Financial Empowerment Center Services

The Vendor is required to provide for the full operation of the financial empowerment center (FEC), including but not limited to:
•    Hiring, training, and supervising at least 1 certified financial counselors
•    Providing free, confidential, one-on-one financial counseling
•    Offering services in English and Spanish at minimum
•    Utilizing approved FEC data and outcome tracking systems
•    Conducting outreach and community engagement
•    Aid the nonprofit provider and local government in marketing the program as necessary; and,
•    Successfully complete and pass counselor training.
- Requirements
•    Services shall include but not limited to the following: retaining staff, securing counseling sites, providing counseling services and day-to-day management.
•    Required to pay the salary and benefits for the program manager from September 2026 through June 30, 2027. 
•    This said salary and benefits shall not be supplied by the funding awarded through this contract.
•    Be required to pay the salary and benefits for one financial counselor from September 2026 through June 30, 2027. 
•    This said salary and benefits shall not be supplied by the funding awarded through this contract.
•    Begin providing counseling services in accordance with any resultant contract no later than September 1st, 2026. 
•    Provide counseling sessions in multiple locations within the city. 
•    The locations, as agreed upon by the successful applicant and the city must meet the following requirements:
o    Geographic areas within close proximity to the MST bus route,
o    Compliant with the Americans with disabilities act.
o    Public building; and
o    Where partner organizations are located.
•    Provide access to translation and interpretation services. 
•    Must provide counseling services on evenings and weekends, and provide telephone and digital based counseling services as agreed upon by the successful applicant and the city. 
•    Financial counselors should have a minimum of two years of work experience, with some background in finance, financial education, counseling and coaching, or social service delivery. 
•    Counselors should also have expertise in one of the following: financial services, social work, financial planning coaching and mentoring, teaching, or other related fields. 
•    Financial counselors should ideally be bilingual, speaking English as well as one other language prevalent in the geographic areas or target populations they serve. 
•    The successful applicant’s program manager and counselors must complete training from a “CFE certified training partner”, including a code of ethics training. 
•    The successful applicant’s counselors must take and pass a cities for financial empowerment fund (CFE) approved training (based on CFE fund standards) and undergo continuing education. 
•    Training shall include cultural and socioeconomic competency courses. 
•    The successful applicant must provide the city with proof that its employees have completed all the required trainings, specifically counselor certificates and signed code of ethics forms. 
•    Shall retain staff, secure counseling sites and provide day-to-day management in accordance with the following requirements: 
•    Implement the financial empowerment center (FEC) model requirements including but not limited to, free one-on-one counseling, integration with a range of services, counselor training based on the CFE fund’s training standards, data collection, and active partnership with the city, to manage the work. 
•    Must meet benchmarks on average number of financial counseling sessions per full-time counselor and average number of outcomes per full-time counselor.
•    Provide a full-time program manager who will oversee the delivery of the financial counseling and coaching and serve as the main contact person between the successful applicant and the city. 
•    The program manager shall perform at a minimum the following services;
o    Supervise overall program implementation, and management; and support service delivery, including monitoring efforts and troubleshooting. 
o    Provide oversight of financial counselors and their work, including but not limited to service delivery, counselor training and code of ethics adherence, data entry and progress towards target goals. 
o    Update the city on all organizational staffing matters that could impact the FEC initiative.