The purpose of the Shelter Access Hub is to provide comprehensive emergency shelter navigation services, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year throughout Pierce County that connect clients to day shelter or available emergency shelter beds. The goal of the Shelter Access Hub is to ease the process of obtaining a shelter bed by addressing transportation needs, time constraints, and other personal barriers that may make accessing shelter difficult. A successful Shelter Access Hub increases the utilization of available shelter beds and other resources in Pierce County to initiate housing stability.The Shelter Access Hub may provide bus passes, ride-share to shelter, or other method(s) of transportation to transport clients to shelter site(s). The Shelter Access Hub collaborates with all local area shelters, including maintaining an up-to-date inventory of available beds.Shelter Access Hub is responsible for entering client data into Pierce County’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).Shelter Access Hub staff will conduct client intakes and assessments to identify needs such as food, hygiene supplies, clothing, and transportation to emergency shelter locations. The Shelter Access Hub may also provide hotel/motel vouchers for a maximum of three (3) nights if no shelter beds are available. If there are no available shelter beds after the maximum hotel stay is reached, provider will connect client with additional resources and work to identify an available shelter bed.Additionally, the Shelter Access Hub will coordinate with local first responders and emergency medical departments to identify people exiting systems of care without housing resources, and with street outreach agencies to engage people living unsheltered and connect them to available beds. This program must have a physical location to provide services, such as a day or intake center and must provide, at minimum, a telephone number, website, and business cards for advertisement and outreach purposes.

Pierce County expressly reserves the rights to:Waive any and/or all irregularities in the proposals submitted.Reject any or all proposals or portions thereof.Base awards with due regard to quality of services, experience, compliance with specifications, and other such factors as may be necessary in the circumstances.Make the award to any organization or combination of organizations whose proposal(s), in the opinion of the County, is in the best interest of the County.

All proposals will be reviewed for completeness and compliance with the RFP requirements. Proposals that meet the Minimum Qualification as identified in Section 2 will advance to the formal evaluation process and be scored and ranked according to the Scoring Criteria identified in Section 6 and based upon applicant responses to RFP questions 9-14 and required attachments, including Exhibit A: Budget Worksheet. An Application Evaluation Committee (AEC) comprised of Pierce County staff, local, state, and/or federal jurisdictional partners with expertise in procuring similar services will review and score proposals based on the requirements and content of this RFP. The scores and ranking for all applicants will be forwarded first to the Human Services Department Director for review and approval and then subsequently to the Pierce County Executive for review and final approval.Funding shall be awarded to the highest scoring project.

"Applicant," "Bidder," and "Proposer" mean an organization, agency or provider that submits a formal response to this solicitation."Application," "Bid," or "Proposal" mean a formal response to this solicitation. “CFR” means Code of Federal Regulations.“Client,” "Participant," "Household," or "Member" means an individual (or individuals) who receives services, or is eligible to receive services, under this solicitation.“RCW” means Revised Code of Washington.

The County reserves the right to conduct interviews with qualified proposers prior to making a final selection. If interviews are conducted, details and information will be provided prior to any scheduling, if the timeline does not already include an interview date. Interview questions will only include questions associated with the received proposal for clarification and additional details. Interviews will not be added scores, but the evaluation team may revise initial scores with additional information provided during the interviews. The final award would be based upon the review process, interviews, and past contract performance (where applicable).

PROPOSERS WHO REGISTER AND DOWNLOAD RFP DOCUMENTS will be automatically added to the FOLLOWERS' list in the County's eProcurement Portal. Notifications for procurement updates, addendum and other procurement information will be sent to all who register on the Pierce County eProcurement Portal.

Pierce County cannot accept late proposals. All proposals are due by the deadlines per the timeline under the procurement. No exceptions shall be made.

