On-Call Technical Assistance

COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
ON-CALL CAPACITY & READINESS SUPPORT PROGRAM
SPECIFICATION NO. ED26-0075F
Request for Qualifications Specification No. ED26-0075F
Template Revised: 5/09/2025
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City of Tacoma
Community & Economic Development/Business Services & Workforce
Partnerships + Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS ED26-0075F
On-Call Capacity & Readiness Support Program
Submittal Deadline: 11:00 a.m., Pacific Time, Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Submittals must be received by the City's Procurement and Payables Division by 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
For electronic submittals, the City of Tacoma will designate the time of receipt recorded by our email server, as
the official time of receipt. This clock will be used as the official time of receipt of all parts of electronic bid
submittals. Include the specification number in the subject line of your email. Your submittal must be sent as
an attachment, links to your electronic submittal will not be accepted.
For in person submittals, the City of Tacoma will designate the time of receipt recorded by the timestamp
located at the lobby security desk, as the official time of receipt. Include the specification number on the
outside of the sealed envelope. Late submittals will be returned unopened and rejected as non-responsive.
Submittal Delivery: Sealed submittals will be received as follows:
By Email: In Person:
sendbid@tacoma.gov Tacoma Public Utilities Administration Building North,
Maximum email size including attachments: 35 MB. Main Floor, Lobby Security Desk
Multiple emails may be sent for each submittal. 3628 South 35th Street
Tacoma, WA 98409
Note: Email may pass through multiple servers before arriving Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
at its destination. Please allow sufficient time for email delivery
of submittals. Timely electronic delivery is at the risk of the
supplier.
Bid Opening: Submittals must be received by the City's Procurement and Payables Division prior to 11:00
a.m. Pacific Time. Sealed submittals in response to a RFB will be opened Tuesday's at 11:15 a.m. by a
purchasing representative and read aloud during a public bid opening held at the Tacoma Public Utilities
Administrative Building North, 3628 S. 35th Street, Tacoma, WA 98409, conference room M-1, located on the
main floor. They will also be held virtually Tuesday's at 11:15 a.m. Attend a Zoom meeting via this link or call 1
(253) 215 8782, using meeting ID # 884 0268 0573, passcode # 070737.
Submittals in response to an RFP, RFQ or RFI will be recorded as received, but not read at bid opening. As
soon as possible, after 1:00 PM, on the day of submittal deadline, preliminary results will be posted to
www.TacomaPurchasing.org.
If you believe your submittal was sent timely and was not read at bid opening, please contact
sendbid@tacoma.gov immediately.
Solicitation Documents: An electronic copy of the complete solicitation documents may be viewed and
obtained by accessing the City of Tacoma Purchasing website at www.TacomaPurchasing.org.
* Register for the Bid Holders List to receive notices of addenda, questions and answers and related updates.
* Click here to see a list of vendors registered for this solicitation.
Pre-Proposal Meeting: A pre-proposal meeting will be held at Tacoma Municipal Building, Room 248 on
Thursday, May 14th from 2:00-3:00 PM
Project Scope: On-Call Technical Assistance Services for Economic Development Programs: Revolving Loan
Fund, Tacoma Creates, and Equity in Contracting.
Estimate: $55,000
Form No. SPEC-040C Revised: 06/03/2024
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Paid Sick Leave: The City of Tacoma requires all employers to provide paid sick leave in accordance with
State of Washington law.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA Information: The City of Tacoma, in accordance with Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), commits to
nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, in all of its programs and activities. Specification materials can be
made available in an alternate format by emailing the contact listed below in the Additional Information section.
Title VI Information:
"The City of Tacoma" in accordance with provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (78 Stat. 252, 42
U.S.C. sections 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively
ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises
will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated
against on the grounds of race, color, national origin in consideration of award.
Additional Information: Requests for information regarding the specifications may be obtained by contacting
Hailey Erichsen by email to Herichsen@tacoma.gov.
Protest Policy: City of Tacoma protest policy, located at www.tacomapurchasing.org, specifies procedures for
protests submitted prior to and after submittal deadline.
Meeting sites are accessible to persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations for persons with
disabilities can be arranged with 48 hours advance notice by calling 253-502-8468.
