Centers for Strong Families

Pierce County seeks a qualified contractor to provide comprehensive employment and financial coaching services through the Centers for Strong Families Program. Services will be delivered at locations accessible to families and are intended to support economically vulnerable Pierce County residents in achieving greater financial stability and self-sufficiency.

The Centers for Strong Families Program aims to increase participant earnings, improve household income, reduce debt, strengthen financial management skills, and support wealth-building opportunities within Pierce County communities.

Background

How did we get here? What is driving this procurement? Describe here why we are running this procurement.  

Project Details

• Reference ID: 26-002-MCE-CFSF
• Department: Procurement and Contract Services
• Department Head: Bert Kalalau (County Purchasing Agent)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-06-19T21:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Programming Experience (15 pts) —

  Question 4.1

• Financial Coaching (20 pts) —

  Question 4.2

• Employment Coaching (20 pts) —

  Question 4.3

• Service Coordination (15 pts) —

  Question 4.5

• Participant Eligibility (10 pts) —

  Question 4.6

• Performance Measures (10 pts) —

  Question 4.7

• Budget Narrative (10 pts) —

  Question 4.9

Submission Requirements

• Administrative Questions
• Proposer Confirmation (required) —

  As an authorized representative of the Proposer, having carefully examined the Request for Proposals, propose to furnish services in accordance therewith as set forth in the attached proposal.

  I further agree that this proposal will remain in effect for not less than sixty (60) calendar days from the date that proposals are due, and that this proposal may not be withdrawn or modified during that time.

  I hereby certify that this proposal is genuine and not a false or collusive proposal, or made in the interests or on behalf of any person not therein named; and I have not directly or indirectly induced or solicited any Contractor or supplier on the above work to put in a false proposal or any person or corporation to refrain from submitting a proposal; and that I have not in any manner sought by collusion to secure to myself an advantage over any other contractor(s) or person(s).

  In order to induce the County to consider this proposal, the Proposer irrevocably waives any existing rights which it may have, by contract or otherwise, to require another person or corporation to refrain from submitting a proposal to or performing work or providing supplies to Pierce County, and Proposer further promises that it will not in the future directly or indirectly induce or solicit any person or corporation to refrain from submitting a response or proposal to or from performing work or providing supplies to Pierce County.

• Ownership and Copyright of Submitted Materials (required) —

  By submitting a proposal, I agree that all documents, reports, proposals, submittals, working papers, or other materials prepared by the Proposer pursuant to this proposal shall become the sole and exclusive property of the County, and the public domain, and not property of the Proposer. The Proposer shall not copyright, or cause to be copyrighted, any portion of items submitted to the County in response to this procurement.

• Supplemental Attachment Confirmation (required) —

  I confirm I have reviewed the content of the following attachments included under this RFP: Sample Agreement and any other documents as identified as "sample" in the Attachments section and acknowledge I understand and agree to these requirements should my organization receive a contract as a result of this proposal.

• Insurance Requirements (required) —

  By submitting a proposal, I understand and agree that if awarded funding from this RFP, the organization must be able to meet all insurance requirements based on services being purchased, prior to contract execution, and types of insurances may include, but are not limited to:

  • Commercial General Liability Insurance: Required on all contracts. Standard levels are $1M occurrence/$2M aggregate (may be higher/lower, depending on value of contract and type of service).
  • Commercial Automobile Liability Insurance: Required when the Contractor uses owned, rented, or leased automobiles to complete the services as required per the contract. Higher coverages may be required for fleet/large passenger vehicles.  
  • Workers Compensation Insurance: As required by Washington State.
  • Professional Liability or Errors and Omissions Insurance: If the Contractor provides services such as analysis, consulting, counseling, daycare, legal, medical, nursing, pastoral, medical, or other services that require professional licensing.
  • Abuse and Molestation: If the Contractor will be working directly with youth under the age of 18, elderly, disabled or other vulnerable populations.
  • Cyber/Privacy and Security Insurance: If the Contractor is doing work that could give the Contractor access to personal or sensitive information from within the County's network or on the Contractor's personal computer, or lead to breaches of security, leading to a loss of privacy or identity theft.
  • Crime/Employee Dishonesty Insurance: If the Contractor is in the custody or control of Pierce County funds such as cash, credit cards, checks or physical property.
  • Other insurance(s) applicable to services being purchased: Such as Excess or Umbrella Liability Insurance if the contract is in excess of $500,000.

  In addition:

  • Pierce County shall be named as an "Additional Insured" which must be provided in the insurance endorsement; and
  • Insurance requirements also apply to any subcontractors hired by the main Contractor to deliver services, where applicable.

  Please see "Exhibit D" in the SAMPLE AGREEMENT under attachments to see full insurance requirements. If you have questions regarding insurance requirements, please submit them through the “Question & Answer” section of the RFP. 

• Debarment Certification (required) —

  As an authorized representative of the Proposer, I certify to the best of my knowledge and belief that the organization and its principals:

  1. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal department or agency;
  2. Have not within a three-year period preceding this proposal been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State, or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property;
  3. Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a government entity (Federal, State, or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (1)(b) of this certification; and
  4. Have not within a three-year period preceding this proposal had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated for cause or default.
  5. Does not employ any person nor contracts with any person or agency excluded from participation in federal health care programs under either 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7 (§§1128 or 1128A Social Security Act) or debarred or suspended.

  By checking the confirmation, I understand that a false statement on this certification may be grounds for rejection of this proposal or termination of any award. In addition, under 18 USC Sec. 1001, a false statement may result in a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment for up to 5 years, or both. 

