Grants Consultant Services

The City of East Orange, New Jersey, is soliciting Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Grants Consultant Services. This comprehensive engagement aims to enhance the City's ability to acquire various public and private grants across multiple departments and strategic areas, including Public Works, Recreation and Parks, Economic Development, Police Department, and Fire Department. The successful contractor will provide extensive grants management support, encompassing both grant research and grant writing services. The scope of work includes identifying potential funding sources, tracking state and federal opportunities, conducting on-site needs assessments, and developing strategic plans. Additionally, the consultant will be responsible for preparing and facilitating responses to grant proposals, crafting narratives, gathering statistical data, managing budgets, and ensuring final submissions are compliant, along with preparing summaries of reporting requirements and advising on grant management equity. Prospective contractors must demonstrate substantial experience in providing similar grants consultant services to government agencies, coupled with a proven track record of successfully acquiring funding from both public and private sources, particularly for New Jersey municipalities. Firms are required to submit a detailed Qualification Statement outlining their principal activities, personnel strength, and location of the active servicing office. Key personnel information, including identities, credentials, and areas of responsibility, is mandatory. Respondents must also furnish a list of at least three clients for whom comparable services have been rendered, specifying the government agency, contact person, project dates, costs, scope, and status. Furthermore, a clear methodology for project management, including procedures for data collection, storage, analysis, and presentation, is essential. Sealed RFQ responses were due by Thursday, November 10, 2022, at 12:00 PM. Submissions were to be delivered to the Municipal Council Chamber, Municipal Building, 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, New Jersey 07018. Each submission required one original, four copies, and one electronic/jump drive, clearly marked "GRANTS CONSULTANT SERVICES". A non-refundable fee of $25.00 was required for RFP packets picked up on-site, payable to the CITY OF EAST ORANGE. Mandatory submission forms included a Proposal Cost/Signature Form, Non-Collusion Affidavit, Stockholder Disclosure, Affirmative Action Statement, and Acknowledgement of Receipt of Addenda, among others detailed in the checklist. All inquiries regarding this solicitation were directed to Racquel C Ferguson, Purchasing Agent, at (973) 266-5162.