The City of Charlotte is committed to increasing access to quality jobs for Charlotte residents by supporting and connecting them with quality training programs that result in obtainment in high-demand, sustainable employment.
This RFP focuses on the services necessary to implement these workforce development programs, including intake, assessment, and career path navigation, including educational guidance and enrollment, career guidance, job placement, and wraparound services to ensure success. The City is interested in making multiple contract awards to provide these services.
In April of 2023, Charlotte City Council approved funding from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund for small business and entrepreneurship support. The City of Charlotte’s Economic Development Department is seeking an experienced and knowledgeable consulting firm to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the small business ecosystem in Charlotte to help increase equitable opportunities and address challenges/gaps in resources. The City of Charlotte is committed to supporting the growth and success of local small, minority, and women-owned businesses and is eager to gain insights into the current landscape to inform our future initiatives. This assessment is to provide an in-depth understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and key factors affecting small businesses in Charlotte. The findings will help us develop targeted strategies, programs, and resources to empower and strengthen the local entrepreneurial community.
Scope of Work
The selected partner will design and implement an accelerator program with multiple cohorts each year during the two-year period. The accelerator will assist entrepreneurs through modalities such as coaching, mentor meetings, networking events, pitch practice, and others to support them through funding or other significant milestones. The scope of the project includes but is not limited to:
- Designing and launching a program of acceleration and/or pre-acceleration for startups
- Build key community partnerships to ensure buy-in and collaboration with the ecosystem
- Achieve engagement with underserved founder communities (ethnic minority and women)
- Conduct outreach in the community to recruit applicants and necessary partners
- Create connectivity between the Charlotte entrepreneurial community and capital sources
- Build measurements and metrics to show impact and success of the program over time
- Assist in messaging to build support for the program after the two-year project period
Prepare program participants for fundraising and achieving milestones post-graduation
The City of Charlotte has prioritized investments in six key corridors known as the “Corridors of Opportunity”. The goal is to provide high-quality public services that build opportunity in these corridors, which are rich in history and pride. The City of Charlotte is creating fertile ground for prosperity by bolstering community programs and projects; building on the momentum of past investments; and filling in gaps in infrastructure and transportation, workforce and business development, housing and code enforcement, public safety, and urban design.
As part of this work, the City of Charlotte is issuing this RFP to solicit a qualified firm to complete a small business ecosystem assessment for the Central/Albemarle corridor. The project boundaries are from the intersection of Albemarle Road/Sharon Amity Road to Albemarle Road/Lawyers Road. This area consists of a diversity of small business types along three main commercial areas. There are over 11 languages spoken along this corridor and a high presence of immigrant-owned small businesses. There are also indications that artists are moving into the Central/Albemarle corridor in search of less expensive rents.
Specific elements of the assessment should include:
- Identify the main industries in the project area and any shifts or trends happening within the ecosystem.
- Identify challenges, strengths, and opportunities of small businesses and the various commercial locations along the designated corridor.
- Identify stakeholders and partners in the project area.
- Identify the stage of growth of small businesses in the project area, number of employees, business profitability, and presence of small business succession planning.
- Provide short-term (24 months), mid-term (2-5 years), and long-term (5+ years) recommendations of programs and services for the designated area that help existing businesses thrive and create environments for new business startup.
- Present findings to stakeholder groups identified by the City
- Provide a timeline for project completion.
If you are interested in bidding on this work please send a proposal for the work listed above, along with examples of similar work you have done, by April 5, 2021. If you have any questions contact Christi Floyd, cfloyd@charlottenc.gov
The City of Charlotte (“City”) will be seeking professional consulting services for strategic planning, research, analysis, and development to advance more streamlined and effective local government operations.
The Consultant(s) shall be established, qualified, and experienced consulting firms capable of providing versatile strategic planning resources, support, and consultation in the local government arena.
The Consultant(s) must be capable of performing various tasks, up to and including, but not limited to:
- Providing strategic planning for various City departments, programs, services, initiatives, and activities;
- Providing expert- and research-based advice on strategic development, capacity building, business strategies, and process improvement;
- Conducting operational analyses, assessments, and audits in an effort to ascertain organizational effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement. Analyses and assessments may involve such areas as operational effectiveness and accountability, organizational structure and performance, resource management and alignment, change management, workforce needs and development, succession planning, and management practices;
- Analyzing, developing, and implementing management strategies, to include but not be limited to, crisis management, protection of the City brand, and reinforcing City relationships;
- Conducting surveys regarding the City’s reputation and perception by residents, employees, customers, local business partners, regional partners, and other stakeholders;
- Conducting market research based on current market trends and best practices among peer cities, at a minimum;
- Facilitating and/or conducting strategic mapping initiatives, to include benchmarking metrics;
- Assisting City staff in testing and implementing strategy map recommendations;
- Facilitating and supporting strategic conversations, meetings, trainings, focus groups, and retreats with internal and external stakeholders; and
- Providing appropriate support as requested for special projects as assigned by the City Manager or designee.
The City is interested in Consultants who have experience in any of the following service areas, at a minimum: diversity and inclusion, economic development, human resources, information technology, public safety, social justice, sustainability and resiliency, and workforce needs and development.
