Federal Policy & Grant Consultant Services.pdf

Request for Proposals for Federal Policy and Grant Consultant Services

Consultant Services Solicited by the Puget Sound Regional Council

Released: October 2, 2024

Submissions Due: November 1, 2024

Submit Proposals to:

Liana Lopez, Accountant, Puget Sound Regional Council 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 500

Seattle, Washington 98101 LLopez@psrc.org mailto:LLopez@psrc.org

RFP for Federal Policy and Grant Consultant Services Puget Sound Regional Council

Request for Proposals for Federal Policy and Grant Consultant Services

Submissions Due: 1:00 PM (PDT) Friday, November 1, 2024

I. REQUEST

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) is requesting proposals from firms to provide PSRC with strategic information and guidance, government relations, and advocacy on federal affairs and funding. PSRC intends to award this to a single or multiple firms to provide the services required. The term of the contract is anticipated to be January 2025 through June 2025 and may extend to December 2026 upon budget approval.

The schedule for deliverables supporting the proposed scope of services should reflect the completion dates presented in Section IV (Project Schedule). Specific details on proposal content format are described in Section IX (Content and Format of Proposal).

PSRC is committed to social equity and socially responsible procurement that includes open and fair competition, environmentally sustainable solutions, best labor practices, access to equal benefits, and utilization of small businesses in contract award decisions.

Submittals must be received at PSRC office by 1:00 PM (PDT) Friday, November 1, 2024.

All questions relating to this RFP should be addressed to LLopez@psrc.org. Any questions, which PSRC deems would assist other proposers will be furnished to all parties receiving this RFP. PSRC will not respond to questions received after 2:00 pm on October 25, 2024.

Confidential and Proprietary Information:

Proposals become property of the Puget Sound Regional Council and as such become public records that may be subject to inspection and copying by members of the public unless an exemption in law exists as stated in RCW 42.56.070(1). PSRC cannot guarantee that Confidential or Proprietary information will not be disclosed.

If a consultant believes that any portion of its proposal is exempt from public disclosure under Washington’s Public Records Act, RCW 42.56, as a trade secret or otherwise, the consultant must clearly identify that portion and state the legal basis for the exemption claimed. In addition, the consultant must mark each page of the proposal claimed to be exempt as “CONFIDENTIAL.” Consultants may not claim that an entire proposal is exempt from public disclosure.

II. BACKGROUND

PSRC is a regional transportation, land use, and economic development planning agency. Its mission is to advance solutions to achieve a thriving, racially equitable and sustainable Puget Sound region through, leadership, visionary planning, and collaboration. It is a membership organization that works with the region’s cities, towns, counties, ports, transit agencies, Tribes, and state and regional governments to achieve a sustainable, prosperous, safe and equitable region today and into the future.

PSRC is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization and Economic Development District for the region under federal laws and the Regional Transportation Planning Organization under Washington State law.

III. PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK

A. PURPOSE

The Consultant will provide PSRC with strategic information and guidance, government relations, and advocacy on federal affairs and funding.

B. TASK DETAILS

Task 1: Monitoring & Analysis of Federal Activity

Task 1.1: Provide timely updates and analysis on federal actions to keep PSRC and PSRC members informed about federal legislation, regulations, and policy developments. Areas of focus include but are not limited to transportation, housing, growth management, regional planning, climate change, electric vehicles and economic development.

Task 1.2: Provide written updates on key federal developments.

Task 1.3: Provide updates/presentations as needed for the Board, relevant committee members and staff on federal legislative and budget developments, as needed.

Task 2: Federal Strategy & Advocacy Task 2.1: Advise and assist in the formulation and implementation of the PSRC’s federal agenda. Develop and recommend strategies to advance the PSRC’s federal fiscal, regulatory and legislative priorities.

Task 2.2: Provide support drafting letters and statements outlining positions on key federal issues.

Task 2.3: Collaborate with other MPOs and relevant jurisdictions on issues of mutual interest and build coalitions with other stakeholders as needed.

Task 3: Maintain Relationships with Key Federal Stakeholders

Task 3.1: Assist PSRC with maintaining consistent and close contact with federal elected officials and staff in the PSRC region and with federal agencies and identify opportunities for PSRC to work collaboratively with members of Congress and their staff. Represent PSRC before members of Congress, federal officials, public interest groups, and other partners.

