Project Information

Bid Title

COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVICES FOR CITY OF BUFFALO'S WEALTH & OPPORTUNITY BLUEPRINT

Issuing Agency

City of Buffalo

Location

New York

Published Date

Nov 5, 2025

Closing Date

Nov 26, 2025

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Bid Title:	COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVICES FOR CITY OF BUFFALO'S WEALTH & OPPORTUNITY BLUEPRINT
Category:	City of Buffalo Bids & RFPs
Status:	Open

Publication Date/Time: 11/5/2025 11:00 AM Closing Date/Time: 11/26/2025 11:00 AM Submittal Information: Submit Proposal by November 26, 2025 @ 11:00AM, Local Time Contact Person: Malika D. Lee: [email protected] Miscellaneous: WRITTEN QUESTIONS DUE VIA EMAIL ONLY TO: Malika D. Lee at [email protected] November 12, 2025, BY 4:00 PM RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS POSTED ON THE CITY’S WEBSITE: www.buffalony.gov/bids November 19, 2025 BY 4:00 PM PROPOSALS DUE/CLOSING DATE November 26, 2025 @11:00 AM delivered to: City of Buffalo Mayor’s Office Division of Citizen Services Room 218 Malika D. Lee, External Affairs Manager 65 Niagara Square, City Hall Buffalo, New York 14202 Related Documents: 2025 RFP Community Outreach Consultant_ Equity Blueprint

Attachment Preview

CITY OF BUFFALO

NEW YORK

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION, FINANCE, POLICY & URBAN AFFAIRS

MAYOR’S OFFICE

65 NIAGARA SQUARE, ROOM 203 CITY HALL

BUFFALO, NY 14202

PHONE (716) 851-5540

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

FOR

COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVICES

FOR THE

CITY OF BUFFALO’S

WEALTH & OPPORTUNITY BLUEPRINT

❖ REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ISSUE DATE: November 5, 2025

❖ WRITTEN QUESTIONS DUE VIA EMAIL ONLY

TO: Malika D. Lee at mlee@buffalony.gov

November 12, 2025, BY 4:00 PM

❖ RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS POSTED ON THE CITY’S

WEBSITE: www.buffalony.gov/bids

November 19, 2025 BY 4:00 PM

❖ PROPOSALS DUE/CLOSING DATE

November 26, 2025 @11:00 AM

SECTION 1 - PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF PROPOSAL

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is being issued to facilitate the City’s use of grant funding received by the City

of Buffalo through Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund. The objective of this initiative is to create a

Financial Empowerment Blueprint for the City of Buffalo based on stakeholder and community input. The goal

is to implement future financial empowerment efforts that will frame a successful strategic plan and policies

aimed at addressing the wealth gap.

Efforts to address wealth disparities in the City of Buffalo have been ongoing, with current initiatives aimed at

reducing the wealth gap and promoting economic equity for all residents. The City recognizes the importance of

current efforts to foster inclusiveness and sustainability as part of the City’s future growth.

Buffalo continues to face a persistent wealth gap driven by generations of disinvestment, limited access to

financial resources, and uneven opportunities for economic mobility. These challenges have been most

concentrated in neighborhoods on the East Side, where historic patterns of exclusion and underinvestment have

limited household wealth-building and long-term financial stability. Addressing these barriers is essential to

creating pathways for residents to participate fully in Buffalo’s growing economy and to ensure that prosperity is

shared across all communities.

Addressing the wealth gap is crucial for fostering economic equity and empowerment. The CFE Fund aims to

support municipalities in identifying and implementing solutions that can bridge this gap and create sustainable

economic opportunities for people in the bottom half of the wealth distribution.

