Grant Writing/Administrative&Related Grant Service

The City of Griffin, Georgia, issued a Request for Qualifications and Proposals for grant writing and administrative services to support federally assisted projects, with this procurement specifically addressing Seminole County's needs. The solicitation seeks qualified consulting firms capable of providing comprehensive grant writing, grant administration, and related services for projects utilizing federal funds, including Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Redevelopment Fund Projects (RDF), Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Employment Incentive Program (EIP) Projects, and Economic Development Administration (EDA) Projects. The immediate procurement focuses on preparing and administering a Community Development Block Grant Project for water, sewer, and drainage improvements, with deliverables encompassing preparation of grant applications, Environmental Review Records, draw/disbursement requests, financial administration assistance, public hearing coordination, monitoring visit support, URA compliance assistance, bid document preparation, Davis-Bacon labor requirement compliance, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) requirements, and close-out documentation. Responding firms must demonstrate a strong record of successfully assisting local governments with federally assisted project implementation and must provide detailed information including company history and resources, federal grant writing and administration experience, key personnel qualifications, current workload, proposed scope and level of service, relevant project experience with references, and fee schedules. The deadline for proposal submission was 5:00 PM on September 20, 2023, with selected firms eligible for consideration on a project-by-project basis for federally funded opportunities arising within a 24-month period following the notice date. The contract was anticipated to be executed within one year from the notice date, with the jurisdiction typically pursuing individual project award amounts of approximately $1,000,000, and proposals were required to be submitted via US mail, UPS, or FedEx only, with electronic submission via email prohibited.

Section 3 Business Concerns are specifically encouraged to apply and may claim a preference if properly certified through completion of the Section 3 Self-Certification and Action Plan, Previous Section 3 Compliance Certification, Assurance of Compliance Certification, and appropriate Section 3 Business Concern Self-Certification forms. All contractors and subcontractors must comply with HUD Section 3 regulations, which mandate giving preference to Section 3 workers and business concerns residing within the metropolitan area or nonmetropolitan county where the project is located, with further priority given to residents within the service area or project neighborhood. Contractors may establish compliance by certifying as a Section 3 business concern with 51% or more ownership by low- or very low-income persons, 75% or more labor hours performed by Section 3 workers, or 51% or more ownership by public housing residents, or by demonstrating good faith "greatest extent feasible" efforts through extensive outreach and recruitment activities. The Notice of Intent to Award, posted on October 27, 2023, identified Allen Smith Consulting of Monroe, Georgia, as the apparent successful supplier with a contract value of $15,000 plus an additional 6 percent of the award amount if funded, with the award recommendation becoming official after ten days from the NOIA posting date and approval by the Board of Commissioners. Non-compliance with Section 3 requirements results in structured remedies including a 10 business day cure period, potential contract termination, liquidated damages of $100 per day of non-compliance, and debarment from future HUD-funded projects. The City of Griffin's Procurement office may be contacted at One Griffin Center, 100 South Hill Street, Griffin, Georgia 30223, by telephone at 770-229-6425 or facsimile at 770-229-6630, or through the Planning & Development Director, Chad Jacobs, at (770) 233-4130 or cjacobs@cityofgriffin.com.