Dane_County_Board_of_Supervisors_Strategic_Community_Engagement_(Addendum_#2_Revision).pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

2024-RFP-021-PR

DANE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

County of Dane

City-County Building, Room 425, 53703

Madison, WI 53703

RELEASE DATE: January 3, 2024

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: January 29, 2024

RESPONSE DEADLINE: February 15, 2024, 2:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane

County of Dane

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Dane County Board of Supervisors Strategic Community Engagement

I. Introduction II. RFP Guidelines and Overview

III. Contract Term IV. Project Overview & Scope of Work V. RFP Response Requirements & Evaluation Criteria

VI. Pricing Proposal VII. Vendor Questionnaire

VIII. Standard Terms and Conditions

Request For Proposal #2024-RFP-021-PR Title: Dane County Board of Supervisors Strategic Community Engagement

1. Introduction

1.1. Summary

The purpose of this document is to provide interested parties with information to enable them to prepare and submit a proposal for a strategic community engagement process for the Dane County

Board of Supervisors, to include focus groups with residents throughout the COUNTY, regarding policy concerns and priorities.

The Dane County Purchasing Division is the sole point of contact for questions and issues that may arise during the RFP process.

1.2. Background

The Board of Supervisors is a 37-member elected legislative body for the County of Dane. Its officers, elected by the Board for 2-year terms, include a Chair, two vice-chairs, and two sergeants-at-arms. The County Board Chair has overall responsibility for coordinating the activities of the Board. In addition, day-to-day management of the Board’s activities is carried out through the Office of the

County Board, which has five professional staff and one support staff reporting to the Board Chair. Funding for contracted program review services has been appropriated to this office. The Board’s staff provide budget management, policy analysis, evaluation, public outreach, and legislative management and research services.

The County Board’s Executive Committee provides oversight for the Office of the

County Board and for contracted activities. The Executive Committee and the

County Board approved this initiative in the 2024 budget.

1.3. Contact Information

Megan Rogan

Purchasing Officer

Email: rogan.megan@countyofdane.com

Phone: (608) 283-1487

Department:

Board of Supervisors

1.4. Timeline

Release Project Date January 3, 2024

Question Submission Deadline January 29, 2024, 2:00pm mailto:rogan.megan@countyofdane.com tel:(608)283-1487

Question Response Deadline February 1, 2024, 2:00pm

Proposal Submission Deadline February 15, 2024, 2:00pm

2. RFP Guidelines and Overview

2.1. GENERAL SOLICITATION PROCESS

1. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

A. The County will provide reasonable accommodations, including the provision of informational material in an alternative format, for qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. If you need accommodations at a vendor conference or site visit, contact the Purchasing Officer listed or call WI Relay 711 for TDD Services.

2. VENDOR REGISTRATION

A. Interested vendors are required to register at the County's eProcurement Portal. Registration is free and will ensure that you receive notifications of solicitations that match your profile and category codes as well as providing the County with up-to-date company contact information.

B. Once registered, please double check to make sure your vendor information including commodity codes is up-to-date by signing into your account at the County's eProcurement

Portal.

3. CALENDAR OF EVENTS

A. Specific and estimated dates and times of actions related to this solicitation are listed in the timeline in the Introduction Section. The actions with specific dates must be completed as indicated unless otherwise changed by the County. In the event that the County finds it necessary to change any of the specific dates and times in the calendar of events listed below, it will do so by issuing an addendum to this RFP and posting such addendum on the Dane

County eProcurement Portal.

4. CLARIFICATION OF THE SPECIFICATIONS / QUESTIONS

A. All inquiries concerning this solicitation must be submitted via the County's eProcurement

Portal.

B. Questions must be submitted before 2:00 pm on Monday, January 29, 2024.

1. Requests submitted after that time frame will not be considered.

C. Proposers are expected to raise any questions, exceptions, or additions they have concerning the solicitation at this point in the process. If a proposer discovers any significant ambiguity, error, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other deficiency in this solicitation, the proposer should immediately notify the contact person of such error and request modification or clarification to the solicitation document.

D. Proposers are prohibited from communicating directly with any employee of Dane County, except as described herein. No County employee or representative other than those individuals https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane listed as County contacts on this solicitation is authorized to provide any information or respond to any question or inquiry concerning this solicitation.

5. ADDENDA & REVISIONS

A. In the event that it becomes necessary to provide additional clarifying data or information, or to revise any part of this bid, addenda and/or supplements will be posted via the

County's eProcurement Portal. Bidders are responsible to regularly monitor the web site for any such postings. It is recommended to check the eProcurement Portal for addenda prior to submitting a proposal. Bidders must acknowledge the receipt/review of any addenda via the eProcurement Portal.

