NMSBDCEC Consultant Contractor Management

Request for Proposals
for
RFP P06-26
New Mexico Small Business Development Center Ecosystem
Contract Consultant Management
Issued: March 12 , 2026
Deadline for Submission: March 26, 2026
(Mandatory) Pre-Proposal Meeting:
Date: March 20, 2026
Time: 4:00 - 5:00 pm MDT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81640267934?from=addon
RFP Administrator Contact Information:
Name: John Apodaca
Title: Director of Procurement
Telephone: 505-428-1630
E-mail: john.apodaca1@sfcc.edu
.
Santa Fe Community College (Owner) invites you ("Offeror") to submit an offer for material(s)
and/or services as set forth in this Request for Proposals (RFP). Please read carefully the
instructions, specifications, and SFCC Standard Terms and Conditions, because failure to comply
therewith may result in an offer being classified as unresponsive, disqualified or negatively
evaluated. Proposals must be submitted no later than the proposal deadline date of March 26,
2026 @ 2 pm. New Mexico civil and criminal law prohibits bribes, gratuities and kickbacks.
APPLICABLE NIGP COMMODITY CODES: 918-75, 918-87

Table of Contents
Section I. Scope of Work and Other Information
Section II. Organization of Proposal
Section III. Sequence of Events
Section IV. Evaluation Criteria
Section V. Additional Instructions to Offerors
Section VI. Standard Terms and Conditions
Exhibit A - Authorized Signature Page
Exhibit B - Small and Small Disadvantaged Business Certification
Exhibit C - Conflict of Interest and Debarment/Suspension Certification Form
Exhibit D - Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payments to Influence Certain Federal
Transactions (April 1991)
Exhibit E - Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form
Exhibit F - Insurance Requirements
Exhibit G - Preference Certification
Exhibit H - Total Cost Response Form
Exhibit I - Code of Conduct/Confidentiality/Conflict of Interest Form (SBDC)
Exhibit J - SBA Award Standard Terms
Exhibit K - SBDC Program Notice of Funding Opportunity
Exhibit L - SBDCP Terms and Conditions

RFP P06-26
NEW MEXICO SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER ECOSYSTEM
(NMSBDCE) CONTRACT CONSULTANT MANAGEMENT
Santa Fe Community College invites qualified providers to submit a proposal for the proposed
scope of work for evaluation by SFCC and possible award if approved. For purposes of
identification and clarity within this RFP, the term "COLLEGE" shall refer to Santa Fe
Community College (SFCC), and the term "OFFEROR" shall refer to the RFP respondents.
Proposals must be submitted no later than the proposal deadline date of (March 26, 2026).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Since 1983, Santa Fe Community SFCC has served as the gateway to success for individuals
and the community. SFCC provides affordable, high-quality educational programs that serve
the social, cultural, technological, and economic needs of Santa Fe's diverse community.
More than 15,000 students are served each year in its credit, noncredit and adult basic
education programs. Offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, SFCC caters to
the academic, career and personal enrichment needs of local residents, businesses, government
and public service organizations. SFCC currently employs 380 full-time and more than 350
part-time workers.
SUBMISSION:
Proposals and all related documents shall be submitted via email to the RFP administrator
at john.apodaca1@sfcc.edu . The subject line shall be labeled:
PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL - COMPANY NAME - SFCC RFP06-26
All documents must be received prior to the deadline date and time. In addition, the offeror
shall contact the RFP Administrator by email or phone to confirm receipt of all submitted
documents prior to the deadline. Proposals that are not sent and labeled correctly, or that
cannot be accessed or opened, may not be considered.
CANCELLATION:
SFCC reserves the right to cancel without penalty, this RFP, the resultant contract/purchase
order, or any portion thereof for convenience, unsatisfactory performance, or unavailability of
funds.
AWARD:
SFCC reserves the right to make multiple awards to primary, secondary or more sources or to
otherwise split the award of the items, projects and/or sections of this proposal.
REQUIREMENTS: For the purposes of the requirements stated in this RFP "must" and "shall"
indicate that the requirement is mandatory, subject to provisions of this RFP; and "should",
"could" and "may" indicate that the requirement is discretionary.