Form No. SPEC-040C Revised: 06/03/2024
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
RFx Page ................................................................................................................................... 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................. 4
SUBMITTAL CHECK LIST ......................................................................................................... 5
1. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................. 6
2. SUMMARY OF SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES .......................................... 6
3. ANTICIPATED CONTRACT TERM ..................................................................................... 7
4. CALENDAR OF EVENTS ................................................................................................... 7
5. INQUIRIES ......................................................................................................................... 7
6. DISCLAIMER ...................................................................................................................... 8
7. EVALUATION CRITERIA .................................................................................................... 8
8. SOQ SUBMITTAL AND GENERAL GUIDELINES .............................................................. 9
9. CONTENT TO BE SUBMITTED - This section represents 100% of the possible scoring
criteria. ....................................................................................................................................... 9
10. INTERVIEWS / ORAL PRESENTATIONS .........................................................................12
11. RESPONSIVENESS ..........................................................................................................12
12. CONTRACT OBLIGATION ................................................................................................13
13. FORM OF CONTRACT ......................................................................................................13
14. STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS ..........................................................................13
15. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................................13
16. PARTNERSHIPS ...............................................................................................................13
17. COMMITMENT OF FIRM KEY PERSONNEL ....................................................................14
18. AWARD .............................................................................................................................14
19. SCOPE, BUDGET, AND SCHEDULE ................................................................................14
20. ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PROCUREMENT ...................................................14
21. EQUITY IN CONTRACTING ..............................................................................................15
22. PROPRIETARY OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ......................................................15
23. ADDENDUMS ....................................................................................................................15
APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................16
APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................................18
Request for Qualifications Specification No. ED26-0075F
Template Revised: 5/09/2025
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SUBMITTAL CHECK LIST
This checklist identifies items to be included with your submittal. Any submittal received without
these required items may be deemed non-responsive and not be considered for award.
Submittals must be received by the City of Tacoma Purchasing Division by the date and time
specified in the Request for Qualifications page.
The following items make up your complete electronic submittal package
(include all the items below):
Signature Page (Appendix A)
To be filled in and executed by a duly authorized officer or representative of the bidding entity. If
the bidder is a subsidiary or doing business on behalf of another entity, so state, and provide the
firm name under which business is hereby transacted.
Content to be Submitted (Section 9)
After award, the following documents will be executed:
City of Tacoma Contract (See sample in Appendix B)
Must be executed by the successful bidder.
Certificate of Insurance and related endorsements (Appendix B)
Shall be submitted with all required endorsements
Request for Qualifications Specification No. ED26-0075F
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1. BACKGROUND
The City of Tacoma's Community & Economic Development Department (CED) is seeking
qualified firms or individuals to provide on-call technical assistance and capacity-building
services to small businesses, nonprofit organizations, creative enterprises, and contracting firms
participating in City-supported economic development programs. This effort represents a cross-
divisional initiative between Business Services (Revolving Loan Fund), Equity in Contracting,
and Tacoma Creates.
Tacoma's small businesses, creative entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, and minority- and
women-owned firms are critical to the local economy but continue to face structural barriers
related to financial documentation, compliance, procurement readiness, operational
sustainability, and access to capital. While existing programs offer foundational support, many
participants require ongoing, individualized assistance to apply that support in practice,
particularly those engaged in lending programs, pursuing public contracting opportunities, or
receiving cultural funding.
To address these gaps, the City intends to establish an on-call technical assistance model that
provides referral-based, tailored support aligned with client needs. Technical assistance
engagements will be short-term and focused on specific outcomes, strengthening organizational
capacity, improving access to capital and contracting opportunities, and supporting long-term
sustainability. City staff will manage intake and referrals through a standardized process and
assign clients to selected provider(s) based on program alignment, expertise, and capacity.
To learn more about the City of Tacoma, visit tacoma.gov
The City anticipates awarding one or more contracts.
Qualifications submitted and/or the selected Consultant(s) may be used for projects of similar
type and scope at the sole discretion of the City for up to one year.
2. SUMMARY OF SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES
It is the City's intent to select a consultant based on qualifications and abilities of the firm and
key project individuals.
The selected provider(s) will deliver on-call, one-on-one technical assistance to small
businesses, nonprofit organizations, creative enterprises, and contracting firms participating in
City-supported programs. Services will be provided through short-term, City-authorized
engagements designed to address specific operational, financial, or strategic needs and
improve overall readiness, performance, and sustainability.