B. The Purchasing Division has the sole authority for modifications to specifications and/or the solicitation document.

6. INSPECTION OF PREMISES/VENDOR SITE VISIT - when applicable

A. When applicable, bidder’s may inspect site(s) prior to submitting bids to determine all requirements associated with the project by contacting Megan Rogan. Failure to do so will in no way relieve the successful bidder from the necessity of providing, without additional cost to the

County, all necessary services that may be required to carry out the intent of the resulting contract.

2.2. BID / PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Dane County strongly encourages all vendors to submit proposals well in advance of the solicitation deadline. By doing so, if there are any technical difficulties, there is time to attempt to resolve the situation before the deadline. Late bids will not be accepted.

If there are technical difficulties while trying to submit, first, contact OpenGov Support by clicking into the small blue circle on the bottom, right side of your screen while logged into the OpenGov system.

1. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

A. Dane County reserves the right to accept any part of this bid deemed to be in the best interest of the County. The County also retains the right to accept or reject any or all bids.

B. Proposals must be submitted via the County's eProcurement Portal before 2:00 pm on Thursday, February 15, 2024. Late, faxed, mailed, hand-delivered, or incomplete proposals will be rejected unless otherwise specified. Dane County is not liable for any cost incurred by proposers in replying to this solicitation.

C. To Submit a Proposal:

1. Register at the County's eProcurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane

2. Click on the green "+Subscribe" button on the left side of the screen and proceed to create an account or sign in if an account already exists.

3. Once registered, click on the "draft" button to draft your proposal.

4. Provide company information

5. Complete the entire Vendor Questionnaire

6. Where indicated, upload the required documents.

7. The file upload status can be seen for each document uploaded.

8. Confirm all files have been uploaded

9. Review your work and click on "submit" proposal

10. Acknowledge any addenda

2. MULTIPLE PROPOSALS & ACCEPTANCE

A. Multiple proposals from a vendor will be permissible; however, the proposer must create separate accounts with separate log-in sequences, emails, and passwords on the

County’s eProcurement Portal. Each such proposal must be submitted separately and labeled as

Proposal #1, Proposal #2, etc.

B. Please message procurementsupport@opengov.com with any questions regarding set up.

3. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ON SUBMITTING COST PROPOSALS

A. The Cost Proposal section of this solicitation will either be incorporated into the system as a

Pricing Table or as a separate Cost Proposal Attachment that must be downloaded, completed, saved, and uploaded to the Vendor Questionnaire section.

B. On occasion, certain Dane County Highway RFPs may not include a Cost Proposal element to the solicitation.

C. Price(s) quoted shall include all labor, materials, equipment, shipping and other costs and conditions outlined within the bid. Pricing shall remain fixed.

4. RIGHT TO REJECT PROPOSALS & NEGOTIATE CONTRACT TERMS

A. The County reserves the right to accept any part of a submission deemed to be in the best interest of the County and to reject any and all proposals and to negotiate the terms of the contract, including the award amount, with the selected proposer prior to entering into a contract. If contract negotiations cannot be concluded successfully with the highest scoring proposer, the County may negotiate a contract with the next highest scoring proposer.

mailto:procurementsupport@opengov.com

2.3. VENDOR QUESTIONNAIRE DEFINITIONS

1. LOCAL VENDOR PURCHASING PREFERENCE - applicable to RFBs - DOES NOT APPLY TO PUBLIC WORKS

BIDS

A. Under Dane County Ordinance 25.08(11)(c-e), a Locally Based and Owned Vendor, Locally

Operated Vendor, or Non-Locally Operated Vendor may be invited to match the low bid if the low bid is offered by a vendor that is not identified as a Locally Based and Owned Vendor, Locally Operated Vendor, or Non-Locally Operated Vendor according to Dane County Ordinance requirements. Local Vendor Preferences do not apply to bids for sand, gravel, salt, asphalt and concrete.

Locally Based and Owned Vendors:

1. When bids are reviewed, the County will determine if a Locally Based and Owned Vendor responding to the bid is the low bidder. If a Locally Based and Owned Vendor is the low bidder, they will be awarded the bid.

2. If a Locally Based and Owned Vendor is not the low bidder but is within 15% of the low bid, the

County will contact the Locally Based and Owned Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

3. If no Locally Based and Owned Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Locally Based and Owned Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will determine if a Locally

Operated Vendor has responded to the bid.

Locally Operated Vendors:

4. If a Locally Operated Vendor is within 10% of the low bid, the County will contact the Locally

Operated Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

5. If no Locally Operated Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Locally Operated

Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will determine if a Non-Locally Operated

Vendor has responded to the bid.

Non-Locally Operated Vendors:

6. If a Non-Locally Operated Vendor is within 5% of the low bid, the County will contact the Non-

Locally Operated Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

7. If no Non-Locally Operated Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Non-Locally

Operated Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will award the bid to the low bidder without regard to the location of the vendor.