NOTICE: The Offerors are put on notice that from the date of issue of the RFP through any award
notification and fully executed Agreement: Only the RFP Administrator or Chief Procurement
Officer is authorized by SFCC to amend or waive the requirements of the RFP pursuant to the
terms of this RFP.
A. Offerors should not contact any of the staff at SFCC, (except for the RFP
Administrator) regarding this RFP, unless instructed to in writing by the RFP
Administrator.
B. Under no circumstances shall the Offeror rely upon any information or
instructions from the RFP Administrator, SFCC employees or their agents unless
the information or instructions is provided in writing by the RFP Administrator
in the form of an addendum; and
C. SFCC, their employees, nor their agents shall be responsible for any information
or instructions provided to the Offeror, with the exception of information or
instructions provided in an addendum by the RFP Administrator.
OFFEROR TO REVIEW: The Offeror must carefully review this RFP and ensure that the
Offeror has no reason to believe that there are any uncertainties, inconsistencies, errors, omissions,
or ambiguities in any part of this RFP. Each Offeror is responsible for conducting its own
investigations and due diligence necessary for the preparation of its Proposal.
A. Offeror to Notify. If the Offeror discovers any uncertainty, inconsistency, error,
omission or ambiguity in this RFP, the Offeror must notify the RFP Administrator
in writing prior to submitting the Offeror's Proposal.
B. Offerors shall not Claim after submission of a Proposal that there was any
misunderstanding or that any of the conditions set out in the RFP were unclear;
or hold any staff of SFCC liable for any uncertainty, inconsistency, error,
omission, or ambiguity in any part of this RFP.

SECTION I. SCOPE OF WORK AND OTHER INFORMATION
1.1. SBDC Background
The New Mexico Association of Community Colleges (NMACC), with support from the
State Legislature and the Governor, initiated the New Mexico Small Business Development
Center (NMSBDC) Program in 1989. The SBDC program is the federal government's largest
and most successful management and technical assistance program for small businesses. The
SBDC program has 63 Programs-one in each state (four in Texas and five in California),
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Northern
Mariana Islands and their corresponding Service Center networks which include more than
1000 full time service centers. The SBDC Program is designed to provide high quality
business and economic development assistance to small businesses in order to: Start, Grow,
Sustain. The NMSBDC Lead Center is located on the campus of the Santa Fe Community
College (SFCC) in Santa Fe, New Mexico (the federal grant awardee). Since then, the
NMSBDC has experienced significant growth, with a statewide footprint of 19 Service
Centers and 3 satellites (staffed full time). The NMSBDC Ecosystem includes the
International Business Accelerator in Santa Teresa and the APEX Accelerator which
operates in five locations around the state.
SBDCs are required to provide the following services:
1.1.1. On a no-fee basis, one-on-one confidential counseling and training.
1.1.2. Working with individuals to increase awareness of basic credit practices and credit
requirements.
1.1.3. Working with individuals to develop business plans, financial packages, credit
applications and contract proposals.
1.1.4. Working to develop and provide informational tools to assist individuals with pre-
business startup planning, existing business expansion and export planning.
1.1.5. Working with individuals referred by the SBA District Offices and SBA
participating lenders. (Note: Providing any preferential treatment to clients of any
specific lender is prohibited, as is the SBDC's acceptance of payment for the
provision of counseling services.)
1.1.6. SBDCs must have counselor resources available to meet the needs of entrepreneurs
throughout the SBDC's designated service area.
1.2. Project Summary:
SBDC Counseling and training services are provided throughout New Mexico to
entrepreneurs and small businesses by SBDC Service Center staff. Due to escalating costs,
advisor and support positions have been reduced and, in some locations, wait times for clients
to be seen by an SBDC advisor have increased. This RFP is designed to have a contractor
create and manage a system for establishing counseling contractors to provide counseling
and training assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses as part of the NMSBDC
Ecosystem. It is estimated that as many as 20-40 contracted counselors and trainers located
throughout New Mexico would be obtained and managed by the contractor that is awarded
this RFP.
1.3. Reference Material (See Exhibits I, J, K, L)
1.3.1.CY 25 -26 OSBDC Notice of Funding Opportunity
1.3.2.SBA Award Standard Terms and Conditions

