Request for Proposal (RFP) - Policy and Advocacy Consultant

Southwest Washington Accountable Community of Health (SWACH) is inviting consulting service companies to submit a proposal for Policy & Advocacy consulting services to SWACH. Only proposals that meet the requirements herein will be considered. When considering the proposals, SWACH will prioritize women and minority-owned businesses.

RFP Deadline

Please send completed proposals by email to sarah.dryfoos@southwestach.org. RFPs will be open until a decision is announced on August 1, 2023.

Primary SWACH Contacts

For questions relating to this RFP, please email ECI@southwestach.org.

Ownership of Materials

All information provided by SWACH is considered business sensitive and usable in preparing the proposal. All proposals, data, and reports collected become the property of SWACH and will be held securely.

PROJECT FRAMEWORK

Mission & Vision

SWACH is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit business based in Vancouver, Washington serving Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties. The mission of SWACH is to bring partners together to create equitable and sustainable systems change to reduce costs and improve whole-person wellness.

Background and Context

SWACH is focused on serving our communities in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat Counties to improve whole-person wellness, create equitable systems change and reduce costs associated with health care. In order to do this, we recognize the importance of creating opportunities for our communities to advocate for the changes they wish to see, and for us to amplify their voices through robust policy and advocacy programming. We hired a full-time Program Manager, who in partnership with the Director of Equity & Collaborative Impact will be working to stand up the functions of our Policy & Advocacy work. Additionally, a board sub-committee will also be convened with a portion of their scope on Policy as well.

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

SWACH requires proposals to comply with the requirements below.

1.) Required Qualifications: This information will not be scored during proposal evaluation, but complete information is required to be considered:

a.    Legal name, website, address, street address and mailing address (if different).

b.    Name, position title, phone number, and email address of primary point of contract for this project.

c.    A valid UBI in States where you do business.

d.    A valid EIN with the Internal Revenue Service.

e.    Disclose if your firm has ever been disqualified from performing professional services on any Washington state or federal contract within the past 10 years. If you have been disqualified, please state the reason for the disqualification, name of the agency, date of disqualification, and the name of the contact person at the agency and their telephone number.

f.   SWACH will prioritize businesses that fall into the categories below:

i.  Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE)

ii.  Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE)

iii. Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise (VBE)

iv. Business Owned by Economically Disadvantaged Individuals (DBE)

v.    Business owned by LGBT Individuals (LGBTBE)

2.) Policy & Advocacy Experience

a.  Describe relevant experience in the fields of Policy and Advocacy, and how you have helped to develop a Policy & Advocacy program and workplan from start to finish.

b.  Please describe your experience in Medicaid, Social Determinants of Health, Health Equity and/or social needs policy work.

c.  Please describe your network and experience/knowledge in Policy/Advocacy in Washington State, Clark, Skamania and Klickitat Counties.

d. Please include how you would build an equitable advocacy program and what it would look like

e.  Your experience navigating differing priorities between boards and community/staff and how you would support finding common ground

       3.) Compensation

a.       Please outline your work with specific deliverables and cost associated with each. Please also include an hourly rate you are requesting.

       4.) References: Provide references from two clients that you have provided consulting services for – specifically for policy and advocacy if possible.

MINIMUM DELIVERABLES

1.)  Support and provide guidance to the ECI team on standing up a Policy and Advocacy program that is inclusive of elected officials and diverse political climate in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat Counties and moves the needle towards health for all

2.)  Create a timeline and workplan for the ECI team for the first two years of Policy & Advocacy work, including partnership building, relationships with key stakeholders and legislators, communities and others.  

3.)  Identify priorities with ECI team and help support building an advocacy function for our communities in response to our priorities

4.)  Work with the Board of Trustees, and the Community Voice & Equity Board Subcommittee to provide recommendations and elicit feedback and board support for policy & advocacy work and workplan

5.)  Connect the SWACH team with new partners and key stakeholders to advance our Policy priorities

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE SELECTION PROCEDURE

The selection process will be objective, and all proposals are scored using the same criteria.

PROCEDURE

1.) The RFP will be announced through the SWACH website, social media, and provided upon request.

2.) Liability: SWACH will not reimburse any applicant for the cost to prepare their proposal.

3.) Review: Proposals that meet the requirements and are submitted by the deadline will be reviewed and scored by SWACH. Proposal evaluation criteria:

a.  Relevant Experience and Technical Qualifications: 50%

i. Planning Experience

ii. Technical Expertise

b.  Project Approach: 50%

i.  The degree to which the vision and goals in this RFP are met.

ii. The quality of the proposed project approach and methodology

4.) Selection: SWACH will choose the highest qualified consulting service that best fits the proposal’s needs. SWACH reserves the right to accept or reject any proposals and to select the firm that best meets the needs of the organization. SWACH is not obligated to award the contract and reserves the right to cancel the RFP.

5.) Award of Contract: SWACH will hold a conference call with the selected bidder to discuss goals, timelines, and any concerns. At that point, the schedule and budget will be confirmed.