2. LOCAL VENDOR PURCHASING PREFERENCE - applicable to RFPs - DOES NOT APPLY TO PUBLIC WORKS

BIDS

A. Under County ordinances, a Local Vendor is defined as a supplier or provider of equipment, materials, supplies or services that has an established place of business within the County of

Dane. An established place of business means a physical office, plant or other facility. A post office box address does not qualify a vendor as a Local Vendor.

1. County ordinance provides that a local vendor (within Dane County) automatically receive five points toward the evaluation score.

2. County ordinance provides that vendors located within the counties adjacent to Dane County

(Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, Sauk) automatically receive two points toward the evaluation score.

3. LOCAL CONTENT VENDOR PREFERENCE - generally only applicable to RFBs - DOES NOT APPLY TO

PUBLIC WORKS BIDS

A. Under Dane County Ordinance 25.08(4)(f-j), bidders offering goods made in Dane County, its surrounding counties, or the State of Wisconsin receive a price preference on sealed bid solicitations. Bids are first evaluated to determine if any bidders are offering products that qualify as Dane County-Made Goods, Regionally-Made Goods, or Wisconsin-Made Goods. Local

Vendor Preferences do not apply to bids for sand, gravel, salt, asphalt and concrete.

B. A bidder offering Dane County-Made Goods will be considered the successful bidder if their price is up to 15% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Dane County-Made Goods. If no vendors meet this criteria, then the County will determine if any bidder is offering Regionally-

Made Goods. If so, then such a bidder will be considered successful if their price is up to 12.5% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Regionally-Made Goods. If no vendors meet this criteria, then the County will determine if any bidder is offering Wisconsin-Made Goods. If so, that bidder will be considered successful if their price is up to 10% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Wisconsin-Made Goods. If no vendors are offering Dane County-Made, Regionally-Made, or Wisconsin-Made Goods, then the County will evaluate the low bid without regard to the content of the goods.

4. FAIR LABOR PRACTICES CERTIFICATION

A. Dane County Ord. 25.09 (1) is as follows:

1. (28) BIDDER RESPONSIBILITY. (a) Any bid, application or proposal for any contract with the county, including public works contracts regulated under chapter 40, shall include a certification indicating whether the bidder has been found by the National Labor Relations

Board (NLRB) or the Wisconsin Employment Relations Committee (WERC) to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations within the last seven years.

The purchasing manager shall investigate any such finding and make a recommendation to the committee, which shall determine whether the conduct resulting in the finding affects the bidder’s responsibility to perform the contract.

B. If a company indicates that they have been found by the NLRB or WERC to have such a violation in the Vendor Questionnaire section, a copy of any relevant information regarding such violation with is required to be uploaded with the bid submission.

C. Additional information about the NLRB and WERC can be found using the following links:

www.nlrb.gov and http://werc.wi.gov.

5. COOPERATIVE PURCHASING

https://www.nlrb.gov/ http://werc.wi.gov/

A. Participating in cooperative purchasing gives vendors the opportunity for additional sales without additional bidding. Municipalities and state agencies use cooperative purchasing to expedite purchases. A “municipality” is defined as any county, city, village, town, school district, board of school directors, sewer district, drainage district, vocational, technical and adult education district, or any other public body having authority to award public contracts (s.

16.70(8), Wis. Stats.). Federally recognized Indian tribes and bands in this state may participate in cooperative purchasing with the state or any municipality under ss. 66.0301(1) and (20, Wis.

Stats.

B. In the Vendor Questionnaire section, you will have the opportunity to participate in allowing municipalities and state agencies to piggyback this bid. Participation is not mandatory. A vendor’s decision on participating in this service has no effect on awarding the bid.

C. Dane County is not a party to these purchases or any dispute arising from these purchases and is not liable for delivery or payment of any of these purchases.

6. DESIGNATION OF CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETY INFORMATION - generally only applicable to RFPs

A. All restrictions on the use of data contained within a proposal and all confidential information must be clearly stated on the Vendor Information Attachment under the “Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information” section.

B. Proprietary information submitted in a proposal, or in response to the RFP, will be handled in accordance with the applicable Wisconsin State Statute(s).

C. Submitted pricing will always become public information when proposals are opened and therefore cannot be designated as confidential.

D. Other information cannot be kept confidential unless it is a trade secret. Trade secret is defined in Sect. 134(80)(1)(c) Wis. State Statutes, as follows: "Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method technique or process to which all of the following apply:

1. The information derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use.

2. The information is the subject of efforts to maintain its secrecy that are reasonable under the circumstances.

E. To the extent permitted by law, it is the intention of Dane County to withhold the contents of the proposal from public view until such times as competitive or bargaining reasons no longer require non-disclosure, in the opinion of Dane County. At that time, all proposals will be available for review in accordance with the Wisconsin Open Records Law.