Technical assistance may include support with financial management, bookkeeping, and tax
compliance; business planning and operational strategy; cash flow analysis and projections;
revenue growth and sustainability strategies; marketing and digital presence; and organizational
systems, compliance, and administrative readiness.
In addition to these core services, providers may deliver program-specific support aligned with
City initiatives. For businesses engaged in the Revolving Loan Fund, this may include loan
Request for Qualifications Specification No. ED26-0075F
Template Revised: 5/09/2025
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readiness, financial documentation preparation, cash flow and repayment planning, and post-
loan operational support. For firms participating in Equity in Contracting, services may include
procurement readiness, certification support, estimating and pricing, and assistance navigating
contracting requirements and compliance. For nonprofit organizations supported through
Tacoma Creates, services may include financial management, grant readiness and compliance,
fundraising and communications, governance and board development, and strategic planning.
All services will be coordinated through City staff, who will manage intake, referrals, and
authorization of engagements. Providers will be expected to track activities, outcomes, and
deliverables in alignment with City requirements and applicable funding sources.
3. ANTICIPATED CONTRACT TERM
The anticipated duration of the contract is for eight months with the City's sole option to renew
for additional periods as applicable.
4. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
The following schedule has been established for the submission and evaluation of the SOQs
and selection of the Consultant. These are tentative dates only and the City reserves the right to
adjust these dates at its sole discretion.
The anticipated schedule of events concerning this Solicitation is as follows:
Publish and issue Solicitation: 5/6/2026
Pre-Submittal Questions: 5/15/2026
Response to Questions (on or about): 5/18/2026
Submittal Due Date: 5/26/2026
Submittal Evaluated, on or about: May 2026
Interviews/presentations, on or about: May 2026
Award Recommendation, on or about: June 2026
5. INQUIRIES
5.1 Questions should be submitted to Hailey Erichsen via email to Herichsen@tacoma.gov.
Subject line to read:
ED26-0075F - On-Call Capacity & Readiness Support Program - VENDOR NAME
5.2 Questions are due by 3 pm on the date included in the Calendar of Events section.
5.3 Questions marked confidential will not be answered or included.
5.4 The City reserves the discretion to group similar questions to provide a single answer or
not to respond when the requested information is confidential.
5.5 The answers are not typically considered an addendum.
Request for Qualifications Specification No. ED26-0075F
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5.6 The City will not be responsible for unsuccessful submittal of questions.
5.7 Written answers to questions will be posted along side the specifications at
www.tacomapurchasing.org
6. DISCLAIMER
The City is not liable for any costs incurred by the Respondent for the preparation of materials,
or a submittal submitted in response to this Solicitation, for conducting any presentations to the
City, or any other activities related to responding to this Solicitation or related to the contract
negotiation process.
7. EVALUATION CRITERIA
A Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) consisting of City staff and other stakeholders, as
appropriate, shall independently evaluate the SOQs. The relative weight of each scoring criteria
is indicated in the tables below.
Criteria Max
Points
Qualifications/Experience of Respondent 25
Service Approach and Methodology 20
Tracking, Reporting, and Accountability 10
References 10
Cost and Overall Value 5
Sub-Total (All Proposers) 70
Program-Specific Technical Assistance Experience
Respondents will be evaluated based on demonstrated experience in the service area(s) they
select:
Criteria Max
Points
Revolving Loan Fund Support Related Experience 10
Equity in Contracting Related Experience 10
Tacoma Creates Related Experience 10
Sub-Total 30
*Program-specific criteria will only be scored for the service areas selected by the proposer.
Proposers applying for one or more service areas will be evaluated based only on the relevant
program-specific criteria. Final scores will be normalized as a percentage of total possible points
for the selected service areas to ensure fair comparison across proposals of varying scope.
After the evaluation, the SAC may conduct interviews of the most qualified Respondents before
final selection.
7.1 The SAC may select one or more respondent to provide the services required.
7.2 The SAC may use references to clarify information in the submittals and interviews, if
conducted, which may affect the rating. The City reserves the right to contact references
other than those included in the submittal.
Request for Qualifications Specification No. ED26-0075F
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7.3 Part 1 of the evaluation process shall consist of the evaluation of the written Statement of
Qualifications (SOQ) package submitted by each Proposer and as a result, a short list of
Proposers may be invited to interview with the SAC.
