Updated 5/28/2020

Download the PDF of this job opening here.

Cities for Action COVID-19 Emergency Coordinator

 

Schedule of Events	Date/Time
Solicitation Release	May 18
Deadline for Questions (see here for questions received)	May 25
Response Deadline	May 29
Interviews	June 1-5
Announcement of Successful Proposer(s)	June 9
Anticipated Negotiation Schedule	June 10-12
Contract Execution	June 15

The City reserves the right to modify this. Changes will be posted on the City website or as otherwise stated.

 

Procurement Contact:  Katherine Cortes, Finance and Operations Manager, OIRA

katherine.cortes@seattle.gov / (206) 473-1712

Due to the COVID-19 emergency, Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs offices and staff are teleworking. Please submit questions and applications by email only.

 

Answers to Questions Received

Q1. In order to apply, does the applicant need to be currently employed by a consulting firm that holds all of necessary City and State business licenses? Or, would they need to establish a sole proprietorship and acquire the necessary licenses before applying?

A: The successful applicant would need to be licensed for consultant work in Seattle and Washington before the City of Seattle / OIRA could enter into a contract with them. Since there is a cost associated with this licensing ($110/year for a Seattle business license), it would be sufficient for an applicant be prepared to file at the time of selection as a successful proposer.

 

Q2. If an applicant were to wait to file until selected, should they answer the City of Seattle Consultation Questionnaire as if they have already filed for the licenses? 

A: Yes.

 

Q3. What are the coverage and limits the City of Seattle would require of the consultant in terms of insurance? Would the City require the consultant to maintain a general liability business policy (or another type of policy), in addition to adding the City as an insured to the consultant’s homeowner and car insurance policies?

A: Homeowner or renters’ insurance for the location of work and vehicle insurance are sufficient. No additional insurance is required unless acting as a licensed professional, such as a lawyer, which this position would not entail.

 

Project/Position Description

The City of Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) is seeking to contract with a Seattle-based COVID-19 Emergency Coordinator who will support members of the Cities for Action (C4A) network to ensure that immigrant communities across the U.S. can access treatment, financial aid programs, reliable information, and other resources during the COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery. C4A is a coalition of nearly 200 U.S. mayors and county executives advocating for pro-immigrant federal policies and launching innovative, inclusive policies and programs at the local level. As a longtime member of C4A, the City of Seattle also has a position on the C4A steering committee.

The Coordinator will be responsible for tracking municipal government best practices for immigrant and refugee outreach and engagement and helping C4A member cities launch or innovate their own outreach, policy, and service delivery strategies during the active phase of the pandemic and in the recovery phase. The Coordinator will also provide recommendations to cities on how to structure accessible financial aid and economic assistance programs. During the recovery phase of the pandemic, the Coordinator will be expected to continue this “best practice sharing” work in the context of this unique situation. The Emergency Coordinator will also begin preparedness coordination to ensure that cities are better prepared to respond to the likely return of the virus in the fall and winter months and future emergencies.

This scope of work would begin as soon as possible (by June 2020). The contract will pay $55.00 per hour for up to 1,600 hours, spread over nine months to one year. This position will be supported by a one-time grant from the Open Societies Foundation.

Consultant shall comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, rules and regulations, and orders of the Federal government, State of Washington, King County, and The City of Seattle, including any applicable WMBE requirements.

No minimum qualifications are required for a consultant to submit a proposal response.

 

Scope of Work

Reporting to OIRA’s Director, and working closely with the New York City-based C4A Program Manager and NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the Emergency Coordinator’s responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• Overseeing coordination of information-sharing relevant to cities’ responses to COVID-19’s effects on immigrant and refugee communities.
• Developing and disseminating resources, toolkits, and webinars, including sourcing, analyzing, and sharing city-level “best practice” resources.
• Serving as a clearinghouse and resource reference for coalition members, including summarizing state and federal initiatives and determining applicability and impact on immigrant communities.
• Helping coalition members prepare for recovery period with focus on identifying workforce and economic impacts and identifying local and state system fixes for gaps in federal and federally affiliated systems.
• Responding to coalition member requests and inquiries and building relationships with coalition members across the country.
• Collecting and creating resources to aid in outreach to and communications with impacted communities, including templates and models for communicating with hard-to-reach residents. This should include strategies for helping departments within a City identify the need and coordinate their immigrant outreach and communications strategies around all critical pandemic interventions.