F. In the event the Designation of Confidentiality of this information is challenged, is required to provide legal counsel or other necessary assistance to defend the Designation of Confidentiality.

G. Failure to designate confidential and proprietary information within the Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information section of the Vendor Information Attachment may mean that all information provided as part of the proposal response will be open to examination or copying. The County considers other markings of confidential in the proposal document to be insufficient. The undersigned agrees to hold the County harmless for any damages arising out of the release of any material unless they are specifically identified within the Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information section of the Vendor Information Attachment.

2.4. EVALUATION

1. PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

A. The proposals will first be reviewed to determine if all applicable requirements are met. Failure to meet mandatory requirements may result in the proposal being rejected. In the event that all vendors do not meet one or more of the mandatory requirements, the County reserves the right to continue the evaluation of the proposals and to select the proposal which most closely meets the requirements specified in the solicitation.

2. PROPOSAL SCORING - applicable to RFPs

A. Accepted proposals will be reviewed by an evaluation team and scored against the stated criteria in the evaluation section of the RFP posting. This scoring will determine the ranking of vendors based upon their written proposals. If the team determines that it is in the best interest of the County to require a Phase 2 Evaluation which may include oral presentations, the highest-ranking vendors will be invited to make such presentations. Those vendors that participate in the interview process will then be scored, and the final ranking will be made based upon those scores.RFP Cost Proposal's will be scored using a standard quantitative calculation where the most cost criteria points will be awarded to the proposal with the lowest cost.

3. ORAL PRESENTATIONS/INTERVIEW - applicable to RFPs

A. Top ranked selected proposers may be required to make oral interview presentations and/or site visits to supplement their proposals, if requested by the County. The County will make every reasonable attempt to schedule each presentation at a time and location that is agreeable to the proposer. Failure of a proposer to conduct a presentation to the County on the date scheduled may result in rejection of the vendor’s proposal.

2.5. AWARD

1. RFB AWARD

A. The County will award the bid to the most responsive and responsible bidder whose bid is most advantageous to the County. In determining the most advantageous bid, the County may consider criteria such as, but not limited to, cost, bidder’s past performance and/or service reputation, and service capability, quality of the bidder’s staff or services, customer satisfaction, references, the extent to which the bidder’s staff or services meet the County’s needs, bidder’s past relationship with the County, total long term cost to the County, fleet continuity and any other relevant criteria listed in this solicitation.

B. A resulting award and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any Subcontractor’s performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

2. RFP AWARD

A. An RFP award will typically be granted in one of two ways.

1. The award may be granted to the highest scoring responsive and responsible proposer.

2. Alternatively, the highest scoring proposer or proposers may be requested to submit final and best offers. If final and best offers are requested, they will be evaluated against the stated criteria, scored and ranked. The award will then be granted to the highest scoring proposer.

B. A resulting award and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any Subcontractor’s performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

3. PAYMENT TERMS AND INVOICING

A. Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing, Dane County will pay properly submitted vendor invoices within thirty (30) days of receipt of goods or services. Payment will not be made until goods or services are delivered, installed (if required), and accepted as specified. Invoices presented for payment shall be submitted to via email to the Department Invoice Email

Address shown on the Bill To section of the PO issued. The Dane County purchase order number must be noted on the submitted invoice.

B. Other incidental or standard industry charges not identified herein, are not allowed under this contract. Miscellaneous service charges used to help the Contractor pay various fluctuating current and future costs are not allowed. These charges include, but are not limited to, costs directly or indirectly related to the environment, energy issues, fuel charges, service and delivery of goods and services.

4. NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO AWARD

A. Upon finalizing the award, a notification email may be sent via the OpenGov system showing the awarded vendor(s).

B. As a courtesy, the County may send a Notice of Intent letter to responding vendors at the time of the award. - applicable to RFPs

C. Written notice of award to a vendor in the form of a purchase order or other document, mailed or emailed to the address shown on the bid will be considered sufficient notice of acceptance of bid.

5. CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE

A. The successful vendor is required to submit to Dane County a Certificate of Insurance prior to performing any work under this contract. The certificate is required prior to issuance of purchase order. See Section 22.0 Insurance Responsibility in the Standard Terms & Conditions.

B. Please contact your insurance representative to issue an Additional Insured Endorsement naming County of Dane, a municipal corporation, its boards, commissions, agencies, officers, employees and representatives listed as an ADDITIONAL INSURED on the General Liability policy.

C. Indicate mailing address as:

o County of Dane

Risk Management

City County Building Room 425

210 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.

Madison, WI 53703

D. Please inform your insurance representative that you have agreed to provide us with 30 Days written notice in the event of cancellation for any reason before the expiration date of your policy or policies.

E. Call 608-266-4965 with any questions.

6. PERMITS & LICENSES

A. The Contractor selected under this bid shall be required to obtain the necessary permits and licenses prior to performing any work under this contract. The Contractor will be required to demonstrate valid possession of appropriate required licenses and will keep them in effect for the term of this contract.

