REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

City of Johnstown Johnstown Small Business Success Center Development RFP – November 2021

CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF JOHNSTOWN

PROCEDURE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL AND COPIES

The proposal must contain the completed "Vendor Information" page provided within this RFP. The vendor must submit one digital version or one hardcopy Original Proposal to the City of Johnstown. All proposals must include a detailed budget narrative.

PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS

Hardcopy proposals must be placed in a sealed envelope and marked: Johnstown Small Business Success Center Proposal The name and address of the vendor must be marked on the sealed envelope.

DELIVERY OF PROPOSALS

Proposals must be received in the City of Johnstown's Office at 401 Main Street, Johnstown, PA, 15901, no later than December 2, 2021 at 12:00 PM.

INQUIRIES AND ADDENDA

Should the vendor find any discrepancies in, or omissions from the Request For Proposal, or should there be any doubt as to meaning or interpretations, or need clarification, he/she should at once notify John Dubnansky by e-mail at jdubnansky@cojtwn.com. The City of Johnstown will not be responsible for any oral instructions.

DUTY OF VENDOR TO MAKE NECESSARY INVESTIGATIONS

Before submitting a proposal, each vendor shall make all investigations and examinations necessary to ascertain all conditions and requirements affecting the full performance of the contract and to verify any representations made by the City that the vendor will rely upon. Ignorance of such conditions and requirements resulting from failure to make such investigations and examinations will not be a basis for any claim whatsoever for any monetary consideration on the part of the successful vendor.

EXPENSES INCURRED IN PREPARING PROPOSAL

The City of Johnstown accepts no responsibility for any expense incurred by the vendor in the preparation and presentation of a proposal and any such expenses are to be borne exclusively by the vendor.

RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REJECT PROPOSALS

The City of Johnstown reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, to waive any informalities or irregularities in the proposals received, and to accept any proposal, which is deemed most favorable to the City.

CHOICE OF LAWS

Any contract awarded shall be adjudicated, governed, and controlled in all respects as to validity, construction, capacity, performance, or otherwise by the laws of the State of Pennsylvania.

TERM OF CONTRACT

The duration of any contract awarded is anticipated to commence upon the date an agreement is entered with the City of Johnstown and conclude two years from the opening of the Johnstown Small Business Success Center. An extension of this deadline may be granted from the City of Johnstown to the contractor at the City's discretion.

PROCESS BY WHICH THE CONTRACT SHALL BE AWARDED

This contract will be awarded to the contractor judged to provide the best implementation plan and staffing. The terms of any contract may be subject to negotiation subsequent to the receipt of proposals. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the following:

1. Compliance with specifications and production of required documentation.
2. Ability of contractor to responsibly and reliably perform contract requirements.
3. Ability to negotiate terms of a contract acceptable to the City of Johnstown.
4. Ability to complete all contracted work tasks.
5. Experience of the contractor completing similar work tasks.
6. Experience of the contractor's management team.

SPECIFICATION OF SERVICE SCOPE OF WORK

The City of Johnstown is partnering with the software company Intuit to develop the Johnstown Small Business Success Center (Center). The City of Johnstown is issuing this Request for Proposals to select a contractor to work with in the creation and operation of the Center within the Central Business District of the City of Johnstown (Wards 1,2,3,4). The Center will act as a business development hub in which assistance to entrepreneurs and existing businesses will occur. Shared work space will also be made available within the Center to help encourage people to interact and create new business development opportunities. The City of Johnstown will be solely responsible for the evaluation of all proposals. A total of $250,000 is being made available for this project. A contract will be awarded based on best overall management team experience, contractor approach to the project, amount of time required to open the facility, and facility access. The City of Johnstown reserves the right to reject any and all proposals/bids received.

Center Requirements

To be successful with the implementation of the Center, there are key requirements that must be in place. Below is a list of requirements for the creation of the Center.

