CCOF has received a grant to launch an organic market development campaign, and one part of the project is to develop marketing tools for small and underserved organic farmers (which includes beginning farmers and military veterans as well as historically excluded groups).
CCOF is soliciting assistance in conducting Spanish language outreach to our certified organic producers to gather their responses to a survey on marketing practices and needs.
We are seeking bids for the following three outreach activities:
Activity 1: Review a professionally translated Spanish document of approximately 1,000 words and edit it to reflect local colloquial Spanish;
Activity 2: Survey 77 certified organic operations with Spanish-speaking primary contacts in California’s Central Coast region—specifically Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Santa Clara counties—by organizing one Spanish-language group listening session and reaching out through individual phone calls.
Activity 3: Survey thirteen certified organic operations with Spanish-speaking primary contacts in the Fresno–Tulare region—specifically Fresno, Tulare, Madera, and Merced counties–and nine operations in more distant locations by organizing one Spanish-language group listening session and reaching out through individual phone calls.
Timeline:
This work is to be done on a tight timeline because it is the first step of the entire project and other activities hinge upon it. The deadline to submit bids is March 12. Please reach out if you need additional time to prepare a bid.
We plan to finalize contracts by March 18, for the translation work to be completed by March 25, and for listening sessions be completed by April 30.
Specific expectations for contractors facilitating listening sessions are as follows:
- Secure a location in the Central Coast/Central Valley region for a 1.5-hour Spanish-language listening session at a location, date, and time that complements the agricultural workday.
- Conduct outreach to the list of growers provided by CCOF, inviting them to the listening sessions. Send follow-up outreach and reminders to ensure maximal participation.
- Arrange for food to be served at the listening session as an incentive for participation.
- Collect mileage documentation from participants who must travel more than 10 miles one way to participate and submit to CCOF on a provided form for mileage compensation. CCOF will compensate mileage at the current federal rate.
- Lead the listening session and capture input from attendees on the survey questions. Facilitate the discussion to elicit responses from all participants. Document responses in writing.
- Distribute the demographic portion of the survey on paper and assist attendees with filling it out. Because this portion of the survey gathers baseline data, it will need to be filled out individually by each participant.
- Follow up over the phone with growers on the list who are unable to participate in listening sessions to gather their input.
- Submit all notes and survey responses in writing to CCOF.
Reporting Requirements
Keep detailed logs of activities, hours, personnel, including number of operations contacted; provide collected survey information to CCOF in Spanish and logs and other administrative information in English
Eligibility Requirements
For Activity 1
- Demonstrated ability to translate written Spanish into regional colloquial Spanish
For Activities 2 and 3
- California-based organization or individual with connections to small-scale and underserved producers
- Ability to communicate well with Spanish-speaking growers
- Ability to facilitate group discussion and capture the feedback
- Ability and willingness to operate as an independent contractor and enter into a contract for the scope of work that complies with federal contractor specifications
- For workshops, existing automobile and liability insurance coverage or willingness to secure such insurance
Selection Criteria
A successful applicant will demonstrate capacity and willingness to fulfill the statement of work in the specified time frame.
CCOF strives to support small, veteran-owned, and women-owned business enterprises as well as businesses owned and/or led by historically excluded groups. Please indicate if the applicant meets any of these criteria.
Submission and Contact Information
Please contact Jane Sooby, jsooby@ccof.org, for a complete version of this Request for Proposals to ensure you have all information necessary to make a successful bid.
Please submit a bid that includes rationale for pricing (based on previous work, industry pricing study, federal per diem or other standard rates, etc.), timeline, plan of work, list of deliverables, and two professional references by the close of business on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, to Jane Sooby, Member Services Advocate, CCOF, jsooby@ccof.org, (831) 425-7205.
Questions via phone or email are welcome.