Professional Services for Regional Preparedness Workshops, Training & Family Assistance Ctr

1.11 ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF PROPOSALS: Due to the nature of this solicitation, the Knox County
Procurement Division will not accept electronically submitted proposals. Email and facsimile submission is
strictly prohibited.
1.12 HOW TO DO BUSINESS: Knox County utilizes a web-based Procurement software system, "KnoxBuys."
The system provides our clients (vendors, county departments and the citizens of Knox County) with a more
enhanced and end-user friendly means of accessing our services. The system allows for on-line vendor
registration and maintenance, electronic receipt of purchase orders, on-line retrieval and submittal of quotes,
bids and proposals for our vendor-clients and on-line requisitioning and receiving for our county departments.
In order for the County to maximize its investment and minimize the cost associated with office operations,
we need your help. When doing business with Knox County, we are urging you to please go to our website
at www.knoxcounty.org/procurement, register as a vendor in our on-line Procurement system, "KnoxBuys,"
if you have not done so and whenever possible to conduct your business with the County through this site. If
you have any questions, please contact the Procurement Division Representative listed in Section 1.1 of this
document.
1.13 INCURRED COSTS: Knox County will not be liable in any way for costs incurred by any proposer in the
preparation and submission of its proposal in response to this RFP, nor for the presentation of its proposal
and/or participation in any required meetings, discussions or negotiations. If any oral presentations are
required, Knox County advises vendors to be thorough and complete in submission of information.
1.14 NON-COLLUSION: Vendors, by submitting a signed proposal, certify that the accompanying proposal is not
the result of, or affected by, any unlawful act of collusion with any other person or company engaged in the
same line of business or commerce, or any other fraudulent act punishable under Tennessee or United States
law.
1.15 PAYMENT METHOD: Knox County utilizes two (2) methods of placing orders for products/services. The first
is the use of Purchase Orders. These Purchase Orders will be issued from Knox County Procurement
Division via the method selected by the vendor during registration. The Purchase Order will detail the
quantity, specific item(s) and the contracted price for each item.
The second method is the use of the Knox County Credit Card (VISA). Knox County intends to pay for these
products using either a Knox County issued purchase order or a Knox County purchasing card (VISA).
Vendors must be able to accept the Knox County credit card (VISA) for these types of transactions. Proposers
that are not able to accept the credit card will not be considered for this term contract.
1.16 POSSESSION OF WEAPONS: All vendors and their employees and their agents are prohibited from
possessing any weapons on Knox County property without prior written consent from the County. In the
case of a vendor whose contract requires possession of firearms or other weapons to successfully complete
their contract, vendor must provide personnel who are bonded to bear said weaponry.
1.17 PROCESSING TIME FOR PAYMENT: Vendors are advised that a minimum of thirty (30) days may be
required to process invoices for payment.
1.18 PROOF OF FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS CAPABILITY: Vendors must, upon request, furnish satisfactory
evidence of their ability to furnish products or services in accordance with the terms and conditions of these
specifications. Knox County will make the final determination as to the vendor's ability.
1.19 PROPOSAL DELIVERY: Knox County requires proposers, when hand delivering proposals, to time and date
stamp the envelope before depositing it in the bid box. Knox County will not be responsible for any lost or
misdirected mail sent by common carrier, nor will Knox County be responsible for proposals delivered to
addresses or Suites other than the delivery address and Suite specified at the top of this solicitation. The
time clock in the Procurement Division shall serve as the official record of time.
Solicitations must be in a sealed envelope/box prior to entering the Procurement Division office.
Procurement Division personnel are not allowed to see the submittal nor assist in placing documents
in an envelope/box. Additionally, the Procurement Division is not responsible for providing materials
(e.g.: envelopes, boxes, tape) for submittals.
