Social Equity Cannabis Chamber

Agency: City of Kalamazoo
State: Michigan
Type of Government: State & Local
Posted Date: Sep 22, 2023
Due Date: Oct 24, 2023
Solicitation No: Reference number: 96128-002.0
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Social Equity Cannabis Chamber

Closing date October 24, 2023, 03:00 PM

  • Reference number 96128-002.0
  • Status Open
  • Summary The EDC & the City of Kalamazoo are requesting proposals from qualified independent organizations, organizational partnerships, and individuals to set up a comprehensive Social Equity Cannabis Chamber.

96128-002.0 RFP Document (PDF, 2MB)

VIRTUAL PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING

October 3, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Local Time (ET) via Zoom Webinar

The City of Kalamazoo’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is a public entity formed pursuant to Public Act 338 of 1974 (the “Act”), that provides financing and other assistance for commercial and industrial development projects. Membership for the board meets each month for a public meeting in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.

RFP Summary. The EDC & the City of Kalamazoo are requesting proposals from qualified independent organizations, organizational partnerships, and individuals to set up a comprehensive Social Equity Cannabis Chamber. This Chamber will assist Cannabis businesses and the City of Kalamazoo with its Social Equity efforts (including the City’s Marihuana Social Equity Policy provided in Appendix B), while also focusing on profitability and safety. The chamber will form an Equity Committee/Board that works with the City regarding funding.

To promote economic development and social equity in the Northside, Eastside, and Edison (SPK) neighborhoods, local cannabis businesses will be incentivized to provide hiring and training initiatives for residents of these areas. The new Cannabis Chamber will establish a jobs board that will exclusively promote employment opportunities for SPK neighborhood residents. In addition, the Chamber will develop a workforce selection and training process that prioritizes the hiring and training of SPK residents and underrepresented individuals.

The EDC and the Chamber will also work together to develop community outreach and educational programs on health and safety with cannabis, as well as to educate employers on local and regional workforce concerns related to the cannabis industry.

Furthermore, the Chamber will provide workforce development training programs in the SPK neighborhoods and support the development of micro-home-based businesses in the community. These initiatives seek to promote social equity and increase economic opportunities for underrepresented individuals and groups in the SPK neighborhoods.

This Chamber will work in collaboration with the Economic Development Corporation to provide the development and delivery of training programs to equip underrepresented individuals, including Black, Indigenous, and People of color (BIPOC) with the knowledge, tools, and information needed to become owners and operators of their own cannabis businesses.

This Chamber and all of its personnel will perform contractual obligations for this program as independent contractors, not as employees of the City or EDC.

