Small Business Technical Assistance in Boston

Contact Information:

Emily Patrick

Emily Patrick@boston.gov

617-635-0252

 

The City of Boston (“the City”), acting through its Chief of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion (OEOI), Small Business Unit (SBU) hereby invites proposals from interested and qualified Applicants (small business technical assistance entities) to provide technical assistance to small businesses in the City of Boston.  The City will review proposals that provide high impact, technical assistance to small businesses in Boston.   

The selected Applicant will be responsible for providing direct one-on-one assistance to designated businesses within the City of Boston that are poised to receive the expert assistance necessary for stabilizing, strengthening and growing the business.  The selected Applicant may also provide workshops and/or group and individual coaching sessions to existing or aspiring business owners.   The proposed services should be designed to assist businesses to:

●    achieve stability and viability of the business and increase opportunities for growth

●    assist in procurement opportunities

●    increase the economic vitality of Boston’s business districts  

The contract term will be from November 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023, subject to the availability and appropriation of funds in the subsequent fiscal year.  

The contract shall be funded utilizing primarily Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. The City shall cancel the contract if funds are not appropriated or otherwise made unavailable to support continuation of performance. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, or parts thereof, if it is in the best interest of the City to do so. The maximum time for acceptance of the successful proposal by the City shall be one hundred eighty (180) days from the proposal due date. The contract is subject to the approval of the Mayor of Boston, and will be awarded by the Chief of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.

The Request for Proposals (“RFP”) package will be available beginning September 14, 2020, 9:00 am from the City’s purchasing website, Supplier Portal (www.boston.gov/procurement), the City’s online process for purchasing, bidding, contracting, vendor registration and payment.    

To access details for this specific Event, or to respond through electronic format, please visit the City of Boston Supplier Portal and access Event #EV00008374.

Two applicant conferences will be held virtually on Zoom.  They will be on:

•    September 17, 2020 - 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

•    September 21, 2020 - 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

All prospective Applicants are encouraged to attend one of the sessions for the opportunity to address questions relative to the content of the Request for Proposals document..

  

Completed proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis and must be submitted electronically via the Supplier Portal. Every month on the first business day of the month, applications will be downloaded from the Supplier Portal for review.  The RFP will appear live again at 9:00 am the next business day.  Monthly deadlines are at 4:00 pm on the following dates:

 

●    October 1, 2020

●    November 2, 2020

●    December 1, 2020

●    January 4, 2021

●    February 1, 2021

●    March 1, 2021

●    April 1, 2021

●    May 3, 2021

●    June 1, 2021

●    July 1, 2021

●    August 2, 2021

●    September 1, 2021

●    October 1, 2021

●    November 1, 2021

●    December 1, 2021

●    January 3, 2022

●    February 1, 2022

●    March 1, 2022

●    April 1, 2022

●    May 2, 2022

●    June 1, 2022

●    July 1, 2022

●    August 1, 2022

●    September 1, 2022

●    October 3, 2022

●    November 1, 2022

●    December 1, 2022

●    January 2, 2023 

The last date for submission is Monday, January 2, 2023, 4:00 pm.  

Note:

Please be sure to leave enough lead time before the submission deadline to complete *electronic submission process.

*In order to participate in these online procurement activities Applicants must register with the Supplier Portal at www.boston.gov/procurement.  First-Time Vendors, i.e., those who have never contracted with the City or, if so, not for many years, will be required to obtain log-in credentials, a process which is subject to administrative delays.  

Segun Idowu, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion