The ASP will be expected to enter into a contract which is substantially the same as the Sample Contract and its General Terms and Conditions attached as Exhibit C. In no event is a Proposer to submit its own standard contract terms and conditions in response to this solicitation. If a Proposer has a concern regarding a certain General Term & Condition, they can raise the issue per the Questions and Answers section of this solicitation.

Protests may be made only by Proposers or authorized representative of a Proposer who submitted a response to this solicitation document and who have participated in a debriefing conference. Upon completing the debriefing conference, the Proposer is allowed five (5) business days to file with the Procurement Coordinator a protest of the award decision. Protests must be received by the Procurement Coordinator no later than 3:30 PM, local time in Tacoma, Washington on the fifth business day following the debriefing. Protests must be in writing, addressed to the Procurement Coordinator, and submitted by email to PCSHSprocurement@piercecountywa.gov. The protest must state the RFP number, the grounds for the protest with specific facts and complete statements of the action(s) being protested. A description of the relief or corrective action being requested should also be included.Protests that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. This protest procedure constitutes the sole administrative remedy available to Proposers under this procurement.Only protests stipulating an issue of fact concerning the following subjects shall be considered:A matter of bias, discrimination, or conflict of interest on the part of an evaluator.Errors in computing the score.Non-compliance with procedures described in the procurement document or County policy.Protests not based on procedural matters will not be considered. Protests will be rejected as without merit if they address issues such as: 1) an evaluator’s professional judgment on the quality of a proposal, or 2) County’s assessment of its own needs or requirements.Upon receipt of a protest, a protest review will be held by the County. The Finance Department Director or an employee delegated by the Director who was not involved in the procurement will consider the record and all available facts and issue a decision within five (5) business days of receipt of the protest. If additional time is required, the protesting party will be notified of the delay. In the event a protest may affect the interest of another Proposer who also submitted a proposal, such Proposer will be given an opportunity to submit its views and any relevant information on the protest to the Procurement Coordinator. The final determination of the protest shall:Find the protest lacking in merit and uphold the County’s action; orFind only technical or harmless errors in County’s procurement process and determine County to be in substantial compliance and reject the protest; orFind merit in the protest and provide the County options which may include:Correct the errors and re-evaluate all proposals, and/orReissue the solicitation document and begin a new process, orMake other findings and determine other courses of action as appropriate.If a protest is filed, the County will wait to execute the contract until a final determination on the protest is made.

The County will notify all proposers of the outcome of their proposal in writing upon completion of the evaluation process.

Interviews may be utilized in selecting the winning proposal(s). The County, at its sole discretion, may elect to select the top-scoring proposers from the written evaluation for an interview. The Procurement Coordinator will contact the top-scoring proposers to schedule a date, time, and location for the interview. Commitments made by the Proposer at the interview, if any, will be considered binding.If the County opts for scored interviews, the questions asked will be uniform for all participants and the responses will be scored per the Evaluation Weighting & Scoring section.

Any Proposer, who was not disqualified, who has submitted a proposal and been notified that they were not selected as an ASP may request a debriefing. The request for a debriefing conference must be received by the Procurement Coordinator within 5 days of having been notified that they were not selected.Discussion at the debriefing conference will be limited to the following:Evaluation and scoring of the Proposal.Critique of the requesting Proposer’s Proposal based on the comments made by the Application Evaluation Committee or individual comments made by an evaluator; andReview of Proposer’s final score in comparison with other final scores without identifying the other firms.Comparisons between proposals or evaluations of the other proposals will not be allowed. Debriefing conferences may be conducted in person or remotely and will be scheduled for a maximum of one (1) hour.

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

All proposals will be reviewed by the RFP Coordinator to determine compliance with administrative requirements and instructions specified in this solicitation. The Proposer is specifically notified that the County may reject or withdraw a proposal at any time as nonresponsive for any of the following reasons:Incomplete proposal,Failure to comply with any part of this solicitation or any Attachments to this procurement,Submission of incorrect, misleading, or false information.The County also reserves the right, however, at its sole discretion to waive minor administrative irregularities, which are defined as variances which do not provide an applicant an advantage or benefit over other applicants.

Proposers who do not meet these minimum qualifications will be considered non-responsive and their proposal will not be evaluated or scored.Applicants must be an IRS designated non-profit agency located in Pierce County.Pierce County requires that all applicants for funding be registered as a business entity with the State of Washington and possess a Washington State Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number and a Federal Tax ID number.Applicants must be currently operating a domestic violence shelter with supportive service programs that services survivors of domestic violence and their children in Pierce County.

