Addendum 1 to RFP
MPS Community Partnership Grant Program
Pursuant to §4.2 of the RFP, questions raised by respondents and addressed to by the deadline of November 21st are posted on the Business, Community and Family Partnerships webpage. Below are those written questions and answers raised by vendors.
Respondent Questions and MPS Answers
Q: In the RFP for the MPS Community Partnership Grant Program: What is the difference between the $5,000 category and the $20,000 category?
A: Two amounts are offered— the pursuant may only apply to one category. The $5,000.00 category (similar to a micro-grant) can be used for smaller programs that require less funding. Please select whichever amount that best reflects your program budget and needs.
Q: Do we attach a copy of the staff background checks to the proposal, or is that collected once an award is made?
A: There is no specific due date as it pertains to completing this RFP. Background checks are a term of the resulting Standard Professional Services Contract (PSC) that is agreed upon to awarded vendors. It is recommended that background checks be submitted upon receipt of award notification letters to the address set forth in §1.3.2. More information regarding background checks will be set forth in the contract.
Q:When are the background check reports due? I failed to see a date when those are to be turned in thanks.
A: There is no specific due date as it pertains to completing this RFP. Background checks are a term of the resulting Standard Professional Services Contract (PSC) that is agreed upon to awarded vendors. It is recommended that background checks be submitted upon receipt of award notification letters to the address set forth in §1.3.2. More information regarding background checks will be set forth in the contract.
Q: How are clients defined, per the below section? Would it make sense for COA to include partner agencies/schools that have sent its participants to COA programming as references, or are individual community members that have participated the desired target?
•Provide at least three specific client references, including the names and contact information of the individual(s) you would propose MPS contact. MPS reserves the right to contact or visit any party listed as a reference. MPS also reserves the right to use other sources to obtain information about respondent’s experience.
A: For the purpose of this RFP, clients may be regarded as partner agencies, a school point-of-contact and or individual community members that have participated in programming.
Q:In the RFP for the MPS Community Partnership Grant Program;
- The RFP does not include the amount available for the grant. What is the amount of funds available?
- Do you have a word version of the application? The PDF form does not allow us to fill in the fields.
Q: We have a track program and a youth social development program that we'd like funding for, are we able to submit a proposal for each, or should we combine it in one? Please let me know.
A: If a respondent submits a separate RFP for each respective program and the evaluation committee were to recommend funding—only one program would be funded. It would be acceptable to format the proposal as a track program with a social development component, or a social development program with a track component. Ultimately, the respondent must determine how to format programming initiative.
Q:I'm emailing with a request for clarification regarding budget guidelines for the MPS Community Partnership grant program. The RFP emailed today identifies budget line items "Program Leaders" and "Stipends for program leads that are adults" in exhibit 1 (budget forms). Can you offer definitions, or a guide for differentiating between these two budget lines? Also, can you offer guidance on how they relate to the subsequent page's "Stipends for program staff"?
And lastly, are there limits on financial requests within the following categories: program leaders, stipends for program leads that are adults, and stipends for the program leads that are youth? I do not see reference to limits within the RFP, but do see previous RFP's limits within the Grant Final Report (Appendix A) included.
A:To clarify, the budget line item for “Program Leaders” in Exhibit 1 of the RFP, in the Expense column, should include the wages for all employees within the organization that are program leaders. As is pertains to this RFP, Earning a wage means regular payments from an employer who controls the work hours and workplace and supplies necessary tools, clothing and equipment. Workers' compensation, wage and hour rules, workplace safety and other employment regulations enforced by federal and state governments cover an employee. The budget line items labeled “Stipends for program leaders that are adult” and “Stipends for program leads that are youth” should include the expense amount of stipends for each respective category. Stipends differ mainly in the fact that they are a form of compensation, for individuals serving as program leads, that are not necessarily employees—this may include agents, freelancers, interns or independent contractors.
The subsequent page’s budget line labeled “Stipends for program staff” in Exhibit 1, in the Project Expense Details column, should provide any necessary details regarding to stipends for all program staff.
There are limits on financial requests within the following categories: program leaders, stipends for program leads that are adults and stipends for program leads that are youth, as you have identified, noted in Appendix A. The limits identified in Appendix A also apply to the initiative budgeting that the organization proposes for the program. Specific information regarding MPS Administrative Policies, regarding Purchasing and Bidding Requirements (3.09) can be found by clicking on the following link:
Q: I have a follow up questions regarding the Community Partnership Grant RFP. I appreciate your previous explanation but want to make sure I'm clear on request limits in the Program Leaders category. Appendix A (the final reporting form) does not list a maximum amount for Program Leaders. Is there a $5,000 limit? I see that the MPS Purchasing and Bidding Requirements have competitive procurement rules that may impose this limit based on where approval is coming from, but am not sure how these apply. Thank you for your time and guidance, its appreciated!
A: There is no expense limit for Program Leaders. However, as set forth in §6.1 regarding the RFP evaluation criteria, overall efficiency of budgeting and program costs does account for 15% for proposals that meet the minimum requirement.