B. Contractor must be financially responsible for obtaining all required permits and licenses to comply with pertinent regulations, municipal, county, State of Wisconsin and Federal laws, and shall assume liability for all applicable taxes.

7. SATISFACTORY WORK

A. Any work found to be in any way defective or unsatisfactory shall be corrected by the

Contractor at its own expense at the order of the County. The County also reserves the right to contract out services not satisfactorily completed and to purchase substitute services elsewhere. The County reserves the right to charge the vendor with any or all costs incurred or retain/deduct the amount of such costs incurred from any monies due or which may become due under this contract.

8. GOVERNMENT STANDARDS

A. All materials, equipment, and supplies provided to the County must fully comply with all safety requirements as set forth by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and all applicable OSHA

Standards. Bidders shall comply with all local, state and federal regulations, directives and laws.

9. DANE COUNTY SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES

A. On October 18, 2012, the Dane County Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution 103, 2012-2013 establishing the following sustainability principles for the county:

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to fossil fuel dependence and to wasteful use of scarce metals and minerals;

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to dependence upon persistent chemicals and wasteful use of synthetic substances;

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to encroachment upon nature and harm to life-sustaining ecosystems (e.g., land, water, wildlife, forest, soil, ecosystems); and o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to conditions that undermine people’s ability to meet their basic human needs.

2.6. CONTRACTING

1. CONTRACT/PROJECT ADMINISTRATION

A. The County department(s) utilizing the service will be responsible for drafting, coordinating, monitoring and administering the resulting service contract/purchase order. The department shall be responsible for notifying the awarded vendor about contract renewals or extensions.

Any modifications or additions to the contract(s)/purchase order(s) shall be communicated by the department to the Purchasing Division.

2. CONTRACT ASSIGNMENT - SUBCONTRACTORS

A. A resulting contract and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any subcontractor's performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

3. CONTRACT ADDITIONS

A. The County reserves the right to add new items and locations at a price conforming to other like items on the contract. The procedure for such additions shall be as follows:

1. The County Purchasing Officer will contact the vendor requesting pricing for the item(s) to be added.

2. The vendor, within three working days, should respond in writing and include the bid number, contract period and the price for each item or service to be provided.

3. Upon receipt, the County shall issue a Change Order adding the service or product(s) to the

Contract or Purchase Order.

B. The County reserves the right to accept or reject prices and obtain bids on the open market for these add ons.

C. When applicable, Contractor may be required to sign a Dane County Contract.

4. CONTRACT TERMINATION

A. If for any reason the successful contractor fails to fulfill the requirements of the contract for providing the specified services, the County shall have the right to cancel the contract at any time and negotiate for the services with another contractor.

5. CONTRACT PAYMENT TERMS & INVOICING

A. Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing, Dane County will pay properly submitted vendor invoices within thirty (30) days of receipt of goods or services. Payment will not be made until goods or services are delivered, installed (if required), and accepted as specified. Invoices presented for payment shall be submitted to via email to the Department Invoice Email

Address shown on the Bill To section of the PO issued. The Dane County purchase order number must be noted on the submitted invoice.

B. Other incidental or standard industry charges not identified herein, are not allowed under this contract. Miscellaneous service charges used to help the Contractor pay various fluctuating current and future costs are not allowed. These charges include, but are not limited to, costs directly or indirectly related to the environment, energy issues, fuel charges, service and delivery of goods and services.

3. Contract Term

The contract shall be effective on the date indicated on the Dane County Purchase Order or the Dane

County Contract execution date.

Anticipated Contract Term: TBD

If applicable, any optional or renewal terms are not automatic extensions. Renewal terms must be agreed upon mutually by Dane County and Contractor.

4. Project Overview & Scope of Work

The following definitions and links are used throughout the RFP.

County: Dane County

County Agency: Department/Division utilizing the service or product.

Dane County Purchasing website: https://www.danepurchasing.com/

Proposer/Vendor/Firm/Contractor: a company submitting a proposal in response to this RFP.

4.1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The project has two components.

A. The Dane County Board of Supervisors is soliciting proposals from interested organizations and/or individuals to conduct a strategic community engagement process and model development for the Dane County Board of Supervisors. The project will engage residents using a racial and social equity lens to hear from residents regarding their concerns and priorities for Dane County government. The process should include focus groups held throughout the geographic area of Dane County, with additional focus groups provided for Spanish and Hmong speaking residents. Upon completion of the engagement process, a report to include process, themes, and priorities is to be provided.

B. An additional two focus groups shall be conducted in the Dane County Sheriff’s Office

West Precinct catchment area. The focus groups should focus exclusively on perceptions of the implementation of the body worn camera pilot project. The findings of these focus groups will be communicated via a separate oral and written report to the Public Protection & Judiciary Committee and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.

