StellarAssociatesBid.pdf

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

EXHIBIT A-1 – BIDDER’S CERTIFICATION

Competitive Solicitation: No. 01620 – Business Consulting Services

Bidder: _Stellar Associates, LLC________________

Bidder’s Address: _700 Sleater Kinney Rd SE, Ste B-321, Lacey, WA 98503 _ Type/print Bidder’s Address

Bidder Organization Type:

Check appropriate box

Corporation: Domestic Foreign

Limited Liability Company (LLC): ☒ Domestic Foreign

Partnership: Domestic Foreign

Sole Proprietorship:

State of Formation: __ Washington________________________ Type/print the state where the corporation, LLC, or partnership is formed – e.g., ‘Washington’ if domestic and the name of the state if ‘Foreign’ (i.e., not Washington)

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

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

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 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

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

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.

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 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

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 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.

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

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 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 the following three (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.

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

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

OR

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

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: _ Stellar Associates, LLC _______________________________________________ Print Name of Bidder – Print full legal entity name of the firm submitting the Bid

By: __________________________________ Signature of Bidder’s authorized person

Title: __ Principal_____________________ Title of person signing certificate

Date: ___ 01/24/2021 ________________

__Heidi Brownell______________________ Print Name of person making certifications for Bidder

Place: _ Olympia, 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: Stellar Associates, LLC

BIDDER INFORMATION

Legal name and address of Bidder:

Note: This must match information from Business License

Stellar Associates, LLC Business Name 700 Sleater Kinney RD SE, STE B-321 Address Lacey, WA 98503 City, State, Zip Code

Washington State Department of Revenue Registration Number:

Note: This is the Unified Business Identifier (UBI)

603519057

Federal Tax ID No. (TIN):

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

47-4433283

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 If yes, provide MWBE certification no.

OMWBE: W2F0024268

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: Heidi Brownell Email: HeidiB@Stellar-Associates.com Phone: 360-515-9200

Contract Administrator Name: Melanie Roberts Email: MelanieR@Stellar-Associates.com Phone: 360-515-9200

Sales Reporting Representative Name: Heidi Brownell Email: HeidiB@Stellar-Associates.com Phone: 360-515-9200

Sales Reporting Alternate Name: Melanie Roberts Email: MelanieR@Stellar-Associates.com Phone: 360-515-9200

Management Fee Representative Name: Heidi Brownell Email: HeidiB@Stellar-Associates.com Phone: 360-515-9200

Management Fee Contact Alternate Name: April Potts Email: AprilP@Stellar-Associates.com Phone: 360-515-9200

Address for Enterprise Services to send management fee invoices:

Company name: Stellar Associates Attn: Heidi Brownell Address: 700 Sleater Kinney RD SE, STE B-321 City/State/Zip: Lacey, WA 98503

ORDERING/SALES POINTS OF CONTACT (expand as necessary)

Name Phone Number E-mail Area of Responsibility

Heidi Brownell 360-515-9200 HeidiB@Stellar-Associates.com Principal mailto:HeidiB@Stellar-Associates.com mailto:MelanieR@Stellar-Associates.com mailto:HeidiB@Stellar-Associates.com mailto:MelanieR@Stellar-Associates.com mailto:HeidiB@Stellar-Associates.com mailto:AprilP@Stellar-Associates.com mailto:HeidiB@Stellar-Associates.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:

Department of Health Martin Mueller, Assistant Superintendent (Now at OSPI)

(360) 236-4600 Martin.Mueller@k12.wa.us

Reference 2 – Organizational Development, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Thurston County Public Health Shelley Slaughter, Director

(360) 867-2500 slaughs@co.thurston.wa.us

Reference 1 – Change Management, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Office of Administrative Hearings Lorraine Lee, Chief

(360) 407-2710 lorraine.lee@oah.wa.gov

Reference 2 – Change Management, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Department of Labor and Industries Randi Warick, Deputy Director of Financial Management

(360) 902-4214 ware235@lni.wa.gov

Reference 1 – Management and Business Analysis, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Office of Administrative Hearings Lorraine Lee, Chief

(360) 407-2710 lorraine.lee@oah.wa.gov

Reference 2 – Management and Business Analysis, if applicable

Company Name:

Contact & Title:

Phone:

Email:

Department of Licensing Evelyne Lloyd, Assistant Director of Admin Services

(360) 902-4044 ELloyd@dol.wa.gov mailto:Martin.Mueller@k12.wa.us mailto:slaughs@co.thurston.wa.us mailto:lorraine.lee@oah.wa.gov mailto:ware235@lni.wa.gov mailto:lorraine.lee@oah.wa.gov mailto:ELloyd@dol.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:

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.

