This is a service / maintenance or supply contract in Asheville, North Carolina. Contact the soliciting agency for additional information.

The City of Asheville's Community and Economic Development Department requests proposals from qualified firms to conduct a five (5) year disparity study of its contractual awards in goods, professional and general services, and construction. This period should cover July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2022. The objective is to determine the effectiveness of the current program and recommend modifications and adjustments, if necessary, to the City program that are in compliance with law. The Contractor shall provide the City with current legal guidance not only relative to new legislation, policies and procedures to meet any constitutional mandates, but also the programmatic needs of the City. This is the official source of this solicitation. All updates to this solicitation shall come in the form of published addenda and shall be published to the same location. The City will not be responsible for full or partial sets of Contract Documents including any addendum obtained from any other source. Proposals should be delivered to the project manager, Frank McGowan, in PDF format shared via email. Proposers are encouraged to send a test email to this address in advance of submitting their proposal to ensure the message is received. These test emails will be acknowledged by the project manager. The City of Asheville reserves the right to reject any or all Bids and to waive informalities. Information: All questions concerning this Invitation to Bid should be submitted via email. Please send a confirmation/test email to DisparityStudy -RFP@asheville.gov prior to submitting your questions. Please put 298-DISPARITYSTUDY23 in the subject line of your email. You will receive a confirmation email or receipt. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please reach out to the City of Asheville at 828-259-5811 before the submission deadline. This number is for email test failures only. Asheville Business Inclusion Policy: The City of Asheville has adopted the Asheville Business Inclusion Policy to encourage women and minority businesses' participation in the public bidding process. The purpose of this outreach effort is to increase the likelihood of availability and utilization of MWBEs in the award of contracts. Bidders are hereby notified that this RFP is subject to that Policy's provisions. Questions regarding the Asheville Business Inclusion Policy may be directed to City of Asheville, Post Office Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802-7148 or by phone at (828) 259-8050 or by email abi@ashevillenc.gov. Bidders are invited to show proof of MWBE status , to include NC Office of Historically Underutilized Businesses or other MWBE certifications. If not already certified with the ABI Office at the City of Asheville, bidders are further invited to become certified with the City of Asheville as an MWBE vendor. Please use this link: ABI Certifications It is the Policy of the City to (1) provide minorities and women an equal opportunity to participate in all aspects of its contracting and procurement programs and (2) to prohibit any and all discrimination against persons or businesses in pursuit of these opportunities. Prospective Contractors are notified that the City of Asheville has adopted a Drug-Free Workplace Policy requiring successful contractors to insure that a drug-free workplace is provided in the performance of any City of Asheville contract. By submitting a bid, the Prospective Contractor certifies that if awarded the Contract, they and their subcontractors shall comply with the City's Drug-Free Workplace Policy. Prospective Contractors are notified of a City policy that prohibits contracting with persons or firms who are delinquent in the payment of ad valorem taxes owed to the City of Asheville.