Active SLED Opportunity · WASHINGTON · CITY OF SEATTLE
AI Summary
The City of Seattle seeks qualified consultants for a roster to provide general project and program management consulting services.
The City of Seattle is requesting eligible Consultants submit an application and statement of qualifications for the establishment of general project and program management related consultant rosters.
City of Seattle ordinance allows the City to establish lists of qualified Consultants for use by any Department for skills or services in specialized areas of knowledge or experience. The City refers to these lists of qualified Consultants as rosters. A Department may contract with a Consultant on the appropriate roster for assignments or projects without a formal, advertised competitive process as long as each Contract is estimated to cost below $410,000 and the Department has determined that its needs can be fully met without soliciting proposals through public advertising.
The City has updated the solicitation to reflect this cycle's roster duration. The City will officially transition from rosters in the Online Business Directory to rosters in OpenGov beginning January 1, 2026. OpenGov rosters will not be used for City contracting before this date. Only consultants approved to rosters in the Online Business Directory or through the manual process mentioned in Section 1.3 will be allowable for roster contracting before January 1, 2026.
Additionally, the City has clarified that notices will be sent out when a small business priority goes into effect for a roster category.
Lastly, the City has fixed the Questions Response deadline from December 1, 2025 to December 1, 2030.
Those eligible will have experience providing consulting services that include any of the scopes detailed below. Consultants found to be qualified will be approved to the City's consultant roster(s) for which they are eligible. This solicitation is to populate the roster categories below:
Applications will be evaluated by City staff familiar with the consultant roster program and requirements. Evaluators will review responses to this RFQ, including Statements of Qualification, to determine that a Consultant meets the following requirements:
1. Consultant or firm has experience performing the scopes of work contemplated within the applicable roster category.
2. Consultant or firm has affirmed it has obtained all relevant licenses, certifications, and education necessary to perform the work it seeks through this solicitation.
3. Consultant or firm is considered a "small business concern" (when applicable) using the Small Business Administration's Table of Size Standards.
4. Category-specific qualification requirements when applicable.
Seattle Municipal Code 20.50.100 allows the City to establish lists of qualified Consultants for the use by any Department for skills or services in specialized areas of knowledge or experience. The City refers to these lists of qualified Consultants as rosters. A Department may contract with a Consultant on the appropriate roster for assignments or projects without a formal, advertised competitive process as long as each Contract is estimated to cost below $410,000 and the Department has determined that its needs can be fully met without soliciting proposals through public advertising.
Consultants must meet minimum qualifications in order to be considered for approval to a roster category. Those that are not responsive to these qualifications shall be rejected by the City:
All Categories in this solicitation require the following qualifications:
City departments are authorized to enter into a Consultant Roster Contract (Agreement) with an approved roster consultant when they have determined that its contracting needs can be fully met without soliciting proposals through public advertising. Departments have discretion to identify a firm for contracting off a roster using one of the three methods below.
1. Informal solicitation (not publicly advertised) to the entire roster (Vendor List) of approved consultants for the appropriate category under which their needed scope of work falls.
2. Informal solicitation (not publicly advertised) to a subset of Consultants from the roster (Vendor List) of approved consultants for the appropriate category under which their needed scope of work falls.
3. Direct selection of a Consultant approved to the roster (Vendor List) for the appropriate category under which their needed scope of work falls.
City ordinance defines a Consultant as any person that by experience, training, and education of the principals, officers or employees thereof has established a reputation or ability to perform specialized activities on a discrete, nonrecurring basis over a limited and pre-established term as an independent contractor, delivering or providing advice, recommendations, reports, analyses, evaluations, audits, surveys or other products of cognitive processes or expert or professional services including but not limited to services from any attorney, architect, accountant, public relations advisor, dentist, physician, surgeon psychiatrist, psychologist, veterinarian, engineer, surveyor, appraiser, planning consultant, investment counselor and actuary.
Consultants are required to submit a new Consultant Questionnaire for each individual agreement entered with the City. It is not required as a condition of roster approval. For reference, the Consultant Questionnaire can be found: https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/FAS/PurchasingAndContracting/Consulting/fas-cpcs-consultant-questionnaire.docx.