For more than 30 years, Pierce County has demonstrated a sustained commitment to funding domestic violence services, with a particular emphasis on supporting domestic violence shelter bed nights. This long-standing investment reflects the County’s dedication to ensuring that survivors have access to safe, stable, and immediate housing options during times of crisis. Funding for this solicitation is authorized under RCW 26.04.160 which permits Pierce County to collect up to 15 dollars per marriage license to support family services programs. Pierce County has implemented this authority through Section 4.52.010 of the Pierce County Code.

The initial period of performance of any contract resulting from this procurement is anticipated to begin on or around September 1, 2026, and end on December 31, 2027. Amendments extending the period of performance, if any, shall be at the sole discretion of the County. The County reserves the option to extend contracts for an additional 12 months, for up to two additional 12-month terms. However, no Contractor will be guaranteed an extension.

Each evaluator will score the Proposals separately. The scores of all the evaluators will be averaged to determine the proposer’s score.In the event the AEC has clarifying questions for a proposer, they shall notify the Procurement Coordinator who will, in turn, send the question(s) to the appropriate proposer. The Procurement Coordinator shall provide a deadline for the answers and shall then notify the AEC members of the response. If members of the AEC wish to change their original scores based on the response to the clarifying question(s), they shall notify the Procurement Coordinator who shall determine the proper subsequent process.The County reserves the right to award the contract 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 compliance with the Minimum Qualifications. Proposals that meet the Minimum Qualification as identified in Section 2 will advance to the formal evaluation process and be scored based on responses to RFP questions and required attachments. An Application Evaluation Committee (AEC) comprised of Pierce County staff, community representatives, or jurisdictional partners from local, state, or federal agencies with expertise in the subject matter of this procurement will review and score all proposals based on the requirements and content of this RFP. The AEC’s scores will then be sent to the Department Director, who will make a final funding decision.The RFP Coordinator reserves the right to contact Proposers for clarification of any portion of the Proposal.

Domestic violence is a serious community issue that causes significant harm to victims, families, and children. Social service agencies play a critical role in ensuring safety by providing shelter, support, referrals, counseling, and treatment. This RFP will provide funding to support domestic violence shelter services such as case management services, basic needs, and 24-hour safe shelter that includes bed nights for survivors of domestic violence and their children in need of safe housing. Basic needs may include, but are not limited to, food, clothing, hygiene items, transportation assistance, communication access, and household suppliesProposals that include shelter models allowing participants to remain for a minimum of ninety (90) days, or longer where appropriate, are preferred, as longer stays are recognized as supportive of improved participant outcomes and housing stabilization. Priority will be given to applicants who offer the ability to support survivors’ pets, and provide comprehensive services for families such as counseling, education and employment referrals. The County will also prioritize projects that maximize community impact by serving a high volume of participants.

The proposal must be received by the time/date as indicated in Section 2.2.

The County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Bidders should contact the RFP Coordinator to request an accommodation.

The County reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposal submitted. Therefore, the proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms which the Proposer can offer. There will be no best and final offer procedure.The ASP should be prepared to accept this RFP for incorporation into a contract resulting from this RFP. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or all of the Proposer’s proposal. It is understood that the proposal will become a part of the official procurement file on this matter without obligation to the County.

The RFP Coordinator is the sole point of contact in the County for this procurement. All communications between the Proposer and the County upon release of this RFP shall be with the RFP Coordinator.Anne Marie EdmundsProcurement & Contract SpecialistEmail: annemarie.edmunds@piercecountywa.govPhone: (253) 798-7456Department:Human ServicesAny other communication will be considered unofficial and non-binding on the County. Proposers are to rely on written statements issued by the RFP Coordinator. Communication directed to parties other than the RFP Coordinator may result in disqualification of the Proposer.

Proposal Release Date:June 3, 2026Pre-Proposal Meeting (Non-Mandatory):June 9, 2026, 10:00amJoin Zoom Meeting: https://bit.ly/4jvSvhmMeeting ID: 983 9317 2965Question Submission & Concern Resolution Request Deadline:June 17, 2026, 4:30pmProposal Submission Deadline:June 24, 2026, 2:00pmEvaluation Process Completion:July 2, 2026Estimated Date of Notice to Successful/Unsuccessful Proposer(s):July 10, 2026Deadline for Unsuccessful Proposers to Request a Debriefing:Five business days after receiving Unsuccessful Proposer notification.Hold Debriefing Conferences:July 20 - 24, 2026Estimated Date of Contract Execution:September 1, 2026 The County reserves the right to revise the above timeline.

