These include consulting on organizational restructure, mergers, strategic planning, culture design and transformation design.

Change Management

• Change Management: We support organizational changes at every level, ranging from a team transitioning to a new leader to large-scale transformation design. We bring the expertise needed to guide people through systemic changes where they need to balance authority and influence. When the opportunity is complex, dynamic, and involves partners across an organization or system, we provide the consultation to help move out of traditional problem-solving approaches to lead truly transformational change. We partner with internal leaders through each step of the change process, from building awareness to anchoring the change, from classifications to culture. We deal with many different disciplines and bring a combination of tools and theories to designing change:

o Prosci Certification and methods for leading the people side of change o Systems Thinking Principles for finding the points of change with the greatest impact o Learning Experience Design to ensure we’re building lasting capability across the org.

o Appreciative Inquiry Approaches that emphasize and build on the strengths already embedded in the client’s organization o Liberating Structures to challenge and confront existing patterns of power and exclusion to ensure that all levels of the organization and partners of diverse backgrounds can participate in meaningful ways

While no two change efforts are alike, we have some common processes we use to manage the change. These align to the 16 principles listed in the performance requirements.

o Build the Coalition: we help identify the key people needed to lead the work o Map the System: understand the system the change effort is operating in. Identify key places of leverage within the system, knowing these often aren’t the obvious solutions.

o Prototype Rapidly: test and apply learning to create momentum o Identify Proxies for Impact: communicate the vision for change that enrolls people to join and identify ways to measure and assess outcomes o Build Capacity: for sustaining transformational, systemic change

• Strategic Planning: We design an actionable strategic plan that is easily communicated on one page. We start by building on what already exists – if vision, mission, values, goals are strong and current we’ll utilize those. When needed, we can build that foundation along with the plan.

We introduce a shared language for strategic planning so it can be easily cascaded throughout an organization. We help a team identify key goals and strategies that are responsive to the environment, conducting an environmental scan when needed. We ensure organizations have routines and processes in place to act, monitor, and adjust the plan.

• Process Improvement: We are skilled in applying lean principles, tools and practices as well as the scientific problem-solving methodology to optimize existing business processes. We identify quality measures to assess whether a process has improved on one of the three primary dimensions: effectiveness, efficiency (time/cost) and productivity.

Management and Business Analysis

We provide expert management and business analysis for clients needing to improve their organization’s business and operations at an executive level. We are often hired by the senior level of the organization to conduct a thorough analysis of a business need, opportunity or problem and make recommendations.

Skills we utilize for business analysis include: meaningful discovery actions involving surveys, interviews, artifact reviews, observation, researching best practices, benchmarking and other comparative data;

analysis, synthesis and reporting of the current state; mapping, charting and visual/graphical depictions of the information gathered to assist executives and stakeholders in understanding the current state and identifying future state; recommendations focused on meeting the business need that integrate best practices and future efforts.

We have completed business analysis projects that informed management on the operation of their organization, including process improvement of a workflow, organizational realignment to a new strategy or capability, organizational structure following layoffs or mergers. We have worked on analysis that has implications for policy on projects that assess permitting, claims processing, grant administration and redesign of customer contact programs that cross multiple state agencies. We provide project management, stakeholder analysis and mapping and project planning for a wide variety of project scopes.

Values and Approach

In all of our services, there are some common values and approaches that we bring. Our guiding principles are:

1. People want to do their best and be their best.

2. We are in service to your organization. Whether listening to confidential information, resolving tension between individuals, or sorting out the root causes of a situation, we will act in ways that benefit the organization as a whole.

3. The way we lead organizational change must adhere to the values of the organization.

4. We’re a high smarts/low ego organization. You will receive intelligent counsel from us, rooted in evidence-based practices, but without the ego that makes it more about us than you.

5. We strive to move from the “front of the room” to the “back of the room” in every engagement.

Organizations seek our support for an immediate need, and while we’re working to address that need, we are also building capability that equips your team to tackle similar problems on their own in the future.

6. Evidence-based practices and research informs our guidance to organizations.

And, we have some shared approaches: Our team members are steeped in systems thinking and systems leadership approaches. These skills and methods help us identify the full context within which the individual, team and organization is operating. It allows us to identify the points of change most likely to lead to the desired change that are often least obvious. Utilizing a systems approach in our work increases the likelihood that whatever change or outcome is desired will be sustainable.

