Community Outreach and Engagement for BioFabrication Cluster Transportation Equity Study
The Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) requests scope of work and fee proposals for support of the BioFabrication cluster in Manchester. Specifically, ARMI seeks to engage community members in defining the general and specific challenges associated with access and mobility in the Greater Manchester area and within existing and future/proposed Manchester Millyard development.
Applicants must submit one electronic copy (e-mail submission) of the “Proposal” to ARMI at bbbrc@armiusa.org no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 17, 2023.
BACKGROUND
On September 2, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the BioFabrication Cluster as one of 21 winners of the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC). Administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Agency (EDA), the BBBRC challenged communities to identify a set of interconnected investments that could transform their local economic, expand economic opportunity and competitiveness, and create thousands of good jobs.
The BioFabrication Cluster, led by the City of Manchester, received approximately $44 million in grants to create jobs in the biomedical manufacturing field while establishing Southern New Hampshire as the global epicenter for the production and distribution of regenerative tissues and organs. The largest programmatic (non-construction) element of this funding is the Work & Learn Program.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Work & Learn Program: Led by Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in partnership with the University of New Hampshire (UNH), Manchester Community College (MCC) and ARMI, the Work & Learn Program will provide training, work-study programs, and other career and technical education pathways in biofabrication. By focusing on removing barriers to access such as technology, transportation, and language, the Work & Learn Program aims to have at least 30 percent of direct new jobs created filled by area residents most in need, increasing their ability to earn a family-supporting wage.
The Work & Learn Program is launching an Equity Advisory Committee (EAC) composed of representatives from community organizations and other groups that work directly with the program’s target underserved populations.
Transportation Equity Study: Transportation is one of the key barriers historically underserved and marginalized populations face in accessing family supporting wages. In order to ensure access to education and opportunity in the BioFabrication Cluster, ARMI and the City of Manchester are sponsoring a transportation equity study through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe). The study will identify and propose strategies to remove transportation barriers for underserved and marginalized populations in the Greater Manchester area.
The majority of jobs created by the BioFabrication Cluster will be located within the Manchester Millyard. In alignment with EDA’s investment priority of environmentally-sustainable development, the study will also identify and propose strategies to reduce reliance on automobiles within the Millyard to provide congestion relief, improved air quality, and safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists.
Community Outreach and Engagement Plan: The development and execution of a community outreach and engagement plan is key to the success of the transportation equity study. This will ensure the voices of the community members and their lived experiences are directly incorporated into defining the specific challenges associated with access and mobility in the Greater Manchester area and within the existing and future/proposed Manchester Millyard development.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
It is the intent of this selection process to identify a partner with experience in developing and executing community outreach and engagement plans that incorporate the voices of relevant stakeholders and provide actionable feedback.
Specifically, the Contractor will provide the following services:
- Community Outreach and Engagement: Design and execute a community outreach and engagement plan that centers the voices and wisdom of historically underserved and marginalized populations and synthesizes actionable information to inform enhanced transportation equity in Greater Manchester.
- The design process should include a meeting with Volpe, the Work & Learn Program leads, and relevant EAC members to discuss and solicit input on the community outreach and engagement plan.
- The design process should remain neutral with regard to eventual proposed solutions and focus on ensuring the input of communities throughout the Greater Manchester Area, including those historically marginalized, is effectively represented.
- The design should incorporate publicly available data sources, including on demographics, housing, and transportation, to inform an outreach and engagement approach.
- The plan should develop a schedule of community outreach and engagement activities, in alignment with Volpe’s tasks, to ensure community input is incorporated at various stages of development of the transportation equity study.
- The plan should identify relevant community groups, organizations, and other entities for inclusion in engagement activities, as well as strategies to overcome access barriers (i.e., language, mobility), to ensure all materials and engagement opportunities are available to as broad a range of participants as possible.
- Analysis & Reporting: Lead analytic activities, including information and data gathering, to achieve effective, equtiable representation of Greater Manchester communities. In coordination with Volpe, analyze information and data collected through community outreach and data activities and prepare a final report that identifies themes and proposed solutions for the transportation equity study.
- Activities may include, but are not limited to: focus groups, participant/household interviews, and/or storytelling/first-person short form narratives.
- Volpe will provide materials documenting key details of its deliverables for use in community outreach and engagement activities.
Applicants must submit one electronic copy (e-mail submission) of the “Proposal” to ARMI at bbbrc@armiusa.org no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 17, 2023.
Any questions concerning this “Request for Proposals” should be made to Steven Valentine at (703) 819-0204 or bbbrc@armiusa.org.
The proposal should be limited to three (3) pages of text, plus the addendum materials.