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.

The County will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Proposer in preparation of a proposal submitted in response to this RFP, in conduct of a presentation or interview, or any other activities related to responding to this RFP.

“Apparently Successful Proposer (ASP)” means a proposer selected as an entity to perform the anticipated services, subject to completion of contract negotiations and execution of a written contract."Applicant," "Bidder," and "Proposer" mean an organization, agency or provider that submits a formal response to this procurement."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 procurement. “Contractor” means an individual or organization whose proposal has been accepted by the County and has been awarded a fully executed, written contract.“PCHS” means the Pierce County Human Services Department. “Procurement” means the process by which the County obtains services.“Request for Proposal (RFP)” or "Solicitation" means this document and its attachments in which needed goods and/or services are identified and organizations are invited to provide information as to how they propose to meet the County's needs. “RCW” means Revised Code of Washington.“WAC” means Washington Administrative Code.

Welcome to Pierce County's eProcurement System. This system is inclusive to the procurement process, including submission of any questions and/or clarifications, the release of any addenda/notices, and submission of proposals. It is strongly encouraged that organizations responding to any procurement first read the entire procurement, paying close attention to the timelines, scope of work, eligibility, submission requirements, and specifically to the questionnaire section, which may include required attachments (when applicable), and ask for any clarifications regarding content and instructions early in the process.

Proposers may submit questions through the County's eProcurement Portal, under the Question & Answer Section, no later than 4:30 pm on the date set forth in Section 2.2. Proposers must be registered in the eProcurement Portal software to submit questions, receive addendums and notifications, and ultimately submit a proposal. Proposers may only rely on written statements issued by the County. Any oral communications are unofficial and are not binding on the County.

This procedure is available to potential Proposers who are contemplating submitting a proposal in response to this RFP. Only Concern Resolution submissions (Submissions) concerning the following subjects shall be considered:A claim that the solicitation unnecessarily restricts competition.A claim the solicitation evaluation or scoring process is unfair or flawed, orA claim the solicitation requirements are inadequate or insufficient to prepare a response.Proposers submitting a concern about this procurement shall follow the procedures described below. Submissions that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. If a Proposer registers a concern against this solicitation, the issue(s) cannot be raised again during the protest period.All submissions must be in writing and signed by the submitting party or an authorized Agent. The submission must be sent to the AGENCY Procurement Coordinator, or designee, and needs to be received no later than 4:30 PM, local time, Tacoma, WA, per Section 2.2 Timeline, and must clearly articulate the basis for the submission. The Proposer submitting a concern must also include a proposed remedy.Upon receipt of a submission, a submission review will be held by the County. The RFP coordinator will respond to submissions in writing and the Finance Department Director will be notified of all submissions and provided a copy of the County’s response. A copy of the response to the submission, including any changes to the solicitation, will also be posted in County's eProcurement Portal.The concern resolution process does not include an appeal process.

This RFP does not obligate the County to contract for services specified herein.

A virtual or in-person Procurement Workshop will be conducted by Pierce County staff at the time, date, and location as indicated in the Procurement Schedule section of this RFP.Pre-proposal meeting attendance is not required but is highly encouraged for all organizations considering a response to this solicitation. It is the County’s belief that attending the meeting will assist proposers in presenting the best possible request for funding. During the Pre-Proposal Meeting Workshop, Pierce County staff will give an overview of the procurement, the procurement process, an overview of the requirements, and will also be available to answer questions and provide technical assistance. Please have the instruction/proposal packet available as well as any questions that the organization may have related to the procurement. The County will be bound only to written answers provided in response to questions. Questions arising during the Procurement Workshop will be documented and answered in the eProcurement Portal.

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 procurement 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 procurement or contract, provided that Pierce County is not held financially or legally liable for purchases and that any public agency purchasing under such procurement or contract file a copy of this invitation and such contract in accordance with RCW 39.34.040.

In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, addenda will be published in the County's eProcurement Portal.All amendments and notifications of cancellation shall be posted in the County's eProcurement Portal. If you did not receive this solicitation via the County’s eProcurement Portal, please register there to receive further notifications.The County also reserves the right to amend or add to, retract from, or cancel this Procurement at any time, in whole or in part, and without penalty.In the event of a conflict between amendments or between an amendment and this Solicitation Document, the document issued latest in time shall control.

