Business Development Consultant to Support Cosmoprof Bologna

The State of California, through the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), is seeking a consulting company to provide business-to-business matchmaking, site visits, and market entry support for eight California exporters participating in the California delegation to the Cosmoprof Bologna 2025 trade show. The selected consultant will be responsible for pre-event preparation activities such as conducting intake calls, market analysis, and scheduling meetings, as well as providing on-site support during the event and post-event debrief and follow-up. The consultant must have experience in providing similar services and must submit a proposal that includes a sample market analysis for the beauty sector in a region. The RFP outlines the minimum qualifications, scope of work, deliverables, timeline, and communication requirements for the consultant. Proposals are due on November 27, 2024, by 8:00 AM Pacific Time, and the contract period is from January 1, 2025, to April 4, 2025. GO-Biz will pay for services rendered on a per-company basis, with 25% of the contract paid within 45 days of the beginning of the contract period and the final 75% paid up to 45 days after project completion.

The RFP requires the selected consultant to work with California companies that meet the requirements of the California State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), which includes being in business for at least one year, having sufficient resources to participate in trade, and providing a readiness assessment. The companies will represent various sectors and sales channels aligned with the Cosmoprof Bologna trade show. While GO-Biz does not have a specific budget in mind, they are seeking cost-effective proposals, and the selection will be based on the merit of the applications. The RFP also includes information on terminating the contract, presentations and/or interviews, requests for clarification, amendments to the RFP, and various state-required vendor forms.