California Beauty Brand Accelerator: Australia and India Request for Proposals (RFP)

California's Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) is soliciting proposals to design and implement a beauty brand accelerator program targeting the Australian and Indian markets, with proposals due September 16, 2026 at 8:00 AM PT. GO-Biz reserves the right to award the complete scope to a single contractor or make separate awards for Australia and India workstreams.

Certified small businesses and microbusinesses receive a five percent preference; non-small businesses subcontracting at least 25 percent of the net bid price to small businesses or microbusinesses also receive a five percent preference. Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (DVBE) certified contractors subcontracting at least five percent receive an additional five percent preference.

The contractor must recruit 20 California small businesses to participate in the accelerator and deliver foundational market education via webinar series, export readiness diagnostics, and individualized coaching on regulatory compliance, product localization, and market entry strategy. Minimum qualifications include five years of operational history, demonstrated experience supporting U.S. companies entering Australia and India markets, sector expertise in beauty and personal care, and established professional networks in both markets. Market Leads must have a minimum of seven years of relevant professional experience.

The contract term runs from October 5, 2026 through September 29, 2027. Payments are phased: fixed fees for recorded training content, per-company fees for diagnostics, and per-company fees for coaching and market entry support. Payment is issued by physical check in U.S. dollars only.

Evaluation criteria allocate 10 points for relevant experience, 15 points for overall technical approach, 20 points for Australia expertise, 20 points for India expertise, 30 points for cost proposal, and 5 points for references, totaling 100 points. Written questions are due September 2, 2026, with responses posted by September 4. Interviews are scheduled tentatively for September 22–24, with award notice anticipated September 25. Foreign entities or contractors must complete W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E tax forms; all contractors must submit the State of California Drug-Free Workplace Certification (STD. 21) and Contractor Compliance Checklist prior to award.