Finally, as a company we work both in person and remotely. In 2020, we further developed our skills in leading virtually. We are able to recreate, and at times, strengthen the collaborative processes in a shared room using methods and tools within the virtual environment, including meeting platforms, synchronous document editing, shared collaboration tools and other methods and tools that build relationships, encourage participation and disrupt the common default of only using verbal engagement with one person speaking at a time. Several of our clients hired us to help them make a transition to working effectively in a virtual environment. As we move forward, we will continue to be leaders in using technology effectively to engage participants from wherever they participate.

Experience (4 pages for each category bid) (200 points)

Project 1 / Reference 1 - Organizational Development

Summary

Goals(s) Improve public image, employee morale, change culture, improve operations

Size of Company >1,000 employees

>$250M budget

Scope Executive team alignment/development, executive coaching, divisional team development, strategic planning

Length of time 5 years

Goal and Size of Company

Our company worked on a project that encompassed several OD-related services over a 5-year period.

The client is a large state agency with a customer-facing operation. At the time of our hire, the agency had a public reputation of waste and mis-management. The Governor appointed a new leader with a clear mandate to immediately improve the agency’s operation. Upon arrival, the leader simultaneously began to build her executive team and put an RFP out for organizational development support. We were hired to initially provide team development coaching for the newly composed executive team.

Scope

The first year of the engagement focused on building a cohesive, aligned, trusting executive team. We designed and facilitated a series of off-sites. These off-sites focused on building psychological safety, establishing solid, trusting relationships between team members, clarifying the team’s purpose in leading the organization, role clarification between team members as well as this team and other agency teams, establishing clear overall direction of the agency and a clear set of strategic priorities that aligned with key business partners outside of the agency as well.

Actions Taken

We used a proprietary model to establish the foundations for the team that focused on purpose, commitment and protocols for effective meetings, decision-making, navigating conflict and communicating effectively. We taught several interpersonal skills for improving team interaction and used assessments to increase self-awareness. We engaged the team in developing leadership skills for leading their own functions effectively. Team members prepared presentations for each other on the status of their own functional area of responsibility where they were expected to succinctly share challenges, opportunities and goals for their area of responsibility. We introduced a specific strategic planning theoretical framework to assist the team in integrating functional goals with overall enterprise level goals that also was responsive to the external environment. Embedded into each off-site was time to plan for internal and external communications regarding the team’s work so that the team practiced keeping their employees and stakeholders informed and aligned to the changes they were leading.

Over the first year, the team made significant strides. They established a set of guiding principles and held one another to those principles so they could act as a cohesive unit. They made inroads in countering the negative public reputation. They set strategic priorities with clear goals and established new work flows between their functional areas allowing for closer collaboration and problem-solving.

Unexpectedly, the leader had to leave for health reasons, and in year two the team welcomed a new leader. The team worked together to provide input in the selection process and requested an off-site to on-board the leader with the team.

We designed and facilitated two off-sites with the team in year two. Six months into the new leader’s tenure, we administered a team assessment survey to provide the team with a quantitative look at team health. Team members selected individual commitments to strengthen the team, and the team overall selected priority areas for team health. In addition to team maintenance, we introduced new skills and practices for agile leadership. The team worked in an increasingly disruptive and unpredictable environment and these skills gave the team new approaches for managing a rapidly changing context.

Years 3-5 we facilitated 1-2 off-sites annually for team maintenance. We continued to blend team relationships, leadership skills and organizational leadership into the off-site designs and agenda.

Parallel to the executive team development coaching, we also provided several wrap-around services to support the executive team’s goals and priorities. These included:

• A combined strategy execution and employee engagement initiative. We designed employee-led, executive sponsored cross-functional teams to design and lead execution of strategic priorities. These teams included individual contributors from across the organization that previously did not interact with one another and did not have visibility into the enterprise level project work. In this initiative, the teams created a project charter that was approved by the executive team. They received training in teamwork, communication and project planning and execution over the course of several months while they completed their project. This increased employee engagement in the strategic shifts the executive team identified.

