REQUEST FOR Service Suppliers: DED is making a database of certified distributors to take part within the Launch Loudoun Technical Help Pilot Program from Spring of 2025 to the Fall of 2026. This pilot program will join vetted Launch Loudoun purchasers with an identifiable want for technical help companies with a pre-determined listing of Loudoun-based(1) service suppliers.
TIMELINE:
- Request Launched: Monday, April 7, 2025
- Functions due no later than COB Friday, April 18th, 2025, and needs to be submitted by way of this hyperlink.
- Companies to start Summer season 2025 by way of 2026
This outreach effort is a chance to be chosen as a selected vendor of the pilot program. The aim of this system is to subsidize the fee of companies that get on the coronary heart of the 5 key areas of Launch Loudoun: Gross sales/Advertising, Finance, Authorized, HR/Workforce and Possession/Management. Funds won’t be made for charges related to the on a regular basis price of doing enterprise (e.g. curiosity funds, software charges, debt) or one-time occasions or actions that aren’t working in the direction of stability or progress for the small enterprise. Chosen distributors will likely be paid a backed price of $75.00 per hour for a pre-determined variety of hours with the choice to cost market price for any hours above this system’s accepted restrict.
Enterprise Classes and Focus Areas: Please select not more than 3 focus areas beneath a enterprise class. Please observe that companies who select a number of focus areas beneath a number of classes could also be chosen for just one class or one focus space or under no circumstances. Please select these areas of your enterprise which might be most aligned with the general Launch Loudoun program targets and most becoming for start-up and early-stage companies.
1. Advertising and Gross sales
- Web site creation
- Web site updates
- search engine optimization
- Public Relations
- Promoting – Conventional or Digital
- E-Commerce
- Model creation or replace (together with logos)
- Print or digital supplies – design and print companies
- Grant writing / Proposal writing
- Translation companies
What’s NOT included:
- Occasion Administration
- Branded Supplies – Ordering (Design may be included)
2. Finance
- Bookkeeping – Set-up or ongoing
- Accounting
- Tax preparation or assessment
- Accounting software program help
- Stock or ordering processes or methods
- Credit score builder packages
- Grant writing
- Monetary projections for mortgage or grant functions
What’s NOT included:
- Fee of debt
- Utility charges
- Curiosity funds
3. HR/Workforce
- Writing or evaluating job descriptions
- Employees’ compensation help
- Worker retention packages
- Payroll companies
- Well being and wellness packages
- EAP packages
- Translation companies
What’s NOT included:
- Workforce wage research
- Worker/Proprietor compensation
4. Authorized
- Franchise help/agreements
- Lease or mortgage doc assessment/creation
- Partnership agreements
- Enterprise filings (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, overseas entities and many others.)
- Immigration
- Mental Property
- Employment legislation
- Contract assessment or creation
What’s NOT included:
- Enterprise or actual property litigation
5. Possession/Management
- Management teaching
- Public talking coaching
- Pitch deck or presentation help or coaching
- Gross sales coaching
- Organizational administration/management assessment
- Work/Life stability coaching
- Well being and Wellness packages
What’s NOT included:
- Retreats
- Conferences
- Journey
6. OTHER – This system may also help the next vital areas
- Enterprise Plan – writing, modifying or assessment
- Cybersecurity or different know-how companies
Examples of Initiatives:
- A brand new restaurant proprietor might apply for help with establishing a brand new Level-of-Gross sales system with stock monitoring that connects on to their accounting system. The Technical Companies Pilot Program might help funds to the distributors establishing the gross sales and stock methods and/or the accountant/bookkeeper establishing the brand new accounting system. This system would NOT help the ordering of the stock, uniforms for workers or the charges related to working a Level-of-Gross sales system or the month-to-month subscription for mentioned companies.
- A tech firm has created a brand new widget and is on the brink of market their new product. The corporate might apply for help in getting their widget’s mental property protected in addition to the creation and/or safety of a brand or different creation of different advertising and marketing supplies. This system would NOT help the ordering of the bins or labels for mentioned widget or ongoing or month-to-month upkeep charges for the web site.
