PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach is seeking proposals for nonprofit and for-profit organizations to deliver vital services for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including business outreach and education, business assistance and marketing support and small business consulting. Eligible organizations are encouraged to apply through the City of Long Beach’s Vendor Portal, PlanetBids, by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25.

“Small businesses are the foundation of our local economy,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “The City is committed to continuing our support of local businesses as we all work towards recovery.”

Business Outreach and Education
The City is seeking up to four non-profit organizations to help reach a diverse spectrum of small business operators to ensure that they are aware of and apply for the Small Business Transition and Technology (SBTT) Program and other financial assistance programs. 

Organizations must demonstrate the ability to provide culturally appropriate business outreach and education services and should have a history of supporting diverse Long Beach business operators. Organizations will be expected to deliver the following:

• Implementing an inclusive business outreach and education strategy.
• Marketing the SBTT Program, other financial assistance programs and business resources.
• Helping business operators complete SBTT Program applications.
• Working with City staff to resolve application issues, such as ensuring applicants submit a complete application and include all required documentation.
• Creating reports that show the impact of business outreach and engagement activities.

The selected organizations will be awarded up to $25,000 each in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding for business outreach and education services. 

Business Assistance and Marketing/Promotion
The City seeks to contract with up to eight business-supporting non-profit organizations to deliver marketing and promotion services to help businesses impacted by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Services will include the following:

• Completing small business outreach and education focused on the City’s health orders, COVID-19 financial assistance programs, City policies and other helpful resources.
• Providing COVID-19 signage, “open for business” signage and related signs and decals that support physical distancing.
• Offsetting costs associated with creating and maintaining outdoor parklets and flex spaces that businesses would incur, excluding City and/or State permit fees.
• Providing “open for business” social media and digital marketing campaigns.
• Providing gift cards and coordinating flash events to promote businesses impacted by COVID-19.
• Creating reports that show the impact of business assistance and marketing activities.

The selected organizations will be awarded up to $25,000 each in CARES Act funding for providing business assistance and marketing promotion services. 

Small Business Consulting 
The City is seeking the services of up to three small business consultants that will be tasked with helping businesses select and implement technology solutions that reduce the spread of COVID-19 and improve online presence. Specific services for small business consulting include the following:

• Responding to business inquiries regarding different technology solutions that reduce the spread of COVID-19 or improve a business’s online presence.
• Helping businesses select and implement technology solutions that reduce the spread of COVID-19 or improve a business’s online presence.
• Helping business operators make sense of and utilize data made available by technology solutions that reduce the spread of COVID-19 or improve a business’s online presence.
• Creating reports that show the impact of small business consulting services.

The selected organizations will be awarded up to $30,000 each in CARES Act funding for providing business consulting services. 

The City received $40 million in CARES Act funding to support relief and community recovery and resiliency. Last month, the Long Beach City Council allocated CARES Act funds to support a number of important community activities and programs, including funding for business recovery and resiliency efforts.

The City continues to develop strategies to support segments of the community affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and will release additional requests for proposals funded by CARES Act dollars to further those efforts. 

Additional details related to scope areas, eligibility requirements and submission instructions are available at PlanetBids. For more information about business assistance and resources, go to the Business Support webpage or contact the City’s Business Hotline at 562.570.4BIZ. 

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep its residents safe, visit longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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