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1.20 RECYCLING: Knox County, in its continuing efforts to lessen the amount of landfill waste and to further
recycling efforts, requests that proposals being submitted on paper shall:
* Be submitted on recycled paper
* Not include pages of unnecessary advertising
* Be made on both sides of each sheet of paper
1.21 RESTRICTIVE OR AMBIGUOUS SPECIFICATIONS: It is the responsibility of the prospective proposer to
review the entire Request for Proposal (RFP) packet and to notify the Procurement Division if the
specifications are formulated in a manner that would unnecessarily restrict competition. Any such protest or
question regarding the specifications or proposal procedures must be received in the Procurement Division
by May 14, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. local time. These requirements also apply to specifications that are
ambiguous.
1.22 SIGNING OF PROPOSALS: When submitting your proposal, in order to be considered, all proposals must
be signed. Please sign the original in blue ink.
1.23 TAXES: Knox County purchases are not subject to taxation. Tax exemption certificates will be provided
upon request.
1.24 TITLE VI OF THE 1964 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT: "Non-discrimination in Federally Assisted Programs" - "No
person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity
receiving Federal financial assistance." 42 U.S.C. section 2000 et seq. It is the policy of Knox County
Government that all its services and activities be administered in conformance with the requirements of Title
VI.
1.25 UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES: During periods of closure due to unforeseen circumstances in Knox
County or closures at the direction of the Knox County Mayor, the Procurement Division will enact the
following procedures in regards to solicitations and closures:
* If the Mayor closes the Administrative offices prior to the time set for solicitation opening of any
business day, all solicitations due that same day will be moved to the next operational business day.
* Other unforeseen circumstances shall be at the sole discretion of the Procurement Director.
* Knox County shall not be liable for any commercial carrier's decision regarding deliveries during any
unforeseen circumstances.
1.26 VENDOR REGISTRATION: Prior to the submission deadline for this solicitation, ALL PROPOSERS MUST
be registered with the Procurement Division. If you are not already a registered vendor with Knox County,
register on-line at our website at www.knoxcounty.org/procurement and click on "Knox Buys" and then select
"Online Vendor Registration." Vendors must be registered with the Procurement Division prior to submitting
their proposal. Knox County shall not be responsible for technical difficulties experienced by vendors trying
to register electronically less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the proposal closing time.
1.27 WAIVING OF INFORMALITIES: Knox County reserves the right to waive minor informalities or technicalities
when it is in the best interest of Knox County.
SECTION II OBLIGATIONS, RIGHTS AND REMEDIES
These terms and conditions shall be part of the contract. Knox County reserves the right to negotiate other terms
and conditions it deems appropriate and necessary under the circumstances to protect the public's trust.
2.1 ALTERATIONS OR AMENDMENTS: No alterations, amendments, changes, modifications or additions to
this Contract shall be binding on Knox County without the prior written approval of the County.
2.2 APPROPRIATION: In the event no funds are appropriated by Knox County for the goods or services in any
fiscal year or insufficient funds exist to purchase the goods or services, then the Contract shall expire upon
the expenditure of previously appropriated funds or the end of the current fiscal year, whichever occurs first,
with no further obligations owed to or by either party.
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2.3 ASSIGNMENT: Contractor shall not assign or subcontract this agreement, its obligations or rights hereunder
to any party, company, partnership, incorporation or person without the prior written specific consent of Knox
County.
2.4 BOOKS AND RECORDS: Contractor shall maintain all books, documents, accounting records and other
evidence pertaining to the goods and services provided under this Contract and make such materials
available at its offices at all reasonable times during the contract period and for five (5) years from the date
of the final payment under this agreement for inspection by County or by any other governmental entity or
agency participating in the funding of this agreement, or any authorized agents thereof; copies of said records
to be furnished if requested. Such records shall not include those books, documents and accounting records
that represent the Contractor's costs of manufacturing, acquiring or delivering the products and services
governed by this agreement.
2.5 CHILD LABOR: Contractor agrees that no products or services will be provided or performed under this
Contract that have been manufactured or assembled by child labor.