• Pre-Award Financial Risk Assessment Submission Confirmation (required) —

  Pierce County is now requiring applicants to complete and submit a Financial Risk Assessment and related documentation annually. In addition, applicants must update their submission six months after their most recent annual submission.

  An updated Financial Risk Assessment must also be submitted at any time within the 12-month period following the most recent assessment if either of the following occurs:

  • A change in leadership has occurred
  • The agency has experienced a funding loss or reduction of 20% or more of its total budget

  Pierce County is collecting Financial Risk Assessment documentation through this form. 

  Upon completion and submission of the form, whether for an initial Financial Risk Assessment or any required update, you will receive a confirmation email. The confirmation email is REQUIRED as part of this application, so save the email confirmation as a .PDF and upload it here.  

  WARNING: Failure to provide evidence of an acceptable and up-to-date Financial Risk Assessment may be cause for the application to be disqualified from competition.  

  I understand and agree that my organization has completed the Financial Risk Assessment form within the last six months and/or has updated the Financial Risk Assessment form submission if any of the above conditions apply. Completing the Financial Risk Assessment does not guarantee an award.  

• Proof of Completed Pre-Award Financial Risk Assessment (Upload) (required) —

  Once you have submitted the Pre-Award Financial Risk Assessment Form, you will receive an email confirmation. Save the email confirmation as a .PDF and UPLOAD HERE.

  WARNING: Failure to provide evidence of an acceptable and up-to-date Risk Assessment may be cause for the application to be disqualified from competition. 

• Organization Information
• Authorized Individual (required) —

  Please provide the name and title of the individual authorized to execute a contract on behalf of the organization.

• Organization Information (required) —

  Please provide the legal name, any d/b/a names, years in business, local address, billing address if different, email address, and phone number of the organization making the proposal.

• Organization Tax ID Number (required) —

  Please provide the Employee Identification Number (EIN).

• Organization Contacts (required) —

  Please provide the name, phone, and email for:

  • Executive Director/CEO/President
  • Financial Manager/CFO
  • Contract Manager
• Threshold Review Questions —

  Proposers who do not meet these minimum qualifications will be considered non-responsive and their proposal will not be evaluated or scored.

  • Applicants must be an IRS designated non-profit agency located in Pierce County.
  • Pierce County requires that all applicants for funding be registered as a business entity with the State of Washington and possess a Washington State Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number and a Federal Tax ID number.
  • Applicants must be currently managing or have former experience operating a Center's for Strong Families program, or other similar financial and employment coaching services. 
• Ownership Type (required) —

  Please upload the IRS Determination Letter confirming the status of the organization as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 

• Washington State Unified Business Identification (UBI) Number (required) —

  Please provide the organization's UBI number. 

  WARNING: Failure to provide a UBI number will be cause for the application to be disqualified from competition. 

• Required Experience (required) —

  By checking this confirmation, I am attesting that the organization meets one of the following requirements; must be currently managing or have former experience operating a Center's for Strong Families program, or other similar financial and employment coaching services. 

  Please note, the County reserves the right to request documentation from the organization to support this confirmation (operational materials, former/current contracts, fund sources, etc.) 

• Unique Entity Identification (UEI) Number (required) —

  An organization must have, at the time of submission, an active UEI number when the funding for the procurement is identified as federal. Please list your UEI as issued by Sam.gov. 

  Funding may or may not create a subrecipient relationship between the organization and the County.   

  WARNING: Failure to provide a valid and active UEI number may result in the disqualification of the application from further consideration. 

• Scored Proposal Questions (100 Points)
• Programming Experience (15 Points) (required) —

  Describe your organization's experience providing employment coaching, career navigation, workforce readiness, and financial coaching services to unemployed or underemployed individuals. Include the number of years providing these services and examples of similar programs. 

• Financial Coaching (20 Points) (required) —

  Describe your approach to delivering individualized financial coaching services, including budgeting, debt reduction, savings strategies, credit improvement, and financial education. Explain how you tailor services to meet participants' varying needs and financial goals.

• Employment Coaching (20 Points) (required) —

  Describe your approach to employment coaching and workforce development services. Include information about career assessments, job search assistance, resume development, interview preparation, job retention support, and connections to training and career pathway opportunities.

• Geographic Service Area (Not Scored) (required) —

  Where will services be provided? Please list all expected service sites and include services to be provided at each site.

• Service Coordination (15 Points) (required) —

  Explain how your organization will coordinate services at service locations and ensure consistent participant access during required operating hours. Include any plans for evening or weekend accommodations.

• Participant Eligibility (10 Points) (required) —

  Describe your process for determining participant eligibility, maintaining participant records, documenting referrals, and ensuring compliance with reporting and documentation requirements.

• Performance Measures (10 Points) (required) —

  Describe how your organization tracks participant outcomes and program performance. Include the systems, tools, and processes used to collect, manage, analyze, and report participant and program data.

• Budget (Not Scored) (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Budget Narrative (10 Points) (required) —

  Provide a brief narrative that explains how requested funds will be allocated to support program implementation/delivery. 

• Multiple Applications
• Additional Applications (required) —

  Do you have additional applications to submit under this RFP?

• Upload Additional Applications (required) —

  Please download the documents below, complete, and upload for EACH additional application:

  • Application Questions (Word)
  • Attachment A: Budget Workbook (Excel)
• Does this RFP contain federal funding? (required)
• Multiple Applications (required) —

  Will the RFP accept multiple proposals from a single vendor?

• Will proposer interviews be conducted? (required)