Attachment Preview

Department of Management Services
Purchasing Division
241 West South Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49007-4796
Phone: 269.337.8020
Fax: 269.337.8500
www.kalamazoocity.org
purchasing@kalamazoocity.org
VIRTUAL PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING
October 3, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Local Time (ET) via Zoom Webinar
Register in advance:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZX0YPxFbQ_6fJy79se6ZVg
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
The City of Kalamazoo, Michigan is soliciting sealed proposals for:
Project Name: Social Equity Cannabis Chamber
Proposal Reference #: 96128-002.0
RFP ISSUE DATE: September 22, 2023
Number of Copies Required: One (1) paper original
+ One (1) electronic copy (USB thumb drive)
PROPOSAL DUE/OPENING DATE: October 24, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Local Time (ET)
Electronic Proposals Will Not Be Accepted
MAILING ADDRESS & INSTRUCTIONS
Mail to:
Purchasing Division
241 W. South Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Questions about this RFP should be directed to:
Department Contact: Jared Chambers,
Economic Development Business Specialist at
chambersj@kalamazoocity.org or (269) 337-8440
Include on the Envelope the Project Name and Proposal Reference Number (above). All Envelopes Must
Be Sealed.
You are invited to submit a proposal for this project. Specifications, terms, conditions and instructions for
submitting proposals are contained herein. This Request for Proposals with all pages, documents and
attachments contained herein, or subsequently added to and made a part hereof, submitted as a fully and
properly executed proposal shall constitute the contract between the City and the successful proposer when
approved and accepted on behalf of the City by an authorized official or agent of the City. Please review
the proposal document as soon as possible and note the DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS in the Instructions
to Proposers.
All proposers shall complete and return the Proposal and Award page(s) and submit all information
requested herein in order for a proposal to be responsive. FAILURE TO DO SO MAY RESULT IN THE
PROPOSAL BEING REJECTED AS NON-RESPONSIVE. The proposal document shall be returned
in its entirety, in a properly identified and sealed envelope to the Purchasing Division at the above address.
PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE THE DUE DATE - LATE PROPOSALS WILL
NOT BE CONSIDERED. The City reserves the right to postpone the proposal opening for its own
convenience.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION
PAGE #
APPENDICES
Statement of No Proposal
A Non-Discrimination
I
Instructions to Proposers
12
B Marihuana Social Equity
II Proposal and Award
38
Policy
III Indemnity and Insurance
9 10
IV Scope of Work and Requirements 11 18
V Terms and Conditions
19 22
CITY OF KALAMAZOO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Proposal Reference #: 96128-002.0
Social Equity Cannabis Chamber
STATEMENT OF NO PROPOSAL
NOTE: If you DO NOT intend to bid on this commodity or service, please complete and return this
form immediately. Your response will assist us in evaluating all responses for this important project and
to improve our bid solicitation process.
The Purchasing Division of the City of Kalamazoo wishes to keep its proposers list file up-to-date. If, for
any reason, you cannot supply the commodity/service noted in this proposal solicitation, this form must be
completed and returned to remain on the particular proposal list for future projects of this type.
If you do not respond to this inquiry within the time set for the proposal opening date and time noted,
we will assume that you can no longer supply this commodity/service, and your name will be removed
from this proposal list.
_____
Specifications too "tight", i.e. geared toward one brand or manufacturer only (explain
below).
_____
Specifications are unclear (explain below).
_____
We are unable to meet specifications.
_____
Insufficient time to respond to the Request for Proposal.
_____
Our schedule would not permit us to perform.
_____
We are unable to meet bond requirements.
_____
We are unable to meet insurance requirements.
_____
We do not offer this product or service.
_____
Remove us from your proposers list for this commodity or service.
_____
Other (specify below).
REMARKS:
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
SIGNED: _________________________________ NAME:__________________________________
(Type or Print)
TITLE: __________________________________ DATE:___________________________________
FIRM NAME: ________________________________________________________________________
(if any)
ADDRESS:___________________________________________________________________________
(Street address)
(City)
(State)
(Zip)
PHONE: _________________________________ FAX: ____________________________________
EMAIL: ____________________________________________________________________________
CITY OF KALAMAZOO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Social Equity Cannabis Chamber
Page 1
Proposal Reference #: 96128-002.0
SECTION I - INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS
1. EXAMINATION OF PROPOSAL DOCUMENT-Before submitting a proposal, proposers shall
carefully examine the specifications and shall fully inform themselves as to all existing conditions and
limitations. The proposer shall indicate in the proposal the sum to cover the cost of all items included
on the proposal form.
2. PREPARATION OF PROPOSAL-The proposal shall be legibly prepared in ink or typed. If a unit
price or extension already entered by the proposer on the Proposal and Award form is to be altered, it
shall be crossed out and the new unit price or extension entered above or below and initialed by the
proposer with ink. The proposal shall be legally signed and the complete address of the proposer given
thereon.
All proposals shall be tightly sealed in an envelope plainly marked SEALED PROPOSAL and
identified by project name, bid opening date and time. Proposals opened by mistake, due to improper