Heidi Brownell, Principal _________________________ __1/24/2021____ Name, Title Signature Date

April Potts, Principal _________________________ __1/24/2021____ Name, Title Signature Date

Melanie Roberts, Principal _________________________ __1/24/2021____ 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: ___Stellar Associates, LLC_________________________________________________ Print Name of Bidder – Print full legal entity name of the firm submitting the Bid

By: ________________________________ Signature of Bidder’s authorized person

Title: _____Principal_____________________ Title of person signing certificate

Date: _____1/24/2021___________________

___Heidi Brownell________________________ Print Name of person making certifications for Bidder

Place: __Olympia, WA ___________________ Print city and state where signed

Return this Bidder’s Certification to Procurement Coordinator at:

Bidder Name: Stellar Associates, 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)

Provide information on the bidder’s organization such as areas of services, customer base, and any other pertinent information that would aid evaluators in formulating a determination about the capability, stability, and strength of the Bidder’s organization.

Who we are: Our company is a Northwest-based management consulting firm and is a certified, women-owned, small business providing clients with a wide variety of comprehensive and objective business, technical, and performance improving consulting services to meet our clients’ needs.

When we were founded: Our company was founded in 2015; however, our intellectual assets, methodologies, and products have been used for over 25 years. We continue to evolve them based on promising practices, client feedback, and continuous improvement. Our team consists of expert resources with 85 collective years of experience, working within the public sector as both employees and consultants, helping organizations tackle their most challenging problems. Although our company was founded six years ago, our working relationships with each other go back almost twenty years.

What we believe: We believe in excellence. Our reputation is built on high-quality, relevant, and actionable strategies and plans that we have both recommended and implemented. Our careers as public servant leaders prepared us well for service delivery that goes beyond typical consulting engagements. We provide our clients with comprehensive business, technical, and performance services designed to improve:

Management decision making Staff productivity Business unit effectiveness Accountability Overall success

Why you should choose us: Our company’s mission is to add value to public servants. We have personally experienced the challenges and complexities managing teams with overwhelming workloads, shifting political priorities, and emergent, often conflicting, stakeholder demands. We want to help.

We are able to achieve our mission by focusing on three basic steps during a typical engagement:

• Gaining a full understanding of the political, economic, and organizational environment

• Analyzing the organizational challenges, risks, and issues

• Formulating realistic and actionable recommendations and plans

Organizational Development

Change Management

Management Analysis

Business Analysis

Strategic Planning

Executive Coaching

Financial Management

Program Development

How we are different: We understand the needs of state agencies. Because of our years of experience as employees in and consultants to state government, we are familiar with the myriad of complexities and pressures associated with the public sector. Washington State’s approach to managing government performance has changed in a number of ways within the past number of years. Citizens and leaders demand that public resources are used effectively and efficiently and that agencies report on performance and costs in a manner that increases transparency and the public’s and client’s trust.

Government organizations have the additional challenge of managing diverse stakeholders and interests in formulating and carrying out public policy and adding value, while keeping costs as low as possible.

We strive for exceptional consulting by consistent quality, innovation, rigor, and objectivity that goes into each of our engagements. We are able to exceed client expectations through our in-depth understanding of the state environment, the depth and breadth of our consultants’ combined skills and expertise, and an appreciation for the challenges inherent in public sector work. We are a value-driven organization and among our core values is a deeply held commitment to work that promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion. We have devoted our professional careers to organizational development, change management, as well as management and business analysis in the public sector.

Our in-depth experience with performance reviews, organizational and systems assessments, program studies, workload studies, and business process reengineering, coupled with our robust understanding of the challenges of the public sector and our focus on your success, make us uniquely qualified to support Washington state agencies and coach leaders and teams to achieve success.

Because we are a small consulting firm, we often partner with other consulting firms and professionals who have demonstrated the same high-quality work and share our belief in excellence. Because of our reputation and the positive relationships, we have established and maintained with local and national colleagues, we are able to provide a broad range of services.

How we approach client engagements: Our general approach to Organizational Development, Change Management, and Management and Business Analysis is outcome-based.

Whether we conduct coaching sessions, strategic planning, process improvement, program analysis, or financial assessments, we approach each engagement with the following questions in mind:

• What will the impact of the engagement be?