4.2. OBJECTIVES

The Dane County Board of Supervisors seeks to broaden the number of community members who are engaged in civic matters through this process regarding County Board policy initiatives. It is particularly important to the

County Board that the engagement process be inclusive, equitable, and diverse in terms of participant voices as well as outreach methods and engagement tools. To that end, the objective of contracting for these services is to provide a comprehensive community outreach and engagement process to:

A. Gain a better understanding of the needs, concerns, and ideas of the residents of Dane

County.

https://www.danepurchasing.com/

B. Establish partnerships with members of the community to continue communication beyond this project.

C. Develop a list of projects, initiatives, and ideas that have public support that will best meet the needs of Dane County residents.

D. For the body worn camera component of the project: Ascertain perceptions of the body worn camera pilot project to include community benefits and community concerns.

4.3. SCOPE OF SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED

This project will focus on collecting resident input to inform policy priorities to address the issues identified in Section 4.6.

The selected individual or organization will work effectively with COUNTY staff to identify community contacts to coordinate and facilitate focus groups.

The COUNTY personnel involved in the project will include: County Board Office staff, County Board Supervisors, County Board Chair, as well as organizations and members of the public representing a diversity of races, ethnicities, gender identities, and abilities. For the body worn camera component, key officials from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office will provide subject matter expertise and meetings will be coordinated by County Board staff.

The selected individual or organization will provide a report that addresses all issues identified in Section 4.6.

Services to be provided by the successful proposer will include:

Data collection and analysis; focus group design, planning, and facilitation;

review of reports, and other information as appropriate; periodic project status reports to the Office of the County Board; production of two final written reports

(broader project and targeted body worn camera components); and presentation of findings and recommendations to the Executive Committee of the County Board; the body worn camera pilot project report will be presented to the Public Protection and Judiciary Committee.

4.4. CURRENT OPERATIONS

County government provides services "from A to Z"—from the Airport to the

Zoo. The County Executive’s Office, 23 County departments, and 6 Elected

Constitutional Offices address the full range of community needs. The County is the governmental body responsible for many local services, from human services, to highway maintenance, to public safety and criminal justice.

Dane County government is committed to becoming a more racially equitable, socially just, and accessible institution in all areas, including: County infrastructure; County operations; County budgets, and policy and programs.

Over the course of the last several years, Dane County has taken a number of steps to advance racial and social equity, including creation of the Office for

Equity and Inclusion (OEI) and development of teams dedicated to making improvements in racial and social equity and access across the county government.

Approximately six years ago, the Dane County Board of Supervisors embarked on an initiative - “Engage Dane”- to make inclusive engagement foundational to

Dane County government. Additionally, over the past ten years, the Dane County

Board has prioritized equity as key to informed and responsible decision making.

The Engage Dane initiative aspires to pave a clear path forward between the community and county government providing robust and meaningful discussions and partnerships. When Engage Dane was launched, several community groups were asked how they interact, and how they would like to interact, with county government. This outreach informed the Engage Dane https://board.countyofdane.com/documents/pdf/EngageDaneDraftReport12-

26.pdf , as well as budget amendments to add a Policy Analyst position to the

County Board Office with a focus on outreach, increased funding for public engagement, and increased funding for translation and interpretation services.

In 2023, the County Board worked to reinvigorate the Engage Dane initiative following the pandemic, which drastically changed how people communicate. Targeted communications with youth organizations occurred in the summer of 2023. Additionally, the Board Office has a contract with POLCO https://info.polco.us/ , a survey instrument, and asked residents about communication with the County Board in late 2023.

This strategic community engagement process is intended to further advance outreach efforts between Dane County residents and the Dane County Board, specifically to inform policy initiatives of the County Board.

https://board.countyofdane.com/documents/pdf/EngageDaneDraftReport12-26.pdf https://board.countyofdane.com/documents/pdf/EngageDaneDraftReport12-26.pdf https://info.polco.us/

BODY WORN CAMERA PILOT PROJECT

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a one year pilot of body worn cameras in the West Precinct of the Sheriff’s Office. The pilot will include 32 cameras and equipment for deputies, sergeants, community deputies and contract deputies. The project is intended to increase accountability, transparency and strengthen relationships with the communities that the Dane County Sheriff’s Office serves.

4.5. PROJECT MILESTONES

The County expects the results of this engagement effort by July 2024.

The public input received from this engagement process will be used to inform policy initiatives of the Dane County Board of Supervisors.

The successful proposer will be able to commit to this timeline to deliver the project goals, address all specific issues outlined for the community engagement process in the Project Approach (Sec. 4.6), and produce satisfactory deliverables on time.

