REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

CITY OF LEBANON

Special Census

RFQ Issue Date: March 15, 2023

Closing Date: April 17, 2023

Submit to:

Project Manager
Paul Corder
City of Lebanon, TN
200 N Castle Heights
Lebanon, TN 37087
Phone: 615.444.3647 Extension 2321
Email: paul.corder@lebanontn.org

Summary of Request for Qualifications

The City of Lebanon is soliciting qualifications for consultant assistance to conduct a Special Census of the City of Lebanon.

Background for the Special Census:

The City of Lebanon is conducting a Special Census for the entire City. Our official population at the 2020 Census was 38,431. We believe that some of our population was missed. In addition, the July 1, 2021 (latest available) estimate from the US Census has the population at 40,888. That is more than a 6% increase in one year. This census will be completed about two and a half years after that estimate. The overall goal of this Special Census effort will be to get an accurate count of all the people living in the City of Lebanon.

Qualifications

A qualified consultant or team should have experience conducting a Special Census. This should include managing projects of similar size, public relations, database management in a Geographic Information System (GIS), public engagement and reporting results. The ideal consultant or team would have successfully conducted at least two Special Censuses in the past. Experience on a political campaign or another similar experience could also be considered to meet some of the experience requirement.

Proposal Response Date and Location

The Planning Department must receive the applicant's qualifications by email as a PDF by 4:30 PM (CST) April 17, 2023. Proposals arriving after the deadline will not be considered. All proposals and the accompanying documentation will become the property of the City of Lebanon and will not be returned. One (1) emailed copy of this proposal must be submitted.

Proposal Requirements/Evaluation Criteria

Candidates submitting proposals should be certain to provide the following information in the proposals:

List of completed similar projects including:

1. Project name
2. Location
3. Nature of work
4. Date completed
5. Project cost
6. Contact name
7. Email address
8. Physical address
9. Phone number

Evaluation criteria

1. Number of Special Census projections completed - 40%
2. Public relations experience - 30%
3. Experience with database management and date entry - 20%
4. Potential travel costs - 10%

Scope of Services

1. Launch the Lebanon Special Census
2. Public announcements and advertisements that could include press releases, radio interviews and yard signs
3. Social media outreach
4. Creating a City Address Database
5. Creating ways for citizens to communicate their name, address, and age in both writing and online
6. Creating response forms
7. Printing response forms
8. Printing business cards (with a means of responding)
9. Reaching out to group quarters
10. Sending a letter to all group facilities, such as, nursing homes, jails, and colleges
11. Reaching out to non-English speaking community members
12. Hire between 10 and 20 part time workers for the door-to-door effort
13. Have a person dedicated to data entry full time
14. Organize and train the part-time workers
15. Create material such as aerial photos for the people going door to door
16. Purchase postage to send out multiple rounds of mass mailings with response forms
17. Place census yard signs
18. Work with the Utility Department to include information in the utility billing notices
19. Work with the Sanitation Department to place information on trashcans
20. Reach out to HOA entities to distribute information
21. Visit apartment complexes
22. Visit local campgrounds and hotels to find permanent residents
23. Work with Companionate Hands and other non-profits to find the homeless population
24. Reach out to school districts
25. Reach out to other residential developments
26. Create phone lists
27. Keep track of new construction
28. Hold a pizza party or some other promotion for the schools
29. Start using City directories after the Census is about 90% complete
30. Notify the State that Lebanon will be conducting a Census no later than December 31, 2023
31. Report the results of the Census no later than February 28, 2024
32. Have GNRC verify the Census
33. Provide the Boyd Center all the Census documentation and verification

Important Dates

• Due date for the RFQ: April 17, 2023
• Short list selection date: April 24, 2023
• Anticipated final decision date: May 1, 2023
• Notify the State of the Census: December 31, 2023
• Send all the Census results to the State: February 28, 2024
• Have GNRC verify the Census: March 2024

Send all documents to the Boyd Center: April 2024

Project Outline

1. Public relations – Getting the word out
2. Database creation
3. Public engagement – collect low hanging Census data
4. Detailed data collection – door to door
5. Compile and enter all the data
6. Report to the State
7. Get the Census certified