Licensing and insurance requirements listed in Section 5, Selection of Consultants from a Roster for Contracting, are NOT required in order to submit an application to the consultant roster program. Business licensing and insurance requirements are applicable upon the City notifying you of its intent to enter into a formal consultant roster agreement and are required to be satisfied before an agreement is executed. Additional licenses and insurance may be required based on the project.
Should a Consultant be approved to a roster, formal communication notifying Consultant of the approval will be sent either by email or through the Procurement Portal. The City will designate the Consultant as approved within the Procurement Portal by adding the Consultant to the appropriate roster(s). After January 2, 2026, approved lists of consultants can be found under Vendor Lists in OpenGov.
As we transition away from the consultant roster program housed within the City's soon-to-be retired Online Business Directory (OBD), the City will enter a transition period where departments will use the rosters from the OBD to determine consultant roster eligibility for contracting. By the end of 2025, the City expects the rosters to contain a sufficient amount of approved Consultants to sustain a consultant roster program and will transition the official consultant roster program to the City's new Procurement Portal (OpenGov). If during this transition time, it becomes necessary to formally add an eligible Consultant to a Consultant Roster for immediate contracting, as allowed by ordinance, the City employee requesting the contract must contact the Purchasing and Contracting division within Finance and Administrative Services for assistance. This schedule is subject to change and this solicitation will be updated accordingly.
This solicitation is accepting applications for the City of Seattle's Consultant Roster continuously until this roster cycle ends on 12/31/2030. Consultants may apply at anytime within the cycle.
The City has linked its boilerplate Consultant Roster Agreement so Consultants can be familiar with the standard terms of the City's roster consultant contracts. Should Consultant be approved to a roster and then selected for contracting, the selecting department may use this boilerplate to prepare the contract. Departments have discretion over whether to allow for negotiation of the standard terms. The City is not able to modify contract provisions mandated by Federal, State, or City law. Additional project- and/or department-specific terms and exhibits may be required in a resultant contract during the contracting process.
Consultant understands that the rosters are lists of Consultants the City has deemed as qualified to perform all or parts of the scopes of work designated under a particular category. Approval to any of the roster categories does not guarantee any Consultant any contract for any amount. See Section 4. Selection of Consultants from a Roster for Contracting for information on how Consultants may be selected for a Contract.
Consultants have the right to appeal rejection notifications to the Consultant Roster program. Only appeals alleging an issue concerning the following subjects shall be considered:
1. A matter of bias, discrimination, or conflict of interest.
2. Non-compliance with procedures described in the solicitation or City policy.
Formal appeals must be in writing and received within 3 days from the date the consultant roster rejection notification was sent by the City. A casual inquiry, complaint, or statement of the intention to appeal that does not provide the facts and issues or does not comply with the form, content, or deadlines will not be considered or acted on as an appeal. The following information must be included in the appeal letter to be considered:
1. Consultant firm name, mailing address, email address, phone number, and name and title of Consultant individual responsible for submission of the protest.
2. The basis for the appeal to the rejection decision including specific facts with back-up documentation.
3. A signature by an authorized agent of the business.
The Purchasing and Contracting division of Finance and Administrative Services will review the appeal. All available facts will be considered and a final decision shall be issued in writing. Each determination from the City will:
1. Find the appeal lacking in merit and uphold the City action; or
2. Find merit in the appeal and proceed with approval to the roster(s) that were previously denied to Consultant.
Consultants may submit their questions through the Procurement Portal by visiting the Question & Answer tab above. The City intends to answer questions within a timely manner. All questions and answers will be posted publicly with the submitter's name removed. Questions that apply to all roster solicitations may be added to all roster solicitations in process.
Upon notification of consultant roster contract award, Consultant agrees that, at a minimum, it will maintain premises operations and vehicle liability insurance in force with coverages and limits of liability typically maintained by consultants performing work of a scope and nature similar to that called for under the contract but in no event less than the coverages and/or limits required by Washington state law. Such insurance shall include “The City of Seattle” as an additional insured for primary and non-contributory limits of liability. Workers compensation insurance shall also be maintained if required by Washington state law. Project-specific insurance requirements may be added as a condition of contracting in addition to the City's standard Consultant insurance requirements.
