The Latino Economic Development Center seeks to contract with Business Coaches to provide targeted and direct advisory assistance to small businesses eligible for THRIVE.
Donor Name: Latino Economic Development Center
State: Virginia
County: Fairfax County (VA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/04/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to $10,000
Details:
The intent of this RFP is to identify one or more qualified Offerors to contract with LEDC to provide specific and structured business coaching services to THRIVE Beneficiaries.
Business Coaches will work with THRIVE small business Beneficiaries to identify their priority technical assistance needs using a standardized approach developed for the THRIVE program. Small business Beneficiaries will be referred to Business Coaches by LEDC. Business coaches will work with Beneficiaries with the primary goal of matching the Beneficiary’s business needs with the Business Consulting technical assistance opportunities available through the THRIVE program.
Business coaches will assist Beneficiaries with navigating the technical assistance services grant process, and deliver specific and targeted business coaching tasks that are aligned with the THRIVE technical service delivery. Coaching services are designed to assist Beneficiaries with achieving the maximum benefit of resources available through the THRIVE program in an efficient and time-limited manner.
Tasks to be performed – Business Coaching Services
Tasks to be performed to complete two main deliverables will include, but are not limited to, the following activities.
- Business Coaches will review and analyze the results of the THRIVE Business Assessment and use this information to identify the Beneficiary ’s critical business needs and recommend priority areas for improvement in areas of Business Operations, Marketing, and Financial Planning. Business coaches will be provided with the THRIVE Business assessment tool
- Business Coaches will meet with assigned THRIVE Beneficiaries to better understand their short and longer-term business goals and challenges and organizational background. Business Coaches will conduct a counseling session for THRIVE Beneficiaries regarding various focus areas identified in the THRIVE Business Assessment. This will include assisting Beneficiaries in defining which THRIVE technical assistance opportunity is best suited for the business
- Business Coaches will recommend relevant THRIVE group trainings to Beneficiary. Information on these educational opportunities will be made available to Business Coaches for their reference. Educational opportunities will address common topics of interest to small business owners
- Business Coaches, in consultation with the THRIVE Beneficiary, will fill out the template for the Beneficiary’s plan of services for one or more Business Consulting Service Areas available through the THRIVE Program, not to exceed grant maximum of $10,000 in funding per Beneficiary. Information on the roster of THRIVE Business Consultants, Business Consulting Service Area offerings, and pricing by specific Service Areas will be made available to Business Coaches for their reference
- Business Coaches will coordinate and attend an initial meeting between Beneficiaries and selected Business Consultants, to ensure clarity of deliverables on the part of the Business Consultant
- Business Coaches will check in with Beneficiary and Business Consultant as needed throughout the engagement to verify project is on track
- Business Coaches will coordinate and attend a close out meeting between Beneficiaries and Business Consultants. If the consulting services are not completed satisfactorily according to the Consultant’s scope of work, the Business Coach will report to the Program Administrator on the extent services were provided.
Administrative and Other Tasks to be Performed
In addition to business coaching tasks outlined above, Business Coaches will be expected to complete the following tasks:
- Execute THRIVE Beneficiary/ Business Coaching agreements with each Beneficiary to which they are assigned, prior to providing services
- Report on the completion of deliverables in the THRIVE Business Coaches’ portal
- Participate in program orientation sessions and planning meetings with LEDC and Fairfax County program staff, as required
- Adhere to reporting requirements as determined by LEDC. This could include, but is not limited to, reporting on performance metrics such as: the number of businesses served; type of service delivered; amount of time to complete services; qualitative feedback; samples of work product, and; other performance metrics as determined
- Provide responsive and timely communication with THRIVE Beneficiaries
- Deliver services in-person or virtually. Offerors must specify whether services will be provided inperson or virtually. (THRIVE Beneficiaries will be located in Fairfax County. Travel costs or site visits will not be covered separately.)
Funding Information
The THRIVE program will provide an estimated 600 eligible small business entities with business consulting services in the form of non-cash technical assistance services grants up to $10,000 in value.
Offeror’s Qualifications and Experience Requirements
- Required Qualifications
- Must have been operating their current organization (business or nonprofit) for at least two years
- Preferred Qualification
- Experience serving small business entities (49 or fewer employees) and diverse businesses. Diverse businesses can include, but are not limited to minority-owned, women-owned, disabled-owned and veteran-owned small businesses
- Experience coaching businesses in the areas of marketing, operations and financial planning
- Given the multilingual ecosystem of Fairfax County, LEDC encourages Business Coaches who can offer their services in languages other than English to apply. Thirty-nine percent of Fairfax County residents speak a language other than English in the home.
For more information, visit LEDC.
