WORK FOR CIFA

Notice of Request for Proposals (RFP) for a CIFA SRF Workshop Director

The CIFA Board of Directors is requesting proposals for an SRF Workshop Director that will procure venues, procure vendors, manage contracts, develop and solicit content, organize, and facilitate the Annual CIFA State Revolving Fund Workshop for 2025. Proposals are due Friday, December 6, 2024, at 4:00 pm (Eastern). The full Request for Proposals (RFP) document can be found in the link below.

RFP for CIFA Workshop Director (PDF)

Federal Requirements

CIFA receives financial support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under an assistance agreement that will be used to pay for the services performed by the SRF Workshop Director. The procurement process and any resulting contract must comply with the uniform grant requirements for procurement standards found in 2 CFR 200.318 through 2 CRF 200.327.

Questions

Email questions to Treasurer@cifanet.org By Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 4:00 pm (Eastern). CIFA will post responses to submitted questions, on this website, by Monday, November 25, 2024.

Responses (PDF)

Is there a geographic location you are considering for the workshops in 2025?

Answer: The 2025 Workshop location is not finalized yet, but a location will likely be set before the Workshop Director contract is executed. The Workshop Director will be involved in securing a location for the 2026 Workshop.
Do you have historical information that you can share in terms of numbers?

Answer: Registration for the last five Workshops was:

2019 in Cleveland: 400
2021 in Salt Lake City: 120
2022 in St. Louis: 399
2023 in Oklahoma City; 469
2024 in Long Beach: 490
How many attendees overall are expected?

Answer: The Workshops typically have between 350 to 450 attendees.
How many speakers do you typically have?

Answer: There are several concurrent sessions during the event with several panels so the number of speakers can range from 50 to 70.
How many field trips do you typically offer and how many participants sign up for the field trips?

Answer: There are typically 1 or 2 field trips that have 50 people.
Is Cvent a requirement for your registration software, or are we able to submit an alternative?

Answer: CIFA would consider an alternative registration software dependent on cost and functionality.
Is the conference website separate from the Cvent registration website?

Answer: Yes. The conference website for 2024 can be found at https://www.cifanet.org/cifa-srf-workshop
Do you plan on using an APP for the conference? If so, are you currently under contract with an APP software?

Answer: The 2024 Workshop was the first to use an APP (CVENT) CIFA will evaluate its benefits and determine whether to continue its use.
Are there any exhibitor / sponsors solicited for this event other than the EPA grant? Is this an area that you need us to assist with?

Answer: Historically there have only been 1 to 3 exhibitor booths at the conference. CIFA does not solicit for them. We typically do have sponsors that help fund evening events that may require solicitations.
For badging, do you typically have on-site badge printing? Or are the badges printed in advance and shipped to the location for distribution?

Answer: Badges are typically printed in advance. Onsite printing capabilities would be needed to fix errors or last minute changes.
Incumbency: Could you confirm whether this is a newly established position or if there has been an incumbent in this role previously?

Answer: The activities of the Workshop Director were previously part of larger scope of work under the role of the Executive Director. This position is newly established.
Staffing Expectations: While the RFP mentions that some activities may be subcontracted, is there a recommended or anticipated team size for supporting the Workshop Director in fulfilling this contract’s scope?

Answer: There is no recommended team size, the Workshop Director would determine the size of the team based on work that cannot be performed by the Director alone.
Estimated Hours: Is there an approximate or expected range of hours per week or month that the Workshop Director should anticipate for planning, event execution, and post-event tasks?

Answer: The time spent per week or month is dependent on how close that week or month is to the Workshop. The five months preceding the Workshop will have significantly more hours (estimated 100 to 180) than the 7 months after the Workshop (10 to 50).
Success Metrics: Are there specific performance metrics or benchmarks that CIFA will use to evaluate the success of the Workshop Director’s performance throughout the contract?

Answer: No specific metrics or benchmarks are established for the evaluation of the success of the Workshop. We do use the post conference survey comments to plan for future Workshops. This helps CIFA change what does not work and improve on what does.
CIFA Support: Could you clarify the types of internal support (such as administrative or logistical assistance) that CIFA will provide to the Workshop Director, if any, during the planning and execution phases?

Answer: CIFA does not have staff to provide internal support for the Workshop Director. We do have a Professional Development Committee that can help generate ideas for conference sessions and topics.
Budget Guidelines: We understand CIFA will cover certain approved costs separately from the hourly rate. Is there a specific budget range or limit that CIFA has set for the director’s hourly rate and any supporting staff?

Answer: Budgeting for hourly rates will be determined once cost information is obtained.
Renewal Criteria: Could you provide more details on the criteria or process for contract renewal beyond December 31, 2025?

Answer: Specific criteria for contract renewal has not been developed. CIFA will determine renewal of the contract based on the implementation and feedback from the 2025 Workshop.
How many total days of programming will the conference include? Will field trips be expected to take place on the same days as workshops, or will these happen before the workshops take place?

Answer: There will be at least 2 days of programing. Recent Workshops have had a half day of pre Workshop activities and 1.5 days of Workshop activities. The field trips will be on the same days as the Workshop.
Where is the preferred location in the United States that CIFA would like to hold this year's workshop?