1.3.3.PY 2026 SBA SBDC Program Terms and Conditions
1.3.4.NMSBDEC Code of Conduct/Confidentiality/Conflict of Interest Form
1.4. Scope of Work:
Santa Fe Community College expects the contractor to complete, at a minimum, the tasks
outlined below. These tasks, as well as any additional tasks proposed by the offeror should
be included in the proposal narrative and the proposed scope of work. Offerors are
encouraged to revise, expand, and otherwise edit the tasks in their project proposal if they
remain consistent with the overall project purpose, goals, and available funding.
Working closely with the staff of Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) Small Business
Development Center Ecosystem Lead Center, and in cooperation with the NMSBDC
Director of Operations (DO) and the Executive State Director (ESD) which administers the
Small Business Development Center grant, the contractor will perform the following work:
1.4.1. Create a system for managing hourly counseling contractors (CC) and delivering
services for the SBDC Ecosystem. The system is expected to include the process
for:
A. Creating a detailed timeline for the Scope of Work requirements
B. Recruiting contracted counselors and drafting contracts such as Professional
Service Agreements and Requests for Proposals using SFCC processes.
C. Training counseled contractors
D. Client registration and triage process
E. Managing hourly CCs that are provided with a contract
F. Identifying CC work requirements, the Customer Relationship Management
software system, delivery of counseling services and other related needs
G. Assigning, scheduling, capturing and reporting CC work
H. Providing counseling services to small businesses and entrepreneurs
I. Fully documenting policies, processes and instructions
J. Facilitating secure data transfer and performing system data analysis
K. Reporting system activities
L. Ensuring that the necessary cybersecurity protections are in place for any
equipment or online services used by the Contractor and CCs for this program
M. The Offeror will plan and participate in and facilitate a meeting with SFCC staff
within 14 days of contract execution and establish a regular meeting schedule
thereafter.
1.5.Other Requirements:
1.5.1. Offeror Must be willing to review, sign and submit the NMSBDEC Code of
Conduct/Confidentiality/Conflict of Interest Form to the DO on the first day
following the award. Any non-compliance by the Contractor to abide by the
NMSBDEC Code of Conduct/ Confidentiality/Conflict of Interest policy may
result in immediate termination of this agreement.
1.5.2. All Federal and State laws and regulations applicable to the Contractor including
filing and paying state Gross Receipts Taxes are the obligation of the Contractor
and not SFCC.

1.5.3. Contractor will work remotely or may use NMSBDEC facilities during normal
NMSBDCEC facility operating hours as determined by the Contractor. The
Contractor is responsible for all costs associated with remote work.
Estimated Project Schedule
Activity Expected Completion Date
Manage Counseling Contractors Upon Award
Create Timeline for Scope of work Within 45 Days of Award
requirements
Required Processes Documented Within 6 Months of Award and Ongoing
All Other Scope of Work Items To Be Negotiated with Agreement
1.6. Additional Information:
1.6.1. Background Information. Since 1983, Santa Fe Community SFCC has served as
the gateway to success for individuals and the community. SFCC provides
affordable, high-quality educational programs that serve the social, cultural,
technological, and economic needs of Santa Fe's diverse community. More than
15,000 students are served each year in its credit, noncredit and adult basic
education programs. Offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs,
SFCC caters to the academic, career and personal enrichment needs of local
residents, businesses, government and public service organizations. SFCC
currently employs 380 full-time and more than 350 part-time workers.
1.6.2. SFCC's Mission and Goals: SFCC is a learning community. The mission of the
college is to "empower students and strengthen community". As a public
institution, SFCC offers a wide variety of educational programs and services to
meet the needs of a diverse student population and the community as a whole.
SFCC contributes to the economic, technological and cultural development of the
region by providing quality academic, career and personal-enrichment programs
1.6.3. NMSBDC Background, Mission, Vision and Goals: Background - The NMSBDC
was created in 1989 and is currently one of 63 SBDC Programs in the United States
and US Territories. SBDCs are required to provide the following services: On a no-
fee basis, one-on-one confidential counseling and training: Working with
individuals to increase awareness of basic credit practices and credit requirements.
Working with individuals to develop business plans, financial packages, credit
applications and contract proposals; Working to develop and provide informational
tools to assist individuals with pre-business startup planning, existing business
expansion and export planning; and SBDCs must have counselor resources
available to meet the needs of entrepreneurs throughout the SBDC's designated
service area. Mission - To develop skilled entrepreneurs and strong businesses.
Vision - To be the most effective economic development organization in New
Mexico and be recognized as such. Wildly Important Goals - 1. Counsel and train
entrepreneurs to start new businesses, grow existing businesses and stay in
business. 2. Ensure the value of the NMSBDC Program is demonstrated to