2.6 COMPLIANCE WITH ALL LAWS: Contractor is assumed to be familiar with and agrees to observe and
comply with all federal, state, and local laws, statutes, ordinances, and regulations in any manner affecting
the provision of goods and/or services, and all instructions and prohibitive orders issued regarding this work
and shall obtain all necessary permits.
2.7 DEFAULT: If Contractor fails to perform or comply with any provision of this Contract or the terms or
conditions of any documents referenced and made a part hereof, Knox County may terminate this Contract,
in whole or in part, and may consider such failure or noncompliance a breach of contract.
Knox County expressly retains all its rights and remedies provided by law in case of such breach, and no
action by Knox County shall constitute a waiver of any such rights or remedies. In the event of termination
for default, Knox County reserves the right to purchase its requirements elsewhere, with or without
competitive solicitation.
2.8 GOVERNING LAW; VENUE: This agreement shall be exclusively construed, governed, and controlled by
the Laws of the State of Tennessee without regard to principles of law, including conflicts of law, of any other
jurisdiction, territory, country, and/or province. Any dispute arising out of or relating to this agreement shall
exclusively be brought in the Chancery Court or the Circuit Court of Knox County, Tennessee. Each party
consents to personal jurisdiction thereto and waives any defenses based on personal jurisdiction, venue and
inconvenient forum.
2.9 INCORPORATION: All specifications, drawings, technical information, Request for Proposal, Proposal
Award and similar items referred to or attached or which are the basis for this Contract are deemed
incorporated by reference as if set out fully herein.
2.10 INDEMNIFICATION/HOLD HARMLESS: Contractor shall indemnify, defend, save and hold harmless Knox
County, its officers, agents and employees from all suits, claims, actions or damages of any nature brought
because of, arising out of, or due to breach of the agreement by Contractor, its subcontractors, suppliers,
agents, or employees or due to any negligent act or occurrence or any omission or commission of Contractor,
its subcontractors, suppliers, agents or employees.
2.11 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR: Contractor shall acknowledge that it and its employees serve as
independent contractors and that Knox County shall not be responsible for any payment, insurance or
incurred liability.
2.12 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE: Warranty periods shall not commence until Knox County inspects and
formally accepts the goods and/or services. The terms, conditions and timing of acceptance shall be
determined by Knox County. Knox County reserves the right to reject any or all items or services not in
conformance with applicable specifications, and Contractor assumes the costs associated with such
nonconformance. Acceptance of goods or services does not constitute a waiver of latent or hidden defects
or defects not readily detectable by a reasonable person under the circumstances.
2.13 IRAN DIVESTMENT ACT: By submission of this RFP, each respondent and each person signing on behalf
of any respondent certifies, and in the case of a joint submittal each party thereto certifies as to its own
organization, under penalty of perjury, that to the best of its knowledge and belief that each respondent is not
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on the list created pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 12-12-106. Proposers must submit with their
proposals the completed Attachment C Iran Divestment Act/ No Boycott of Israel.
2.14 LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: In no event shall Knox County be liable for any indirect, incidental,
consequential, special or exemplary damages or lost profits, even if Knox County has been advised of the
possibility of such damages.
2.15 NO BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL: Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated Title 12, Chapter 4, Part 1, by
submission of a response to this solicitation, each proposer and each person signing on behalf of any
proposer certifies, and in the case of a joint response each party thereto certifies as to its own organization,
under penalty of perjury, that to the best of its knowledge and belief that each proposer is not currently
engaged in, and will not for the duration of the contract engage in, a boycott of Israel. Proposers must submit
with their proposals the completed Attachment C Iran Divestment Act/ No Boycott of Israel.
2.16 NON-DISCRIMINATION AND NON-CONFLICT STATEMENT: Contractor agrees that no person on the
grounds of handicap, age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any trait or characteristic found to be
an illegal consideration, shall be excluded from participation in, or be denied benefits of, or be otherwise
subjected to discrimination in the performance of this agreement, or in the employment practices of vendor.
