The Washington State Department of Commerce is soliciting proposals from entities interested in coordinating an equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist community stipend and reimbursement payment processes. Individuals eligible for stipends and reimbursement are or have recently been low income.

• Download the RFP (PDF)
• RFP Addendum 1
• Proposal Form Addendum 1
• Q & A 

Objectives:

1. Work with Commerce to determine eligibility for community members participating in Class 1 activities, in accordance with Washington State Office of Equity’s Community Compensation Guidelines.
2. Provide prompt payment to eligible individuals who are low income AND/OR have lived experience of the subject matter being addressed by the class one workgroups managed by the HD.
3. Provide direct payments for ground transportation, hotel and child or adult care expense.
4. Provide logistic support for workgroup events and participant attendance.
5. Establish and abide by a standardized process, procedure, documentation and records for stipend and reimbursement payments to eligible individuals as well as direct payments, in accordance with Washington State Office of Equity’s Community Compensation Guidelines.
6. Provide excellent customer service and prompt communication to eligible individuals receiving stipends and reimbursements.

Deadline:

• The due date is June 4, 2024, 3 p.m. Pacific Time.
• Proposals must be submitted electronically through the submission’s portal.

A pre-proposal conference was held on April 30, 2024, via Zoom.

• The meeting recording can be accessed and downloaded here.
• Passcode: ..Ues6PN
• Slides of pre-proposal conference.

Tracy Gunter, RFP Coordinator
Tracy.Gunter@commerce.wa.gov

The Washington State Department of Commerce is initiating this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from non-profit entities qualified to administer a program to assist community-based organizations, local governments, ports, tribes, and other entities to access federal tax incentives.

There is an unprecedented level of federal funding available for clean energy projects through the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In addition to new grant funding opportunities, there are also numerous new and modified clean energy tax provisions that communities can leverage to make investments go farther.

Changes under the IRA allow for non-taxed entities to receive the benefits of tax credits through the elective pay (often called “direct pay”) mechanism. However, tax policy is often difficult to navigate especially for those non-taxed entities that do not traditionally prepare and submit tax returns.

To ensure that Washington can maximize the amount of federal funding it receives, these entities need support in the form of professional tax guidance and resources. Commerce welcomes, but does not require, teams to submit applications. If multiple entities team together to submit an application, the lead applicant should be a non-profit entity, and the team should meet the minimum qualifications contained in this RFP.

Commerce has budgeted an amount not to exceed $4,875,000 for this award.

Pre-proposal conference: May 7, 2024 at 3:00 PT. Conference attendance is encouraged but not mandatory.

• Download applications materials online (PDF), updated April 23, 2024
• Questions and answers (PDF), updated May 10, 2024
• Federal Clean Energy Tax Credit Assistance Pre-proposal Conference Slidedeck (PDF)
• Due date: May 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. PT

Contact RFP Coordinator Kristine Williams by email at Kristine.Williams@Commerce.wa.gov with questions and to receive links to the pre-proposal conferences.

Commerce announces cancellation and reposting of Community Reinvestment Project, Firearm Violence Reduction Grants RFP

The Washington State Department of Commerce (Commerce), Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention is today announcing the cancellation and reposting of a Request for Proposals (RFP) soliciting applications designed to support community-led firearm violence prevention, planning, and intervention programs to serve people at the highest risk of community firearm violence in Washington.

The reposted RFP (S24-35301-002) is being released today. Except for the dates and schedules, none of the terms and conditions of the original RFP have changed. Potential applicants should submit or resubmit their proposals according to the conditions and schedule below.

Prior applicants are invited to review their application in ZoomGrants and make amendments to meet mandatory requirements. They may:

1. Edit their existing proposal as they determine necessary, making any needed changes by the deadline listed below.
2. Keep their proposal in its original form without change.

Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m., PT on April 22, 2024.