In order for an organization to be eligible to submit a proposal under this procurement, the organization must meet the following eligibility requirements:Non-profitPossess a Washington State Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number.At least one year of experience assisting literally homeless households in Pierce County, including but not limited to the following services:Connection to, or operation of, emergency or day sheltersOutreachSystem NavigationReferrals

Program Operations:Salaries and BenefitsEngagementHousing Search & PlacementHousing Stability Case ManagementHMIS Data Collection & EntrySubcontracted ServicesSupportive ServicesTransportationGeneral Liability InsuranceOffice EquipmentOffice InternetOffice SpaceOffice SuppliesOffice UtilitiesStaff Training/Conference/Per DiemTelephoneCost Associated with Inclement WeatherOther Costs Directly Related to Program Operations as Approved by Pierce CountyFacility Support:Lease or rent on facilityHotel/Motel Expenses (for a maximum of three (3) nights per household), when no suitable shelter is availableFacility Equipment and SuppliesFacility JanitorialFacility Maintenance and RepairFacility SecurityFood Served in FacilityProperty InsuranceTransportation to and from the FacilityUtilitiesOther Costs Directly Related to Facility Support as Approved by Pierce CountyAdministrative Costs:AdvertisingCommunicationsInsuranceIT Support, Software, Computer EquipmentMachinery & Office EquipmentOffice & Operating SuppliesPersonnel Salaries & BenefitsProfessional ServicesPublic UtilitiesSmall Tools and Minor EquipmentOther Costs Directly Related to Admin/Indirect as Approved by Pierce CountyAdministration costs are limited to fifteen percent (15%) of the total direct cost(s) (Program Operations and Facility Support) expended each month.

The County will not reimburse organizations for any costs involved in the preparation and submission of responses to this procurement or in the preparation for and attendance at subsequent interviews.

All questions must be submitted within the County's eProcurement Portal, under the Question & Answer Section no later than 4:30 pm on Monday, January 5, 2026. Proposers must be registered in the eProcurement Portal software in order to submit questions, receive addenda and notifications, and ultimately submit a proposal.

Eligible clients must be literally homeless, and/or actively fleeing a domestic violence situation as defined by HUD.

All submission, timeliness, and content requirements shall be applied equally to all Proposers regardless of any current or previous relationship with the County or the proposer's relationship with the County, County staff, or elected officials. See Pierce County Code 3.12 (Code of Ethics).Proposers not selected may seek additional clarification or debrief, request time to review the selection procedures, or discuss the scoring methods utilized in the RFP process. Appeals are limited to procedural errors in the selection process. In the event no such procedural errors are found to have occurred, the decision of the County shall be final.If a proposer disagrees with the decision, they may register the appeal by sending an email to pcshsprocurement@piercecountywa.gov, within five (5) business days after the notice of selection is sent to the proposer. The appeal must state all facts and arguments upon which the appeal is based. The Director of Pierce County Human Services, or designee, will review the appeal and determine whether the rules and requirements outlined in this RFP were followed, including solicitation documents, the organizations’ proposal, and the facts which form the basis of the appeal. The Director will render a written decision within fifteen (15) days from the receipt of the appeal.

All projects will report standard County defined metrics as listed below. Metrics may be reported on monthly, quarterly, and/or yearly. Successful proposers will be required to collect and store specific household data utilizing the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Data from the HMIS will be used to evaluate the contractor. 95% of households are placed into overnight shelter95% of Homeless Management Information System data meets data quality standards95% of Homeless Management Information System data meets timeliness data standards100% of contract payment requests are submitted accurately and on time based on monthly invoice submission requirements.2,500 Households will be served during contract period100% of all calls responded to within 24 hours.

The Washington State Interlocal Cooperation Act, Ch. 39.34 RCW, authorizes public agencies to cooperatively purchase goods and services if all parties agree. By responding to this RFP, Consultants agree that other public agencies may purchase goods and services under this solicitation or contract at their own cost and without Pierce County incurring any financial or legal liability for such purchases. Pierce County agrees to allow other public agencies to purchase goods and services under this solicitation or contract, provided that Pierce County is not held financially or legally liable for purchases and that any public agency purchasing under such solicitation or contract file a copy of this invitation and such contract in accordance with RCW 39.34.040.

