MUNICIPAL BUILDING,
245 DEKOVEN DRIVE
MIDDLETOWN, CT 06457
CITY OF MIDDLETOWN
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
RFP #2026-019
FINANCIAL AGENT FOR MIDDLETOWN PRIDE
CITY OF MIDDLETOWN
Proposals due by: FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026 BY 3:00 PM
QUESTIONS: EMAIL THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT AT purchase@middletownct.gov
DONNA L. FORMATO, CPPB, NIGP-CPP
SUPERVISOR OF PURCHASES
CARL R. ERLACHER
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND REVENUE SERVICES
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Invitation to Submit Proposals
Project Description
Scope of Work
Submission Requirements
Evaluation Criteria
General Terms and Conditions
Proposal Pages
Non-Collusive Statement
Statement of Bidders EEO Compliance
Chapter 26, Contracts
Article I - Equal Opportunity
Appendix B
Insurance Requirements
Bid Return Label
Page
3
4
4-5
5
6
7-9
`
10-11
12
13
14
15
16
2
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT
Sealed proposals, addressed to the Supervisor of Purchases, City of Middletown, Room 112, Municipal Building,
Middletown, Connecticut, 06457 will be received until Friday, August 28, 2026 by 3:00 PM for the following:
RFP# 2026-019
FINANCIAL AGENT FOR MIDDLETOWN PRIDE
Middletown Pride is a partnership between the City of Middletown and local anchor institutions such as Middlesex
Chamber of Commerce, Middlesex Health and Wesleyan University. Middletown Pride offers three year round
programs, and holds its flagship event, Middletown PrideFEST, on the first Saturday of June each year. Middletown
PrideFEST is the largest Pride event in the State of Connecticut, attracting 35,000 people to downtown Middletown. The
City of Middletown is accepting proposals from 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) organizations to serve as Middletown Pride’s
Financial Agent. The Financial Agent’s primary responsibilities include the collection, disbursement, and accounting of
funds and providing basic administration for Middletown Pride and its programs.
Proposal documents may be obtained at the Purchasing Office, Room 112, Municipal Building, 245 DeKoven Drive,
Middletown, CT 06457, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. All questions concerning
this proposal should be directed to the Office of the Supervisor of Purchases via email at purchase@middletownct.gov.
Proposal Documents will be mailed to interested parties upon request or may be downloaded directly from
www.middletownct.gov.
Instructions to download Proposal Documents:
Please visit www.middletownct.gov
On the homepage in the dropdown menu under “I want to” under “view” click “Bid Information”
Click on “Currently Bidding” on the left
Click on RFP titled “Financial Agent for Middletown Pride”
The City of Middletown reserves the right to waive any defect in any proposal and reserves the right to reject any or all
proposals or any part thereof. Proposals, amendments to or withdrawals of proposals received after the time set for the
receipt of proposals will not be considered.
All proposals are subject to and must comply with the equal opportunity and non-discriminatory provisions set forth in the
Affirmative Action Plan of the City of Middletown.
Date: 08/05/2026
Middletown, Connecticut
Donna L. Formato, CPPB, NIGP-CPP
Supervisor of Purchases
3
I.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Middletown Pride is a partnership between the City of Middletown and local anchor institutions such as Middlesex
Chamber of Commerce, Middlesex Health, and Wesleyan University. Middletown Pride offers three year-round
programs: (1) the Middletown Pride Grants Program that uses grants to bring LGBTQIA2S+ community organizations and
resources to the City, which has two active grants ongoing; (2) the Middletown Pride Community Events Program led by
the City’s LGBTQIA+ Commission, is a series of monthly social events that provide a safe and welcoming space for local
LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, holding approximately 25 events in the last fiscal year; and (3) the Middletown Pride Scholarship
Program, that in its inaugural year, awarded $10,000 to three (3) LGBTQIA2S+ Middletown residents seeking a graduate
or undergraduate degree. Finally, Middletown Pride’s flagship event is Middletown PrideFEST, which is the largest Pride
event in the State of Connecticut, attracting up to 35,000 people to downtown Middletown on an annual basis. The City
of Middletown is accepting proposals from 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) organizations to serve as Middletown Pride’s Financial
Agent. The Financial Agent’s primary responsibilities include the collection, disbursement, and accounting of funds and
providing basic administration for Middletown Pride and its programs
II. SCOPE OF SERVICES
The selected organization shall operate under and report to the LGBTQIA+ Commission and the Mayor of the City of
Middletown. The following intended scope of services shall be relevant, generally defined as noted below:
1. Fiscal Sponsorship: Serve as the fiscal sponsor for Middletown Pride, and agree to assume administrative,
programmatic, and financial responsibility. The City agrees to assist with the implementation and operation of
Middletown Pride and its events in conjunction with the Financial Agent. The City’s assistance will include
providing the services of City departments in preparation and execution of PrideFEST.