• What is the value added?

We strongly believe a team approach provides the best value for our clients. This is one way we accomplish work that exceeds our client’s expectations within expected timeframes and provides the right expertise and experience to meet specific needs at any time. Each of our Principals brings specific skill sets, perceptions, and solutions to each of our engagements. Our company’s team approach models the values we advise our clients to adopt.

Throughout our engagements, we (1) partner with each other and our sponsors to align on the objectives, (2) identify people, processes, documentation, and data which will help us better understand the environment, (3) collaborate with team members and stakeholders to achieve the objectives, and

(4) track, monitor, and report our progress.

We typically start an engagement by gathering as much background material and information as possible. We then immerse ourselves in the materials to gain a deeper awareness of the specific issues facing the program or agency. During this task, our team will meet with agency leadership to ensure we have an accurate and complete understanding of our client’s expectations, and the challenges, risks, limitations, and objectives of the engagement.

Our engagements typically require us to assess approaches and promising practices used in other states or other agencies; develop a strategic approach for engaging internal and external stakeholders;

perform a gap analysis between current practices and best practices; analyze options for improved efficiencies, process improvements, and cost mitigation strategies; observe and evaluate the end-to-end processes; review and analyze data related to staffing, resources, and performance metrics; provide quality assurance on products to ensure consistency and high quality; develop a detailed project plan and approach; and provide on-going project support.

Engagement with staff and stakeholders is an important aspect of any project or endeavor. We start building rapport on day one and when we engage, we value the time of our clients and make the most of our time together. We employ expert facilitation skills, Lean, change management, and other process improvement approaches to engage, identify root causes, and problem solve. Our engagement strategies and methods include active listening, liberating structures, facilitated interviews, group work sessions, lessons learned activities, as well as surveys with subject matter experts and stakeholders.

We use consistent, established formats for our products to promote quality control. Our team has an internal policy of having products written by one consultant undergo a thorough review for quality, accuracy, and perspective by another consultant before going to our clients. We then provide our deliverables to our clients in draft form to allow time for review and input to ensure nothing is inaccurate or confusing. Once a client has had adequate time to provide comments or concerns, we address any issues raised by the client, and finalize the deliverable. Again, we don’t just advise our clients to follow standards and best practices, we follow them ourselves.

Areas of Services and Customer Base

Our company’s principles, tools, methodologies, and deliverables cover a broad spectrum of engagements over the past 25 years. Our engagement experience across most public sector program areas is expansive and provides us with experiences to enrich everything we provide from advice, to strategic planning, to facilitation, to recommendations for improvements, to implementation.

Services Provided

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Go vt

He al th C ar e

Hu m an S er vi ce s

Pu bl ic S af et y

Tr an sp or ta tio n

N at ur al

R es

Ec on

/C om m D ev

Hi gh er E d

Sc ho ol s K

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Lo ca l G ov er nm en t

Program Areas Administration/Overhead x x x x x x x x x Business Process Redesign x x x x x x x Change Management x x x x x x x x x Contract Compliance x x x x

Cost Allocation/Cost Recovery x x x x x x Enterprise Risk Management x

Executive Coaching x x x x x x x Facilitation x x x x Financial and Budget Management x x x x x x x x x Human Resources x x x x x Information Technology x x x x x x x x Internal Controls x x x x x x x x Management and Business Analysis x x x x x Program Management Review/Studies x x x x x x x x Performance Measures/ Reviews x x x x x x

Process Improvement & Cost Savings x x x x x x x Procurement x x x x x Project Management x x x x Public Policy x x x x x x x x Quality Assurance x x x x x x x

Risk Management x

Strategic Planning x x x x x

Survey Services x x x x

Team Development and Coaching x x x Training and Training Development x x x x x x x Workload Studies x x x x

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

Describe two projects Bidder’s organization has completed in the past 5 years in each of the categories (Organizational Development, Change Management, and Management and Business Analysis) checked above.

Project 1 / Reference 1 - Organizational Development

Situation Our client plays a vital role in fulfilling the mission of their agency and is responsible for developing complex, often controversial, policies and authorization guidelines.

The agency’s leadership wanted a better definition of a division’s core program areas in order to ensure the division was concentrating their finite resources and efforts on core programs. The division leadership initiated an assessment of all programs in the division. The leadership team was engaged to identify the purpose (mission), goals, and objectives of their programs with the intent of identifying which programs were core, secondary, or tertiary. The assessment was sensitive since it included the potential for organizational re-alignments.