Contractor shall upon request show proof of such non-discrimination, and shall post in conspicuous places
available to all employees and applicants notices of non-discrimination. Contractor covenants that it complies
with the Fair Wage and Hour Laws, the National Labor Relations Act, and other federal and state employment
laws as applicable. Contractor covenants that it does not engage in any illegal employment practices.
Contractor covenants that it has no public or private interest and shall not acquire directly or indirectly any
interest which would conflict, in any manner, with the provision of its goods or performance of its services.
Contractor warrants that no part of the total contract amount provided herein shall be paid directly or indirectly
to any officer or employee of Knox County as wages, compensation, or gifts in exchange for acting as officer,
agent, employee, subcontractor or consultant to Contractor in connection with any goods provided or work
contemplated or performed relative to the agreement.
2.17 ORDER OF PRECEDENCE: In the event of inconsistent or conflicting provision of this Contract and
referenced documents, the following descending order of precedence shall prevail: (1) Contract, (2) Request
for Proposal (3) Contractor's Response, (4) Award, (5) Special Terms and Conditions, (6) General Terms
and Conditions, (7) Specifications, (8) Drawings.
2.18 REMEDIES: Knox County shall have all rights and remedies afforded under the U.C.C. and Tennessee law
in contract and in tort, including but not limited to rejection of goods, rescission, right of offset, refund,
incidental, consequential and compensatory damages and reasonable attorney's fees.
2.19 RIGHT TO INSPECT: Knox County reserves the right to make periodic inspections of the manner and means
the service is performed or the goods are supplied.
2.20 SEVERABILITY: If any provision of this Contract is declared illegal, void or unenforceable, the remaining
provisions shall not be affected but shall remain in force and in effect.
2.21 TAX COMPLIANCE: Pursuant to Resolution R-07-1-903 passed by the Commission of Knox County,
Tennessee, Contractor hereby acknowledges by submission of their signed bid or proposal that they are
current in its respective federal, state, county and city taxes of whatever kind or nature and is not delinquent
in any way. Delinquent status must be disclosed or risk debarment by the Knox County Procurement Division.
2.22 TERMINATION: County may terminate this agreement with or without cause at any time. In the event of
termination by either party, fees due for services satisfactorily performed or goods accepted prior to the
termination date shall be paid. In the event Contractor intends to interrupt or discontinue service under this
Contract, Contractor agrees to give Knox County at least one hundred twenty (120) business days' advance
written notice of said interruption or discontinuance of service prior to interrupting or discontinuing same. Any
interruption or discontinuance of service without said advance notice shall constitute a material breach of this
Contract.
2.23 WARRANTY: Contractor warrants to Knox County that all items delivered and all services rendered shall
conform to the specifications, drawings, proposal and/or other descriptions furnished and/or incorporated by
reference, and will be fit for the particular purpose purchased, of merchantable quality, good workmanship,
and free from defects. Contractor extends to Knox County all warranties allowed under the U.C.C. Contractor
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shall provide copies of warranties to the County. Return of merchandise not meeting warranties shall be at
contractor's expense.
SECTION III SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
3.1 INTENT: Knox County, on behalf of Tennessee Homeland Security District 2, is seeking professional
services to design and facilitate a coordinated suite of workshops and trainings to strengthen regional and
local capacity for catastrophic incident management, and to collaborate with District 2 Program Staff and
local subject matter experts to update and enhance the District's Regional Family Assistance Center (FAC)
Plan. Award will be based on Best Value. Best Value means more than low cost. It includes initial cost,
service quality and other factors detailed herein.
3.2 ACCEPTANCE: Proposers are advised that the payment of an invoice does not necessarily constitute as an
acceptance of services that are provided. Acceptance requires a specific written action by Knox County so
stating.
3.3 AWARD STATUS: Knox County intends to issue an one-time award with a contract expiration date. Knox
County reserves the right to purchase these items/services from other sources if the need arises. Knox
County reserves the right to revoke the award if a pattern of unavailability arises with the vendor.