2. Financial Reporting: Provide the City with a quarterly report, or a report upon written request of the City,
which includes an accounting of the year’s expenditures and the current state of the budget for Middletown
Pride.
3. Financial Management, Segregation of Funds, and GAAP Record Keeping: Deposit all funds appropriated by
the City and all funds raised or collected on behalf of Middletown Pride—including sponsorships and
donations—into segregated accounts held by the Financial Agent, ensuring complete administrative and
physical segregation from all other funds and accounts. All collected amounts and disbursements from these
accounts shall be used solely to support, implement, and pay for costs incurred directly by Middletown Pride’s
events and activities, less administrative charges agreed upon in writing between the Financial Agent and the
City. The Financial Agent shall maintain all financial records relating to Middletown Pride in strict accordance
with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), retain all such records for the duration required by
applicable law, and make them readily available to auditors and City officials upon request.
4. Partner Planning Meetings: Representatives of the Financial Agent will attend planning meetings with
representatives of the partners of Middletown Pride as follows: bi-weekly meetings from September 1 –
December 31 each year, and weekly meetings from January 1 through the first Saturday of June each year.
5. Commission and Executive Meetings: Representatives of the Financial Agent will attend LGBTQIA+
Commission Meetings once per month and meet with the Mayor as requested.
6. Main Street Flag Coordination: Coordinate with City officials regarding putting up Pride flags on Main Street in
advance of PrideFEST.
7. Website Domain, Hosting, and Email Administration: Manage, administer, and pay all associated fees for the
middletownpride.org domain, its website hosting, and all associated organizational email accounts. The
4
Financial Agent/Vendor shall assume full administrative and financial responsibility for maintaining these
digital assets and ensuring their continuous, uninterrupted operation.
8. Vendor Infrastructure: Maintain vendor management infrastructure.
9. Primary Website and Social Media Content Management: Manage, create content for, and update the
Middletown Pride website and social media channels for all primary events, including Middletown PrideFEST,
the Pride Pop-Up Shop, and the Pride Kick-Off Event. This includes developing a comprehensive social media
plan leading up to Middletown PrideFEST, drafting and issuing press releases, responding promptly to social
media inquiries in a manner consistent with the Middletown Pride brand, formatting newsletters provided by
the City of Middletown for email distribution, and executing all other marketing, media outreach, and social
media campaigns for these primary events in a timely manner.
10. Vendor Registration and Application Management: Create, coordinate, and manage all Middletown PrideFEST
applications and registrations for emcees/hosts, DJs, performers, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, marchers, and
all other participants. Direct all participating event vendors to obtain all necessary permits and licenses from
the Middletown Health Department and Middletown Police Department prior to the events.
11. Event Vendor and Personnel Coordination: Coordinate, communicate, and manage logistics with all event
vendors, performers, staff, volunteers, and other personnel as needed to ensure the successful execution of
the Pride Kick-Off event, the Pride Pop-Up Shop, and Middletown PrideFEST.
12. Primary Event Execution: Coordinate with the City of Middletown, partners of Middletown Pride, grant
recipients, and other groups and entities, to create, coordinate, and each year run one Pride Pop-Up Shop, a
Pride Kick-Off Event, and Middletown PrideFEST—including its respective components: the Pride March, Pride
Rally, Pride Showcase Concert, and Tea Dance on Main.
13. Community Outreach: Perform outreach to the organizations and individuals within Middlesex County and the
State of Connecticut to inform them of Middletown Pride and its events, and to coordinate outreach to local
community groups for Pride participation and future collaboration.
14. Limited Logistical Support for Secondary Events: Provide limited logistical support to the LGBTQIA+
Commission’s execution of secondary events (events other than Middletown PrideFEST, the Pride Pop-Up
Shop, and the Pride Kick-Off Event). This limited support is restricted to: posting and responding to questions
on social media using pre-approved assets, making basic informational updates to the website as requested,
paying event-related bills as needed, and providing access to program equipment as required.
15. Merchandise Management: Purchase, organize, manage, and store all Middletown Pride merchandise and
other items, and sell such merchandise year-round.
16. Economic and Cultural Impact: Work with the downtown business community to ensure Middletown Pride
has a significant economic and cultural impact.
17. Security and Public Safety Coordination: Work with the Mayor’s Office, Public Works, Police, Fire, and EMS to
ensure security for events.
The Financial Agent will be contracted for a period of five (5) years. Work is expected to increase as the date of
PrideFEST approaches in June and is lessened from July - December. It is expected that the selected organization will
respond to questions from all parties in a timely fashion during the term of the contract.
5
This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