The City is moving into a new era of the consultant roster program wherein rosters will be reset every 5 years. The first of these cycles is tentatively expected to run from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2030. Between this time period, the City's Procurement Portal (OpenGov) will be considered the official "rosters of record." Consultants approved to one or multiple consultant rosters during this time period will remain approved until either (1) the Consultant no longer meets the requirements to be approved to a consultant roster or (2) until December 31, 2030. All consultant roster approvals will expire December 31, 2030 regardless of when the application was approved.
Consultants who have been notified of their denial of application to be added to a roster have the right to reapply after 6 weeks. Consultants can apply to additional roster categories at anytime.
Prior to the execution of a formal consultant roster agreement with the City, Consultants must meet all applicable licensing requirements or the City may reject the Consultant. Companies must license, report and pay revenue taxes for the Washington State business License (UBI#) and Seattle Business License, if required by law.
Seattle Business Licensing and associated taxes
1. If you have a “physical nexus” in the city, you must obtain a Seattle Business license and pay all taxes due before a Consultant Roster agreement can be executed.
2. A “physical nexus” means you have physical presence, such as: a building/facility/employee(s) in Seattle, you make sales trips into Seattle, your own company drives into Seattle for product deliveries, and/or you conduct service work in Seattle (repair, installation, service, maintenance work, on-site consulting, etc).
3. All costs for any licenses, permits and Seattle Business License taxes owed shall be borne by the Consultant and not charged separately to the City.
4. The apparent successful Consultant(s) must immediately obtain the license and ensure all City taxes are current, unless exempted by City Code due to reasons such as no physical nexus. Failure to do so will cause rejection of the submittal.
5. The City of Seattle Application for a Business License and additional licensing information can be found this page here: https://www.seattle.gov/city-finance/business-taxes-and-licenses/business-licenses
6. For Questions and Assistance, call the Revenue and Consumer Protection (RCP) office which issues business licenses and enforces licensing requirements. The general e-mail is tax@seattle.gov. The main phone is 206-684-8484.
7. Self-Filing You can pay your license and taxes on-line https://www.filelocal-wa.gov/Default_FileLocal.aspx
8. If a business has extraordinary balances due on their account that would cause undue hardship to the business, the business can contact the License and Tax Administration office at tax@seattle.gov or 206-684-8484 to request additional assistance.
9. Those holding a City of Seattle Business license may be required to report and pay revenue taxes to the City.
The City may make changes to this RFQ if, in the sole judgment of the City, the change will not compromise the City’s objectives in this solicitation. Any change to this RFQ will be made by formal addendum issued by the City, through the Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/seattle and shall become part of this RFQ.
Per Seattle Municipal Code 20.50.110B, whenever 15 or more Consultants qualify as "small business concerns" in a single roster category, the category shall consist only of those Consultants who are eligible to be classified as a "small business concern." If 14 or fewer such Consultants are qualified, Consultants for that roster category shall be selected without regard to their eligibility under the small business criteria. The City currently uses the Small Business Administration's standards to identify small businesses. More information about small business size standards can be found at: https://www.sba.gov/partners/contracting-officials/small-business-procurement/small-business-size-standards.
Should Consultants graduate from the small business concern designation, Consultants are required to notify the City's Purchasing and Contracting division within Finance and Administrative Services by email to Julie.Salinas@seattle.gov for removal from the roster list. Graduation from the small business concern designation will have no effect on executed Consultant Roster contracts.
Both roster categories for this solicitation have a small business priority in effect.
At this time, not-for-profit organizations are not eligible to apply for the City's consultant roster program as they do not fall under the "small business concern" designation required by ordinance. Should a City department determine that a contract with a public benefit nonprofit corporation is the best option for consulting work, they are able to contract directly with the public benefit nonprofit corporation per Seattle Municipal Code 20.50.090C. Approval to a consultant roster is not necessary for a public benefit nonprofit corporation to contract with the City without public advertising.