3.4 CHANGES AFTER AWARD: It is possible that after award, Knox County may change its needs or
requirements. Knox County reserves the right to make such changes after consultation with the vendor.
Should additional costs arise, Knox County reserves the right to consider accepting these charges provided
the vendor can document the increased costs. Knox County also reserves the right to accept proposed
service changes from the vendor if they will lower the cost to Knox County and/or provide improved service.
3.5 COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE REGULATIONS: Contractor agrees and covenants that the
company, its agents and employees will comply with all city, county, state and federal codes, laws, rules and
regulations applicable to the business to be conducted under this Contract. If the Contractor performs any
work knowing it to be contrary to such laws, ordinances, rules and regulations, the Contractor shall bear all
costs arising from them.
3.6 CONTACT PERSONNEL: It shall be essential to the success of this Contract to develop a good working
relationship with the Contractor. It is imperative that the Knox County account be handled efficiently and
professionally. Knox County should be assigned no more than two (2) Contractor contacts to handle billing
inquiries and service related issues. In the event one or both contacts leave the Knox County account, the
successful Contractor shall formally introduce the new contacts to County personnel. These contacts must
be knowledgeable of the County's account to avoid any interruption of service.
3.7 CONTRACT EXECUTION: The award of this proposal will result in a Contract between Knox County and
the successful proposer. The Contract must be voted on by the Knox County Commission and receive a
majority vote. The successful firm(s) may be required to be present at the full Commission Meeting to answer
questions relating to the services performed. Adequate notification will be given by the Knox County
Procurement Division if the firm(s) will need to attend this meeting. The Knox County Procurement Division
will draft this Contract and no vendor(s) forms (i.e. Terms and Conditions, Service Agreements, or other
standard Company forms, etc.) will be accepted as Contract attachments. The submission of such forms may
cause the disqualification of the vendor(s) proposal.
3.8 EVALUATION CRITERIA: This proposal will be evaluated using the following criteria:
Experience and Qualifications 40 Points
Program Plan and Approach 40 Points
Cost 20 Points
Knox County may select an Evaluation Committee for this solicitation to thoroughly review and score all
submitted responsive and responsible proposals. Each evaluator will have the ability to award up to 100
points, based on the Evaluation Criteria, per submission.
3.9 EVALUATION REVIEW: Knox County reserves the right to use all pertinent information that might affect the
County's judgment as to the appropriateness of an award to the best evaluated proposer. This information
may be appended to the proposal evaluation process results. Information on a service provider from reliable
sources, and not within the service provider's proposal, may also be noted and made part of the evaluation
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file. Knox County shall have sole responsibility for determining a reliable source. Knox County reserves the
right to conduct written and/or oral discussions/interviews after the proposal closing. The purpose of such
discussions/interviews is to provide clarification and/or additional information to make an award that is in the
best interest of Knox County.
3.10 EXCEPTIONS TO SPECIFICATIONS: Vendors taking exception to any part or section of these specifications
shall indicate such exceptions in their proposal response. Failure to indicate any exceptions shall be
interpreted as the vendor's intent to fully comply with the specifications as written. Conditional or qualified
offers are subject to rejection in whole or in part. Any exceptions shall be included in Section V, Tab IX of
the submittal.
3.11 GRATUITIES AND KICKBACKS: It shall be a breach of ethical standards for any person or company to
offer, give, or agree to give any employee or former employee, or for any employee or former employee to
solicit, demand, accept, or agree to accept from another person, a gratuity or an offer of employment in
connection with any decision, approval, disapproval, recommendation, preparation of any part of a program
requirement or a purchase request, influencing the content of any specification or procurement standard,
rendering of advice, investigation, auditing or in any other advisory capacity in any proceeding or application,
request for ruling, determination, claim, or controversy or other particular matter, pertaining to any program
requirement of a contract or subcontract or to any solicitation or proposal therefore.
3.12 INSURANCE: The successful Vendor must carry the insurance as indicated on the Insurance Checklist
Attachment hereto. As proof of the Vendor's willingness to obtain and maintain the insurance, the Vendor
must complete, sign and have its insurance agent sign the attachment and submit it with the proposal.
