Specifications include, but are not limited to: The selected consultant may be paid from Federal or State funding sources and is therefore subject to State and Federal overlays. A copy of the overlays is attached in Exhibit F for review. The City may modify Consultant duties by substituting duties that reduce costs or increase efficiency of the program, provided Consultant agrees to the modification. If the City and the Consultant agree to expand the Scope of Work from the description provided in this Exhibit, the Consultant will be compensated as described in Exhibits B and B-1 of this RFP. Consultants specializing in a particular field or type of business may submit a proposal limited to specific sections of the responsibilities below and request to be rated specifically in their area of expertise. The request should be clearly indicated in the statement of qualifications and experience at Attachment E-1, in addition to the transmittal letter accompanying the proposal. The Microenterprise Technical Assistance program is funded through a grant from the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Therefore, persons receiving services must meet the CDBG definition of a microenterprise: the owner of a business, or a person interested in starting a business, with five or fewer employees including the owner(s), whose annual household income does not exceed 80% of the Yolo County median income adjusted for family size (see Exhibit G). The business must be located within the City of West Sacramento. Local commercial lenders have noted that many good businesses are denied access to funding because they do not have a sufficient business plan, lack sufficient collateral or have poor credit histories. The Microenterprise Technical Assistance program will be designed to address these and other issues that can impede access to capital. Consultant Responsibilities 1. The Consultant is expected to work as a member of a team composed of City staff, community organizations and local commercial lenders to guide eligible microenterprise business owners and persons interested in starting a microenterprise through the steps needed to access capital for business start-ups, the expansion of existing businesses or when needed to improve financial viability. In addition, businesses that are able to obtain funding will be provided with post-loan counseling for at least one year to help them successfully manage cash flow and growth. 2. Consultant shall provide a comprehensive range of technical assistance including, but not limited to: - Assist with identifying targeted income-eligible microenterprise business owners or persons interested in starting a microenterprise, and community outreach and marketing of the program West Sacramento - Conduct initial testing or screening processes as needed - Provide business and financial counseling - Assist business owners with the preparation of business and/or marketing plans - Assist business owners with completion of loan applications and loan underwriting process - Provide post-loan business and financial counseling for at least one year to businesses that receive a loan - Facilitate referrals to other agencies for services, such as the Sacramento Small Business Development Center and SCORE for training, mentoring or additional business counseling PG&E energy-saving programs the Yolo County Workforce Investment Board for assistance with finding qualified employees or the West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce for health insurance options. - Work closely with local lenders interested in microenterprise lending to develop programs that will serve targeted West Sacramento businesses.
