When a need arises for community outreach or engagement services, Hennepin County departments have access to a list of organizations who provide these services.

Additional program details:

• Contract opportunities selected for this program are not advertised and are only available to firms on the roster.
• Organizations indicate their area(s) of expertise by selecting the types of community engagement work they are qualified to perform.
• Each organization is required to sign an agreement with the legal terms for working with Hennepin County before being added to the roster.
• When an organization submits a proposal for a specific job, they will be required to verify they are qualified to perform the type of work needed by the county.
• Getting on the roster is not a guarantee of work.

Small business preference

The county gives first consideration to small and emerging small businesses certified by Central Certification (CERT) Program. Eligibility for the emerging small business enterprise (ESBE) program is the same as small business enterprise (SBE) qualifications, except the size standard for ESBE eligibility is greatly reduced.

CERT is a small business certification program administered by the county, and several other local governments in the metro region. It certifies small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses. To apply to become CERT certified visit the CERT website.

Organizations need to complete the application process to be added to the roster. Applications for participation in the community engagement roster program are accepted continuously. Getting on the roster is not a guarantee of work. 

Steps for getting on the roster

Step 1

1. Complete all fields on the community engagement roster application form. For detailed instructions on how to complete the application watch this YouTube video. 

• If your organization is certified by CERT as a small business, indicate it on the application form.
• Carefully read the description for each area of expertise and select all of the areas that apply to your business
• Press the submit button

2. You will receive an email from Hennepin County acknowledging your application was received. If any additional information is needed you will be contacted by a county representative.

Step 2

A principal agreement (PDF) will be emailed to the person in your organization with signing authority as indicated on your application form.

Things to note:

• The email will be from Hennepin County Purchasing with the subject line: Signature requested on <Contract ID - description>.
• The email is sent from the address 'adobesign@adobesign.com'
• Additional information on electronically signing a contract can be found in the guide signing a Hennepin County contract (PDF).

The principal agreement establishes the terms, conditions, and technical provisions related to the community engagement roster program. It is valid for five years from execution.

Step 3

Once all required signatures are obtained, a copy of the principal agreement will be sent to you via email. At this point you will be eligible to be solicited for community engagement contract opportunities.

You may update contact information and areas of expertise at any time by submitting an updated application form or sending an email to engagementroster@hennepin.us.

Other contract opportunities

We will continue to post other contract opportunities on the Supplier Portal. Learn more about the Supplier Portal.

Getting on the roster is not a guarantee of work. Organizations may receive work by submitting proposals in response to roster engagement opportunities. They may also be directly selected to perform work for the county. In either case, the county will reach out with next steps as follows:

Notice of award

The county will send an email to the organization notifying them that they have been selected to perform work. It will outline what is required before the county can award a work order contract.

Work order contract

The organization(s) chosen to perform the work will be awarded a work order contract. The work order is an electronically signed document that will describe the specific details of the job that needs to be done. The county and the vendor are required to follow the terms and conditions in both the principal agreement and the work order contract. An organization can be awarded multiple work order contracts under the principal agreement. 

The work order will not be routed for signatures until the organization has fulfilled all requirements in the notice of award.

Insurance

Vendors must have the appropriate level of insurance in place before they can start work. Insurance requirements for the program are lower than the county's standard contracts. The requirements are outlined in the principal agreement that organizations sign when applying to be on the roster. 

The county does not require organizations on the roster to provide proof of insurance until the organization is selected for work. If the organization does not already have insurance on file with the county, proof of insurance will be requested. The county must have a certificate of insurance issued from an insurance company. 

The certificate must:

• List Hennepin County as additional insured
• List Hennepin County as the certificate holder
• Be signed by the insurance agency
• Be dated close to the current date

Diversity and inclusion

Contracts over $100,000 have diversity and inclusion requirements, which vary by contract type. Organizations may be asked to provide documentation that they are meeting the requirements. For more information see the Reducing disparities through contracting section. 

Program overview

• PowerPoint from the training session (PDF)
• Video of the training session (YouTube)
• Questions and answers document (PDF)

How to submit a proposal

• PowerPoint from the training session (PDF)
• Video of the training session (YouTube)

Using plain language to write effective proposals

• Short video training (YouTube)

We plan on hosting additional training sessions in the future. Check back here or email engagementroster@hennepin.us to be notified of new training opportunities.

On the application form you will be asked to identify your areas of expertise based on the following categories. For help completing the application email engagementroster@hennepin.us.

Types of engagement services you provide

Communications

• Creating and implementing communications for a community audience
• Reviewing county communications and making recommendations for community friendly communications
• Amplifying county messaging to community networks.

Community assessment research

Research community for a specific project such as:

• Demographics
• Languages groups
• Cultural groups
• Key stakeholders and other key information – qualitatively and quantitatively

Community storytelling

Document community voice through social media, video, and in writing.

Engagement planning

Create plans for specific projects that includes strategic approaches and outcomes for authentic engagement.

Engagement training

Run training sessions on engagement services skills including cultural diversity and inclusion.

Engagement report on activities and outcomes

Document community engagement outcomes and activities in a report form.

Event planning and implementation

Create and implement community events that successfully engage the community(s) of focus and achieve the identified outcomes.

Facilitation

Facilitate, virtual and in-person:

• Meetings
• Listening sessions
• Open houses
• Focus groups
• Large group community meetings, and
• Other engagement sessions

Implement and lead engagement plan

Lead and manage a community engagement plan.

Mediation

Manage the interaction between community and county along with facilitating open communication that navigates tensions and conflicts.

Other services

Describe other community engagement services you provide on the application.

My organization is a topic expert on these issues

• Community Economic Development
• Community Safety
• Criminal Justice System
• Education
• Employment
• Environment
• Health
• Housing
• Racial Equity
• Transportation
• Other – describe other topic expertise on the application

Communities you serve

• African Immigrant – if selected the following options appear:
  • Somali
  • Kenyan
  • Sudanese
  • Liberian
  • Oromo
  • Nigerian
  • Other – please describe
• Asian Pacific Islanders – if selected the following options appear:
  • Hmong
  • Lao
  • Vietnamese
  • Chinese
  • Thai
  • Karen
  • Asian Indian
  • Other – please describe
• Black/African American
• Elders/seniors
• Latino/Hispanic
• LGBTQIA
• Native American and Alaska Native
• People experiencing homelessness
• People with disabilities
• Russian
• Youth
• Other – please describe

Languages you provide services in

• American Sign Language (ASL)
• Chinese
• English
• French
• Hmong
• Lao
• Oromo
• Russian
• Somali
• Spanish
• Swahili
• Thai
• Vietnamese
• Other – please describe

Hennepin County districts you serve

District 1

Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, New Hope, Osseo, and Robbinsdale

District 2

Golden Valley, Medicine Lake, southeast Plymouth, St. Anthony, and north and northeast Minneapolis, including the North Loop and Bryn Mawr neighborhoods

District 3

St. Louis Park, and parts of southwest Minneapolis

District 4

Minneapolis as its border lines extend south from Downtown to the Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport, west to Highway 35 and east to the Mississippi River; it also includes the Unorganized Territory of Fort Snelling

District 5

Bloomington, Eden Prairie, and Richfield

District 6

Deephaven, northern Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, northern Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland

District 7

Champlin, Corcoran, Dayton, Greenfield, Independence, Loretto, Maple Grove, Maple Plain, Medina, Minnetrista, southern Mound, Rogers, St. Bonifacius, Hanover, northwest Plymouth, Rockford

View the current community engagement roster.

You may update contact information and areas of expertise at any time by submitting an updated application form or sending an email to engagementroster@hennepin.us.