It is the Consultant's responsibility to respond to this solicitation in a manner that does not require interpretation or clarification by the City. The Consultant is to provide all requested materials, forms and information, ensure the materials are submitted properly, and accurately reflect the Consultant’s qualifications. This does not limit the City’s right to consider additional information (such as references that are not provided by the Consultant but are known to the City, or past City experience with the consultant), or to seek clarifications as needed.
Should a Consultant be selected from a roster to enter into a contract, before the contract is signed, Consultant must have a State of Washington business license (a “Unified Business Identifier” known as a UBI#). If the State of Washington has exempted your business from State licensing (some foreign companies are exempt and sometimes, the State waives licensing because the company has no physical presence in the State), then submit proof of that exemption to the City. All costs for any licenses, permits and associated tax payments due to the State because of licensing shall be borne by the Consultant and not charged separately to the City. Instructions to apply for a business license can be found at https://dor.wa.gov/open-business/apply-business-license and the State of Washington Department of Revenue contact help page at https://dor.wa.gov/contact.
City departments may contract with Consultants on the roster for contracts estimated to cost no more than $410,000. The limit applies to the entire estimated contract, not per year of the contract. Each department may only use an approved roster Consultant up to a maximum amount of $819,000 per year, per approved roster category.
The City does not guarantee utilization of any agreement(s) awarded to a Consultant who was selected off of a consultant roster. The agreement may provide estimates of utilization; such information is for Consultant convenience and not a usage guarantee. The City reserves the right to order work based on City needs. The City may turn to other appropriate contract sources or supplemental contracts to obtain these same or similar services. The City may re-solicit for new additions to the Consultant pool. Use of such supplemental contracts does not limit the right of the City to terminate existing contracts for convenience or cause.
Consultants shall not interfere in any way to discourage other potential and/or prospective Consultants from applying to this solicitation. Prohibited contacts includes but is not limited to any contact, whether direct or indirect (i.e. in writing, by phone, email or other, and by the Consultant or another person acting on behalf of the Consultant) to a likely firm or individual that may discourage or limit competition. If such activity is evidenced to the satisfaction and in sole discretion of the City, the Consultant that initiates such contacts may be rejected from the process.
Prior to City's evaluation, a Consultant may update their application through the City's Procurement Portal.
The City may formally remove a Consultant from any City roster at its discretion before the current cycle ends.
The City of Seattle, as a Washington governmental entity, is subject to Washington Laws regulating governmental entities, including the Washington Public Records Act (“Public Records Act”), RCW 42.56, which provides that any writing (including handwriting, typewriting, printing, photographing, and every other means of recording any form of communication or representation) containing information relating to the conduct of government or the performance of any governmental or proprietary function prepared owned, used or retained by state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics, must be promptly disclosed upon request, unless specifically exempted under the Public Records Act. Exemptions are narrow and explicit and contained in RCW 42.56 and RCW 19.108.
Accordingly, the City cannot represent or guarantee that any information submitted by Consultant will be confidential. In the event the City receives a request under the Public Records Act, the City's sole responsibility will be to follow the procedures set forth in the Public Records Act; provided that the City shall, in accordance with the Public Records Act, use reasonable efforts to provide prior notice to the Consultant when appropriate under the Public Records Act in order for Consultant to either promptly provide a redaction of such records to maintain confidentiality of its information, intellectual property rights, and trade secrets or for Consultant to file an injunction through the state or federal courts in King County, Washington to block the release of the requested records. Regardless, Consultant agrees that the City will not be required to notify Consultant in connection with the City's compliance with the Public Records Act.
For more information, visit the Washington State Legislature’s website at http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=42.56.
The scope of work covered by this category includes management / organizational studies / strategic business planning / process redesign or analysis, evaluation, monitoring, assessments, recommendations, development, planning, review, facilitation, reports, or expert witness.
The scope of work covered by this category includes project management studies, process redesign or analysis, evaluation, monitoring, recommendations, scheduling, training, tracking, plan review, permitting, reports, or expert witness.
A Consultant is considered a "small business concern" if it qualifies as a Small Business under the Small Business Act of the United States, 15 USC Section 632, and its implementing regulations. The Small Business Act empowers the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish specific size standards based on various factors like number of employees, revenue, and net worth which vary by industry.
