This is a service / maintenance or supply contract in Santa Cruz, California. Contact the soliciting agency for additional information.

The City of Santa Cruz periodically relies on consultants to provide various professional services when workload has exceeded City staff capacity or when specialized expertise is required for a particular project. In the past, the City has, on an individual project basis, sought and processed Requests For Proposals and Requests for Qualifications to support various projects. Establishing professional services on-call lists reduce staff time and expedites project delivery by avoiding repeated solicitations of qualifications and review of proposals. Cost savings are realized from benefits associated with economies of scale and significant time savings. The City of Santa Cruz requests proposals from qualified proposers for on-call grant support services to City Departments. The City assumes the proposers may have varying levels of expertise and differing focus areas (e.g. federal, state, or foundation) in grant support services. As a result, the City expects to contract with multiple consultants to provide services on an as-needed basis. The services and general needs are more fully described in the "Preliminary Scope of Work". The City is seeking multiple firms to provide grant support services for a three-year period, with the possibility that the initial term may be extended upon City approval. The qualified proposer(s) will provide consulting services under a master agreement. Future on-call service requests for specific scopes of work, costs, and timelines are to be negotiated for each specific project. The City of Santa Cruz was incorporated in 1866 and formed its current charter in 1948. It is governed under a Council/Manager form of government. A Mayor and six Council members set policy for the City and a City Manager serves as chief administrator of those policies. The City is located on the coast, 75 miles south of San Francisco on the northern edge of the Monterey Bay. It encompasses 15.8 square miles with cultural and ethnic diversity among its population of 65,000. Santa Cruz is part of the National Marine Sanctuary and is a popular tourist destination owing to its beaches, surf culture, and historical landmarks. The City provides a full range of municipal services and facilities including a recreational wharf, public golf course, over thirteen hundred acres of open space, full beach services, refuse management, law enforcement, fire protection, and water and wastewater utilities. The City is also host to University of California Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz Harbor, and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement park. The City of Santa Cruz requests proposals from qualified firms or individuals to provide various grant support services on an on-call basis. A successful proposer will have extensive experience and ability to identify high yield grant funding opportunities, research, write, and develop professional grant proposals packaged for funding opportunities, provide staff training on grant activities and provide grant administrative services. RFP Questions and Clarification Due Date: October 3, 2025, 4:00pm The City anticipates awarding contracts to one or more Proposers for a three (3) year term with the option of one (3) year term extension if City so elects. Questions or concerns prior to the intent to award notice will be directed to: William Kelley, Management Analyst, wkelley@santacruzca.gov Scope of Work The proposer may be asked to provide grant-related services on an as-needed basis. The selected proposer(s) may be asked to provide a variety of professional services related to a specific grant project to (1) research, develop, write, prepare, and submit successful grant proposals for federal, state, and local government and foundation grants; (2) provide staff training on grant activities; and (3) provide grant administrative services to address City priorities. The scope of an individual project may include service delivery and capital infrastructure improvements, management and administration, reporting support, and training. The scope of grant writing services may include but are not limited to: Funding needs analysis- Work with City departments to assess current funding priority areas and identify new priority areas for funding Grand funding research- Conduct research to identify grant resources that support the City's funding needs and priorities, and facilitate go/no go decision making on project topics that include but are not limited to: Homelessness Major and minor municipal infrastructure capital projects Technology and security Workforce development Renewable energy, battery storage, microgrids, building and transportation electrification Parks, recreation, open space, trails, ecosystems, and habitat Climate resilience Fire resiliency, vegetation planning and management Economic development Grant proposal development- Provide grant proposal writing services associated with the completion of grant applications on behalf of the City, including but not limited to the preparation of funding abstracts and submittal of applications. Grant management and grant administration- Upon award of grant, provide grant management and administration services, including but not limited to budgeting analysis, reporting, and training. Grant writing and administration training- Provide grant training services, including grant writing, go/no-go decision making opportunities, monitoring and reporting Proposals must address all orders of the scope of work either through the prime consultant or subcontractor(s).