Request for Qualifications

Professional Consulting Services

I.Introduction

ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc., invites interested parties to submit statements of qualification and experience to provide consulting services associated with application and management of a Rural Business Development Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, (USDA) over a three (3) year period of performance. The proposed grant will seek funding from the USDA to develop a program of training as well as develop marketing strategies that will empower rural North Carolina towns and small cities to attract retail investment. ElectriCities is looking for firms with documented experience with retail attraction as well as with application for and management of federal grant programs.

II.Scope of Work

The consultant will be expected to perform the following tasks on an as-needed basis:

Grant Preparation: The consultant may be asked to take the lead in grant application preparation with input and review by ElectriCities economic development staff. Included in this task is the collection of data required in the grant application, meeting with representatives of North Carolina public power communities, and development of the grant proposal for submission to the USDA.

Community Involvement:

The consultant may be asked to support ElectriCities staff in public involvement and community outreach activities as required by the terms of the grant agreement with the USDA. Specifically, this may include any of the following:

• Develop a community engagement plan.
• Participate in public meetings and hearings to solicit community interest and provide educational information.
• Develop and implement effective methods of communicating information about the grant to the public (website, information sheets, emails, etc).
  Consult with prospective private businesses to encourage participation in the program.

Implementation:

Should ElectriCities receive funding from the USDA for a Rural Business Development Grant, the selected consultant will be expected to manage the grant and complete general tasks as follows:

• Scheduling virtual and in-person training sessions with participating power agency members and businesses.
• Researching and compiling demographic data.
  Developing and presenting training modules on best practices for retail business attraction
• Reporting as required by the USDA.
• Grant close out as required by the USDA.

III. Response Format/Evaluation Criteria

Statements of qualifications and experience shall be submitted electronically in either Word or PDF format to the attention of Mr. Carl Rees, Senior Economic Developer at crees@electricities.org

The submittal shall be no longer than 10 pages and shall include the information outlined below. To ensure fair and equitable evaluation, proposals must be organized into the following separate sections.

Experience and Capacity: The response shall include a summary of the following:

• History of the firm's experience providing consulting services as described herein.
• USDA grant application and administration experience/capacity.
• Retail educational program experience.
• Description of the firm's organizational structure and the names and experience of key individuals proposed to work on this project.

References:

The response shall include at least three (3) references for similar services that have been provided by your firm and the dates of service. Please include the reference name, company, and phone number. Also include a description of the services and key personnel that were involved in the project.

Proposed Methodology:

The response shall include a description of how the firm will complete the scope of work described herein. Include a description of the relevant services provided by your firm.

Selection Criteria:

The responding firms will be evaluated on the following criteria.

• Demonstrated experience including successful grant writing and administration as well as the firm's overall experience assisting towns and cities with positioning to attract retail investment.
• Approach and understanding of the scope of work.
• Proven track record of community engagement.
• Quality of performance on similar projects.

Oral, (virtual) presentations may be requested. The request for an oral presentation shall in no way constitute acceptance or imply that an agreement is pending. ElectriCities reserves the right to award this opportunity based on the initial RFQ response without oral presentations.

ElectriCities reserves the right to reject any and all responses. Firms not selected will be notified in writing.

Questions and Deadline:

Questions may be submitted via email to Mr. Carl Rees, Senior Economic Developer at crees@electricities.org

All responses to this RFQ must be received no later than 5:00 PM US Eastern Time on December 3, 2021.