Request for Proposals

MOLC seeks consultants who demonstrate a strong overall understanding of the structure and purpose of nonprofit organizations, have strong facilitation skills, and have proven experience with nonprofit strategic planning.

MOLC was founded as a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization in 1991. Since its inception, it has provided services to more than 350,000 individuals and families in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and its surrounding communities. The focus of the organization is to provide basic needs and crisis assistance to low-income individuals and families who meet or are below the 150% federal poverty guideline and are either homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless.

MOLC is committed to serving homeless and low-income families and individuals in the community. With the health, economic and social effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the deleterious impact has been severe on many people, including many families with children who are living on the very margins of society. The result is that the number of people seeking help has increased dramatically. Most of these people are faced with food insecurity, and MOLC seeks to provide them with food supplies they need. Many of the people who come to MOLC for help are faced with housing insecurity and eviction, and they need help to pay the rent and pay a deposit on a rental. These people need help and training to get back into the workforce.

Currently, MOLC offers workforce development and job training programs such as Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) & Geriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA) Nursing, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Water Technician Training, Event and Meeting Planning, CISCO Networking Academy (STEM for kids), as well as English and Math skills. MOLC also provides Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP), food pantry, rental, security deposit and utilities assistance, behavioral and mental health services, speech therapy, and interpretation services. In 2023, MOLC held its first community health fair and community health worker training program.

MOLC will retain ownership of all data, including intellectual property. The consultant shall agree to keep information related to this process in strict confidence, including, but not limited to, the terms of the contract and any confidential business information or proprietary information that has been gathered on this project. The consultant will be asked to sign MOLC’s confidentiality agreement.

General information- The proposal should provide the name of the consultant, title, address, phone number, email address, and website, if one exists. The name and email address of any team members assisting with the project should also be included.

Consultant Qualifications and Roles- The proposal must describe the consultant’s qualifications such as work activities, expertise, knowledge, and experience. Experience should include examples of similar related nonprofit work.

Desirable qualifications that will be considered:

• Experience in successfully developing strategic plans for nonprofit organizations
• Familiarity with human services organizations is desirable.
• Knowledge of collective impact or collaborative strategic initiatives
• Strong facilitation skills
• Experience in creating a neutral environment for obtaining input
• Experience in gathering and utilizing data to drive the strategic process
• Ability to constructively challenge key stakeholders
• Experience in inspiring others to think innovatively
• Project management experience
• Culturally competent in the areas of race, equity, and inclusion

Work Plan- The proposal should include one to two options describing in detail the activities to be conducted by the consultant, including the size of the planning group, length of time for the in-person planning session(s), plan review process, etc., to complete the work. The final planning details will be determined in consultation with MOLC.

• Specific activities to be conducted in the process
• Sample timeline for the activity in the process
• List of milestones and deliverables tied to the activities

Detailed Budget for the Project- The consultant’s proposal should include all fees, expenses, supplies, printing, travel, per diem, daily rate if more work is needed, proposed payment schedule tied to project milestones and deliverables, overhead and profit, insurance, taxes, and any other expenses attributed to the planning process. Please include a budget narrative to explain the costs.

Three Client References- Information regarding each reference should include the individual’s name, address, phone number, email address, and the nature of the work performed.

Previous Work Product- The proposal should include at least one sample of a previously completed strategic plan, including the organizational process used to develop the plan. Portions may be redacted to protect private information as needed.

1. Closing Submission Date: Proposals are due by 5:00pm EDT on May 15, 2023.
2. Inquiries: Inquiries concerning this RFP should be directed to: asorto@molc-inc.org
3. Conditions of Proposal: All costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this RFP are the responsibility of the bidder and will not be reimbursed by MOLC.
4. Submission Instructions: All submissions must be submitted electronically to: dmartinez@molc-inc.org. Electronic submissions cannot exceed 35 megabytes per email. Multiple emails per RFP submission can and will be accepted. An email acknowledgement of each submission received will be sent to the applicant. All proposals received by the deadline will undergo a preliminary screening. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted for review and rating. Any proposal may be disqualified if it deviates from the submission instructions in the RFP.
5. Reservation of Rights: MOLC reserves the right to request or negotiate changes in a proposal, to accept all or part of a proposal, or to reject any or all proposals. MOLC may, at its sole and absolute discretion, select no provider for these services if, in its determination, no applicant is sufficiently responsive to the need. MOLC reserves the right to withdraw this RFP in part or in whole at any time without notice. MOLC reserves the right to disqualify any proposal which does not adhere to the RFP guidelines. This RFP is being offered at the discretion of MOLC. It does not commit MOLC to award a contract.
6. Confidentiality: If the bidder deems any material submitted to be proprietary or confidential, the bidder must indicate this in the relevant sections of the response.
7. Conflict-of-Interest: The respondent shall specifically identify in the proposal whether or not any potential or actual conflicts of interest exist for this activity. Respondents must include in their proposal the following language:

   The Consultant [ ] is [ ] is not aware of any information bearing on the existence of any potential organizational conflict of interest. If the Consultant is aware of information bearing on whether a potential conflict may exist, s/he shall provide a disclosure statement and mitigation plan describing this information.

8. Notification of Selection and Timeline: The evaluation process will include individual committee member evaluation, followed by committee discussion, possible request for more information or clarification to be addressed by the consultant, and ranking of proposals. References will be contacted for all finalists. The final recommendation of the committee will be submitted for approval by the MOLC Board of Directors and is not subject to appeal. All applicants will receive written notification of MOLC’s decision regarding their proposal. Additional information may be required from the selected applicant prior to the awarding of the project. MOLC reserves the right not to select an applicant for project implementation if, in its determination, no qualified applicant has applied or is sufficiently responsive to the service need.