Facilitation Policy Development and Community Outreach Professional Services

The vendor required to provide facilitation policy development and community outreach professional services for strategic guidance, structured facilitation, policy expertise, and communications support to ensure an informed, transparent, and community-driven process.
- Facilitation and consensus building
•    Facilitate meetings of the early childhood funding steering committee and any designated subcommittees.
o    Develop and distribute agendas, background materials, and pre-read packets. 
o    Facilitate discussions to ensure balanced participation and productive outcomes. 
o    Record and distribute meeting notes, action items, and decision summaries.
•    Facilitate coordination and information sharing among partners—including first impressions, county, the city of steamboat springs, and other municipal or community entities—to ensure consistent communication, shared understanding of project goals, and alignment on process and timelines. alignment in this context refers to maintaining a shared direction and consistent messaging, while recognizing that full agreement on every issue may not always be possible. 
•    Support collaboration toward a unified vision for sustainable early childhood funding and coordinated public messaging. 
•    Maintain a comprehensive project timeline, tracking milestones, deliverables, and decision points for the ballot exploration process.
•    Provide background and reference materials to support informed committee decision-making. 
•    Assist with public presentations and briefings to local boards, councils, and community organizations. 
•    Facilitate consensus-building discussions, helping participants identify shared goals, address points of concern, and develop unified recommendations.
- Policy development
•    Collaborate with legal counsel and county staff to develop and refine draft ballot language and associated policy documentation.
•    Translate findings from the 2025 county early childhood education opportunities and considerations report and strategic investment plan into locally viable policy options.
•    Research comparable funding models from other state communities (e.g., property tax, lodging tax, special district formation) and provide analysis of statutory and fiscal implications.
•    Develop fiscal projections and decision tools comparing funding mechanisms by potential revenue generation, administrative requirements, and community impact. 
•    Assist in designing governance and accountability structures to ensure transparency and effective administration of any future funding streams. 
•    Work with polling consultants to ensure policy options are appropriately represented and tested for public sentiment and clarity. 
•    Prepare policy summaries and communications materials that translate complex financial and policy concepts into clear, accessible language for public audiences.
- Stakeholder and community engagement
•    Develop and implement a comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan that defines key audiences, desired outcomes, and tailored strategies for engagement and communication.
o    The plan should specify methods for engaging local governments, large employers, small businesses, chambers of commerce, nonprofits, school districts, higher education partners, parent and caregiver groups, and community organizations.
o    The plan should also identify underrepresented voices or geographic areas and outline steps to ensure equitable participation.
•    Use data-driven insights from polling, demographic analysis, and community input to determine which sectors and communities most influence or are affected by early childhood access and affordability.
o    Collaborate with polling partners to analyze data by geography, demographics, language, and industry sector to guide targeted outreach and message development.
•    Establish and maintain a stakeholder engagement database to track participants, affiliations, contact information, and ongoing participation—ensuring transparency and continuity of relationships.
•    Convene structured stakeholder meetings, roundtables, and briefings with identified entities, including county and municipal governments, business and employer groups, parents and caregivers, and community-based organizations.
•    Organize broader community engagement opportunities such as open houses, town halls, and facilitated listening sessions to build awareness and understanding of the initiative among the general public.
•    Develop outreach and communication materials—including presentations, fact sheets, FAQs, and newsletters—that convey consistent, data-informed messages in accessible and culturally appropriate formats. 
•    Ensure bilingual and inclusive outreach, providing Spanish-language materials and interpretation as needed, and employing engagement methods that meet the needs of families, providers, and community members across county’s geography.
•    Collaborate with local media, employers, and civic organizations to expand reach, promote consistent messaging, and reinforce transparency. 
•    Identify and navigate overlapping or complementary community initiatives, such as those related to housing, workforce development, mental health, and family support services.
•    Collect and synthesize engagement feedback to identify emerging themes, opportunities, and concerns, and to inform updates to policy options, ballot language, and community messaging. 
•    Document and evaluate engagement activities, capturing both quantitative metrics (e.g., attendance, geographic reach, stakeholder representation) and qualitative insights (e.g., tone, emerging issues, and overall sentiment).
- Project management and reporting
•    Develop and maintain a detailed project management plan outlining deliverables, milestones, and communication protocols. 
•    Provide monthly progress updates summarizing completed tasks, upcoming activities, and issues requiring attention. 
•    Monitor and manage project budget, including consultant and subcontractor time, travel, and materials. 
•    Coordinate with first impressions staff, county staff, and external partners, ensuring clear communication and efficient workflow. 
•    Prepare concise written reports summarizing findings, stakeholder input, and policy development progress for presentation to the board of county commissioners and other governing bodies as requested. 
•    Provide final project documentation including all deliverables, meeting records, and public-facing materials in an organized digital format at project completion.

- Questions/Inquires Deadline: December 29, 2025