Upon the Notification of Intent to Award, the successful vendor will be required to submit a Certificate of
Insurance (COI) including any corresponding endorsement page(s) with the specified coverage and listing
Knox County as an additional insured. It shall be the successful vendor's responsibility to keep a current COI
and endorsement page(s) on file with Knox County Procurement for as long as the contract is in effect.
3.13 NEGOTIATION: Knox County may select a successful proposer on the basis of initial offers received without
discussions. Therefore, each proposal shall contain the proposer's best terms from a cost or price and service
standpoint. Knox County reserves the right to enter into Contract negotiations with the highest-rated
proposer. If Knox County and the selected proposer cannot negotiate a successful agreement, Knox County
may terminate said negotiations and begin negotiations with the next highest-rated proposer. Knox County
retains the right to negotiate with multiple proposers simultaneously. This process will continue until a
Contract has been executed or all proposals have been rejected. No proposer shall have any rights against
Knox County arising from such negotiations.
3.14 NEWS RELEASES BY VENDORS: As a matter of policy, Knox County does not endorse the services of a
contractor. A contractor will not make news releases concerning any resultant contract from this solicitation
without the prior written approval of Knox County.
3.15 NO CONTACT POLICY: After the date and time that the vendor receives this solicitation, any contact initiated
by any proposer with any Knox County representative, other than the Procurement Division representative
listed herein, concerning this Request for Proposal, is strictly prohibited. Any such unauthorized contact may
cause the disqualification of the proposer from this procurement transaction.
3.16 OWNERSHIP OF DOCUMENTS: Any reports, specifications, drawings, blueprints, negatives, electronic files
or other documents prepared by the successful proposer shall be the exclusive property of Knox County, and
all such materials shall be returned to Knox County upon completion, termination, or cancellation of this
Contract within a reasonable timeframe as determined by Knox County.
3.17 PROPOSAL EVALUATION: In evaluating the proposals, Knox County reserves the right to use any or all of
the ideas from the proposals submitted without limitation and to accept any part or all, of the successful
proposal in selecting an operation which is judged to be in the best interest of Knox County. All material
submitted becomes the property of Knox County.
3.18 PROPOSAL FORMAT: This solicitation is in the Request for Proposal (RFP) format. At the specified date
and time, each proposer's name will be publicly read aloud. No further information will be given at this time.
Evaluation of the proposals will proceed as expeditiously as possible and successful, as well as unsuccessful,
notification will be given.
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3.19 PROPOSER OBLIGATION: Proposer(s) shall become fully acquainted with conditions relating to the scope
and restriction attending the execution of the work under this RFP. The failure or omission of a proposer to
become acquainted with existing conditions shall in no way relieve the proposer of any obligations with
respect to this RFP or to the contract.
3.20 PUBLIC RECORDS ACT: Knox County is subject to the Tennessee Public Records Act 10-7-503 et seq.
Proposers are cautioned that all documents submitted on behalf of this Request for Proposals shall be open
to the public for viewing and inspection and Knox County will comply with all legitimate requests.
3.21 REFERENCES: Proposers must submit a list of three (3) references with which they have performed and
placed this type of service completed in the last year. Each vendor is responsible for obtaining approval to
submit and confirm the contact information provided for each reference. Knox County will not be responsible
for gathering additional information for references that are incomplete or incorrect. Reference checks will be
sent via email only. Reference Forms that cannot be delivered with the contact information listed, not
returned prior to the deadline listed on the form, or not returned at all will be scored accordingly. Do not use
Knox County Government as a reference.
3.22 REJECTION OF PROPOSALS: Knox County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as
a result of this request and to waive any informality, technical defect or clerical error in any proposal, as the
interests of the County may require. Non-acceptance of any proposal will be devoid of any criticism of the
proposal and of any implication that the proposal is deficient in any manner. Non-acceptance of any proposal
shall be construed as meaning simply that the County does not deem the proposal to be acceptable or that
another proposal was deemed to be more advantageous to Knox County for the particular services proposed.