You can select see if you qualify by finding your industry in the SBA's Table of Size Standards found here: https://www.sba.gov/document/support-table-size-standards.
Nonprofit organizations are not eligible to apply to the Consultant roster program.
Seattle Municipal Code provides another avenue for which City departments are able to contract out with public benefit non-profit organizations without public advertisement. Non-eligibility for the consultant roster program does not preclude your firm from working with the City.
Qualified consultants will have experience providing consultation on management / organizational studies / strategic business planning / process redesign or analysis, evaluation, monitoring, assessments, recommendations, development, planning, review, facilitation, reports, or expert witness.
Each project must have included at least one of the following scopes: management / organizational studies / strategic business planning / process redesign or analysis, evaluation, monitoring, assessments, recommendations, development, planning, review, facilitation, reports, or expert witness.
Qualified consultants will have experience providing consultation on project management studies, process redesign or analysis, evaluation, monitoring, recommendations, scheduling, training, tracking, plan review, permitting, reports, or expert witness.
Each project must have included at least one of the following scopes: project management studies, process redesign or analysis, evaluation, monitoring, recommendations, scheduling, training, tracking, plan review, permitting, reports, or expert witness.
A statement of qualifications is a document that details how a Consultant firm's skills and experience align with the specific scope of work covered by the roster(s) attempting to be qualified for. There is not an official City of Seattle template for a Statement of Qualifications as they can vary significantly from field to field.
In general, the City is looking for evidence that the firm has completed projects or assignments related to the scope of work and that the key personnel and/or Principal have the required licenses, certificates, or education to perform the type of consulting work described for each category applied to.
Statements of qualification are generally set up in a resume style format as opposed to a narrative format. City departments may use these statements of qualifications to determine whether a Consultant has the proper experience to be considered for contracting. Upon approval to a consultant roster, Consultant must add this document to their Documents tab in the business profile of the CIty's Procurement Portal.
Q (Response Submission Deadline): 1) The current solicitation schedule has December 1, 2025 listed as the Questions Response Deadline, with a December 30, 2030 Response Submission Deadline. Can we please clarify the intended solicitation schedule?
A: The Question Response Deadline has been updated to December 1, 2030. Applications are being accepted until December 30, 2030.
Q (Response Submission Deadline): Please clarify what is the Response Submission Deadline for the Request for Qualification?
A: For this cycle, the response submission deadline is December 30, 2030. Responses are being accepted on a rolling basis. Consultant's may apply at any time.
Q (No subject): Section 1.7. Consultant Roster Program Limitations states "Each department may only use an approved roster Consultant up to a maximum amount of $819,000 per year, per approved roster category." Is this Citywide Consultant Roster amount limitation in addition to other contracts a consulting firm may have with the City or is it inclusive of those contracts?
A: The $819,000 limit is specific to contracts executed using the consultant roster as the method of consultant selection. Contracts that were competitively awarded are not included in the annual limit.
Q (No subject): When and how will the decision be made for the first batch scheduled to commence on December 15, 2025?
A: The live period has been moved out to January 1, 2026. Approved consultants will begin being notified in early December.
Q (Small business priority): Would the City please confirm that only firms that qualify under small business priority will be considered for the rosters?
A: Because the consultant roster lists are starting over, no roster will have 15 small businesses approved at the beginning of the solicitation process. This means there is no small business priority in effect at this time. However, based on previous application rates, the City does expect most of the lists to reach the 15 small businesses threshold that prohibits larger businesses from being added to the category, before the rosters are available for use, thus making it unproductive for a large business to apply. Vendors who do not meet the small business concern criteria may consider waiting until the rosters are live to see which rosters do not have a small business priority in effect and apply to those.
Q (Question regarding 1.1. Consultant Roster Program Limitations): The RFQ Section 1.7 states the following: 1.1. Consultant Roster Program Limitations City departments may contract with Consultants on the roster for contracts estimated to cost no more than $410,000. The limit applies to the entire estimated contract, not per year of the contract. Each department may only use an approved roster Consultant up to a maximum amount of $819,000 per year, per approved roster category. Please clarify what the two values in the above statement mean.