The objective of this RFP is to request proposals from organizations capable of conducting comprehensive

community outreach efforts focused on neighborhoods that have experienced long-term disinvestment,

particularly on Buffalo’s East Side. These efforts should aim to understand the specific needs, challenges, and

opportunities for residents while exploring innovative strategies to close local wealth gaps and expand access to

financial stability. The purpose of this outreach is not only to raise awareness of the Financial Empowerment

Blueprint but also to gather meaningful community feedback about residents’ financial priorities through listening

sessions and engagement opportunities. The insights collected through this process will directly inform the design

and implementation of the City’s Financial Empowerment Blueprint

SECTION 2 - INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

2.1 General Invitation

The City invites all interested parties to submit proposals for the services described herein.

The Mayor’s Office-Division of Citizens Services will receive all sealed proposals that have been addressed by

no later than November 26, 2025 at 11:00 am. All proposals must be clearly labeled on the front of package

referencing “Community Outreach Services Racial Equity Blueprint”, and delivered to:

City of Buffalo Mayor’s Office

Division of Citizen Services Room 218

Malika D. Lee, External Affairs Manager

65 Niagara Square, City Hall

Buffalo, New York 14202

2

OFFERORS ASSUME ALL RISKS FOR THE TIMELY AND PROPER DELIVERY OF SUBMITTED

PROPOSALS.

The received time of proposals will be determined by the clock at the above noted location. NO

CONSIDERATION WILL BE GIVEN TO PROPOSALS RECEIVED AFTER THE STATED DATE AND

TIME.

Offerors mailing their proposal must allow sufficient mail delivery time to ensure receipt of their proposal at the

specified location no later than the specified date and time. Delays in United States mail deliveries or any other

means of transmittal, including couriers or agents of the Offeror, shall not excuse late proposal submissions.

Similar types of delays, including but not limited to, bad weather or security procedures for parking and building

admittance shall not excuse late proposal submissions. Offerors are cautioned that the City cannot be responsible

for the actions of your chosen carrier or method of delivery.

Proposals are solicited in accordance with the terms, conditions and instructions as set forth in this Request for

Proposals. Submission of proposals via telephone, facsimile, e-mail or any other method not specifically provided

herein is prohibited. Proposals must be completed in accordance with the requirements of the Request for

Proposals. No amendments or changes to proposals will be accepted after the closing date and time. No proposals

shall be accepted after the stated deadline. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

Any material misrepresentation made by an Offeror may void their proposal and eliminate the Offeror’s proposal

from further consideration. Any proposal that is based upon violation of federal, state or local law, or deemed by

the City, in its sole discretion, to be non-responsive will be eliminated from consideration.

The City shall not be responsible for any expenses or charges incurred by any Offeror in preparing or submitting

a proposal, or in their providing any additional information considered necessary by the City in the evaluation of

their proposal.

2.2 Schedule

Listed below is the anticipated schedule for all actions related to this RFP. In the event that there is any

change or deviation from this schedule, such change will be posted on the City’s website at

(www.buffalony.gov/bids).

EVENT

Issuance of RFP

Written Questions from Offerors due

Responses to Questions posted on City website

Proposals Due

DATE

November 5, 2025

November 12, 2025 by 4:00 pm

November 19, 2025 by 4:00 pm

November 26, 2025 at 11:00 am

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2.3 RFP Review, Additional Information and Questions

Each Offeror is responsible for carefully examining all RFP documents and thoroughly familiarizing

themselves with each of the City’s requirements prior to their submission of a proposal to ensure that their

responses are in compliance with the RFP.

Each Offeror is responsible for conducting its own investigations and any examinations necessary to

ascertain conditions and requirements affecting the requirements of this RFP. Failure to perform such

investigations and examinations shall not relieve the Offeror from its obligation to comply, in every detail, with

all of the provisions and requirements contained in the RFP.

For purposes of this RFP, the City’s designee shall be Malika D. Lee, External Affairs Manager, Office

of the Mayor. Questions regarding the RFP shall be directed to the City’s designee only. Any impermissible

contact with any other City officer or employee regarding the RFP during the procurement period shall result in

the rejection of any such Offeror’s proposal. Offerors shall communicate in writing only. No other

communications with the City’s designee regarding the RFP are permitted during the procurement period. All

questions, requests for clarification or additional information must be sent by email to Malika D. Lee at

mlee@buffalony.gov and must be received no later than 4:00 pm on November 12, 2025. Offerors shall not

communicate with the City’s designee via any other method or outside of the time period set forth herein.