Click here to view the RFP

Application timeline (all times are in Pacific Time):

• Q&A period: April 9 to April 15, 2024
  • Final Q&A PDF from RFP S24-35301-001 3/15/2024  
  • Additional Q&A from RFP S24-35301-002 posted 4/16/2024 (PDF)
• Pre-proposal conference was held on April 11, 2024. The presentation can be found here: Pre-proposal Firearm Violence Reduction Grants (PDF)
• Proposals due: 11:59 p.m. April 22, 2024 Apply via Zoom Grants
• Funding period: May 24, 2024, to June 30, 2025 

For questions or more information, contact RFP coordinator Raquel Rice.

The Washington State Department of Commerce, hereafter called “COMMERCE,” is initiating this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit Proposals from those qualified and interested in participating in a project that will serve counties throughout Washington State to weatherize multifamily buildings. Commerce is looking for an entity that will act as an additional agency and/or to expand current weatherization agency services with a focus solely on increasing the energy efficiency and lowering the energy burden in multifamily buildings. Commerce is prioritizing service to traditionally hard-to-reach markets, including serving a broader category of homes and underserved regions of Washington State.

• Download the RFP (Word)
• Contact: Aden.Nevler@Commerce.wa.gov

Thank you for participating in the referenced solicitation. The state has completed its evaluation of offers received and has determined that the below-named vendor is responsive in accordance with the requirements of the solicitation. They have been identified as the Apparent Successful Bidder (ASB).

• Lumank

RFP Reference Number: 235EPICWXMF51

This Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks proposals from qualified organizations, Tribes and Tribal Organizations to provide direct services to victims of child abuse and neglect. Applicants should have a demonstrated history providing direct services to children.

The grant period will be two years, lasting from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026.

• Download applications materials online (on Box)
• Due date: April 29, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. PT

Contact RFP Coordinator Jenna Osterman with questions by email at Jenna.Osterman@Commerce.wa.gov.

The Washington State Department of Commerce is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants to provide feasibility assistance and policy guidance for local governments to successfully promote and implement Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) and Land Conservation and Local Infrastructure Programs (LCLIP) in the Puget Sound Region.

Details

• Commerce has budgeted an amount not to exceed $360,000 for this project
• RFP Submissions are due: Monday, April 1, 2024, by 4 p.m. PST
• Email proposals to the RFP Coordinator at Deborah.Jacobs@Commerce.wa.gov.
• RFP information (on Box)

Pre-proposal conference

A pre-proposal conference will be held on March 18th, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. PT.

• Register for the March 18 pre-proposal conference (on Zoom)

Questions about this RFP?

Please contact Deborah Jacobs at Deborah.Jacobs@Commerce.wa.gov.

The Washington Department of Commerce is initiating this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit responses from qualified firms interested in studying the scope of work, requirements, and potential costs to implement a statewide Rental Registry in Washington State. This work will be in support of the included proviso language.

• Commerce has budgeted an amount not to exceed $395,000 for this project.
• Specifically, $145,500 is budgeted for the period between April 26, 2024 and June 30, 2024, with the remaining $250,000 designated for the period between June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
• This projects spans two state fiscal years.

Please review the RFP Washington State Rental Registry Study (PDF) document for additional information.

Proviso – Section 129: (82) $215,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2024 and $345,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2025 are provided solely for the department to produce a report to the legislature detailing the scope of work, cost estimates, and implementation timeline to create or procure an online registry of rental units in Washington state subject to state information system planning and oversight requirements. The online rental unit registry must have the capacity to collect and report out timely information on each rental unit in the state. Information to collect includes, but is not limited to, the rental unit’s physical address, identity of the property owner, monthly rent charged, and vacancy status. The scope of work must assume integration with existing rental registries operated by local governments. Cost and timeline estimates must provide two alternatives with one assuming statewide implementation and the other assuming implementation in the six largest counties of the state. The department shall consult with landlord representatives, tenant representatives, local governments operating existing rental registries, and other interested stakeholders as part of the process of developing the scope of work and timeline for the online rental unit registry. The department must submit the report to the legislature by December 1, 2024.

Contact

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Augustine Sughrua at Augustine.Sughrua@Commerce.wa.gov.