Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to modify non-profit service agreements with numerous social service agencies for the provision of services for a twelve-month period that begins on or after January 1, 2021. See attached Exhibit A for a list of social services agencies awarded agreements in 2019, were renewed in 2020, and will be modified in 2021. The total amount of these agreements in 2021 is up to $4,464,907.00.
In 2018, a request for proposals (RFP) was issued via direct email to agencies (and City partners to send to their networks of agencies) by press release and posting on the City’s website. The City received 142 proposals representing 101 agencies with over $19 million in requests. Of those, forty-four programs were selected for funding in 2019 and agreements were authorized under ordinance 1170-2019. These agreements were renewed in 2020 under the authority of ordinance 0571-2020.
Historically, the department has done a RFP effort every two years and under normal circumstances such an effort would have been in late 2020 for 2021. Due to COVID-19 and its impact on the nonprofit sector and department priorities, the department has elected to extend these agreements for FY 2021 through an agreement modification. At this point, it is the department’s intent to do a RFP process in late 2021 for FY 2022 non-profit service agreements.
The agreements will be modified pending availability of funds and program performance per the agreement with each agency. All forty-four (44) programs have performed in accordance with their agreements and are approved for a third year of funding. These programs and initiatives will provide services to residents of Columbus within one or more of the City’s Five Investment Strategies:
· Income through Employment
· Job Quality
· Education and Training
· Financial Capability
· Stabilization and Resource Support
Emergency action is necessary to avoid ca...
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