SLED Opportunity · CALIFORNIA · CITY OF MILPITAS
AI Summary
City of Milpitas seeks pre-qualified contractors for fiscal and program administration services for rental and business assistance programs over five years. This RFQual establishes a pool for future targeted contract opportunities.
Through this Request for Qualifications (RFQual), the City of Milpitas is seeking to establish a pool of pre-qualified contractors capable of providing fiscal and program administration services for future rental and/or business assistance programs, funding rounds, and grant cycles that will be established by the City in the next five years (estimated May 2026-May 2031).
Note on Selection: This RFQual will not result in an immediate contract. Instead, prequalified contractors will be invited to submit targeted proposals and pricing as specific programs or funding opportunities become available. Contracts will be executed with the selected proposer at that time.
Prequalification does not guarantee award of future contract. The City reserves the right to approve or reject any proposals at its sole discretion.
Scope of services will vary by program but generally include:
This RFQual presents an opportunity to partner with the City on a range of locally, impactful, state- and federally funded programs over the next 5 years. Firms with a proven track record in fiscal and program administration, grant compliance, and customer-focused program delivery are encouraged to review the full solicitation and submit their qualifications.
The City of Milpitas has historically utilized third-party vendors to administer its diverse rental and business assistance initiatives. Currently, the City oversees two rental assistance programs and a Microenterprise Assistance Program; these programs serve as representative examples of the scale and complexity firms can expect to manage.
Current vs. Future Scope:
Please refer to the Scope of Services for detailed information.
Has the firm provided a full and clear response to the requested information in the Cover Letter? Overall, has the firm demonstrated the ability to successfully provide services for projects of a similar complexity and nature as described herein. Have all required sections and information in the RFP been provided clearly and completely?
Has the firm successfully and completely answered the required information to provide an accurate and complete overview of its experience, capabilities, and organization? Does the firm offer the breadth and quality of services required for the types of services required in the Scope of Services? Does the firm’s organizational structure show sufficient depth and capacity for its current and additional workload proposed by this project?
Initial Evaluation: Are the references provided for the same or similar services as those required by the City of Milpitas? Are they of similar scale? Are they for other public entities in California and/or with other municipalities similar to the City?
Follow-up Reference Checks: Are the firm’s references from past clients and associates overall favorable? What is the Respondent’s record of deliverables submitted on time and within budget? Does the firm communicate with, collaborate with, and take direction well from City staff?
Does the proposer offer a solid team with the relevant experience and background to fulfill the City’s requirements?
Has the firm satisfactorily described its ability to perform and deliver work in accordance to the requirements described in the Scope of Services?
Please provide in the space below your full name, your title, the firm's name, direct phone number, email address and today's date.
Time is of the essence for each and every provision of this Agreement/Contract. Vendor confirms that is has thoroughly reviewed every requirement of this solicitation and the accompanying sample Agreement/Contract and will furnish all necessary documents outlined in either this solicitation or the attached Agreement/Contract. By confirming this question, vendor understands that failure to provide any and all documents, including but not limited to, forms, subcontractor information, bonds, insurance, and quotes within ten (10) business days of the close of this solicitation may result in the disqualification of their bid/proposal.
Any response submitted that does not acknowledge questions and the City's corresponding answers may be considered non-responsive. By confirming this prompt, you agree that you have seen all questions related to this RFQual.
Any response submitted that does not acknowledge each and every addenda issued may be considered non-responsive. By confirming this prompt, you agree that you have seen and responded to all addenda to this RFQual.
Please upload your firm's current W-9 form.
Respondent MUST disclose any alleged significant prior or ongoing contract failures, any civil or criminal litigation or investigation pending which involves the Respondent or in which the Respondent has been judged guilty or liable.
If “None,” Respondent MUST state as follows:
“Respondent has no prior or ongoing contract failures, civil or criminal litigation or pending investigation.”
Failure to comply with this provision will disqualify any response.
The Proposer shall provide a general overview of the firm, including a brief history and its experience and qualifications in providing similar services as those requested in this RFQual. The City will only consider submittals from Proposers whose proposed team demonstrates the following capabilities:
• A long term, well established entity providing services in the State of California;
• Extensive experience providing the same or similar services to other public entities;
• A well-run, financially stable organization with a proven track-record of delivering timely, well-managed, and cost-effective outcomes;
• Organizational structure to demonstrate depth of knowledge and capacity to absorb the additional workload
Note: If responding as a joint venture, note as such and provide the background, history, and experience for each firm participating in the awarded contract, as well as for the joint venture itself.
This section shall consist of a list of three (3) references for work of a similar nature as that required by the City, performed within the last three years. Respondents are directed to use the References form provided in Attachment A to list references.
Reference Section 8.14 "Experience and Competence" of this RFQual's Terms and Conditions.
Please describe the following in your response:
A. Experience and qualifications of principals assigned to oversee the project team and achievement of the requested services
B. Experience and qualifications of assigned project manager who shall be authorized to act on behalf of the firm and shall be the principal point of contact for the City.