PHASE 1

April 2024

▪ Anticipated contract start date

▪ Project Kickoff meeting with Dane County project team to make introductions and align expectations for the project, including scope of work, anticipated deliverables, and timeline.

▪ Request all necessary existing preliminary information (reports, plans, etc.)

regarding the Dane County Board of Supervisors and the Engage Dane initiative, as well as information related to the body worn camera pilot.

▪ Design and plan focus group sessions.

• The Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the Public Protection and Judiciary

Committee will participate in developing the focus group questions specific to the sessions focused on the body worn camera pilot project.

• Any incentives and refreshments to encourage participation are the responsibility of the vendor and should be included in the budget.

• Work with the County Board staff and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office to identify potential constituent groups to include in focus groups.

• Develop a schedule for focus groups.

• Work with County Board staff and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office to secure public locations for the focus groups.

o Effort should be made to use accessible public facilities that provide a space at no cost. Include potential meeting room costs in the budget. Any costs will be the responsibility of the vendor.

PHASE 2

End of April – Beginning of June 2024

• Send focus group invitations to residents.

• Conduct focus groups and follow-up to ensure attendance.

• Make any follow-up requests to the County Board Office and/or the Dane County

Sheriff’s Office for additional necessary information.

Middle of June 2024

▪ Convene and facilitate a meeting of the Dane County project teams to brief the groups on the summary of resident input collected including common themes, issues, questions, and concerns identified.

PHASE 3

June 28, 2024

▪ Draft reports submitted to the County Board Office project manager as well as the Dane County Sheriff’s Office for review and additional input by Dane County staff project teams.

▪ Review of draft report and gathering of input on report will be facilitated by and conveyed to the consultant by the County Board Office project manager.

Week of July 8, 2024

• Edits to draft reports submitted to consultant from County Board Office project manager.

• Final edits completed by consultant and final report submitted to County Board Office project manager and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.

PHASE 4

July 18, 2024

• Public presentation by consultant of summary of findings and themes to public meeting of the Dane County Executive Committee.

July 2024

• Public presentation by consultant of summary of resident input to public meeting of the

Dane County Public Protection and Judiciary Committee.

4.6. PROJECT APPROACH

The Proposer’s approach to this project shall include the following elements:

A. Regular biweekly communications regarding project status with the Office of the County

Board, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the designated Dane County project team throughout the course of the project.

B. Review Engage Dane report and the summary of POLCO and focus group results from

2023.

C. Review the body worn camera pilot information.

D. Design, lead, and facilitate 12 focus groups throughout the geographical area of Dane

County, 10 of which should be held among the 37 County Board districts (grouping districts together as appropriate) with one session conducted with Spanish speaking community members and one session held with Hmong speaking community members.

E. Design, lead, and facilitate two focus groups to be conducted with the West Precinct catchment area with a focus on perceptions of the implementation of the body worn camera pilot.

F. Work with Dane County staff and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office to identify community contacts to conduct focus groups of 10 or more residents.

G. Work with Dane County staff to use online survey tools to gather additional community input. The survey tools will be provided by the Dane County Board Office.

H. Work closely with County Board Office staff to improve and enhance community communications, education, and information.

I. Independently analyze focus group results and determine themes and highest priority areas.

J. For component 1 (resident priorities and concerns), produce a draft and final report to include the methodology for the focus groups, questions asked, constituent group contacts, input given, analysis of focus groups, and top five priorities among residents.

K. For component 2 (body worn camera pilot project), produce a draft and final report to include the methodology for the focus groups, questions asked, constituent group contacts, and input given.

L. Present component 1 report findings to the Dane County Executive Committee.

M. Present component 2 report findings to the Dane County Public Protection and Judiciary

Committee.

N. Document the engagement process steps taken to allow for replication in future years to include suggested improvements.

While there are many people in the Dane County community who are actively engaged, there are some voices that are not regularly represented in public discourse. The contractor should develop a strategic community outreach proposal for this project that prioritizes and achieves diversity and equity, and incorporates the tasks listed above.

5. RFP Response Requirements & Evaluation Criteria

1. RFP Response - Proposers shall upload and submit their proposal response document(s) to Section 1 of the Vendor Questionnaire.

• The RFP Response shall be organized to comply with the section numbers and names as shown below. Each section heading shall be clearly marked.

o If applicable, the Local Vendor Preference section is answered within the Vendor

Questionnaire and doesn't need to be included in the RFP Response document.

• Cover Letter / Cover Page o Provide a Cover Letter or Cover page and at minimum should include:

▪ Contact Person for the RFP process

▪ RFP Title

▪ RFP #

▪ Name of Proposer

• Table of Contents may be included but is not required.

• Graphics may be included but are not required.

2. Cost Proposal Response

• Complete the Pricing Table if there is one located within the RFP Posting.

