The Genius Lab

The City of St. Petersburg, Florida (Pinellas County) issued Request for Proposals No. 26-087 on February 17, 2026, to procure design and delivery services for The Genius Lab, a comprehensive afterschool program for 6th through 12th grade students. The selected vendor must deliver a hands-on learning experience that integrates STEM activities, leadership development, financial empowerment, and mindfulness exercises while strengthening student confidence, supporting overall wellbeing, and expanding educational opportunities. The program will operate Monday through Thursday during school days with potential Friday and Saturday events, launching within 60 days of contract execution, and the vendor must provide transportation services for up to 50 participants from pick-up locations at south and north county middle and high schools. Deliverables include a fully developed curriculum framework demonstrating annual, weekly, and daily programming structures aligned with the WHOLE Child Framework, parent engagement strategies, program innovation elements, and comprehensive evaluation and reporting mechanisms with bi-monthly progress reports and final reports due by September 30. Vendors must demonstrate extensive experience in youth-centered programming, academic student growth, parent engagement, enrichment initiatives, collaborative partnerships, and tech-infused programming design, supported by three reference projects completed within the past five years with at least one Florida-based client. Evaluation criteria include Experience and Qualifications (35 points), Project Approach and Proposal (30 points), Detailed Budget (20 points), and Business Enterprise Program Outreach and Utilization (15 points, Pass/Fail). The pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for February 23, 2026, at 11:00 am via Zoom, questions must be submitted by March 18, 2026, with answers provided by March 20, 2026, and proposals must be submitted electronically by March 26, 2026, at 3:00 pm, with an evaluation/shortlisting meeting anticipated for April 7, 2026, and a City Council recommendation of award expected on May 28, 2026.

The contract does not designate set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises; however, vendors must document and demonstrate their small business enterprise (SBE), minority business enterprise (MBE), or women business enterprise (WBE) status and provide detailed documentation of outreach efforts and planned utilization of such enterprises as subcontractors, which comprises part of the overall evaluation. The initial contract term is three years from the date of execution, with two optional one-year renewal periods, and no current incumbent vendor is identified in the solicitation materials. Vendors must be registered with the Florida Department of Companies, comply with E-Verify requirements, and maintain living wage standards if employing more than 50 full-time employees, as the contract exceeds $200,000 and triggers living wage compliance requirements under St. Petersburg City Code. All employees and subcontractors working with students must meet Level 2 background screening requirements. Required insurance coverage includes Commercial General Liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence, Commercial Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 combined single limit, Workers' Compensation as required by Florida law, and Abuse & Molestation coverage of at least $1,000,000 per claim. The specific award value or total budget range is not disclosed in the solicitation documents; however, pricing will be submitted on a reimbursement basis upon submission of receipts, invoices, and reports, with fully itemized costs required including per-trip rates for standard, after-hours, and weekend transportation. The City reserves the right to award to multiple vendors and conduct negotiations with short-listed vendors.