• Location of the Center must be within the Central Business of the City of Johnstown (City Wards 1,2,3,4).
• The Center must be a minimum of 4,000 square feet in size and include the following:
  • Training room with video conferencing capabilities
  • Large co-working space for at least 50 people
  • Small coaching/video-conferencing room o Creative space for film/photography/podcasts
• The Center must be furnished and equipped to suit Center visitors and programs.
• The Center must be ADA accessible.
• The Center must have restroom facilities.
• The contractor must properly maintain the Center and utilize regular janitorial services.
• The Center must be open to the public a minimum of 20 hours per week.
• A management staff must be present onsite during Center operations.
• Free Wi-fi within the Center
• Lighted Intuit sign on the exterior of the Center

Center Management

A key factor for the Center will be the expertise of the management. The management team must have experience with coaching entrepreneurs, business development, and business financing. Tasks from the management team will include, at a minimum, the following:

• Day-to-day management of the Center
• Scheduling of Center trainings and events
• Marketing and promotion of Center services, events, and trainings
• Provision of services to a minimum of 200 unique entrepreneurs and/or small business owners annually.
• Coordination with Intuit on several programs and events within the Center including:
  • Personal Financial Management for Small Businesses
  • Design for Delight Training/Tools
  • QuickBooks Training
  • QuickBooks Certification Course o Small Business Tax Seminar + Preparation
  • Taxpayer Assistance Event
  • Networking Events o Student-focused Events
  • Small Business Collectives
• Coordination with Community agencies offering services to support entrepreneurs and small businesses.
• Coordination with local accountants, lawyers, insurance professionals, Human Resource professionals, mentors, and coaches to assist entrepreneurs and small businesses.
• The ability to provide Center services online in the situations where access to the Center are restricted due to natural disaster or pandemic.

Intuit will provide Intuit-specific training materials.

Payment to the Contractor

The City is not paying rent/lease to the contractor for the site. Payment to the contractor totaling $250,000 is made at a set funding distribution schedule as follows:

• $100,000 within the first 60-days of the execution date of an agreement with the City
• $50,000 within 30-days from the first day that the Johnstown Small Business Success Center is open for business
• $50,000 within 30-days once the Johnstown Small Business Success Center has been open for business for 90-days
• $50,000 within 30-days at the conclusion of the Johnstown Small Business Success Center being open for one full year.

In addition, the contractor is providing any and all utilities for the Center, at no cost to the City. This includes water, sewage, electricity, heating/cooling, and garbage removal service.

Project Schedule

The City of Johnstown would like to open the Center as soon as possible. The contractor must provide a project schedule to the City as part of their proposal. This schedule should include an accurate 6 estimate of time to get the Center open. The contractor will operate the Center for a period of two years. Submission Requirements The City of Johnstown will require the following information as part of each contractor proposal:

• Contractor approach to the project
• Experience of the contractor management team
• Address and photographs of the Center being proposed
• Expected time to get the Center open
• Knowledge of the City's economic climate
• Proposed Center operations schedule
• Project development schedule Each contractor proposal should not exceed 10-pages in length.

Draft Lease

A copy of the draft lease the City of Johnstown will be utilizing with the selected contractor is attached in Exhibit A. The lease signed between the City and the contractor will be for a two-year period.

Selection Criteria

The City of Johnstown will utilize the following criteria in determining which contractor to select for this project:

• Experience of the Center's Management Team: 50 points maximum
• Facility's location within the Central Business District: 20 points maximum
• Contractors approach to the Project: 20 points maximum
• Time required to open the Center: 10 points maximum

City of Johnstown's Role

The City of Johnstown is the coordinator of activities and initiatives with Intuit. As the coordinator, the City will need to provide regular progress reports to Intuit. The selected contractor will need to provide project data to the City monthly. Data to be provided to the City, at a minimum, includes the number of people who used the center, services provided to Center users, trainings performed, financial expenditures, and other data to be determined. Intuit will be providing a minimum of 100 staff hours to the Center annually.

VENDOR INFORMATION VENDOR NAME (PRINTED): ___________________________________

ADDRESS: ___________________________________ ___________________________________

PHONE NUMBER: ___________________________________

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE: ___________________________________

NAME (PRINTED): ___________________________________

TITLE: __________________________________