A: The $410,000 is a per-contract spend limit. The $819,000 is a per-year spend limit, which would apply to situations where there are multiple contracts being executed in a single year.
Q (Solicitation Documents Clarification): Are there additional general scope details (recognize the On-Call roster approach) or submittal requirements that will become available?
A: Scopes will be detailed as roster contracting opportunities become available. City departments will use the scope to identify the proper roster to solicit to.
Q (Definition of "Consultant" and "Firm"): Please define the following terms used in the RFQ Section 4.1: • Consultant • Firm
A: For the purposes of approval to a roster, consultant and firm are used interchangeably. These terms could both be defined as "the party with which the City would enter into a contract". We understand some consultants are sole proprietors and some are part of larger firms which is why it is worded that way.
Q (Small Business Clarification): Is the city only considering consultants that are a small business? Can you please clarify whether this opportunity is open exclusively to small businesses, or if other types of organizations will also be considered? We’d appreciate clarification on whether eligibility for this proposal is limited to small businesses, or if larger organizations may also be considered. If we are awarded a roster spot and the minimum 15 small businesses are reached will that immediately void our roster spot/disqualify us from work under the contract?
A: The City has reached the threshold of small businesses and both the Project Management and Management Services roster have a small business priority in effect. The solicitation has been updated to reflect this.
Q (Threshold): Section 1.5 of the RFQ, referencing Seattle Municipal Code 20.50.110B, notes that if 15 or more small business concerns qualify in a roster category, that category will be limited to small businesses only. Could the City please confirm whether the “General Project and Program Management Consulting” roster category (CTY-CR-2025-15) has already reached this threshold, or if it remains open to both small and non-small business firms at this time?
A: The City has reached the threshold of small businesses and both the Project Management and Management Services roster have a small business priority in effect. The solicitation has been updated to reflect this.
Q (No subject): If this RFQ is restricted to small businesses, could the City advise whether there are alternative opportunities or contracts where large businesses may pursue similar work?
A: Yes, all Consultant opportunities found in the City's Procurement portal are open to qualified Consultants regardless of size. Contracting opportunities where a department is using the roster program for selection will not be posted publicly.
Q (No subject): Would it be correct to assume that "Management Services" is most closely aligned with NAICS code 541611 while Project Management is most closely aligned with NAICS code 541618?
A: Yes, however, for the purposes of contracting using approved roster firms, the City does not generally use NAICS codes in its decision of which roster it will use. More often, a decision about which roster will be used is based on comparison of the scope of work to the category descriptions in Section 2.
Q (Statement of Qualifications): The RFP requires that consultants upload their Statement of Qualifications to their profiles on OpenGov after award. May this document be updated over the course of the five year term, or must it remain the same as the original submission?
A: Consultants will be encouraged to regularly update their Statement of Qualifications in their profile.
Q (Statement of Qualifications): Can the City provide a sample Statement of Qualifications?
A: The City does not provide a sample Statement of Qualifications.
Q (Consultant Questionnaire): Do we need to include the consultant questionnaire form linked on page 8 of the RFQ with our proposal response?
A: No. This form is for your reference only. Consultant's will be asked to submit a Consultant Questionnaire as part of the contracting process.
Q (Personnel): Section 3.1 requires that ‘Consultant’s key personnel and/or Principal have the required professional licenses, certificates, and education to perform the type of work being sought.’ For purposes of the roster application, are Offerors expected to identify and commit specific key personnel who would be contractually bound to an eventual Consultant Roster Agreement, or is it acceptable to provide representative personnel profiles and qualifications demonstrating our deep bench of professionals, with final staffing assigned on a project-by-project basis under the roster?
A: It is acceptable to provide representative personnel profiles and qualifications. Responses to this solicitation are for approval to rosters based on a general scope of work. As project opportunities come up, they should have more developed scopes of work that you can tailor your response to.
Q (SOW Summary): Can the city define "brief summary of the applicable scope of work". Do you have an ideal character or word range? Are visuals allowed/ encouraged?
A: The brief summary should include enough details about the scope of work as it relates to the general description of services provided under the category. There is no character limit, but visuals and additional project information can be provided in the Statement of Qualifications that you attach with your response.