identification, will be so documented and resealed. The Purchasing Division will maintain and
guarantee confidentiality of the contents until the specified opening date and time. Electronic
submittals will not be accepted.
3. EXPLANATION TO PROPOSERS-Any binding explanation desired by a proposer regarding the
meaning or interpretation of the Request for Proposal (RFP) and attachments must be requested in
writing, at least 10 business days before the proposal opening (October 10, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. ET)
and with sufficient time allowed for a reply to reach all prospective proposers before the submission
of their proposal. Any information given to a prospective proposer concerning the RFP will be
furnished to all prospective proposers as an amendment or addendum to the RFP if such information
would be prejudicial to uninformed proposers. Receipt of amendments or addenda by a proposer must
be acknowledged in the proposal by attachment, or by letter or fax received before the time set for
opening of proposals. Oral explanation or instructions given prior to the opening will not be binding.
4. CASH DISCOUNTS-Discount offered for payment of less than thirty (30) days will not be
considered in evaluating proposals for award. Offered discounts of less than thirty (30) days will be
taken if payment is made within the discount period, even though not considered in evaluation of the
proposal.
5. WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS-Proposals may be withdrawn in person by a proposer or
authorized representative, provided their identity is made known and a receipt is signed for the
proposal, but only if the withdrawal is made prior to the exact time set for receipt of proposal. No
proposal may be withdrawn for at least one hundred twenty (120) days after proposal opening.
6. ALTERNATE PROPOSALS-Proposers are cautioned that any alternate proposal, unless specifically
requested or any changes, insertions or omissions to the terms and conditions, specifications or any
other requirement of this RFP may be considered non-responsive, and at the option of the City, result
in rejection of the alternate proposal.
7. LATE PROPOSALS-Any proposal received at the office designated herein after the exact time
specified for receipt will not be considered. (Note: The City reserves the right to consider proposals
that have been determined by the City to be received late due to mishandling by the City after receipt
of the proposal and no award has been made.)
8. UNIT PRICES-If there is a discrepancy between unit prices and their extension, unit prices shall
prevail.
CITY OF KALAMAZOO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Social Equity Cannabis Chamber
Page 2
Proposal Reference #: 96128-002.0
9. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL- Proposers can submit sealed proposals in one of the following ways:
9.1. Mail your proposal, to be received before the proposal due date and time indicated in the
RFP document, to the City of Kalamazoo at the following address:
City of Kalamazoo
Purchasing Division
241 West South Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
9.2. Deliver your proposal to City Hall In-Person before the proposal due date and time
indicated in the RFP document.
9.3. Deliver your proposal to the Treasurer’s Office Payment Drop Box located in the
northwest corner of City Hall (see photos below) before the proposal due date and time
indicated in the RFP document.
1. Open drop box located at City Hall.
2. Insert SEALED PROPOSAL here.
10. PROPOSALS SUBMITTED LIST- The Purchasing Division makes an effort to post the list of
submitted proposals to the City of Kalamazoo website within 24 hours after the proposal due date
and time at: https://www.kalamazoocity.org/bidopportunities. However, in certain cases the posting
of the list may extend beyond the 24-hour window.
CITY OF KALAMAZOO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Social Equity Cannabis Chamber
Page 3
Proposal Reference #: 96128-002.0
SECTION II
PROPOSAL AND AWARD
The undersigned having become thoroughly familiar with and understanding all of the proposal/contract
documents incorporated herein, agrees to provide professional services as specified herein:
SOCIAL EQUITY CANNABIS CHAMBER
The total combined price to be paid for all services provided by the Cannabis Chamber pursuant
to this Contract is based on approval of budget funding, year-to-year, and will be 25% of excise
tax and cannabis permit revenue with an anticipated yearly minimum of $200,000.00.
A price proposal shall be submitted in a separate sealed envelope marked “Price Proposal”. The
pricing in the sealed envelope shall be the only listed pricing in the proposal. This Price Proposal
shall only be opened by City personnel after the scoring of other evaluation criteria has been completed.
Details on information to include in the Price Proposal are outlined in Section IV, Scope of Work and
Requirements, 7. Compensation.
All prices and fees must be in U.S. dollars.
Proposer/Contractor has examined and carefully studied the bidding documents and attachments, and
acknowledges receipt of the following addenda:
Addendum No:
_________ __________ __________ __________ __________
Dated:
_________ __________ __________ __________ __________
Proposer shall provide all of the information as requested herein with their proposal. Failure to do so
and/or failure to provide post-proposal requested information may be cause for rejecting the
proposal as non-responsive.
By my signature below, I certify that the firm bidding on this contract, when making hiring decisions,
does not use a past criminal conviction as a bar to or preclude a person with a criminal conviction from
being considered for employment with the bidding firm unless otherwise precluded by federal or state
law. I further certify that I have read and agree to be bound by the provisions of the City’s Non-
Discrimination Clause found in Appendix A and as updated by City Ordinance 1856.
Signed:_______________________________________ Name:_________________________________
Title: ________________________________________

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