Task 3.2: Assist PSRC with including federal officials in board meetings, site visits and other PSRC hosted events.

Task 3.3: Assist with all arrangements for the PSRC staff and PSRC elected leadership when visiting Washington, DC and other cities, including coordinating meetings with federal leaders, reviewing talking points and supporting materials.

Task 4: Understanding and Accessing Federal Funding

Task 4.1: Provide information on federal funding opportunities for PSRC and PSRC member jurisdictions, including information on drafting competitive and successful applications. Assist with grants advocacy, including tracking relevant grants, reviewing grant applications, organizing federal letters of support, and gathering background information.

Task 4.2: Provide continually updated weekly information on federal grants to help PSRC and PSRC members understand funding opportunities available and timing of future funding.

Task 4.3: Provide updates/presentations as needed for the Board, relevant committee members and staff on upcoming funding opportunities, lessons learned from previous funding opportunities, and best practices in applying for grants

Task 5: Communications

Task 5.1: Provide regular check-in calls with PSRC staff.

IV. PROJECT SCHEDULE

The following is an outline of the proposed project schedule. The schedule may be modified while refining the contract scope of work after the consultant selection process has been completed.

A. CONSULTANT SELECTION SCHEDULE:

All submissions due .......................................................................................... November 1, 2024 Consultant interviews ................................................................................. November 11-15, 2024 Consultant selected & notified ........................................................................ November 22, 2024 Refine scope of work for contract ................................................................... November 25, 2024 Sign contract with PSRC ................................................................................. December 16, 2024

B. SCHEDULE & DELIVERABLES:

Consulting services as outlined in the scope of work will be ongoing through the contract period.

V. BUDGET AVAILABLE

The budget for this project is not to exceed $270,000. Consultant firms are advised that upon subsequent review, evaluation, and discussion of proposals and approaches to the project, PSRC may make budget adjustments to optimize achievement of project objectives and opportunities within currently available resources.

VI. PUGET SOUND REGIONAL COUNCIL'S RIGHTS

This RFP and/or the selection process does not obligate PSRC to enter into any contracts.

PSRC reserves the following rights, in addition to those accorded by policy and law:

• The right to negotiate all proposal elements.

• The right to reject any and all proposals, waive irregularities and re-solicit proposals.

• The right to change the scope of work depending on funding available.

• The right to approve any and all subcontractors selected after an award

• The right to renegotiate the agreement for such additional service as may be necessary.

• The right to make an award to other than the lowest bidder.

• The right to award a contract without negotiations or discussions. EMPLOYMENT

OPPORTUNITY (EEO) & TITLE VI REQUIREMENT

VII. PSRC PROCUREMENT CLAUSES

Termination. PSRC, by written notice, may terminate this contract, in whole or in part, when it is in the AGENCY’s interest. If this contract is terminated, PSRC shall be liable only for payment under the payment provisions of this contract for services rendered before the effective date of termination.

QUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO) & TITLE VI REQUIREMENT

Debarment and Suspension. To enable PSRC to ensure its funds are being used appropriately, the successful Contractor will be required to certify to that it or its principals:

1. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by a Federal, state, or local department or agency;

2. Have not within a three-year period preceding this proposal been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, state, or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or state antitrust statutes, or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statement, or receiving stolen property;

3. Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, state, or local) with the commission of any offenses; and

4. Have not within a three-year period preceding this certification had one or more public transactions (Federal, state, or local) terminated for cause or default.

B. The Contractor also certifies that if, later, it becomes aware of any information contradicting the statements of paragraphs (a) through (d) above, it will promptly provide that information to the PSRC.

C. If the Contractor is unable to certify to the statements within paragraphs (1) and (2) above, it shall indicate so on its Signature Page and provide a written explanation to PSRC.

D. Contractor shall ensure that all subcontractors also certify to the same certifications and assurances contained in paragraph A above.

Alternative Dispute Resolution. Prior to the instigation of any litigation arising under this Contract, the Parties agree to mediate their dispute with a mutually acceptable mediator.