• Divisional level team development coaching. We worked with several teams led by members of the executive team. The purpose of these sub-engagements was to strengthen these teams and address historical issues of conflict, workflow problems, role confusion and culture and morale.

• Executive coaching. We provided executive coaching to most members of the executive team.

These were 1:1 customized coaching engagements, usually lasting for 8 sessions over a 4-6 month period. Each executive had specific developmental goals. Some of those goals included things like managing competing priorities, building a strong leadership brand and philosophy, leveraging emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to productively interface with the legislature and other key stakeholders and understanding negative reinforcing patterns of behavior that plateau the leader and his/her ability to lead effectively.

• Coaching workshops. We provided many workshops for the entire management level of the organization on a variety of topics. We helped to design management meetings and provided skill-building workshops on specific topics. The management group historically had been taciturn, disengaged and reluctant to attend meetings. Over time, engagement and appreciation for the meetings have improved. One recent workshop had high participant engagement with vocal appreciation for the tools, and the agency leader later shared that some of the people being most appreciative were some who had historically been the most disengaged.

Results

The agency has seen significant improvement over the last five years. Some examples:

• Public reputation is now positive

• Governor support for major strategic initiatives

• Improved relations with legislators, regulatory bodies and other influential stakeholders

• Improved service delivery

• Leaders moving into roles of increased responsibility and visibility within the state system

• Increased diversity in leadership roles

The overall success of any organization is a combination of many factors. It isn’t possible or correct to point to a specific initiative, individual or effort to give credit for a turn-around. That is true in this case as well. The leaders and employees of this agency are collectively responsible for these improved outcomes. They have worked diligently for many years to make these changes and serve their state’s residents. The Executive Team members, however, would agree that the organizational development work of the past five years has been an important influence and made direct, value-added contributions to the agency’s success.

Project 2 / Reference 2 - Organizational Development

Goals(s) Position client for promotion to CFO position Size of Company >1,000 employees

>$180M revenue

Scope 8-session coaching package Length of time 6 months

Scope

Our company worked on a project for executive coaching. While this is a smaller, more narrowly scoped engagement, we are including it because it clearly demonstrates our effectiveness in working with executives to achieve specific outcomes. Many organizational development projects rest on the consultants’ abilities to effectively engage with and provide expert guidance to senior level leaders and executives, and we felt this example would communicate our ability to do so.

Goal and Size of Company

This coaching engagement was with the leader of Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) for a learning technology company with a market cap between $500M - $1B dollars. The leader initiated coaching because she wanted to proactively prepare to promote to a Chief Financial Office (CFO) role. The engagement was a standard 8-session engagement with two boss check-ins.

Actions Taken

As part of the engagement, we reviewed several previously administered assessments: DISC, MBTI, and a Manager Survey Feedback Report (representing direct reports). Candor, transparency and normalizing the coaching process were fundamental principles of this engagement, so we forewent the commonly used 360-assessment and engaged in direct interviews with peers and superiors. We conducted a series of structured interviews with members of the leadership team, and each person knew that their responses would be shared with the coachee. The focus of this part of the engagement was to identify strengths the coachee could amplify and explore whether the coachee had significant blind spots. A significant error many leadership development efforts make is focusing on weaknesses that need to be improved. In coaching, it is critical to identify any “table-stakes” failures – something the leader does so poorly that it is career-limiting. Outside of those, coaching produces far better results when the focus is on identifying strengths and working with the coachee to understand the value contribution of those strengths and where and how to leverage them effectively.

In this engagement, the coachee learned that she had unrecognized skills in shaping and guiding organizational culture, a less common talent for someone in finance. Her superiors wanted to increase her visibility in the company for that reason but wanted her to take the initiative. Additionally, she learned that her opinions were highly valued and that members of the leadership team wanted her to be more assertive with them. Finally, there was an expressed desire for her to strengthen her team leadership which would benefit her team members and also free the coachee up for higher level activities and more externally-facing communication.

The coaching sessions focused primarily on behavioral and leadership coaching. We utilized narrative coaching techniques to unlock learning from routine interactions and decisions. We explored historical patterns of behavior and how they might help and hinder her current and future career aspirations. We identified key inflection points for practicing new or changed behaviors. We also worked through specific, practical skills that could immediately boost productivity and effectiveness.

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