Q (Statement of Qualifications): Is there a page limit on Statement of Qualifications?
A: No, there is no page limit to the Statement of Qualifications. For this solicitation, the Statement of Qualifications will only be used to ensure each respondent has performed at least three relevant projects and that the key personnel has appropriate experience and/or licenses.
Q (No subject): Will City departments allow remote-only consulting, or should consultants expect some onsite presence in Seattle depending on the project?
A: Both are possible.
Q (No subject): Given that roster contracts are typically valued under $410,000, does the City have preferred or target hourly rate ranges for consultants approved to the Management Services and Project Management roster categories?
A: No, the department will negotiate costs with the selected Consultant.
Q (No subject): When departments issue projects, will they identify whether work must be onsite, hybrid, or remote, and will they provide required hours or availability expectations?
A: Consultants are encouraged to discuss work location and availability expectations during contract negotiations.
Q (Vendor confirmation timeline): Will vendor confirmations occur on a rolling basis or after the full submission review process concludes?
A: Consultants will receive notification of their application status on a rolling basis.
Q (Q&A): Can the City clarify when the Q&A will be released? We want to prepare our Statement of Qualifications in accordance with the City's responses.
A: Responses to questions will be released on a rolling basis up until the December 1, 2030 deadline.
Q (ETA on City's Assessment of our Applications): When might we expect the City to tell us if we have been accepted onto the Consultant Roster. We submitted our application in October. Will we be notified via email or through this portal if we are accepted or need to clarify our application?
A: Consultants that have already completed an application should receive notification of their status through the OpenGov portal within the first weeks of January 2026.
Q (Application Requirements): Project Summary Detail Requirements: For the required listing of three completed projects (in RFQ Section 3.1 and Application Sections 3.1 and 4.1), is a single-paragraph summary of the project, dates, and applicable scope sufficient, or is a more detailed breakdown required?
A: There is no minimum or maximum amount of information to provide as long as it demonstrates the skills and qualifications to provide the services under the category.
Q (Selection Process and Procedures): Proposal Requirements for Informal Solicitation: When a department issues an "informal solicitation" to the roster (methods 1 and 2), what is the typical format and expected length of the proposal response?
A: The administering department will specify the requirements for each proposal response, so it will vary with each project.
Q (Selection Process and Procedures): Consultant Selection Method Frequency: Of the three selection methods listed (informal solicitation to entire roster, subset, or direct selection), can the City provide an estimate of the historical frequency or expected usage of each method?
A: This information is not currently available.
Q (Scope of Work): Scope Examples for Management Services: Could the City provide two to three anonymized examples of typical projects or assignments that would be contracted under the Management Services category (which includes organizational studies, strategic business planning, and process redesign) to better illustrate the expected scale and complexity?
A: The City does not have any examples to provide for this solicitation. However, Consultants may visit the City’s online contract search portal to view awarded contracts, including those awarded through the roster. Visit, https://coscontractsearchportal.masterworkslive.com
Q (Roster Eligibility): Small Business Priority Status: Can the City confirm the current small business concern count for the Management Services and Project Management categories to determine immediate eligibility for non-small business concerns, given the expectation that the majority of rosters will have a small business priority in effect?
A: The Small Business priority is currently in effect for this category.
Q ( Financial and Contract Limits): Combined Limit Clarification: With the $410,000 contract limit, please explain how each department may only use an approved roster Consultant up to a maximum amount of $819,000 per year, per approved roster category.
A: The annual $819,000 maximum (2025 limit) may be achieved if multiple contracts are awarded to the roster Consultant in the same category within the same department.
Q (No subject): Does the City give preference to consultants with local experience or is out-of-state performance weighted equally?
A: The City does not have a preference.
Q (No subject): Will approved roster consultants have access to information about forecasts of anticipated consulting needs?
A: Departments may provide this information on a project by project basis when applicable.
Q (No subject): Section 5.1 of the RFQ describes three selection methods departments may use: (1) informal solicitation to entire roster, (2) informal solicitation to subset of roster, or (3) direct selection. Will consultants be notified when they are being considered under any of these methods, or will direct selections occur without prior notification to the selected consultant?