Certification regarding Lobbying: The successful Contractor will be required to certified that, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that:

A. No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of an agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.

B. If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying,” in accordance with its instructions.

C. The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for all subawards at all tiers (including subcontracts, subgrants, and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all subcontractors shall certify and disclose accordingly.

Patent Rights. If any invention, improvement, or discovery of the Contractor or any of its subcontractors is conceived or first actually reduced to practice in the course of or under this Contract, which invention, improvement, or discovery may be patentable under the laws of the United States of America or any foreign country, the Contractor shall immediately notify PSRC and provide a detailed report. The rights and responsibilities of PSRC, the Contractor, and subcontractors and the Federal Government with respect to such invention, improvement, or discovery will be determined in accordance with applicable Federal laws, regulations, policies, and any waiver thereof.

Rights in Data & Copyrights. The term "subject data" as used herein means recorded information that is delivered or specified to be delivered under this Contract. The term includes graphic or pictorial delineations in media such as maps; drawings or photographs; text in specifications or related performance or design-type documents; machine forms such as punched cards, magnetic tape, or computer memory. Examples include, but are not limited to:

computer software, engineering drawings and associated lists, specifications, standards, process sheets, manuals, technical reports, catalog item identifications, and related information.

The term does not include financial reports, cost analyses, and similar information incidental to Project administration.

The following restrictions apply to all subject data first produced in the performance of this Contract:

1. No material produced in whole or in part under this Contract shall be subject to copyright in the United States of America or in any other country.

2. Except for its own internal use, the Contractor and any of its subcontractors may not publish or reproduce such data in whole or in part, or in any manner or form, nor may the Contractor and any of its subcontractors authorize others to do so, without the written consent of PSRC, until such time as PSRC may have either released or approved the release of such data to the public;

(a) The Contractor shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend PSRC and its officers, agents, and employees acting within the scope of their official duties against any liability, including costs and expenses, resulting from any willful or intentional violation by the Contractor or its subcontractors of proprietary rights, copyrights, or right of privacy, arising out of the publication, translation, reproduction, delivery, use, or disposition of any data furnished under this Contract.

(b) Nothing contained in this section shall imply a license to PSRC under any patent or be construed as affecting the scope of any license or other right otherwise granted to PSRC under any patent.

In the event that the Project, which is the subject of this Contract, is not completed for any reason whatsoever, all data generated under that Project shall become subject data as defined and shall be delivered as PSRC may direct.

VIII. CIVIL RIGHTS (EEO, TITLE VI & ADA)

The Consultant agrees to comply with all applicable civil rights laws, regulations and directives, except to the extent that the Federal Government determines otherwise in writing. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Equal Employment Opportunity. The Consultant agrees to comply and assures the compliance of each third party contractor at any tier of the Project and each subconsultant at any tier of the Project, with all equal employment opportunity (EEO) provisions of 49 U.S.C.

§ 5332, with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, and implementing Federal regulations and any subsequent amendments thereto. The Consultant also agrees to comply with any applicable Federal EEO directives that may be issued.

Accordingly, the Consultant agrees as follows:

(a) The Consultant agrees that it will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, disability, age, or national origin. The Consultant agrees to take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, color, sex, disability, age, or national origin. Such action shall include, but not be limited to, employment, upgrading, demotions or transfers, recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoffs or terminations; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training, including apprenticeship.

(b) The Consultant will agree to follow all local, state, and federal laws, ordinances, and regulations pertaining to non-discrimination.

The Puget Sound Regional Council, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and (78 Stat. 252, USC 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered pursuant to this advertisement will afford minority business enterprises full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation, and will not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, sex, or national origin in consideration for an award.

IX. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF PROPOSAL

A. CONTENTS OF PROPOSAL:

The consultant’s proposal format should emphasize clarity and brevity in describing understanding of the project, approach to each task, schedule, budget and personnel experience.

One (1) proposal in pdf format and one Price Proposal Form in excel format must be submitted to PSRC via email by or before 1:00 PM (PDT) Friday, November 1, 2024. Proposals will not be reviewed and will be considered non-responsive if they arrive past the noted deadline or exceed a total of 20 pages in length for all required proposal information. The 20-page limit shall include a transmittal letter with the proposal, signed by the individual(s) from the consultant team able to commit the resources of the consultant, and shall identify the key person and phone number to contact regarding such proposal. This 20-page limit does not include the front and back covers of a proposal, if they are provided, nor the required Conflicts of Interest, Certificate Regarding Lobbying, Certification Regarding Debarment Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters, Information on Proposing Firms and Price Proposal forms.

