Boulder County Parks & Open Space department is seeking a qualified and experienced contractor to assist with the creation of a Cultural Responsiveness & Inclusion Strategic Plan (CRISP) for the department as outlined in the attached RFP, and we are hoping you or others in your organization could help spread the word to qualified consultants and cultural brokers.
If you know of anyone who may be interested, please forward the attached RFP to them.
Because this is a competitive bid process, all inquiries regarding this RFP should be submitted via email to the Boulder County Purchasing Office at purchasing on or before 2:00 p.m. September 12, 2019.
Thank you,
Ernst
Ernst Strenge | Senior Planner
Boulder County Parks & Open Space
(303) 678-6269 (office) | (303) 319-9615 (cell)
From: FinancePurchasing
Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2019 11:30 AM
Subject: Boulder County RFP# 7058-19 – Cultural Responsiveness & Inclusion Strategic Plan for the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department
The Parks and Open Space department is seeking a qualified and experienced contractor to assist with the creation of a Cultural Responsiveness & Inclusion Strategic Plan (CRISP) specifically for the department. The preferred contractor will have experience with parks, open space, or nature-based recreation, facilitating and managing teams and groups, engaging diverse populations, preparing successful strategic plans, and assisting organizations to be culturally responsive and inclusive. Specifically, the ideal contractor will have experience designing and implementing a strategic planning effort with a social justice lens in a project for an open space, public lands, or parks agency.
The allocated budget amount for this Project is, not to exceed, $70,000.00.
PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING:
A MANDATORY Pre-proposal meeting is scheduled, starting promptly, at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, September 9, 2019. Interested Parties are asked to meet at the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department facility located at 5201 St. Vrain Road, Longmont, CO 80503.
Bids from firms not represented at the mandatory, pre-proposal meeting will not be accepted.
ATTACHMENTS:
The following documents are part of this RFP:
- Attachment A: Sample Contract
- Attachment B: Organizational Chart
BACKGROUND:
The Parks and Open Space department is one of ten departments in Boulder County Government.
The mission of Parks and Open Space is:
To conserve natural, cultural, and agricultural resources and provide public uses that reflect sound resource management and community values.
The goals of the department are:
- To preserve rural lands and buffers.
- To preserve and restore natural resources for the benefit of the environment and the public.
- To provide public outreach, partnerships, and volunteer opportunities to increase awareness and appreciation of Boulder County’s open space.
- To protect, restore, and interpret cultural resources for the education and enjoyment of current and future generations.
- To provide quality recreational experiences while protecting open space resources.
- To promote and provide for sustainable agriculture in Boulder County for the natural, cultural, and economic values it provides.
- To develop human resources potential, employ sustainable and sound business practices, and pursue technological advancements.
With this mission and these goals, the Parks and Open Space department currently engages the public in a variety of ways. This engagement stems from the wide-ranging mission and goals, including providing the residents of Boulder County with land and water conservation, natural and cultural resource protection, working agricultural lands, a range of passive recreational opportunities, appropriate facilities and amenities, education and interpretation, volunteer opportunities, and information and communications about the department. In addition, the management and administration of the department requires planning, decision making, purchasing, contracting, leasing, and other interactions and exchanges with the public. In all instances, the department strives to provide the best in public service to all residents of Boulder County.
Additional information about the department can be found at www.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org.
GOALS OF THE CRISP:
The goal of the CRISP is to add a cultural responsiveness and inclusion lens to all that we do in our engagement with the public at Parks and Open Space. It will be a first step in a lasting effort by the department.
Specifically, it will be a plan to:
- Help the department better identify and understand the cultures, histories, needs, desires, and lived experiences of underserved communities as they relate to Parks and Open Space.
- Begin to create pathways to those communities and discover ways to build better, lasting relationships within the communities.
- Recommend strategies to fit the vision and insights of the CRISP into the day-to-day work of all Parks and Open Space staff.
Overall, the CRISP will help the department to be a more welcoming, inclusive, and responsive department to all communities in Boulder County with a focus on those that have historically not been included, felt welcome, had their voices heard, or reaped the benefits provided by our department.
This initial phase of the CRISP will be focused on the engagement with the Latinx community of Boulder County. However, we anticipate the recommendations and results of the CRISP will have larger effects across the entire community by serving as a model for future efforts to increase the department’s engagement with other underserved groups in Boulder County.
This RFP will not focus on current county human resource practices, including hiring and retention, which are being reviewed by other county departments.
As stated in the county’s “Cultural Responsiveness and Inclusion Road Map” (adopted by the Board of County Commissioners on May 31, 2016), Boulder County defines “cultural responsiveness” and “inclusion” as:
Cultural Responsiveness: Taking responsibility to act, react, and respond respectfully to cultural differences, and acknowledging and challenging assumptions and perceptions of privilege and dominant culture.
Inclusion: “Inclusion involves bringing together and harnessing these diverse forces and resources, in a way that is beneficial. Inclusion puts the concept and practice of diversity into action by creating an environment of involvement, respect, and connection—where the richness of ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives is harnessed to create business value. Organizations need both diversity and inclusion to be successful.” (“Moving from Diversity to Inclusion,” Diversity Journal, May 2011.)
Inclusion is a state of being valued, respected and supported. It’s about focusing on the needs of every individual and ensuring the right conditions are in place for each person to achieve his or her full potential.
Together, cultural responsiveness and inclusion means Boulder County values people’s intersecting identities, including (but not limited to) race, ethnic identity and origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, socio-economic background, body size and shape, ability, political affiliation, geography, and veteran status.
CONTRACT LANGUAGE:
The successful proposer will be required to enter into a Contract for Services and meet all insurance requirements as required prior to any work beginning.
All proposers are instructed to thoroughly review all the stated insurance requirements for this Project, the insurance requirements stated are the minimum and standard for Boulder County Government, for this Project. All hired contractors are required to meet the insurance requirements, as stated, for contracted services as part of the Boulder County contracting process. Owner/Sole Proprietors/Officer are not Exempt from the county’s insurance requirements and coverage limits. Please refer to the Insurance Requirements in this RFP.
Proposers are advised that 10% in retainage fees will be held until the Project is completed. This amount will be retained from all invoices submitted for payment.
In the event the selected contractor is unable to commence work as agreed to, the Boulder County Commissioners may rescind the bid award and proceed to award the contract to another proposer based on RFP# 7058-19, re-bid the work, or proceed in any lawful manner the County deems necessary.
WRITTEN INQUIRIES:
All inquiries regarding this RFP will be submitted via email to the Boulder County Purchasing Office at purchasing on or before 2:00 p.m. September 12, 2019. A response from the county to all inquiries will be posted and sent via email no later than September 17, 2019.
Please do not contact any other county department or personnel with questions or for information regarding this solicitation.
SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Submittals are due at the Administrative Services Information Desk or email box (preferred) listed below, for time and date recording on or before 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time on September 25, 2019.
Boulder County Purchasing
P.O. Box 471
Boulder, CO 80306
purchasing