RFP 49-26 Grant Writing Services

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is issuing Request for Proposals 49-26 for grant writing services under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 161A and 801 CMR 21.00. The MBTA seeks consultant support to pursue discretionary federal grant funding from agencies including the Federal Transit Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The scope of work encompasses three primary deliverables: grant writing and management of application tracking; Capital Investment Grant support and advisory services; and capital funding grant strategy and process support. Qualified contractors must demonstrate expertise in federal grant pursuit, benefit-cost analysis development, and knowledge of funding opportunities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The evaluation will employ a best-value basis considering technical merit and cost, with technical evaluation criteria scored on a numerical scale of 1-5 points and supplier diversity accounting for 25 percent of overall technical scoring. Key dates include an optional pre-bid conference on April 9, 2026, at 11:00 AM via Microsoft Teams; questions must be submitted by April 27, 2026, with official answers published by April 30, 2026; and proposals are due May 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM via COMMBUYS. The contract is estimated to commence June 1, 2026, with a service start date of June 15, 2026, and includes a three-year base term with two optional one-year renewal periods for a potential total of five years.

The MBTA encourages participation from certified Minority Business Enterprises, Women Business Enterprises, Veterans Business Enterprises, Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises, Disability-Owned Business Enterprises, and other certified diverse vendors, with no specific set-aside percentages indicated. No incumbent contractor is identified in this procurement. Interested vendors must submit Form A (Pre-Award Bidder Evaluation Data), Form B (Technical Response), Form C (Small Business Program Attestation), Form D (Pricing Response), proof of insurance meeting extensive requirements including $1,000,000 commercial general liability, $1,000,000 automobile liability, $5,000,000 umbrella liability, and $1,000,000 professional liability coverage, and a signed power of attorney. The MBTA reserves the right to award the contract to multiple vendors on an on-call basis with individual task orders priced on either a fixed-price or time-and-materials basis, and maintains a 180-day acceptance period for bids. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the available procurement documents. All deliverables and work products developed with MBTA funds become the property of the MBTA, and no performance guarantee or liquidated damages are required.