Program administrator for the equity business development grant

The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) is requesting competitive proposals for a third-party grant administrator to facilitate the Equity Business Development Grant program through RFP OCM-2026-09. The selected vendor will be responsible for developing and hosting an online application portal, processing grant applications, evaluating applicant eligibility, and distributing grant funds to eligible Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licensees and Social and Economic Equity (SEE) licensees across New York State. The vendor must provide all necessary infrastructure, including hardware, software, security, and communication platforms compliant with OCM's IT specifications, as well as deliver real-time dashboards, monthly reporting, and post-grant reporting in OCM-acceptable formats. Key qualifications include a minimum of five years of experience designing and delivering online grant application portals supporting at least 300 small business applicants and five years managing similar Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. The vendor must demonstrate capacity to deliver services in a culturally and linguistically competent manner, including translation, interpretation, outreach, staffing, and evidence-based strategies to reduce cultural and linguistic barriers to participation across all communities in New York State. The evaluation criteria allocates 80 points to the technical proposal (addressing overall experience and key personnel, technical platform flexibility and performance, project plan and approach, and diversity and cultural/linguistic competency) and 20 points to cost. A pre-bid conference is scheduled for June 8, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. ET via Webex, with a deadline for submitting questions on June 15, 2026 and responses posted by July 1, 2026. Proposals are due by July 17, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. ET, with an anticipated award date of August 14, 2026. The contract will commence upon Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) approval and will remain in effect for two years from the effective date or until all $6,000,000 in grant funding has been administered.

The solicitation includes designated contracting goals of 15 percent for Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE), 15 percent for Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE), and 6 percent for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOB). No incumbent vendors or prior contractors have been identified for this procurement, and OCM encourages the use of New York State businesses as subcontractors and suppliers. The vendor's cost proposal shall not exceed five percent (5%) of total grant funding, establishing a maximum contract value of $300,000. Grant awards will be issued to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis across three tiers: Tier 1 for approximately 85 Supply Side Social Equity licensees and Distressed Farmer cultivators; Tier 2 for approximately 85 Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses; and Tier 3 for approximately 60 CAURD licensees denied in the 2025 pilot program. Individual grant awards will range from $10,000 to $30,000 to cover startup costs including commercial rent, capital improvements, inventory purchases, security equipment, agricultural systems, and insurance. The vendor must develop a fully functional application portal within eight weeks of contract execution and maintain complete records for six years following the calendar year of creation while remaining compliant with all New York State information security policies and standards throughout contract performance.