7.4 Part 2 of the evaluation process will evaluate the interviews, if conducted, to produce a
final rating. The City reserves the right to select the Consultant team directly from the
SOQs (Part 1 evaluation) without conducting an interview.
8. SOQ SUBMITTAL AND GENERAL GUIDELINES
The SOQ should be submitted in PDF format. The City recommends that the Proposer's SOQ
submittals be limited to no more than 16 double-sided pages (not including City of Tacoma
required forms).
9. CONTENT TO BE SUBMITTED - This section represents 100% of the possible
scoring criteria.
Proposals should be formatted as 8 12" x 11". A "page" is defined as one single-side of a
document that has written text or graphics. The font should be Times New Roman or Arial with
font size no smaller than 11 and the margins shall be 0.75" or greater. Submittals should be
limited to a maximum of 10 pages, double-sided, or 20 pages total, excluding any required
forms or resumes. All pages that exceed the specified page limit will not be part of the
evaluation.
A full and complete response to each of the "CONTENT TO BE SUBMITTED" items is expected
in a single location; do not cross reference to another section in your submittal.
Information that is confidential must be clearly marked and provide an index identifying the
affected page number(s) and locations(s) of such identified materials. See Section 1 of the
Standard Terms and Conditions - Solicitation 1.06 for Public Disclosure: Proprietary or
Confidential Information.
Respondents are to provide complete and detailed responses to all items below. Submittals that
are incomplete or conditioned in any way that contain alternatives or items not called for in this
RFQ, or not in conformity with law, may be rejected as being non-responsive. The City will not
accept any submittal containing a substantial deviation from the requirements outlined in this
RFQ.
Submittals should present information in a straightforward and concise manner, while ensuring
complete and detailed descriptions of the respondent's/team's abilities to meet the requirement
of this RFQ. Emphasis will be on completeness of content. The written submittals should be
prepared in the sequential order as outlined below.
The City reserves the right to request clarification of any aspect of a firm's submittal or request
additional information that might be required to properly evaluate the submittal. A firm's failure to
respond to such a request may result in rejection of the firm's submittal. Firms are required to
provide responses to any request clarification within two (2) business days.
Request for Qualifications Specification No. ED26-0075F
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Requests for clarification or additional information shall be made at the sole discretion of the
City. The City's retention of this right shall no way diminish a Proposer's responsibility to submit
a submittal that is current, clear, complete, and accurate.
Proposal Requirements
Proposals must clearly demonstrate the proposer's experience, capacity, and approach to
delivering high-quality technical assistance aligned with the City's needs of improved access to
capital, strengthening financial and operational readiness, increasing competitiveness for
contracting opportunities, and supporting long-term organizational sustainability. Proposers may
submit proposals to serve for-profit entities, nonprofit/creative organizations, or both.
Service Area Selection
Proposers may submit proposals to provide technical assistance in one or more of the following
service areas. Proposers should clearly indicate which areas they are proposing to serve and
should respond only to the proposal requirements relevant to those areas.
Business Services / Revolving Loan Fund (For-Profit Businesses)

Equity in Contracting (For-Profit Contracting Firms)

Tacoma Creates (Nonprofit Cultural Organizations)

Proposers may select one, multiple, or all service areas depending on their expertise and
capacity. The City may award contracts for one or more service areas to different providers.
9.1 Qualifications/Experience of Respondent - 25 points
Please provide information on the Respondent's structure, qualifications and experience
including:
* Provide a brief overview of your firm or organization, including years in operation, areas of
specialization, primary client types served.
* Firm
* Names of lead persons with titles, qualifications, and general project responsibilities.
* Names of all sub-consultant personnel, qualifications and general responsibilities.
Describe the firm's experience/familiarity with the City of Tacoma Revolving Loan Fund,
Equity in Contracting Program, and/or Tacoma Creates.
* Describe the firm's experience working with public-sector or publicly funded programs
9.2 Service Approach & Methodology - 20 points
* Describe your approach to delivering on-call technical assistance to clients at varying
stages of readiness. Your response should address:
How you assess client needs and readiness
o
How you prioritize areas of support
o
How you provide culturally relevant support services to diverse audiences
o
How you sequence or tailor services over the course of an engagement
o
How you determine when a client is prepared to advance to the next stage of
o
financing, contracting, compliance, or organizational growth
Request for Qualifications Specification No. ED26-0075F
Template Revised: 5/09/2025
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