stakeholders, partners, clients and the community through awareness and quality of
the services we provide.
1.7. Clarification and Questions
1.7.1. Requests for Clarifications: Offerors may request clarification of this RFP by March
23, 2026:
A. Submitting all requests for clarification by email to the RFP Administrator at
john.apodaca1@sfcc.edu or as otherwise directed by the RFP Administrator.
B. Including the Offeror's address, telephone number, facsimile number and email
address.
C. If the question pertains to a specific section of this RFP, reference should be made
to the specific section number and page; and
D. Submitting all requests for clarification no later than the date specified in the RFP
for submission of questions.
1.7.2. Questions and Answers. SFCC will provide Offerors with written responses in the
form of addenda to questions that are submitted in accordance with directives in this
RFP. All addenda issued are incorporated into this RFP by default. Questions and
answers will be distributed in numbered addenda. In answering the Offeror's
questions, the RFP Administrator will include in all addenda the questions asked but
will not attribute the questions to any Offeror. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
RFP Administrator may in its sole discretion answer similar questions from various
Offerors only once, edit the questions for clarity, and elect not to respond to questions
that are either inappropriate or not comprehensible.
1.7.3. Issued Addenda. Each Offeror shall be responsible for verifying before submitting a
Proposal that all addenda that have been issued have been received and considered.
All addenda will be posted on SFCC bidding website at https://www.sfcc.edu/rfps/.
Instructions, clarifications or amendments which affect this RFP may only be made
by addendum.
1.7.4. Amendments to the RFP. SFCC shall have the right to amend or supplement this
RFP in writing prior to the Closing Date and time. No other statement, whether
written, oral or inferred, will amend this RFP. The Offerors are responsible to ensure
they received all addenda, if any. The addenda shall be binding on each Offeror.
1.7.5. State of New Mexico Procurement Code. This RFP is issued under, and all proposals
submitted in response to this solicitation shall be subject to, the State of New Mexico
Procurement Code, Section 13-1-21 through 13-1-199, NMSA 1978. New Mexico
criminal law prohibits bribes, gratuities and kickbacks. (13-1-191 NMSA 1978). All
responses to this Request for Proposals become the property of SFCC and will
become public information upon completion of SFCC contract negotiation and award
process.

