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Notice of Funding Availability for the Small Business Transportation Resource Center Program
1.1 Background
The DOT established OSDBU in accordance with 95, an amendment to the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958. The mission of OSDBU at DOT is to ensure that the small and disadvantaged business policies and goals of the Secretary of Transportation are developed and implemented in a fair, efficient and effective manner to serve small and disadvantaged businesses throughout the country. The OSDBU also administers the provisions of Title 49, Section 332, the Minority Resource Center (MRC) which includes the duties of advocacy, outreach and financial services on behalf of small and disadvantaged business and those certified under CFR 49 parts 23 and or 26 as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) and the development of programs to encourage, stimulate, promote and assist small businesses to become better prepared to compete for, obtain and manage transportation-related contracts and subcontracts. The Regional Assistance Division of OSDBU, through the SBTRC program, allows OSDBU to partner with local organizations to offer a comprehensive delivery system of business training, technical assistance and dissemination of information, targeted towards small business transportation enterprises in their regions. 1.2 Program Description and Goals The national SBTRC program utilizes Cooperative Agreements with chambers of commerce, trade associations, educational institutions and business-centered community based organizations to establish SBTRCs to provide business training, technical assistance and information to DOT grantees and recipients, prime contractors and subcontractors. In order to be effective and serve their target audience, the SBTRCs must be active in the local transportation community in order to identify and communicate opportunities and provide the required technical assistance. SBTRCs must already have, or demonstrate the ability to, establish working relationships with the state and local transportation agencies and technical assistance agencies (i.e. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Centers (MBDCs), Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), and Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs), SCORE and State DOT highway supportive services contractors in their region. Utilizing these relationships and their own expertise, the SBTRCs are involved in activities such as information dissemination, small business counseling, and technical assistance with small businesses currently doing business with public and private entities in the transportation industry. Effective outreach is critical to the success of the SBTRC program. In order for their outreach efforts to be effective, SBTRCs must be familiar with DOT’s Operating Administrations, its funding sources, and how funding is awarded to DOT grantees, recipients, contractors, subcontractors, and its financial assistance programs. SBTRCs must provide outreach to the regional small business transportation community to disseminate information and distribute DOT-published marketing materials, such as Short Term Lending Program (STLP) Information, Bonding Education Program (BEP) information, SBTRC brochures and literature, DOT Procurement Forecasts; Contracting with DOT booklets, Women and Girls in Transportation Initiative (WITI) information, and any other materials or resources that DOT or OSDBU may develop for this purpose. To maximize outreach, the SBTRC may be called upon to participate in regional and national conferences and seminars. Quantities of DOT publications for on-hand inventory and dissemination at conferences and seminars will be available upon request from the OSDBU office. 1.3 Description of Competition The purpose of this Request For Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from transportation-related trade associations, chambers of commerce, community based entities, colleges and universities, community colleges, and any other qualifying transportation-related non-profit organizations with the desire and ability to partner with OSDBU to establish and maintain an SBTRC. It is OSDBU’s intent to award a Cooperative Agreement to one organization in the Capital Region, from herein referred to as “region”, in this solicitation. However, if warranted, OSDBU reserves the option to make multiple awards to selected partners. OSDBU also reserves the right to modify states and areas, including counties, covered by the Capital Region SBTRC. Proposals submitted for a region must contain a plan to service the states throughout the Capital Region (District of Columbia, Stafford County (VA), Fauquier County (VA), Prince William County (VA), Manassas County (VA), Loudoun County (VA), Fairfax County (VA), Charles County (MD), Prince Georges County (MD) and Montgomery County (MD), not just the state/territory, or immediate local geographical area where the SBTRC is headquartered. The SBTRC headquarters must be established in one of the designated states or counties within the Capital Region (District of Columbia, Stafford County (VA), Fauquier County (VA), Prince William County (VA), Manassas County (VA), Loudoun County (VA), Fairfax County (VA), Charles County (MD), Prince Georges County (MD) and Montgomery County (MD).
SBTRC Region Competed in This Solicitation:
Capital Region: District of Columbia, Stafford County (VA), Fauquier County, (VA), Prince William County (VA), Manassas County (VA), Loudoun County (VA), Fairfax County (VA), Charles County (MD), Prince Georges County (MD) and Montgomery County (MD). Program requirements and selection criteria, set forth in Sections 2 and 4 respectively, indicate that the OSDBU intends for the SBTRC to be multidimensional; that is, the selected organization must have the capacity to effectively access and provide supportive services to the broad range of small businesses within the respective geographical region. To this end, the SBTRC must be able to demonstrate that they currently have established relationships within each state in the geographic region with whom they may coordinate and establish effective networks with DOT grant recipients and local/regional technical assistance agencies to maximize resources. Cooperative agreement awards will be distributed to the region(s) as follows: Capital Region—Ceiling: $150,000 per year; Floor: $135,000 per year. Cooperative agreement awards by region are based upon an analysis of DBEs, Certified Small Businesses, and US DOT transportation dollars in each region. It is OSDBU’s intent to maximize the benefits received by the small business transportation community through the SBTRC. Funding will reimburse an on-site Project Director for 100% of salary plus fringe benefits, an on-site Executive Director up to 20% of salary plus fringe benefits, up to 100% of a Project Coordinator salary plus fringe benefits, the cost of designated SBTRC space, other direct costs, and all other general and administrative expenses. Selected SBTRC partners will be expected to provide in-kind administrative support. Submitted proposals must contain an alternative funding source with which the SBTRC will fund administrative support costs. Preference will be given to proposals containing in-kind contributions for the Project Director, the Executive Director, the Project Coordinator, cost of designated SBTRC space, other direct costs, and all other general and administrative expenses. The SBTRC will furnish all labor, facilities and equipment to perform the services described in this announcement. 1.4 Duration of Agreements
The cooperative agreement will be awarded for a period of 12 months (one year) with options for two (2) additional one year periods. OSDBU will notify the SBTRC of our intention to exercise an option year or not to exercise an option year 30 days in advance of expiration of the current year. Upon exercising the first year option year of the Cooperative Agreement, OSDBU will renew the SBTRC with a 5% funding increase. Upon exercising the second option year, OSDBU will renew the SBTRC with a 3% increase from the first option year.
Authority DOT is authorized under 49 U.S.C. 332 (b) (4), (5) (7) to design and carry out programs to assist small disadvantaged businesses in getting transportation-related contracts and subcontracts; develop support mechanisms, including management and technical services, that will enable small disadvantaged businesses to take advantage of those business opportunities; and to make arrangements to carry out the above purposes. 1.5 Eligibility Requirements To be eligible, an organization must be an established, nonprofit, community-based organization, transportation-related trade association, chamber of commerce, college or university, community college, and any other qualifying transportation-related non-profit organization which has the documented experience and capacity necessary to successfully operate and administer a coordinated delivery system that provides access for small businesses to prepare and compete for transportation-related contracts. In addition, to be eligible, the applicant organization must: (A) Be an established 501 C (3) or 501 C (6) tax-exempt organization and provide documentation as verification. No application will be accepted without proof of tax-exempt status; (B) Have at least one year of documented and continuous experience prior to the date of application in providing advocacy, outreach, and technical assistance to small businesses within the region in which proposed services will be provided. Prior performance providing services to the transportation community is preferable, but not required; and (C) Have an office physically located within the proposed city in the designated headquarters state in the region for which they are submitting the proposal that is readily accessible to the public.
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