C. Identify any additional individuals expected to have backup or support responsibilities on the assigned project team and specify their expected roles.
D. Provide a brief resume/background of the specific individuals to be assigned to this project as listed above; individual experience/qualification summaries should not exceed one paragraph per person.
E. The response shall state that no changes in key personnel are to be made without written consent of the City.
If the City elects to conduct interviews with prospective firms, such persons shall be in attendance and materially contribute to the discussion.
Please describe your general project for providing the Services specified herein to the City. Provide a proposed execution plan that includes a detailed work plan describing how you will meet project objectives in a cost-effective and timely manner. This section is for proposers to provide a detailed explanation of your approach in performing the Services described in the RFQual – SEE SCOPE OF SERVICES.
Your response should include the following:
a) Scope Coverage: Acknowledge whether your firm can provide all requested services listed in the Scope of Services within your companies’ capabilities. Identify any services that will be performed by subcontractors. If you are unable to provide certain services, clearly identify which service and explain why.
b) Communication Plan: Explain your communication plan with City staff, including:
i. Reporting of completed work
ii. Issue escalation
iii. Emergency notifications
Please provide your rates of compensation for the work as specified herein.
This information will not be used in the evaluation process. It is being collected to be used as the basis for negotiation and execution of any resulting contract should you be selected for award at future date. Note that any requests for annual increases, if applicable, will be capped at CPI or 3%, whichever is greater.
Please uploaded the completed and signed Compliance with or deviation from the RFQual and/or Agreement form here.
Q (Pricing Structure): Can the City clarify how the submitted rates will be used during future program-specific solicitations? For example, will contractors be expected to adhere strictly to these rates, or will proposers be allowed to submit program-specific pricing models (e.g., fixed fee, per-application, or per-household pricing) based on the scope and scale of each program?
A: For specific scopes of work, the City may request a specific proposal. To the extent applicable, pricing provided for specific work shall be less than or equal to the prices provided in response to this Request for Qualifications.
Q (Pricing Structure): Given that future programs may vary significantly in size, complexity, and funding source, does the City anticipate accepting alternative pricing structures (such as fixed program fees, per-application processing fees, or per-household disbursement pricing) in addition to or in place of hourly rates?
A: See response to Question 1.
Q (Rates Clarification): Can the City clarify the expected format for “rates of compensation”? For example, is the City seeking hourly labor rates by role, fully burdened rates, or a blended rate?
A: Vendors should submit their standard pricing approach and rates. Costs/rates should be fully burdened.
Q (Fiscal Agent Liability): For programs where the contractor serves as the fiscal agent, can the City clarify expectations regarding fund custody, disbursement risk, and any required bonding or insurance?
A: Programs have different funding sources. Expectations are dependent on specific grant requirements outlined by the state and/or federal granting authority. Bonding is typically not required. See Attachments B and C for exemplar contracts, including applicable insurance requirements and additional terms and conditions.
Q (Technology Costs): Should technology platform costs (e.g., application portal, case management system, reporting tools) be incorporated into the submitted rates, or does the City anticipate these being proposed separately as part of program-specific pricing?
A: Please include all estimated pricing.
Q (Current Systems): Can the City describe any existing systems currently used for application intake, case management, payment processing, or reporting for similar programs?
A: The City's current administrator, Geocko, Inc. dba FORWARD, uses its own platform for administering grants.
Q (Integration Expectations): Does the City anticipate requiring integration with existing City, County, State, or third-party systems (e.g., financial systems, HMIS, payment platforms, or reporting databases)? If so, can the City provide examples?
A: No.
Q (Disbursement Mechanisms): What payment methods does the City anticipate for future programs (e.g., ACH, checks, prepaid cards, digital wallets), and are there preferred or existing vendors?
A: The City prefers and is moving to all ACH payments.
Q (System of Record): For future programs, does the City expect the contractor’s system to serve as the system of record, or will data need to be synchronized with City systems?
A: Record requirements and the timeline for maintaining records will be dependent on the funding source of the specific program.
Q (Contractor/City roles in Payments): Does the City anticipate the contractor directly disbursing funds as a fiscal agent, or will payments be processed through City systems?
A: City anticipates vendor directly disbursing funds as a fiscal agent.
Q (Reporting Requirements): Will reporting requirements be standardized across programs, or will each funding source require unique reporting formats and dashboards?
A: Reporting may be similar, but it will be dependent on the needs of the specific program.
Q (Customer Support Level Expectations): Does the City have target service levels for applicant support (e.g., response times, call center hours, in-person requirements)?
A: Ideally, customer service response time should be within 3 days. There are currently no in-person requirements expected, but the City would work with the selected Contractor to find innovative ways to provide applicant support.
Q (Mini-RFP Process Clarity): Can the City provide additional detail on how future program-specific solicitations will be issued to the pre-qualified pool (e.g., timeline, evaluation criteria)?
A: Future vendor selection will occur as program funds are received. The City will send out specific scopes to the pre-qualified vendor list resulting from this RFQual with a request to submit a response/proposal for the specific scope. Each program fund may require different selection and evaluation criteria.
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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