Along with a program assessment and recommendations, a Strategic Plan was needed to further develop the organization’s structure and culture while improving processes across the organization.

Approach Our team was engaged to coach the leadership team through the organizational assessment; provide recommendations and facilitate the development of an implementation plan; and guide the creation and deployment of the Strategic Plan.

We began our work by collaborating with the leadership team to identify what success looked like for them. Together, we reviewed the project’s goals and objectives, approach, the detailed work plan, and developed a schedule for the Strategic Plan as well as for the stakeholder management and change management efforts.

We facilitated workshops to identify risks as well as specific mitigation strategies to address each one.

We provided written and verbal recommendations, provided guidance on risk management, and assessed the criticality of key issues. Additional workshops solicited input from staff, managers, and supervisors regarding the proposed Strategic Plan and the implementation plan. We held coaching sessions with managers and supervisors to expand participation, ownership, and leadership for the Strategic Plan beyond the executive leadership team. We worked with the group to further refine their goals and objectives.

Our team also conducted twenty workshops with external stakeholders from boards, commissions, and associations representing providers as well as national, state, and local government partners, and organizations representing vulnerable populations and diverse interests. We identified and documented

Client Size

Engagement

Duration

2000+ employees 20 months critical interests and needs of stakeholders and customers related to specific business services, systems, and regulations.

We provided coaching, facilitation, and support throughout the organizational assessment, the planning for the realignment of the organization, and implementation of the Strategic Plan. We performed a gap analysis and a critical review of the organizational structure, focusing on ways to improve the linkages to the Strategic Plan and core mission. We coached the leadership team in developing criteria and performing an organizational assessment to determine how well the various programs were aligned to the core purpose, which has agency wide implications.

We compiled the results of the input and feedback from the management and supervisor work sessions and stakeholder interviews as we began finalizing the Strategic Plan, the recommendations, and strategies to address identified risks, critical issues, and stakeholder needs. We facilitated additional work sessions with the leadership team to share the results of the feedback and to finalize and adopt the plan and recommendations.

The major activity areas within our workplan included:

• Strategic Planning Kick-off

• Develop updated Vision, Mission, and Values

• Develop Updated Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Measures

• Organizational Assessment Kick-off

• Conduct Assessment of the Division’s Programs

• Prepare Implementation Plan

• Coaching/Facilitation/Support

Results After consideration of staff and stakeholder feedback, the division finalized their vision, mission, goals, objectives, strategies, and performance measures for their Strategic Plan. Performance measures were established at the strategic or leadership level, at the tactical or office director level, and the operational or supervisor level. Individual coaching occurred with the office directors to assist them in the development of their business plan which was intended to operationalize the division Strategic Plan and provide a mechanism to track results at the tactical and operational levels.

Once the Strategic Plan was finalized, forty-seven programs were assessed against criteria established by the division executive team including the elements of the division Strategic Plan and the missions of other divisions within the agency. Based on the assessment scoring results, twenty-four of the programs were assessed as core programs, one was assessed as a secondary program, and five were assessed as tertiary. Further assessment of the five tertiary programs resulted in a recommendation that they move to other divisions with which they were more closely aligned.

As part of preparing for the implementation of the recommendation to transition programs into and out of the division, our team facilitated workshops with the expanded leadership team to review the current organizational structure and develop a future structure which would strengthen the division and agency’s delivery of services. As a result, members of the team felt their feedback was considered as the division made the transition in focus and organizational structure.

Project 2 / Reference 2 - Organizational Development

Situation A division within the organization was the last to convert to using a new time keeping system and hadn’t yet completed the development of the policies, procedures, and training necessary to support the change. The rest of the organization had already made the transition but the staff from this division were reluctant to make the change. Key positions were vacant at the time and division leadership needed the assistance of an external consultant to make this transition occur quickly and smoothly.

The division executive was recently appointed to this position and desired assistance to improve the organizational structure and to increase performance from the division. Within a few months of being hired, the executive recognized there was a need to better define roles and responsibilities, to evaluate internal controls, to develop new or revised policies and procedures, and to update the mission, vision, and values for the division Strategic Plan.

The organization’s leader commissioned:

• an assessment of a division’s administrative policies, procedures, roles and responsibilities, internal controls, and other guidelines;

• development of new administrative policies and procedures; and

• strategic and organizational alignment services [coaching] to support executive management.

