Full RFP on the Cornerstone Corporation website

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

West End Community Development Planning Partner

Issued by Cornerstone Corporation

Due Date: Monday, March 22, 2021

No later than 5:00pm CST

West End/Visitation Park Neighborhoods

A thriving community implementing socially-just strategies that offer quality housing, education, nutrition and healthcare needed to cultivate a safe, desirable place to live, learn, work and play.

SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND

The West End Plan Steering Committee, as supported by Cornerstone Corporation, is currently accepting proposals for a Community Development Planning Partner. The Planning Partner will guide the existing West End planning team in developing a community development plan led by the residents of the West End and Visitation Park neighborhoods. The planning team consists of resident leaders, consultants, contractors and advisors. The Planning Partner should center creative and intensive resident engagement, racial equity, inclusivity, transparency, and collaboration throughout the planning process. The final community development plan developed through this process will be the key tool used by residents to drive change, improvement, and investment in their community. The plan will be submitted to the City of St. Louis' planning department for formal adoption.

About the West End Community and Steering Committee

The West End is bounded by Delmar Boulevard to the south, Page Boulevard to the north, Union Boulevard to the east, and Skinker Boulevard to the west all within the 26th and 22nd wards of the City of St. Louis, Missouri.

The West End is primed for transformative, resident-directed reinvestment. There are many notable opportunities of development occurring around the West End that will directly impact its residents. As a result, West End residents organized to form the West End Plan Steering Committee in May 2019 and drive the planning process as representatives of their neighbors. The Steering Committee is comprised of West End residents who volunteer their time to effectively engage their neighbors to elevate their voice and lead a planning process that speaks to the vision they have for their community.

About the West End Planning Process

The West End planning effort is the result of a partnership between Invest STL, a regional funder and thought-leader in equitable neighborhood development, and Cornerstone Corporation, a housing-based nonprofit organization and emerging community development corporation located in the West End. While Cornerstone will manage and facilitate the planning process as an anchor organization, it will ultimately be a resident-driven plan led in its development by the West End Plan Steering Committee.

The West End and its key stakeholders have been working for the past two years to unite a historically fragmented community and serve as a catalyst for change in the St. Louis region. Through this process, the coalition of residents and neighborhood-based organizations seek to serve as a model neighborhood that succeeds at cultivating its resources, leveraging its neighborhood assets, and building a better neighborhood together.

More information about this planning process can be found at: https://westendplan.com

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

This is an open and competitive process.

Proposals received after 5:00pm CST, Monday, March 22, 2021, will not be considered.

Individual firms and joint partnerships of multiple consultants or firms are encouraged to apply.

The proposal must contain the signature of a duly authorized officer or agent of the firm submitting the proposal.

The price you quote should be inclusive. If your price excludes certain fees or charges, you must provide a detailed list of excluded fees with a complete explanation of the nature of those fees.

If the execution of work to be performed by your firm requires the hiring of sub-contractors you must clearly state this in your proposal. Sub-contractors must be identified and the work they will perform must be defined. In your proposal please provide the name, address, and EIN of the sub-contractor. We will not refuse a proposal based upon the use of sub-contractors; however we retain the right to refuse the sub-contractors you have selected.

Provisions of this RFP and the contents of the successful responses are considered available for inclusion in final contractual obligations.

Each response to this RFP shall include the information described in this section. Provide the information in the specified order. Failure to include all of the elements specified may be cause for rejection. Additional information may be provided, but should be succinct and relevant to the goals of this RFP.

Cover Letter- Include the following information:

• Title of this RFP
• Name and mailing address of company
• Contact person, email address, and telephone

Signature Requirements — The cover letter must be signed by an officer empowered by the firm to sign such material and thereby commit the firm to the obligations contained in the RFP response. Further, the signing and submission of a response shall indicate the intention of the proposer to adhere to the provisions described in this RFP and a commitment to enter a binding contract.

Firm Qualifications — A statement of the professional qualifications and experience of the firm as it pertains to the successful development of community development plans for communities that have been impacted by years of systemic disinvestment. Include a list of neighborhoods, cities, and/or municipalities for which your firm has prepared proposals for and/or administered and implemented community development plans.

Scope of Work — Provide in detail the work that will be performed to guide the West End residents in developing a complete community development plan. This section should include any milestones, reports deliverables, communications plans, and end products that will be provided by the firm. Also, provide a detailed timeline for all deliverables.

Statement on Racial Equity — Define what racial equity means to your firm and provide examples of how your firm applies a racial equity lens to your work.

Statement on Equitable Community Engagement — Define what equitable community engagement means to your firm and provide examples of how your firm has conducted equitable community engagement.

Statement on Equitable Community Development — Define what equitable community development without displacement means to your firm and provide examples of how your firm has conducted equitable community development without displacement- specifically with respect to Black and African-American residents.

Provide at least one example of an optimal equitable community development planning process in a neighborhood that is predominantly Black that has demonstrated sustainable outcomes for at least five (5) years.

Experience and References — Provide a summary of the firm's experience in providing these services. Provide a minimum of three references for related consulting services and include date, contact person, phone number and a brief description of the services provided.

Approach and Availability — Provide a detailed discussion of your firm's approach to providing community development planning services to the residents of the West End and Visitation Park neighborhoods. Also include your availability to conduct the required work, particularly through the pandemic.

Pricing and Compensation — Provide a brief preliminary cost estimate for the services that will be provided in your proposal, including hourly rates for personnel who will be assigned to the project, as part of a comprehensive projected budget totaling no more than $250,000.

Staff Assigned to Project — Provide the resumes and bios of key personnel who would be assigned to work on this project.

SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

Your electronic submittal package shall include the following:

• Proposals shall be submitted not later than the time and date indicated on the cover page of this RFP.
• Proposals must be submitted ONLY to: Cornerstone Corporation, Monique Thomas, Executive Director via email at Monique.Thomas@cornerstonestl.org.
• Cornerstone Corporation shall not be responsible for proposals delivered to a person or location other than that specified herein.
• Late submittals shall not be accepted or considered.
• All submittals, whether selected or rejected, shall become the property of Cornerstone Corporation and will not be returned.
• The West End Plan Steering Committee reserves the right to waive minor defects and/or irregularities in proposals, and shall be the sole judge of the materiality of any such defect or irregularity.
• All costs associated with proposal preparation shall be borne by the proposer.