- A small medical workplace is on the brink of rent its first staff and applies for help in creating job descriptions and establishing a brand new payroll system that straight connects to their accounting system. This system would help the price for drafting the job descriptions, the set-up price for the payroll system or the work wanted from a bookkeeper or accountant to ascertain the connection to the accounting system. This system would NOT help the month-to-month charges for the payroll system or any salaries or compensation of staff of the enterprise.
All requests to take part from distributors in addition to all requests for monetary help will likely be evaluated in opposition to program standards, Launch Loudoun’s targets, Division of Financial Improvement’s mission, imaginative and prescient and values, County insurance policies and procedures, and ARPA insurance policies and procedures. Loudoun County reserves the precise to approve or deny distributors and/or requests for funding that don’t align with any of the above areas of assessment and at any time within the course of.
Distributors who want to take part should fill out the shape linked beneath and comply with the entire following phrases and circumstances:
- Participation in this system isn’t a assure of choice for any particular person undertaking. An accepted contractor will conduct matchmaking companies that can decide which distributors are most acceptable for every accepted undertaking.
- Adherence to all program, County, State and ARPA tips.
- Be a enterprise providing companies in one of many listed areas and be verified by the Fee of the Income as licensed and in good standing.
- Acceptance of backed price for not more than 10 hours per accepted undertaking.
- Meet with potential program contributors for no multiple hour at no cost to scope the undertaking and supply again to program and consumer an estimate of labor, hours, and costs above the backed price. The aim of this system is that every accepted undertaking has at the least two and not more than 4 distributors matched that can meet with the Launch Loudoun consumer earlier than a call is made(2).
- Full after-project survey and supply knowledge as requested by DED or its chosen contractor pertaining to the accepted undertaking and related work(3).
- Obtain fee for companies by way of digital funds switch.
- Attend at the least one coaching session for this system and be out there for at least two Launch Loudoun Lunch and Learns or different agreed upon occasions the place chosen distributors will be capable of present a quick overview of the companies they provide.
Distributors will likely be requested to decide on areas of specialty (not more than 3) throughout the total program classes. This can guarantee the absolute best matches are made for the accepted initiatives. Distributors interested by this system ought to perceive and be keen to work with Launch Loudoun purchasers who’re new to the method of hiring and retaining service suppliers, and/or early of their enterprise progress. This program’s success relies on clear and ongoing communication between all events collaborating.
Whereas participation in this system doesn’t assure a vendor will likely be chosen for a undertaking, the hope is that distributors even have the chance to fulfill potential new long-term purchasers and construct extra lasting relationships past the pilot program. A subset of the chosen distributors may also have the chance to take part within the Launch Loudoun Small Enterprise Summit on Tuesday, Could 6th and supply a preview of the work they are going to be doing as a part of the pilot program. Chosen distributors will likely be featured on all program supplies and in promotional alternatives by way of DED.
Functions will likely be accepted by way of April 18th at 11:59pm. As soon as the appliance closes all distributors will likely be reviewed and vetted. All candidates will likely be alerted of their standing, and people chosen for participation will likely be requested to decide on a time to attend program coaching. These not chosen might request a response from DED.