Questions received from all Offerors will be answered and shared with all Offerors via the City’s website

at (www.buffalony.gov/bids) by 4:00 pm on November 19, 2025. No other representatives of the City are to be

contacted regarding this RFP. The City accepts no responsibility for, and each Offeror agrees not to rely upon,

any verbal or written statements or representations from any other person, whether or not employed by the City.

The City may, in its sole discretion, also elect to provide both the question(s) and the written answer(s) to

all known Offerors via e-mail. Offerors are solely responsible for ensuring that the City has accurate contact

information, including an e-mail address for the receipt of such correspondence. The City does not assume any

responsibility for undelivered e-mails or for the receipt of any communication sent to any Offeror.

2.4 Addenda and Modifications

The City reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to amend this RFP at any time prior to the deadline for

submission of the proposals. In the event that it becomes necessary to revise or expand upon any part of this RFP,

all addendums, amendments, and interpretations to this RFP will be made in writing and posted on the City’s

website at (www.buffalony.gov/bids). The City may also endeavor to notify all Offerors to whom the RFP has

been issued.

All addendums shall be incorporated as part of the RFP documents as though they were originally set

forth. The City does not assume any responsibility for the receipt of any addendum sent to any Offeror.

Any information supplied by the City relative to this RFP must be considered in preparing proposals. All

other contacts that a Offeror may have had before or after receipt of this RFP with any individuals, employees,

subcontractors, consultants or representatives of the City and any information that may have been read in any

news media or seen or heard in any communication facility regarding this RFP should be disregarded in preparing

responses.

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2.5 Proposal Format

Offerors are advised to adhere to the submittal requirements of the RFP. Failure to comply with the

instructions of the RFP may cause their proposal to be rejected. Submission of a sealed proposal in response to

this RFP constitutes acceptance of all requirements outlined in the RFP.

Four (4) copies of the proposal, including one (1) original and three (3) copies, must be prepared on 8” x

11” letter size paper, printed double-sided, and bound on the long side. One (1) USB Flash Drive containing an

Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) version of all proposal materials must also be provided. Each page of

the submission must be numbered in a manner so that it can be uniquely identified. Legibility, clarity and

completeness are required.

The proposal must be signed by each individual Offeror or their authorized representative who shall have

the authority to legally bind the Offeror(s). The proposal shall also contain a statement that the proposal, including

all proposed prices contained therein, shall remain firm and irrevocable for a period of sixty (60) days following

the City’s receipt of such proposal and through the award of the contract.

In the event that an Offeror cannot comply with any term, condition, or requirement of this RFP, such

non-compliance must be clearly noted on the Offeror’s letterhead and submitted with the proposal. Offerors are

cautioned that such non-compliance may result in disqualification of their proposal, at the sole discretion of the

City. No allowance will be made for un-noted non-compliance of any kind by the Offeror.

SECTION 3 - REQUIRED CONTENT

3.1 Cover Letter

Each Offeror or their authorized representative shall prepare and sign a cover letter. Submission of the

letter shall constitute a representation by the Offeror that it is willing and able to perform the services described

in the RFP and their proposal.

The cover letter must explain the Offeror’s understanding of the City’s intent, objectives, and how Offeror

proposes to achieve those objectives. It must also discuss the Offeror’s plan for implementing the described

services, including any proposed approach to project management, strategies, and any additional factors that may

be beneficial to the City in achieving its’ goals.

3.2 Company Profile

Each Offeror is required to prepare and submit a brief description of the Offeror’s firm, company, or

corporation, which must include:

1. Name, mailing address, email address, telephone number and fax number of the primary contact

person for the firm;

2. A brief description of the firm, including the number of years in business, major business lines, major

markets served, company history, relevant operating segments, primary vision and strategy, number

of employees, office locations and any Joint Venture Partners;

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 541820Public Relations Agencies
• NAICS 541990All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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