The period of performance of any contract resulting from this procurement is expected to be 24 months. The County has the option of renewing contract for an additional two years after the initial contract is executed. However, Contractor is not guaranteed an extension. Decisions whether to extend a contract will be based on Pierce County’s assessment of the Contractor’s performance as evaluated by performance measure data as described in Section 4.4 of this solicitation, as well as any additional performance outcomes or deliverables negotiated in the final contract agreement.

Organizations should be aware that any records they submit to the County or that are used by the County even if the organization possess the records, may be public records under the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56). The County must promptly disclose public records upon request unless a statute exempts them from disclosure. Organizations should also be aware that if even a portion of a record is exempt from disclosure, generally, the rest of the record must be disclosed. Exemptions are narrow and specific.Organizations should clearly mark any record they believe is exempt from disclosure.

Pierce County, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises as defined at 49 CFR Part 26 will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

The total value of this procurement is $1,100,000.00 in Homeless Document Recording Fees. The County anticipates awarding one contract from this procurement. The County may negotiate the budget and service level to ensure the most effective use of funds. The County reserves the right to adjust the award amount at its sole discretion.The value of the contract resulting from this procurement is an estimate that is subject to appropriation and may change based on the finalized Pierce County budget. Each contract award may be reduced. If the amount is greater than anticipated, Pierce County reserves the right to award the additional funds to the successful proposal, release additional solicitations, or otherwise utilize the funds in a manner consistent with funding guidelines. Additional federal, State, or local funds may become available during the contracting cycle and allocated through this solicitation. Funding may only be awarded for the same scope of services as described in this solicitation. It is important to note, any contract awarded as a result of this procurement is contingent upon the availability of funding. If at any time during the term of the contract the funding relied upon for the contract is reduced, modified, or eliminated, or if the funding terms are modified, the County reserves the right to amend the contract as appropriate or to terminate the contract.

Follow instructions carefully - if attachments are provided under this procurement, they are to be utilized as part of the proposal - do not replace or use the organization's own format, as the proposal may be deemed "non-responsive" or "not eligible." All proposals are evaluated on the completeness and quality of the content. Only those proposers providing complete information as required will be considered for evaluation. The County will not contact the organization for correction of proposals and proposers are strongly encouraged to carefully review their proposals for completeness and accuracy before submitting. For proposals to be considered responsive and move to the review process, the proposer must, under Section 7, RFP Questionnaire:1. Acknowledge all required "confirmations."2. Complete all required attachments, to include uploading any supplemental documents.3. Submit the following materials as part of the proposal. The accepted file types include, .pdf, .png, .jpeg, .docx, .xlsx, and other MS Office formats. Please label all attachments as listed below.Attachment A: Budget Worksheet (Question 15.1)Pre-Award Risk Assessment (Question 16.1)4. Acknowledge and confirm each addendum and notice issued under this procurement. The system will not allow final submission unless all required confirmations are checked.By submitting a proposal, proposer agrees that all documents, reports, proposals, submittals, working papers, or other materials prepared by the organization pursuant to this procurement shall become the sole and exclusive property of the County, and the public domain, and not property of the organization. The organization shall not copyright, or cause to be copyrighted, any portion of said items submitted to the County because of this procurement.Only electronic submittal via the County's eProcurement Portal shall be accepted for this procurement. No hard copies, emails, or fax submittals shall be accepted.

Proposals must be received by the Procurement & Contract Services Department before 2:00 pm on Friday, January 9, 2026. The proposer is responsible for submission of proposal before the deadline. The County shall not be responsible for late submittals. Exceptions will not be made for proposers who miss the submission deadline, and no proposals will be accepted via email.