The County reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this RFP.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) solicits applications for 2026-2027 Marriage License Family Services funding to support domestic violence shelter services. Service delivery shall include bed nights for survivors of domestic violence and their children, case management, and meeting basic needs. The anticipated contract term will be September 1, 2026 - December 31, 2027, with initial funding estimated to be $86,000. The resulting contract may be renewed annually for up to two additional 12-month terms, subject to the availability of funds and satisfactory contractor performance.

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 Proposers 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 proposals 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.

Follow instructions carefully - if attachments are provided under this solicitation, 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."

The value of a contract awarded under this procurement is estimated to be $86,000 in Marriage License Fee funds over the initial term. Any contract extensions, if exercised by the County, are subject to funding availability. The County anticipates awarding a single contract from this procurement. The County reserves the right to make more awards or no awards, based on the quality and scope of proposals received, available funding, and identified service needs.Applicants are encouraged to scale their funding requests proportionally to the scope and geographic reach of their proposed services. The County may negotiate budgets and service levels to ensure the most effective use of funds and equitable coverage across providers. The County reserves the right to adjust award amounts at its sole discretion.

Preference will be given to applicants with multiple years of experience serving the target population and successfully managing similar projects of comparable complexity.

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:Acknowledge all required “confirmations.”Complete all required attachments, to include uploading any supplemental documents requested in attachments; and Submit the following materials as part of the proposal. Attachment A: Budget Worksheet (Question 6.1)

Successful applicants must use Pierce County funding only after all other available and eligible funding sources, including private, state, and federal funds, have been pursued and billed first.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, Pierce County reserves the right to amend the contract as appropriate or to terminate the contract.

This section provides a curated list of help articles addressing common questions and challenges proposers may encounter during the Request for Proposal process. The resources below are intended to offer clear guidance, practical solutions, and relevant information to support a smooth and successful submission. Proposers are encouraged to review these materials as needed to better understand requirements, resolve issues, and navigate the process with confidence.Vendor RegistrationFollowing a ProjectGetting Started with SubscriptionsHow to Submit a Question in OpenGovHow to Submit a Proposal Response in OpenGovHow to Edit or Withdraw a Proposal after Submission in OpenGov

Project budgets should include only costs directly related to the program that fall into the categories below. Invoices are paid monthly on a cost reimbursement basis. If a contractor awarded funding does not expend and invoice all funds awarded, those funds will remain with the County.Eligible Costs:Salaries/WagesBenefits Office and Operating Supplies, including basic needs for clients and pet careSmall tools/Minor EquipmentProfessional ServicesCommunicationsTravel & TrainingAdvertisingRentInsurancePublic UtilitiesRepairs and MaintenanceMachinery & EquipmentFacility CostsNon-cash assistance such as bus tickets/Orca card, taxi fare, gas voucher, emergency foodOther Costs – must be explained and approvedGeneral Administration* costs supported by a cost allocation plan*Administrative expenses are limited to no more than 15% of the total direct program costs. Applicants must ensure that their proposed budgets reflect this cap on administrative spending.

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. The accepted forms of submitted materials are .pdf, png., jpeg., and MS Office formats such as docx. and xlsx.

The successful applicant will negotiate outputs and performance measures with Pierce County Human Services and will be required to submit quarterly reports as indicated in the executed contract. Performance measures will include providing the number of unduplicated individuals served and the number of bed nights provided to survivors of domestic violence and their children.Reporting quarterly requirements will include:Number of Pierce County residents served through the program.Outputs provided each quarter and annual total, based on negotiated services in the contract. Pierce County Human Services staff and the awarded agency will negotiate the anticipated number of clients to be served during the contract period. Each quarter, the agency will report the number of new clients served during that reporting period, and an annual report summarizing the total number of clients served will be submitted at the end of the contract period. Updates on program challenges, successes, or technical assistance needs.Annual reporting will include:Final program numbers and a client success story as a result of the program funding.

Applicants must acknowledge and confirm each addendum and notice issued under this solicitation. The system will not allow final submission unless all required confirmations are checked.

Proposers should allow sufficient time to ensure timely receipt of the proposal by the County’s e-procurement System, OpenGov. Late responses will not be accepted and will be automatically disqualified. The County assumes no responsibility for delays caused by Proposer's technical related system errors.

All proposals and any accompanying documentation become the property of the County and will not be returned.