The Department seeks a qualified partner organization experienced in application processing and grant disbursement to provide efficient management and impactful disbursement of the Department's Cataly...

The City of Philadelphia is requesting proposals for a partner organization to manage application processing and grant disbursement for the Pennsylvania Department's Catalyst Fund program, with proposals due October 21, 2026. This is a professional services RFP requiring demonstrated experience in grant administration, fund management, and large-scale application processing.

Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and Local Business Entity (LBE) participation is required under the City's Small & Local Business Plan (SLBP), administered under Executive Order No. 06-25. All respondents must complete a Solicitation & Participation Form and exercise Best and Good Faith Efforts in recruiting SBE and LBE participants. SBE participants must be certified by an approved certifying agency and registered in the OEO Registry at time of contract award. The successful respondent will be required to maintain participation commitments throughout the contract term, submit monthly reports to the Office of Economic Opportunity, and use the City's electronic payment and compliance systems.

A Local Business Entity Certification is available to applicants meeting criteria under Philadelphia Code Section 17-109(3)(b), which requires either a principal place of business in the City or satisfaction of at least two of three thresholds: more than 60 percent of full-time employees are Philadelphia residents, more than 50 percent of full-time employees work in the City at least 60 percent of the time, or more than 75 percent of gross receipts are Philadelphia receipts.

The scope encompasses the full lifecycle of grant applications: processing submissions, conducting eligibility reviews, disbursing funds to eligible recipients, and reporting on performance metrics for processing timeliness and disbursement accuracy. The selected vendor must maintain professional liability insurance of $1 million with deductibles not exceeding $50,000, general liability and automobile liability of $1 million per occurrence, and workers' compensation coverage. The initial contract term does not exceed one year without City Council authorization, with options to extend up to five years subject to appropriation. The City retains audit and inspection rights for five years following contract expiration.