3.23 SUBMIT QUESTIONS: Prospective proposers may submit questions concerning this solicitation until May
14, 2026 @ 4:30 p.m. local time. Submit questions as noted in Section 1.1.
SECTION IV SPECIFICATIONS
4.1 SCOPE: Knox County, on behalf of Tennessee Homeland Security District 2, is seeking professional services
to design and facilitate a coordinated suite of workshops and trainings to strengthen regional and local
capacity for catastrophic incident management, and to collaborate with District 2 Program Staff and local
subject matter experts to update and enhance the District's Regional Family Assistance Center (FAC) Plan.
The products and activities under this scope of work will prioritize planning and preparedness strategies that
improve outcomes for underserved and vulnerable populations, with the goals of reducing disproportionate
disaster impacts and strengthening regional collaboration.
4.2 BACKGROUND: The State of Tennessee is divided into eleven homeland security districts. District 2, the
largest in the state, includes sixteen counties in Central East Tennessee: Anderson, Blount, Campbell,
Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Knox, Jefferson, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, and
Union. Knox County, the largest county in the district, serves as the host county administering grant funds
for training and exercises to benefit all the counties within District 2.
In 2023, District 2 was awarded FEMA's Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant (RCPG), a planning
grant designed to strengthen the core capabilities of housing, community resilience, and long-term
vulnerability reduction, with an emphasis on addressing the needs of communities with heightened disaster
risk. The activities outlined in this RFP represent key components of District 2's RCPGP stakeholder
engagement and implementation strategy and will be funded by the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) through the Department of Homeland Security Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant
(RCPG) Program (CFDA Number 97.111).
To date, completed RCPGP activities include the development of an online Low Barrier Emergency Shelter
Training and Resource Hub for community partners, as well as a comprehensive, District-wide Regional
Housing Needs and Disaster Resiliency Analysis. The Analysis serves as a foundational data resource and
will inform workshop content, stakeholder engagement, and training design under this scope of work.
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4.3 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: The Contractor will provide Homeland Security Consultant Services
including, but not limited to the following specific tasks:
4.3.1 General Project Scope
Activity Design and Development : All activity design, facilitation, and evaluation will be in accordance
with the principles and guidance defined in the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program
(HSEEP) standards, which are available at https://preptoolkit.fema.gov/web/hseep-resources.
Communication and Project Management Expectations: The Consultant is expected to execute the
project scope and deliverables with a high degree of self-sufficiency, while maintaining consistent
coordination with the Knox County Public Safety Division Program Staff to ensure the alignment of
project goals, development, and outcomes. Program Staff will provide overall strategic direction,
while the Consultant will be responsible for operational implementation, including driving the planning
process, coordinating stakeholder engagement, scheduling and facilitating workshops, drafting all
planning documents and toolkit materials, managing timelines and deliverables, and ensuring
compliance with the project scope.
In-Person Engagement Requirements:
To ensure these activities provide the maximum amount of engagement and relationship building
opportunities, in-person facilitation is required for core workshops and key stakeholder engagement activities
and is strongly preferred for planning sessions. Virtual meetings may be used for routine coordination
activities (e.g., status updates, preparatory discussions, document review meetings) and, when appropriate,
for select planning conversations, subject to coordination with Program Staff. The Consultant should propose
a thoughtful balance of in-person and virtual engagement that supports meaningful participation while
maintaining project efficiency.
4.3.2 Workshops:
Community Risk and Resilience Workshop Series
A sequential, three-part workshop series designed to strengthen local and regional resilience through
data-informed identification of priority populations, improved preparedness planning, and
coordinated outreach strategies.
The intended audience includes, but is not limited to, public services, emergency services, and social
services. For each workshop, the Contractor will conduct initial, final, and after-action meetings with
District representatives to coordinate scope, objectives, content development, delivery and
evaluation, after-action reviews, and follow-up actions. The Contractor may engage with external
subject matter experts as necessary to enhance the content and execution of the workshop series.
