REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Expanding and Enhancing Access to McLean County’s Sexual Assault Crisis Center
Brief Project Overview
YWCA McLean County, founded in 1908, has always been committed to serving the ever-evolving needs of the community, including the addition and expansion of services. YWCA established Stepping Stones, McLean County’s sexual assault crisis program, more than twenty years ago due to an unmet community need.
Stepping Stones is a free, confidential program providing medical and legal advocacy as well as counseling (individual, group, EMDR, and tele-therapy) for sexual assault, abuse, and stalking survivors as well as their loved ones. Our highly trained staff and volunteers are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Stepping Stones community educators work with schools, churches, and businesses to provide education about a variety of prevention topics, including Erin’s Law and sexual harassment. We staff a 24-hour hotline and provide 24-hour medical advocacy for survivors at the hospital upon reporting assault or abuse.
Since the inception of the program, an increased number of survivors continue to seek services, with staffing quadrupling to meet that need. In order to meet this increasing need, YWCA McLean County has been planning for an expansion and renovation of the Stepping Stones program space in our building.
Organization’s Background
Our current facility was built for programs that existed in 1975, with the first floor being constructed for health and fitness services. For more than 20 years, YWCA has adapted the current building to provide Stepping Stones programming, turning these health and fitness spaces into offices, volunteer training spaces, and counseling rooms.
We seek to create a more accessible, confidential, and appropriate space for Stepping Stones clients and their loved ones. The program began in 2002 with one counselor – we now employ five full-time counselors, one-part time counselor, three advocates, four prevention educators, five graduate interns and several 40-hour trained volunteers.
YWCA McLean County also has several other programs that share the same building: Young Wonders, RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program), Labyrinth Made Goods, Strive, and Mission Impact. The amount of programs and shared spaces create challenges to Stepping Stones such as noise disruptions and confidentiality concerns. The new floor plan minimizes client interactions with other programs and increases counseling spaces, sound proofing, etc.
timeline
June 1, 2023
RFP announced
June 30, 2023
Submissions Due
July 1, 2023-July 15, 2023
YWCA Review
Present decision and receive approval
from YWCA Board of Directors
by or before August 3, 2023.
submission process
Point of Contact
Submit quotes and all required
information above or email Liz German
at lgerman@ywcamclean.org
Evaluation and Selection Process:
Selection of a contractor will be based on
several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience and the cost and timeline proposed. YWCA McLean County reserves the right to reject any or all submittals and to negotiate if deemed appropriate.
Rejection of Proposals:
The bidder acknowledges the right of
YWCA McLean County to reject any or all proposals/bids, and to waive non-material informality or irregularity in any proposal or bid received.