• If there is no Pricing Table within the RFP Posting:

o Download and complete the Pricing Section document from the Attachment Section of the

RFP Posting.

o Upload the completed Pricing Section document to Section 1 of the Vendor Questionnaire.

3. Document Formatting - The RFP Response and Cost Proposal (if applicable) documents must be saved in PDF format unless otherwise specified within the RFP document and the file name shall include the

RFP# and name of business submitting proposal.

• Example of how to name the files:

o RFP Response Document: "2023-RFP-025 – Vendor Name" o Cost Proposal Document (if no pricing table): "2023-RFP-025 – Vendor Name - Cost

Proposal"

4. Evaluation Criteria - each section includes the Point Value assigned to it for evaluation purposes.

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS

Provide a resume or

CV describing the educational and work experiences for all individuals who would be assigned to the project.

Points Based 15 (14.3% of Total)

2. STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS

The proposer shall include a narrative and examples to describe experience in each of the following areas:

A. Knowledge of and experience with best practices for qualitative data collection and analysis;

B. Knowledge and experience working with a diverse population of people and demonstrated cultural competence, including ability to gather data from non-English speakers;

C. Knowledge, experience, and success in community outreach planning and facilitation;

D. Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and operate within budget; and

E. Knowledge and experience working with a local unit of government.

Points Based 25 (23.8% of Total)

3. TIMELINE

5The County expects the results of this engagement effort by July 2024.

Please provide the proposed timeline for project completion that incorporates the required milestones that are provided in

Section 4.6 of the

Project Overview and Scope of Work

(including any

"blackout dates" where activities cannot be scheduled).

Regular communication of progress on the required milestones with the County

Board Office is expected; explain how this communication will occur.

Points Based 5 (4.8% of Total)

4. PROPOSED PROJECT APPROACH

Include a narrative explaining the proposer’s project approach. The proposer’s approach to this project should include the elements outlined in section 4.7 of the

Project Overview and Scope of Work.

Points Based 35 (33.3% of Total)

5. COST Points Based 20 (19% of Total)

6. LOCAL VENDOR PREFERENCE Points Based 5 (4.8% of Total)

6. Pricing Proposal

PROJECT COST PROPOSAL

The Project Milestones are defined in "PHASES" per section 4.7 of the Project Overview and Scope of

Services. Please provide proposed cost for completion of each Phase of the project.

Line Item Description Unit of Measure Unit Cost

1 PHASE 1 - Per Section 4.7 - To be Paid Upon Completion PHASE

2 PHASE 2 - Per Section 4.7 - To be Paid Upon Completion PHASE

3 PHASE 3 - Per Section 4.7 - To be Paid Upon Completion PHASE

4 PHASE 4 - Per Section 4.7 - To be Paid Upon Completion PHASE

7. Vendor Questionnaire

7.1. RFP DOCUMENT UPLOADS

7.1.1. RFP Response Document - Upload your Proposal*

Please DO NOT include Cost information in this section.

*Response required

7.1.2. RFP Response - Supplemental Document Upload

Upload any additional or required information documents that supplements this solicitation.

7.1.3. RFP Cost Proposal - Supplemental Document Upload

If applicable, upload any documents providing further clarification of the submitted pricing from the

Pricing Table. This is not required.

7.1.4. W9 Upload*

Upload your company's W9 form.

NOTE: The W9 is required to be signed within the past 12 months

*Response required

7.2. VENDOR INFORMATION

7.2.1. Local Vendor Preference *

Select a Local Vendor Preference:

Vendors located within Dane County automatically receive five points toward the evaluation score.

Vendors located within the counties adjacent to Dane County (Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, Sauk) automatically receive two points toward the evaluation score.

Vendors located outside of Dane County and the 7 counties adjacent to Dane County would choose "No

Preference".

NOTE: A post office box address does not qualify as an established place of business.

☐ No Preference

☐ Yes - Dane County

☐ Yes - Columbia County

☐ Yes - Dodge County

☐ Yes - Green County

☐ Yes - Jefferson County

☐ Yes - Iowa County

☐ Yes - Rock County

☐ Yes - Sauk County

*Response required

7.2.2. Fair Labor Practice Certification *

Has your company been found by the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") or the Wisconsin

Employment Relations Commission ("WERC") to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed?

If yesis answered, a copy of any relevant information regarding such violation is required to be uploaded with your bid submission.

Additional information about the NLRB and WERC can be found using the following links:

www.nlrb.gov and http://werc.wi.gov.

☐ No, our company has NOT been found by the NLRB or the WERC to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed.

☐ Yes, our company HAS been found by the NLRB or the WERC to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed.

*Response required

7.2.3. Cooperative Purchasing*

Reference Guidelines - Section F.

Does your company agree to furnish the commodities or services of this bid to municipalities and state agencies?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

7.2.4. Designation of Confidential and Proprietary Information* Please specify what information you wish to designate as confidential and proprietary.