Workshop #1: Defining and Identifying Priority Populations
The Contractor will utilize the findings of the Regional Housing Needs and Disaster Resiliency
Analysis, as well as external sources of information (e.g., social vulnerability indices, FEMA's
National Risk Index) to develop and conduct a workshop focused on high-risk populations and
communities within the jurisdictions of District 2 along with the specific vulnerabilities to catastrophic
incidents that they face. The Contractor will develop and facilitate discussions to help participants
establish a shared understanding of what constitutes a "priority" or high-risk population in a disaster
context, identify which populations are most prevalent locally, map where these populations are
geographically concentrated, and identify current gaps in preparedness to serve those populations
during a catastrophic incident.
Upon completion of the workshop, the Contractor will provide a summary including the agenda,
participants, goals, discussion highlights, and main decisions. The Contractor will also provide a
document showcasing the agreed upon high-priority populations and key vulnerability factors by
jurisdiction.
Workshop #2: Preparedness Planning for Priority Populations
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The Contractor will develop a program of discussions and activities to expand upon and help
participants remedy preparedness gaps found in Workshop #1. This may include working with
participants to identify gaps in emergency planning and related services, methods for improving the
identified gaps, and recommendations for implementing those methods. Upon completion of the
workshop, the Contractor will provide a summary including the agenda, participants, goals,
discussion highlights, and main decisions, as well as a document showcasing the identified gaps and
a prioritized, regionally informed action plan for addressing those gaps.
Workshop #3: Empowering Communities with Heightened Disaster Risk
The Contractor will use findings and recommendations from the previous two workshops to develop
a program of discussions and activities to guide participants in developing an outreach and
engagement plan addressing the needs of high-priority populations related to emergency planning,
preparedness, and response. Participants are expected to leave the workshop with their own draft
outreach and engagement plans for their jurisdictions.
Outputs will include a draft outreach and engagement plan for the District which will, at minimum,
outline target audiences, engagement strategies, partner roles, and recommended actions for
correcting gaps uncovered during the workshop series.
4.3.3 Training:
Increasing Community Disaster Resilience & Understanding Vulnerabilities of Communities with
Heightened Disaster Risk Training
As part of the outreach and engagement plan developed during the final phase of the Community
Risk and Resilience Workshop Series, the Contractor will design and deliver training focused on
evidence-based solutions for increasing community disaster resilience and mitigating vulnerabilities
to disasters among communities with heightened disaster risk.
4.3.4 Planning:
Family Assistance Center Planning Project
The Consultant will work with Program Staff and teams of local SMEs to update and enhance District
2's Regional Family Assistance Center (FAC) plan. Key improvements will be made through
developing new plans for post-disaster sheltering and short through intermediate-term rehousing of
displaced individuals. This effort will address identified gaps in post-disaster sheltering, temporary
housing coordination, and recovery support, as well as incorporate new partners from housing,
sheltering, and community-based sectors into the planning process.
The Consultant will facilitate a collaborative, multi-jurisdictional planning process, identify gaps in
current FAC capabilities, support development of a post-disaster sheltering and housing annex, and
update associated FAC Plan and Toolkit materials.
The Consultant will be responsible for the execution of the following tasks:
* Project Initiation/ Kick-off
Conduct kickoff meeting with project leadership.
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Review existing FAC plan, annexes, and toolkit materials.
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Identify and map regional stakeholders across emergency management, housing, sheltering,
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health, and community sectors.
Develop stakeholder engagement strategy.
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Output: a written Project Workplan outlining schedule, stakeholder engagement strategy,
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workshop structure, and deliverable timeline.
* Regional Capability Assessment
Develop and distribute a standardized capability assessment tool to participating counties and
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core partners.
Conduct targeted interviews (minimum of 10 key stakeholders representing emergency
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management, housing, sheltering, and community partners).
10