Answer: The 2025 Workshop location is not finalized yet, but a location will likely be set before the Workshop Director contract is executed. The Workshop Director will be involved in securing a location for the 2026 Workshop.
Are you expecting more than last year's 460 water professionals to attend this year's convening?

Answer: We would expect 400 to 475 for the 2025 Workshop. The 2024 Workshop had 490 registered.
Are there already preferred candidates to speak at the plenary sessions and panels?

Answer: We do not have any preferred candidates to speak at the 2025 Workshop. The majority of the speakers are either board members or active members of CIFA and are receptive to presenting at the conference.
Are you looking to make this a hybrid event where attendees can access from online as well, and will there be different tiers embedded into the event registration?

Answer: The 2025 Workshop is expected to be an in person only event.
What is the exact date or proposed dates for the Workshops?

Answer: The 2025 Workshop dates have not been determined yet but will likely be determined before the Workshop Director contract is executed. The Workshops are typically scheduled to take place in October or November.
Does CIFA have guidelines for structuring the sessions, such as preferred time allocation between plenary, breakout, and interactive sessions. etc?

Answer: The 2025 Workshops will have two 4 hour pre-conference sessions (concurrently), a plenary session for 2 hours, approximately twenty 75 minute concurrent sessions, and 2 to 4 discussion/collaboration sessions that last for 75 minutes. There is typically a morning and afternoon break of 30 minutes.
Does CIFA have a list or pipeline of potential presenters we could solicit abstracts from?

Answer: No, topics are created new every year. A call can be put out for abstracts to CIFA members, EPA and other related associations.
Is there existing criteria for abstract evaluation, or should we develop these guidelines with CIFA?

Answer: These guidelines will be developed with CIFA.
Is there a preference for specific expertise among speakers, or any preliminary list of presenters from CIFA?

Answer: The plenary sessions are from EPA leadership and topics related to the host City/state water issues. The concurrent sessions are driven by hot topics and CIFA member issues, which the Workshop Director will develop. Presenters will typically have expertise in SRF program implementation. We do not have a preliminary list of presenters.
Would CIFA like us to manage speaker recruitment entirely, or will they provide support in identifying presenters?

Answer: The Workshop Director would manage speaker recruitment. We do have a Professional Development Committee that can provide ideas.
How many participants does CIFA expect, and are there specific attendee demographics or career stages we should consider when planning content?

Answer: See answer for question #2 for attendance for recent conferences. The Workshops are for training State Revolving Fund program personnel at any career stage.
Are there tools or strategies CIFA prefers to promote networking and engagement among participants?

Answer: Networking and engagement are very important. We do not have specific tools or strategies for networking.
Is the event entirely in-person, or will there be virtual components? If hybrid, are there specific tech requirements or virtual platform needs?

Answer: The 2025 Workshop is expected to be an in person only event. If in person attendance is not possible for reasons such as a pandemic, CIFA would consider a virtual event, but it would need to be approved by EPA.
Does CIFA have any accessibility or sustainability guidelines for venue selection and vendor services?

Answer: We must meet federal requirements in procuring services and venues.
Are there continuing education credits associated with the event? If so, are there accrediting bodies to consider for validation?

Answer: No.
Are there branding requirements or specific marketing materials that CIFA wants us to develop for the event website and communications?

Answer: CIFA would consider any suggestions the Workshop Director has. Themes and branding are related to the city or state where the conference is located.
Is there an internal committee that will guide programming approval and planning? What are the main review points for their feedback?

Answer: The CIFA Board of Directors will approve budget amounts for the Workshop. The Professional Development Committee can provide feedback for programming choices.
What is the overall budget for the workshop? Are there specific budget priorities, such as speaker fees, technology, or attendee engagement resources?

Answer: Budgets for the Workshop are developed annually, the budget for the 2025 Workshop has not been finalized yet. Budgets can be dependent on event location and anticipated attendance.
Will the same post conference attendee satisfaction survey be sent to all attendees, or are you expecting different surveys for different groups?

Answer: The post conference attendee survey is the same for all attendees.
Can you please provide more details on what you're expecting in the progress report? Should it cover the overall elements of the workshop, or is there a specific focus?

Answer: The progress report is an EPA grant reporting requirement. The reports shall cover work status, work progress, difficulties encountered, preliminary data results and a statement of activity anticipated during the subsequent reporting period, including a description of equipment, techniques, and materials to be used or evaluated. A discussion of expenditures along with a comparison of the percentage of the project completed to the project schedule and an explanation of significant discrepancies shall be included in the report.
Are you wanting an attendee list for each session or for the conference as a whole?

Answer: The attendee list is for the conference as a whole, although the number of attendees needs to be recorded for each session.
For the post event presentations on the website, what type of content are you looking to make available (videos, PPT,etc) ? Additionally, how long does the material need to be available?

Answer: The post event presentations would be copies of presentation slides and audio recordings but would not include videos. The material will be posted on CIFA’s existing website and can remain for several years.
Is there a need for onsite name badge printing?

Answer: Printing capability would be needed fix errors or last minute changes.