Regional Marketplace Technology Partner Request for Information

The Health Foundation of South Florida (HFSF) and the South Florida Anchor Alliance (SFAA) are releasing this addendum to the Request for Information (RFI) originally issued in April 2024 as it continues the process of reviewing and ultimately, selecting a technology partner to operate the SFAA Regional Marketplace.

Timeline:

Release of RFI + RFI Addendum: December 23, 2024

Deadline for Submission of Responses:  January 24, 2025

Questions:

Responses to questions will be posted to the South Florida Anchor Alliance (SFAA) website weekly, and the responding entity is responsible for monitoring this site for posting response(s). Questions should be sent to [email protected]. The deadline to submit questions is 5pm January 20, 2025.

Sfaa Regional Marketplace

Launched in 2023, the South Florida Anchor Alliance Regional Marketplace is a free, online platform designed for local small businesses to access contracting and purchasing opportunities from participating Anchor Members. The Health Foundation of South Florida, the region’s largest philanthropic organization focused on achieving health equity, has invested $1.4 million through its South Florida Anchor Alliance initiative to develop the SFAA Regional Marketplace and help increase access to procurement opportunities for local small businesses

SFAA Regional Marketplace Update

As the South Florida Anchor Alliance (SFAA) Regional Marketplace initiative moves beyond its pilot phase, our focus now shifts to shaping a long-term technology strategy that supports continued growth, sustainability, and impact.
Building on key successes from the pilot—such as strengthened collaboration among anchor institutions, expanded opportunities for local and small businesses, centralized procurement data, and the creation of a nationally replicable model—SFAA is advancing a unified vision for the Regional Marketplace that continues to drive meaningful economic outcomes across South Florida.
At this time, no action is required from Small and Local bisinessess who participated in the pilot. We will keep you informed of our progress as we move forward, and we remain committed to our shared goal of increasing access to procurement opportunities for local and businesses.

As we prepare for this transition, we’re pleased to offer additional resources to support your growth. The South Florida Anchor Alliance has developed a Small Business Capacity Assessment Tool, along with free technical assistance, to help your business prepare for and successfully compete for contracts.

You can access the Small Business Capacity Building Assessment Tool here.

SFAA REGIONAL MARKETPLACE 2023 RESULTS

11,509

Vendors Uploaded

1,769

Vendors Activated

2,654

Vendor Matches Made to RFP Opportunities

1,104

RFPs Posted

Participating anchors

HOW IT WORKS: SFAA REGIONAL MARKETPLACE

Are you a registered vendor with one of the 11 South Florida Anchor Alliance Regional Marketplace Anchor Members? The 11 SFAA Regional Marketplace Anchor Members include Broward College, Broward County, Broward County Public Schools, Broward Health, The City of Miami, FIU, Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade County, Miami Dade County Public Schools, UHealth, and the University of Miami.

If so, a unique vendor profile has been created in your name. Follow the steps below to activate your account:

1. Visit https://app.avisare.com/reset-password and enter your email address. 2. Click the green “Request Password Reset” button. 3. If the email address entered is not in the system, a red box that reads “Sorry your email was not found in the system” will appear. You can contact Avisare Customer Service for assistance.

QUESTIONS?
Contact Customer Service directly via the Live Chat at https://app.avisare.com/ or via email at [email protected]

Led by Broward College, in partnership with Prospera and the Small Business Development Center, the Anchor Alliance provides local small businesses with guidance and access to an ecosystem of resources to strengthen their capacity to do business with anchor members.

STEP 1: WE ASSESS YOUR READINESS
The free assessment tool takes just 5 minutes to complete. Follow the link below to complete your assessment today. See below for more details on the readiness stages.

ASSESS YOUR READINESS TO BID ON ANCHOR ALLIANCE MARKETPLACE CONTRACTS TODAY!

STEP 2: WE CONNECT YOU TO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Broward College will refer your small businesses to either the Florida Atlantic University Small Business Development Center (for Broward-based businesses) or to Prospera (for Miami-Dade based businesses) to provide technical assistance in the areas of administration, finance, marketing, research and development, and project management. Then, we monitor your progress. Our goal is to assist your small businesses in strengthening your operations and being ready to compete and win RFPs.

Administration

Finance

Marketing

Research & Development

Project Management

WHAT ARE THE STAGES OF READINESS TO WIN BIDS ON THE REGIONAL MARKETPLACE?

READY NOW

  • Certified, pre-qualified, aggregate level capacity (maximum $ amount), licensed
  • Bonding capacity & insured, workers comp, startup capital or access to line of credit; understands bidding/pricing
  • Understands procurement processes (including pre-bid); belonging to trade associations
  • Conducts research and or is willing and has the capacity to do it
  • Has experience bidding/pricing, experience, and threshold (aggregate capacity)
  • Inventory management is maintained *For Goods & Services and Non-Professional Services, Bonding capacity may not be needed

READY SOON

  • Certified, pre-qualified and any level of completion on the following processes: aggregate level capacity (maximum $ amount), licensed
  • Bonding capacity & insured (if relevant for the trade),workers comp, and fundable if they do not have start-up capital or access to line of credit; has never had to do pricing as they have never bid before
  • Limited knowledge of procurement processes (including pre-bid); belonging to trade associations and has some connections
  • Willing but needs access to resources to learn and conduct research
  • Has never bid/done pricing or has attempted and failed
  • Has the willingness and capacity to learn

NOT READY YET

  • Not certified, pre-qualified
  • Has never had to do pricing as they have never bid before
  • Limited knowledge of procurement processes (including pre-bid); may belong to trade associations and has some connections
  • Willing but needs access to resources to learn • Has never bid/done pricing or has attempted and failed experience
  • May need accounting support

NOT READY

  • Not certified, pre-qualified
  • Does not work in an industry that is in demand with anchors
  • Has never had to do pricing as they have never bid before
  • May need accounting support
  • Limited knowledge of procurement processes (including pre-bid); may belong to trade associations and has some connections
  • Willing but needs access to resources to learn
  • Has the willingness to work with Anchors but has not researched opportunity
  • Has never bid/done pricing

The South Florida Anchor Alliance Regional Marketplace uses your vendor profile information for business matching to provide you with suggested matches for RFPs and other procurement opportunities. The more robust you make your business profile, the more likely you are to get “matched” to opportunities that are right for your business.

Updating your vendor profile is easy. You can take advantage of any or all of the enhancements below, making your profile more competitive:

  • Customize your header Image
  • Provide a detailed company description
  • Add your certifications
  • Develop a capabilities statement
  • Add core business documents (needed for most RFPs)
  • Add case studies (if available)
  • Add references or business contacts
  • Add customers (current or past) If you are not a registered vendor with one of these anchor institutions, you can still register in the South Florida Anchor Alliance Regional Marketplace platform.

Need more information about participating in the SFAA Marketplace? View this webinar on YouTube featuring representatives from the Anchor Alliance and Avisare. Using existing vendor examples, the video highlights:

1. Activating your account
2. Reviewing marketplace features
3. Building your capacity to bid on RFPs
4. Learn how to bid on RFPs in the Marketplace

VIEW THIS VIDEO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE REGIONAL MARKETPLACE AND HOW TO BEST COMPETE FOR CONTRACTS!