1.7.6. Accuracy of RFP. To the best knowledge of SFCC, the information provided in this
RFP is accurate. Nonetheless, nothing in this RFP is intended to relieve Offerors
from undertaking their own investigations or inquiries or performing other due
diligence or forming their own opinions and conclusions with respect to the matters
addressed in this RFP. SFCC does not represent or warrant that the information is
comprehensive or exhaustive and assume no responsibility for the completeness or
accuracy of the information. In particular, where information includes historical data
or information, SFCC makes no representation or warranty that such data or
information represents an accurate forecast of volumes and/or needs.
1.7.7. Forms and Exhibits. The RFP Submission Forms and Exhibits and the other
documents requiring execution by the Offeror, shall be completed and signed by a
duly authorized signing representative of the Offeror and included in the proposal.
Proposals should be completed without delineations, alterations, or erasures. Should
there be any discrepancy between the original and any of the copies, the original shall
prevail.
1.8. Clarification of Offeror's Proposal
1.8.1. SFCC shall have the right at any time after Proposal submission, to seek clarification
from any Offeror in respect of such Offeror's Proposal, without contacting other
Offerors. SFCC is not obliged to seek clarification of any aspect of a Proposal.
1.8.2. Any clarifications sought shall not be an opportunity to either correct errors or to
change the Offeror's Proposal in any substantive manner. In the clarification process,
no change in the substance of the Proposal shall be offered or permitted. Subject to
the qualification in this Section, any written information received by SFCC from an
Offeror in response to a request for clarification from SFCC shall be considered part
of the Offeror's Proposal.
1.9. Verification of Information. SFCC shall have the right to:
1.9.1. Verify any Offeror statement or claim by whatever means SFCC deems appropriate,
including contacting persons in addition to those offered as references, and to reject
any Offeror statement or claim, if the statement or claim or its Proposal is patently
unwarranted or is questionable.
1.9.2. Access the Offeror's premises where any part of the work is to be carried out, or
company records related to the work to be carried out, to confirm Proposal
information, quality of processes, and to obtain assurances of viability.
1.9.3. The Offeror shall cooperate in the verification of information and is deemed to
consent to SFCC verifying such information.
1.10. Right to Protest. This solicitation or an award of this RFP may be protested as per the New
Mexico Procurement Code and SFCC Purchasing Department Procedures.

1.10.1. Presumption of knowledge. Any person or business that has been sent written notice
of any fact or occurrence is presumed to have knowledge of the fact or occurrence.
1.10.2. Time limits for filing protest.
A. For protests regarding the type of solicitation or the solicitation process, the time
limit runs from fifteen (15) continuous calendar days after the date the Chief
Procurement Officer or designee posts on the SFCC website. Example, if the
RFP is posted on the internet on the 1st of the month, the protest period ends at
11:59 pm on the 16th of the month.
B. For protests regarding award of a contract, the time limit runs from fifteen (15)
continuous calendar days after the date the Chief Procurement Officer or
designee posts on the Internet or mails/emails the notice of award whichever is
sooner. Example, if the RFP notice of award is posted on the SFCC website on
the 1st of the month, the protest period ends at 11:59 pm on the 16th of the
month.
SECTION II. ORGANIZATION OF PROPOSAL
Proposals should be organized in a format that promotes the easy and clear evaluating of the
offer.
2.1. Offerors are to organize Proposals in the order as stated in this section. Please carefully
read all information herein because failure to comply with the instructions in this RFP may
result in your proposal being classified as non-responsive or being negatively evaluated. The
organization of your proposal is to follow the RFP's organization so that the RFP and your
proposal can be cross-referenced during the evaluation process. The information in the
proposal should be presented in the same order as the pertinent provisions of the RFP,
referencing the section of the Request on any and all attachment that is included with the
proposal
2.2. Submittals should completely address each of the evaluation criteria in the order presented,
elaborating on all responses where possible. The following are the guidelines for response
presentation:
2.2.1 Font shall be Times New Roman size 10 or 12.
2.2.2 Single spaced
2.2.3 .75 borders all around on all documents
2.2.4 8 12 x 11-inch white paper, no color paper
2.2.5 Each page numbered sequentially in each section, starting with page 1, remembering
to start at page 1 in each section
2.2.6 Limited to a number of 50 pages, including cover letter, and table of contents, but not
including tabbed dividers and any Exhibits contained in this RFP marked Proposal
Form
2.2.7 Color graphics/charts etc. are acceptable as they relate to the response information
2.2.8 Responses shall be by section. Each section shall be designated by a sheet labeling
the section name and number if digital submission, or by tabbed divider if hard copy.