REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Southern Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) Meet and Greets
Applications must be submitted electronically to 5:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, to [email protected]
Background
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents over 3,000 local health departments (LHDs) across the United States. NACCHO’s vision is health, equity, and security for all people in their communities through public health policies and services. NACCHO’s mission is to be a leader, partner, catalyst, and voice for LHDs to ensure the conditions that promote health equity, combat disease, and improve the quality and length of all lives.
NACCHO works to provide technical assistance support to LHDs across the public health continuum, including for HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis (HSH), and Harm Reduction programs. NACCHO builds capacity of LHDs in these areas by investing resources in a limited number of LHDs through demonstration projects, learning collaboratives, convenings, and workshops—with the intent that resulting training processes, presentations, evaluation findings, and best practices are documented and disseminated to support replication and scale-up across our entire membership.
In collaboration with CDC Division of HIV Prevention (DHP), NACCHO aims to partner with an organization to facilitate the improvement of partnerships between local community-based organizations (CBO), local and state public health departments, and federal offices of DHP and others in the CDC National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) by holding six meetings with CBOs (i.e., CBO Meet and Greets) in selected cities of the southern region of the United States. These meetings will be designed to center CBO voices and discuss priorities and challenges of CBOs in engaging in public health partnerships. The meetings are to be casual in format and take place in a local community setting. The goal is to improve community partnerships to address social determinants and comorbidities of HIV and to make progress on the local Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) plans. Insights from these meetings will be used by CDC and NACCHO to support capacity building of health departments and federal partners to create and maintain effective community relationships.
Description and Availability of Funds
NACCHO will award up to $120,000 to hire a regional HIV/AIDS advocacy organization as a contractor to leverage existing relationships, reputation, and community trust to co-host and recruit participant organizations for the six southern CBO Meet and Greets. The selected contractor will be awarded a fixed-price contract and will receive reimbursement for completing deliverables outlined in the project scope of work.
The Contractor will work with NACCHO staff to:
- Develop a workplan and recruitment strategy for identifying local CBO stakeholders to participate in in-person convenings across the Southern U.S.;
- Organize, manage the logistics for, and co-host each meeting in select metropolitan areas (jurisdictions will be determined based on priorities set by DHP leadership but may include Atlanta, GA; Baton Rouge, LA; Jackson, MS; Miami, FL; Houston, TX; and Memphis, TN); and
- Distribute meeting materials, maintain attendance list, and record minutes for each convening.
Deliverables
The following outlines the deliverables to be produced by the Contractor and shared with NACCHO:
- In consultation with NACCHO, develop a written plan for each meeting that includes: a draft list of stakeholders to participate; an agreement for a suitable low-cost/no-cost community space; a plan/contract for food catering and beverages; and details for audiovisual and other technology-based equipment that are essential to supporting these meetings;
- Draft facilitators’ agenda (run of show) that includes content tailored to each jurisdiction and meeting setting; and
- Successfully execute and evaluate the six in-person convenings. The contractor will submit a meeting debrief that highlights successes and opportunities for improvement in preparation for subsequent meetings.
Proposal Outline
Applicants should submit a brief proposal that includes the following components submitted as separate attachments:
A. Project Narrative (10 pages maximum) that includes:
- A description of the contractor’s experience planning and facilitating small- to mid-sized convenings within jurisdictions in the Southern U.S.;
- A description of the contractor’s experience employing community engagement strategies to recruit CBOs, including HIV, STI, and harm reduction organizations; non-traditional partners; and organizations representing impacted priority populations to support your organization’s programs;
- A description of the contractor’s knowledge of federal domestic HIV programs, for example the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, CDC HIV prevention programs, and the HHS EHE Initiative;
- The methods that will be used to complete deliverables and rationale for selecting those methods;
- A description of any other consultants/firms that will be engaged on this project;
- A project timeline; and
- The name of the primary staff and other significant contributors, including qualifications (resume or CV) and roles.
B. Line-Item Budget (Excel) and Budget Narrative (Word) description of costs, not to exceed $120,000 over a 9-month period using the templates provided. Please submit the budget and budget narrative files as separate attachments.
- Please develop the budget for two phases of work: Phase I (June 1-July 31, 2023) and Phase II (August 1, 2023-February 29, 2024).
- The budget narrative may be developed for the entire nine-month project period and does not need to be broken into phases.
- Examples of possible costs to include are personnel costs (number of staff, percent effort to the project and annual salary/wages or hourly fees of all personnel), funds to be provided to other consultants/firms working on project, and other costs necessary to complete the scope of work and deliverables (e.g., supplies, travel, etc.).
- Please review the Budget Guidance document and Budget Guidelines tab in the budget file for a list of unallowable costs.
- If the budget includes staff fringe benefits and/or indirect costs (over the 10% de minimis rate), please also submit proof of the organization’s approved fringe/indirect cost rates.
C. Administrative and Financial Forms, signed and dated within the last six months where applicable, including:
- NACCHO Vendor Form
- W9
- Certificate of Non-debarment
- FFATA form
- Proof of an active registration with SAM.gov (PDF or screenshot showing applicant’s unique entity identification number)
- Please note that NACCHO cannot enter into a contract with any entity that does not have an active SAM.gov registration. As such, NACCHO reserves the right to only consider proposals from applicants that already have an active registration record through the end of the contract period of performance.
In addition to the forms above, please indicate in your email submission a response to the following two questions:
- Do you have prior experience in federal contracting (Yes/No)
- Have you ever completed a federal Single Audit (Yes/No)?
NACCHO Contact and Responsibilities
NACCHO staff will oversee the contract and serve as the contact for the consultant. Other responsibilities include:
- Provide background information, as appropriate;
- Review all materials, in draft form, and recommend revisions;
- Serve as liaison for external partners; and
- Participate and support strategic planning activities, as needed.
Selection Process
Each proposal will be reviewed and rated on the following elements:
- Applicant Capacity and Expertise: Applicant has clearly documented evidence of their (and that of proposed project staff) subject matter expertise and experience in the proposed content and geographical (Southern U.S.) area; previous work and projects in the subject area and with the intended audiences are required.
- Understanding of Project Purpose and Goals: Applicant demonstrates a clear understanding of the project goals and deliverables.
- Project Scope of Work: The proposed scope of work, deliverables, and timelines are realistic and appropriate for achieving the project objectives.
- Operational Plan: The proposal includes a clear, feasible, appropriate, detailed, and supportable methodology and plan to effectively meet the goals and deliverables of the project.
- Budget: The proposal includes a detailed, line-item budget and budget narrative justifying the proposed expenses; the expenses are appropriate for the purposes of the deliverables and
are cost efficient.
Any work products created by this contract will be co-owned by NACCHO and Contractor.
Please note that submission of a proposal is a statement of acceptance of NACCHO’s standard form contract. If any items cannot be accepted, these issues need to be resolved prior to submitting a proposal.
Deadline/ Staff Contact
Submissions must be electronic, in pdf format. The deadline for submission is 5 pm, Eastern Standard Time, Tuesday May 30, 2023. Decisions will be made, and applicants will be notified of their selection status, no later than Friday June 2nd, 2023. Proposals should be submitted via e-mail to [email protected].
Please submit all required attachments, including the budget, budget narrative, and administrative forms as separate files.
Check out the pdf version of the RFP here.