 

The preferred candidate will have:

• A bachelor’s degree and 5-7 years of experience coordinating community-serving projects or programs OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Active engagement or experience with immigrant and refugee communities, organizations, and individuals, including demonstrated commitment to immigration and equity issues.
• Knowledge of government systems, including division of responsibility and authority among local, state, and federal systems.
• Ability to quickly synthesize complex issues and convey in accessible formats.
• Excellent research and organizational skills.
• Strong outreach and communications skills, including with communities with limited proficiency in English.
• Strong sense of initiative and interpersonal skills.
• Strong writing skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritize and follow up on multiple tasks while meeting deadlines.

 

Application Requirements

If no Consultant is selected at the conclusion of all the steps, or a contract is executed and terminated within 90 days, the City may return to any step in the process to repeat the evaluation with those proposals active at that step. The City shall then sequentially step through all remaining steps as if conducting a new evaluation process. The City reserves the right to terminate the process if no proposals meet its requirements.

The Procurement Contact will provide timely notice of an intent to award to all Consultants responding to the Solicitation.

The Apparently Successful Consultant(s) will receive an Intent to Award Letter from the Procurement Contact. The Consultant(s) should anticipate the Letter will require at least the following.

• Seattle Business License is current and all taxes due have been paid.
• State of Washington Business License.
• Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification Request Form (W-9) (unless already submitted)

Interested parties that wish to protest any aspect of this RFP selection process shall provide written notice to the Procurement Contact.

Unless authorized by the Procurement Contact, no other City official or employee may speak for the City regarding this solicitation until award is complete. Any Proposer contacting other City officials or employees does so at Proposer’s own risk. The City is not bound by such information.

 

Contract Information and Requirements

The City’s boilerplate contract terms are linked here to allow Proposers to be familiar with boilerplate, and the non-negotiable terms before submitting a proposal.

www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/FAS/PurchasingAndContracting/Consulting/fas-cpcs-consultant-standard-roster-consultant-agreement.docx

The City may negotiate with the apparent successful Proposer. The City cannot modify contract provisions mandated by Federal, State or City law: to:  Equal Benefits, Audit (Review of Vendor Records), WMBE and EEO, Confidentiality, and Debarment or mutual indemnification.

If you have not previously done so, please register in the City’s Online Business Directory at: www.seattle.gov/obd. The City expects all firms to register. Women- and minority- owned firms are asked to self-identify (see section 7.25). For assistance, call Julie Salinas at (206) 684-0383. The City may make changes to this RFQ if, in the sole judgment of the City, the change will not compromise the City’s objectives in this solicitation. Any change to this RFQ will be made by formal written addendum issued by the City and shall become part of this RFQ.

 

Independent Contractor

The Consultant works as an independent contractor. The City will provide appropriate contract management, but that does not constitute a supervisory relationship to the consultant. Consultant workers are prohibited from supervising City employees or from direct supervision by a City employee. Prohibited supervision tasks include conducting a City of Seattle Employee Performance Evaluation, preparing and/or approving a City of Seattle timesheet, administering employee discipline, and similar supervisory actions.

Some project work requires the Consultant to be on-site at City offices. Any Consultant on-site remains a Consultant and not a City employee. No Consultant shall be on-site at a City office for over 36 months, without specific authorization from the City.

 

Insurance Requirements

Consultant must maintain premises operations and vehicle liability insurance in force with coverages and limits of liability typically maintained by consultants performing work of a similar scope and nature, but in no event less than the coverages and/or limits required by Washington state law. Such insurance shall include “The City of Seattle” as an additional insured for primary and non-contributory limits of liability. Workers compensation insurance shall also be maintained if required by Washington state law. The apparent successful Proposer must promptly provide proof of insurance to the City upon receipt of the notice of intent to award.

 

Contract Workers with over 1,000 Hours

The Ethics Code applies to Consultant workers that perform over 1,000 cumulative hours on any City contract during any 12-month period. Any such employee must abide by the City Ethics Code. The Consultant is to be aware and familiar with the Ethics Code accordingly.

 

No Conflict of Interest

Consultant (including officer, director, trustee, partner, or employee) must not have a business interest or a close family or domestic relationship with any City official, officer or employee who was, is, or will be involved in selection, negotiation, drafting, signing, administration, or evaluating Consultant performance. The City shall make sole determination as to compliance.

 

How to Apply

Please email the following materials to Finance and Operations Manager Katherine Cortes: katherine.cortes@seattle.gov as your application:

• Letter of interest.
• Résumé
• Mandatory – Consultant Questionnaire: www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/FAS/PurchasingAndContracting/Consulting/fas-cpcs-consultant-questionnaire.docx
  (Please submit this even if you have sent one to the City for previous solicitations previously.)

Preferred candidates will be contacted to set up interviews for the week of June 1.

The City may contact one or more references. The City may use references named or not named by the Proposer. The City may also consider the results of performance evaluations issued by the City on past projects.