SAMPLE APPLICATION:
- Firm Title
- Proprietor Title
- Major Contact for Program (if not Proprietor)
- Cellphone
- Electronic mail
- Enterprise Tackle
- EIN
- Languages – When you have the flexibility to supply companies in languages aside from English and are comfy doing so, please point out these languages beneath:
- What communities do you determine with or think about your self part of? (Non-obligatory)
- Asian-Owned Enterprise
- Black-Owned Enterprise
- Incapacity-Owned Enterprise
- Hispanic-Owned Enterprise
- Minority-Owned Enterprise
- Native American-Owned Enterprise
- Veteran-Owned Enterprise
- Lady-Owned Enterprise
- Web site
- Social media channels
- Narrative: Please briefly describe why you have an interest within the Technical Companies Pilot Program and what you hope to get out of participation. (250 phrases or much less)
Launch Loudoun Overview: Launch Loudoun, a program of Loudoun Financial Improvement (DED), gives experiences and companies for Loudoun entrepreneurs by way of the whole lifecycle of their small enterprise. Discover worth in Day 1 and Day 1,001 by way of large-scale occasions, focused packages, accomplice counseling, and personalised 1-on-1 companies with business specialists. We create an surroundings of success for companies of all sizes and circumstances, focusing on the core focus areas of entrepreneurial enterprise progress: finance, authorized, human sources/workforce, gross sales/advertising and marketing, and possession/management. Loudoun Financial Improvement is worked up to make the most of this program to launch the following #LoudounPossible success story.
To help the Launch Loudoun program, DED was supplied American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)(4) {dollars} to permit programming and occasions to be produced and out there all through the County, supplies supplied in a number of languages, technical help provided to each teams and particular person companies, usher in trainers and audio system in the important thing areas, and help particular instruments for enterprise stability and progress. By way of Launch Loudoun, DED hopes to extend participation by and help for rural, lady and minority-owned enterprise throughout the County.
Since its inception in Could 2023, Launch Loudoun has seen over 3,100 attendees at packages and occasions, served over 293 particular person companies with over 43% of these served being minority-owned.
A constant want that Launch Loudoun hopes to deal with with this pilot program is a devoted referral service that minimizes the fee burden to small companies accessing vital technical help companies. For example, when a enterprise attends a 1-on-1 assembly with DED workers or attends a Launch Loudoun occasion they typically have questions on particular duties or issues they’ve with one of many 5 core focus areas of the Launch Loudoun program(5): finance, authorized, human sources/workforce, gross sales/advertising and marketing, and possession/management. They might need assistance reviewing or executing their first lease, assist writing a marketing strategy or making ready monetary paperwork for his or her first mortgage or grant software, advertising and marketing help to get a web site or e-commerce platform working, accounting help, or different skilled companies.
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(1) Non-Loudoun based mostly companies will likely be thought-about on a case-by-case foundation the place a Loudoun-based enterprise isn’t out there to supply the identical or comparable companies within the chosen class.
(2) Every Launch Loudoun consumer will likely be allowed to use for as much as two initiatives within the core focus areas. Every undertaking may be accepted for as much as 5 hours of service with limitations based mostly on the kind of service requested and the stage of the enterprise making use of for help. Enterprise will likely be recognized by a novel EIN. Enterprise house owners with a number of distinctive companies will solely be accepted for one undertaking for one enterprise and added to a wait listing if funds stay later in this system cycle.
(3) All data supplied to or utilized by DED can and needs to be thought-about a public document for Freedom of Data Act (FOIA) functions. Please attain out to DED previous to your response to debate proprietary or confidential data that could possibly be contained in your response.
(4) The chosen distributors will likely be receiving fee from the County of Loudoun of revenues from the Coronavirus State and Native Fiscal Restoration Funds Program (SLFRF) established beneath the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) pursuant to sections 602 and 603 of the Social Safety Act, as added by Part 9901, Public Legislation 117-2, codified at 42 U.S.C. 802 et. Seq. (March 11, 2021).
The third events use of funds obtained as direct fee from the County pursuant to sections 602(c)(1) and 603(c)(1) of the Social Safety Act will likely be used solely to cowl these prices that:
- Reply to its unfavourable financial impacts, and;
- Have been accepted by County Workers.
Funds obtained as a direct fee from the County pursuant to this settlement should adhere to official federal steering issued or to be issued relating to what constitutes a essential expenditure.
As a situation of receiving the SLFRF funds pursuant to this contract/certification, the chosen vendor shall retain documentation of all makes use of of the funds, together with however not restricted to payroll information, invoices, and/or gross sales receipts and should report on all makes use of of funds, and should keep correct accounting information.
(5) https://biz.loudoun.gov/launch-loudoun/