A: The Consultant will be notified in advance prior to any consideration.
Q (No subject): Once approved to the consultant roster, will consultants receive automated notifications or alerts when City departments issue solicitations or requests for proposals to roster consultants? If so, what notification method will be used (email, OpenGov portal alerts, etc.)?
A: An email notification will be sent to the Consultant from the OpenGov procurement portal. In some other cases the department project manager may message the Consultant directly from their City email account.
Q (No subject): For consultants outside Seattle with no physical nexus, can the City confirm that a Seattle Business License is only required if onsite work occurs?
A: A Seattle business license is required when the Consultant has physical nexus or when work is performed within Seattle city limits. However, the business licensing and registration requirements will be determined prior to contract execution.
Q (No subject): If key personnel change after approval, does the consultant need to update the SOQ in OpenGov, or only update information when selected for an individual contract?
A: The department may request an updated SOQ during an informal solicitation, but the Consultant is also encouraged to update their profile information and SOQs when possible.
Q (No subject): If a consultant qualifies for both categories (Management Services and Project Management), should they submit one consolidated SOQ or two separate SOQs?
A: A Consultant may submit one consolidated SOQ or two separate SOQs as long as they provide the required submittal requirements and project examples that demonstrate the qualifications for each of the categories.
Q (No subject): For direct-selection projects, are departments expected to follow internal criteria (e.g., past performance, technical specialization, availability), or will each department determine its own methodology?
A: Each department will determine its own evaluation and scoring methodology.
Q (No subject): Does the City intend to use Firm-Fixed Price, Time & Materials, or a mix of contract types for projects?
A: The department will negotiate the cost structure with the selected Consultant.
Q (Next list of approved consultants): When and how will the decision be made for the next batch of approved consultants.
A: Review and approval of applications occur on a rolling basis.
Q (Office in Seattle?): Is an office in Seattle and business license required for or at the time of contract award?
A: Not necessarily. Consultants do not need to have a physical nexus in Seattle or a Seattle business license at the time of contract award. The required business licenses are determined based on the physical location where the scope of work is performed.
Q (Purchase Oder Process): We are approved to provide services under the Management Services and PM roster category. We would appreciate clarification on the following items to ensure we proceed appropriately and in alignment with City procurement practices: 1. Buyer Contacts - Please advise whether the City can provide a list of departmental buyers and their assigned procurement officers, including contact information, for areas that typically utilize Management Services and Project Management support? 2. Vendor Marketing Guidance - May we market our services as an approved vendor under this roster, and if so, are there any guidelines or restrictions we should follow when referencing this approval in our outreach or marketing materials? 3. Purchase Order (PO) Advertising Process - How do City buyers typically advertise or issue Purchase Orders under this roster? Specifically, are opportunities communicated directly to approved vendors, or are they posted through a solicitation or procurement platform (e.g., OpenGov or another system)?
A: You can find information on the departments and City contacts that procure services under Management Services and Project Management Services from the City's contract portal here, https://coscontractsearchportal.masterworkslive.com/ . Consultants can market their services to City of Seattle departments and City staff and can reference their approval to the Roster when marketing themselves to the City. The City's Consultant Roster program is not intended to used by other agencies other than the City of Seattle, however the City does not prohibit Consultants from referencing their approval to the Roster in their marketing materials. Firms that are approved to the Roster would be invited to respond to Roster solicitations by invitation only and are not advertised.
Q (ETA of City's Assessment of our Application ): When might we expect the City to tell us if we have been accepted onto the Consultant Roster. We submitted our application in February.
A: If you have not yet received an email from the City you may also check your “List” section within your business profile. I see that your firm has been approved to the Management Services and Project Management rosters. If for some reason you do not see the categories listed under “Lists” it could be that you have not yet “Subscribed” to the procurement portal.
Q (Acceptance notification): Hello, When will we hear if we've been accepted to the roster? thanks, Melinda Partin Kindworks Consulting, LLC
A: If you have not yet received an email from the City you may also check your “List” section within your business profile. I see that your firm has been approved to the Management Services and Project Management rosters. If for some reason you do not see the categories listed under “Lists” it could be that you have not yet “Subscribed” to the procurement portal.
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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