25/25-01 Jackson County SBDC Outreach Center Business Advising

Lane Community College is soliciting proposals from independent contractors to provide business advising services for the Oregon Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network in Jackson County, Oregon. The procurement seeks qualified professionals to deliver confidential, no-cost business consulting to pre-venture and existing for-profit small businesses through in-person and virtual advising sessions. Key service areas include business formation, financial management, marketing strategies, capital access, succession planning, and artificial intelligence utilization. Required deliverables include recording all client interactions in the Center IC management information system within five business days and achieving specific annual outcomes: 250 unique advising clients, 32 long-term clients, $1,000,000 in capital formation, 14 capital formation transactions, 6 business starts, and 15 jobs created. Minimum qualifications mandate an Associate's degree (Bachelor's preferred) in business administration or related field, five years of practical business experience, and demonstrated business operations knowledge. Proposals are due February 20, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. through the BidLocker portal, with scope clarification requests accepted until February 6, 2026. The selection committee will conduct interviews in March 2026, with a Notice of Intent to Award anticipated around April 1, 2026.

The contract opportunity encourages participation from Oregon residents, women-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned businesses. Proposers must maintain comprehensive general liability and automobile liability insurance with minimum coverage of $1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. The contract term is one year with potential for up to three additional yearly renewal terms. Compensation is structured on an hourly rate basis, with a total not exceeding $100,000 per annum, plus reimbursable expenses. Preference is given to applicants with SBDC program experience and Jackson County residency. Proposal submissions are limited to four pages and must include a cover letter, personal information, scope of services description, qualifications statement, experience summary, three business references, and proposed hourly rate. The procurement does not specify existing infrastructure requirements or incumbent vendors, focusing instead on securing a qualified independent contractor to provide comprehensive business advising services.