Submitted by: At the Request of the City Administrator
Submitting Department: Community & Economic Development
Agenda Section: Consent
Item Title:
title
Business Retention & Expansion Strategy - Acceptance and Authorization for Contract Award
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Suggested Action:
recommendation
I move that the Interim Mayor and Council accept the proposal submitted by And Access, Inc., 16th Street, 2480 16th Street, NW, Washington DC 20009, for the purpose of assisting the City in the development of a Business Retention and Expansion Strategy and authorize the City Administrator to execute a contract for services, not to exceed $30,000
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Summary Background:
The City has allocated $30,000 towards a Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) Strategy as part of the FY2021 budget. With the help of a consulting firm, the City intends to develop a Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) Strategy which (1) develops a toolkit of policies and programming intended to retain our current small and locally owned businesses, (2) creates a strategy for servicing businesses needing to expand their facilities and/or marketplace and (3) creates opportunities for business recovery through short-term and long-term resiliency.
On February 24, 2021, the City issued a solicitation for bids from interested and experienced economic development consulting firms to assist the City in the development of a comprehensive business retention and expansion strategy.
The City received a total of six (6) proposals submitted, five (5) of which met the minimum requirements of the Request for Proposals (RFP) solicitation and were accepted for review by the City.
The evaluations were completed on April 27, 2021. Staff discussed their evaluations of each bid application and the feedback provided by references for select firms. Staff completed a reference check and work product review for the top three (3) firms. The reference checks included quality of work product, experience working with the firm, methodology and the responsiveness/engagement of the local business community.
Next Steps:
The tentative contract execution date for this project is May 19, 2021 and the completion date of work shall be no later than October 31, 2021.
Fiscal Impact:
Funding for this project is included in the FY2021 budget.
City Administrator Comments:
Based on local knowledge, quality of proposal, and endorsement by references, City Staff is recommending the City Council accept And Access, Inc.’s bid of $29,490 for the City’s solicited BR&E Strategy.
Community Engagement:
The BRE strategy will include a significant amount of direct participation with business and commercial property.
Strategic Goals:
Goal 2 - Ensure the Long-Term Economic Viability of the City
Legal Review Required?
Pending