Each submission must include the following information:

1. Outline and description of work required to complete the scope of work as described in Sections III and IV.

2. A schedule of deliverables, interim products, and reports.

3. Participation of principal, investigators, key support, and technical staff, including estimates of time, number of hours, and cost breakdown by work task for each key participant in the project. Total cost shall not exceed $270,000.

4. Description of relevant experience and qualifications for each senior person involved in the project.

5. List of people, with telephone numbers, who can be contacted for reference on relevant experience.

6. Documentation of equal employment opportunity commitment for the prime and each subcontractor, if any.

7. A signed “Organizational Conflicts of Interest” affidavit from both the prime and each subcontractor, if any.

8. A signed “Certification Regarding Lobbying” form from both the prime and each subcontractor, if any.

9. A signed “Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters” form from both the prime and each subcontractor, if any.

10. A completed “Information on Proposing Firm(s)” form.

11. A completed “Price Proposal Form” form.

B. DESIGNATION OF PERSONNEL:

The proposal should identify and describe the qualifications of the individuals who would work on the project. It should estimate the time availability of each individual over the period of the project. It should list references who can verify the recent experience of each individual.

C. PARTNERSHIPS:

If a firm is interested in partnering with other potential bidders they must inform PSRC of their request. PSRC will notify all other potential bidders of the interest and it will be up to the decision of the potential bidders to contact the firm interested. PSRC will not offer contact information of potential bidders until after the close of the submission deadline.

D. DBE/WBE REQUIREMENTS AND PARTICIPATION:

Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), Women-owned Business Enterprises (WBE) or Veteran-owned Businesses (VOB) should indicate their ownership status in the qualification statements.

PSRC will make available to interested persons a directory identifying all firms eligible to participate as provided by the OMWBE. This list may also be found on the Internet at http://www.omwbe.wa.gov. The information is available by vendor names and by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes.

PSRC promotes and encourages Minority, Women, Veteran, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (M/W/V/DBE) participation on its contracts and is interested in submittals that reasonably involve such participation as prime consultants, joint venture partners or subcontractors. PSRC has not established a participation goal for this contract opportunity.

X. CONSULTANT SELECTION

A. SELECTION CRITERIA:

The primary selection criterion will be the ability of the firm to understand the issues and accomplish the tasks described in Section II (Background) and Section III (Proposed Scope of Work). Other selection criteria will include:

1. Quality of proposed technical approach to project

2. Experience and qualifications of key personnel who would work on the project

3. Recommendations of references.

4. Cost

5. Ability to work within deadlines and to develop mutually agreed dates for deliverables.

B. SELECTION PROCESS:

The consultant selection process will be conducted as follows:

1. The closing date and hour for receipt of the proposal is 1:00 PM (PDT) Friday, November 1, 2024. Proposals received after this date and time will not be considered.

In the event that sufficient proposals are not received, the date may, at PSRC’s sole discretion, be extended until an adequate number of proposals are received.

2. The proposal review and selection process may require personal interviews with one or more proposing firms. These interviews will be held from November 11-15, 2024.

3. Selection of the consultant shall be based on PSRC’s evaluation of the best proposal and best-qualified respondent using the criteria and information outlined in Sections IX and X.A. above. Such determination shall be made at the sole discretion of PSRC.

http://omwbe.wa.gov/directory-of-certified-firms http://www.omwbe.wa.gov/

4. Contract negotiations will be initiated immediately upon selection of the consultant. If PSRC is not able to negotiate a satisfactory contract, scope of services, billing rates or overhead costs consistent with Federal and State requirements, negotiations will be terminated and the consultant will be notified by mail. In this event, the proposals of the remaining pool of respondents will be evaluated and negotiations will be initiated with one of the remaining respondents selected in accordance with Sections IX and X.A.

above as most qualified to complete the work.