Approach Our team was engaged to first focus on the transition of the division to the new time keeping and attendance system. Once this transition was completed, our team shifted our work to performing an assessment of the roles and responsibilities and organizational structure; an evaluation of internal controls; and a review of the division Strategic Plan. Throughout this engagement, our team supported division executive management via coaching and team facilitated workshops.

Phase 1 of the project focused on developing policies, procedures, and training material for the transition to the new time keeping and attendance system. Our team worked with the central office staff to review the new time keeping system and to determine the level of change that would be necessary to implement the system in the one remaining division. We worked with division leadership to develop a new policy and procedure framework. Once complete our team launched a pilot of a new framework, focusing on the development of a new policy, procedures, and training specific to the revised roles and responsibilities for the new system. We facilitated a work session with division staff to review the time keeping and attendance system, the new policy and procedures, and the changes that would be required for all staff.

Phase 2 of the project began by gathering relevant background information and performing a more extensive assessment of the remaining administrative, financial, and human resource policies, procedures, and internal controls. We interviewed staff, supervisors, and managers across the division and the organization and analyzed roles and responsibilities between the central office, division

24,000+ employees 12 months administrative staff, and the program managers and staff. An internal control assessment was conducted, and several policies were drafted for leadership consideration. Our team worked with leadership to identify roles and responsibilities in a table documenting who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed (RACI) for each of the major tasks and deliverables required in administrative, financial, and human resources areas. We provided coaching to the recently hired administrative staff as they adjusted to their new roles and responsibilities and the risks we saw as we developed the RACI and the internal control assessment.

Phase 3 involved working with the division leadership team to review and refresh their Strategic Plan and the division organization structure. We gathered input from managers and staff and facilitated a workshop for the leadership team to collaborate on their review and revision of the vision, mission, and values. We provided coaching, facilitation, and additional support as needed in the development of the Strategic Plan and in the assessment of the department’s organizational structure to improve operational efficiency.

The major activity areas within our workplan included:

• Conduct Project Orientation and Kick-Off

• Phase 1: Develop Plan to Review, Create, and Update Policies and Procedures (pilot for time keeping)

• Phase 1: Develop Training Plan and facilitate training (pilot for time keeping)

• Phase 2: Develop Plan to Review, Create, and Update Remaining Administrative, Financial, and

Human Resource Policies and Procedures

• Phase 3: Update Vision, Mission, and Values

Results The creation of the new policy, procedures, and training plan were instrumental in the successful transition of the division to the new time keeping system. Training was developed that assisted staff in making the change from their existing time keeping and attendance practices to the new system. The organization benefitted with having all agency staff in one time keeping system so employee payroll could be generated more efficiently, and data was easier to review and analyze.

The division leadership team revised their mission, vision, and core values which enabled them to be clear in defining their strategic goals and objectives. The division executive was able to clarify her expectations after receiving feedback and to align staff across the various offices in support of the revised mission. The strategic planning work along with the assessment of roles and responsibilities and internal controls helped drive some of the organizational structure changes that would be required to get the division to the desired state. Managers on the division leadership team felt they were heard once they provided feedback and understood how they fit within the organization.

Based on the success within the division, our team was asked to repeat our approach during a follow-up engagement focused on policies and procedures for the entire organization. Our team formed a Policy and Procedure Assessment Workgroup with leaders from every office and department within the organization. A policy and procedure framework was established to improve the organization’s ability to achieve business objectives by simplifying Policy and Procedure information in order to provide more timely, cost-effective, flexible, and quality services to its staff and constituents.

Project 1 / Reference 1 – Change Management

Situation Our client was a central-service providing agency which is funded by revenue collected through billing agencies who benefit from the services our client provides.

In general, billing rates are set once a biennium based on a variety of assumptions and are intended to equitably cover costs. Central-service agencies face challenges when forecasting, budgeting, staffing, and assigning costs and fee structures for highly variable workloads. An assessment was commissioned to ensure rate setting activities were based on solid assumptions. The goal was to assist the agency in its continuing efforts to improve the value provided to stakeholders who include the people of the state, other state agency, and local governments.

Approach Our team was hired to perform a review of the agency’s fee structures, billing methodologies, and productivity associated with fees. Both the review and the recommendations touched upon sensitive issues relating to organizational structure, staffing, and costs. Since the recommendations were likely to propose methods to redirect or redefine the use of resources, business process, budget allocations, or other modes of operation that significantly change a company or organization, one key to the success of the review was establishing trust with…