5. This selection process does not obligate PSRC to enter into a contract with any of the responding firms.

6. Unsuccessful proposers will be afforded the opportunity of debriefing conferences if they so request. The request for a debriefing conference must be made within three days of receipt of the written notification indicating that their proposal was not selected.

Discussions will be informal and limited to a critique of the requesting consultant’s proposal. This feedback will assist the proposer in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of their proposal. PSRC representatives will explain the scoring of a consultant’s proposal. Debriefings will be conducted by telephone and may be limited to a specific period of time.

7. Proposals become property of the Puget Sound Regional Council and as such become public records that may be subject to inspection and copying by members of the public, unless an exemption in law exists as stated in RCW 42.56.070(1).

C. PROTEST PROCEDURES:

The Puget Sound Regional Council shall make every effort to award contracts in compliance with state, federal and local regulation. Bidders who feel that a contract has been, or may be, awarded improperly shall have the right to protest the specifications and/or contract award in compliance with applicable local, state and federal regulations. All parties should use their best efforts to resolve concerns raised by an interested party at the contracting officer level through open and frank discussions. Violations of law will be referred to the local, state, or Federal authority having proper jurisdiction. PSRC shall provide a copy of the protest procedures upon request to the procurement officer listed below or by emailing finance@psrc.org.

XI. SUBMITTAL

One (1) proposal in pdf format and one (1) Price Proposal Form in Excel format must be submitted via email to PSRC by or before 1:00 PM (PDT) Friday, November 1, 2024. Proposals may be emailed to Liana Lopez at llopez@psrc.org.

Questions regarding the outlined scope of service should be directed to:

Liana Lopez at 206-971-3290 or llopez@psrc.org.

Organizational Conflicts of Interest Affidavit

The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that the contractor has no organizational conflict of interest due to:

1. Being unable, or potentially unable, to provide impartial and objective assistance or advice to PSRC due to other activities, relationships, contracts, or circumstances.

2. Having an unfair competitive advantage through obtaining access to nonpublic information during the performance of an earlier contract.

3. During the conduct of an earlier procurement, the contractor has established the ground rules for a future procurement by developing specifications, evaluation factors, or similar documents

This affidavit is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction.

Company: ________________________________

Signature: ________________________________

Name: __________________________________

Date: __________________

Certification Regarding Lobbying

The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that:

1. No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of an agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.

2. IF any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying,” in accordance with its instructions.

3. The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for all subawards at all tiers (including subcontracts, subgrants, and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all subconsultants shall certify and disclose accordingly.

This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352, title 31, U.S. Code. Any person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

Date:

CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION,

AND OTHER RESPONBILITY MATTERS

The prospective primary participant certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief, that it and its principals:

1. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by a Federal, state, or local department or agency;

2. Have not within a three-year period preceding this proposal been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, state, or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or state antitrust statutes, or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statement, or receiving stolen property;

3. Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, state, or local) with the commission of any offenses; and

4. Have not within a three-year period preceding this certification had one or more public transactions (Federal, state, or local) terminated for cause or default.

B. The Contractor also certifies that if, later, it becomes aware of any information contradicting the statements of paragraphs (a) through (d) above, it will promptly provide that information to the PSRC.

C. If the Contractor is unable to certify to the statements within paragraphs (1) and (2) above, it shall indicate so on its Signature Page and provide a written explanation to PSRC.

D. Contractor shall ensure that all subcontractors also certify to the same certifications and assurances contained in paragraph A above.

Date:

Information on Proposing Firm(s)

1. Information on firm:

Firm: Unique Entity ID # form the Systems for Awards Management*

Address: Phone: Years in business:

Qualify or identify as Small/Minority/Women/VOB/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise as defined by WA State OMWBE? (Y/N)

WA State SBE/MWBE/VOB/DBE certification ID #:

NAICS code: Where did you hear about this RFP(Q)?

*Consultant will need to register with the SAM prior to starting work.

2. Project Manager contact information:

Contact name: Phone: Email:

3. Information on ALL subcontracted firms that will participate in this contract:

Name of firm

SBE/MW

BE/DBE

Status

Address Phone Email % of Work*

*The sum of all firms % of work must equal 100%

4. Description of work each subconsultant will perform:

Name of firm Description of work