The Office of the Ombuds for Family Child Care Providers is accepting proposals for the 2025 Shaping The Future conference keynote presenter October 17-18, 2025, in Waite Park, MN. The conference is specifically designed for the professional development of licensed family child care providers, their staff and other early childhood educators. Search is for a presenter who demonstrates value and respect for the unique business of family child care, and excitement for the care of young children. Presentation should inspire, motivate, engage, and/or entertain conference attendees. Inclusion of a separate 2-hour training breakout session is optional.

This annual conference brings together licensed family child care providers and leaders from across Minnesota to celebrate, learn, and lead the way in shaping the future of early childhood education. Our attendees represent a culturally rich and diverse community of early educators and caregivers who are deeply committed to the well-being, development, and learning of young children in a mixed-age setting.

For the complete solicitation, please see the above contact information.

The Minnesota Zoo seeks a skilled exhibit preparer to fabricate new, and repair existing exhibit elements, including three- and two-dimensional tactiles and graphics.  Must include installation.  These interpretive elements will be incorporated into the existing aquatic habitat interpretation on the Zoo’s Minnesota Trail and will need to withstand a sheltered outdoor environment and repeated touching by thousands of guests.

The Minnesota Zoological Garden, in Apple Valley, Minnesota, is seeking proposals from qualified firms to conduct comprehensive research on guest experiences. This research will incorporate a variety of assessments which will include guest satisfaction survey(s), intercept interviews, focus groups, and social listening to assess various aspects of the guest experience, including pre-trip planning, ticket purchasing, membership, guest services, food and beverage, retail, programs, and the condition of zoo grounds.

Work is anticipated to start in June 2025.

Please refer to Minnesota State's website for the complete RFP listed under General
Opportunities (https://www.minnstate.edu/vendors/)

The Minnesota Zoo seeks an Evaluation Consultant to lend their expertise to a new empathy-based signage project journey and ultimately develop a turnkey protocol for adopting and applying empathy-based signage frameworks to new projects and evaluating them efficiently and effectively with limited resources.

The State of Minnesota (State), through its Department of Administration’s Real Estate and Construction Services (RECS), requests proposals and fee schedules from firms and individuals (Responder). Responder to provide under the direct supervision of a Professional in the field of building commissioning with a minimum of five (5) years’ experience with the type of work requiring building commissioning. The purpose of this RFP is to create a new Master Contract program.

It is the goal of this RFP to enter into a Professional and Technical Services Master Contract (Master Contract) with Responders meeting the criteria noted under section Proposal Evaluation. Multiple Responders may be offered a Master Contract to perform work. Projects will vary in nature and scope. Most will involve projects of significant size and complexity; however, other services could be used, as needed during design phase, during construction phase, during Occupancy and Operations phase associated to a renovation, new construction and/or mechanical engineering projects.

The Master Contract for Building Commissioning Services program RFP will be available online throughout the five (5) year Master Contract period (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2030).  Responses will only be accepted until April 30, 2030. Responses that meet the pass/fail qualifications will be awarded a Master Contract. 

The Request for Proposals (RFP) is available for download on the Minnesota Department of Administration’s Construction Projects Contracts website at https://mn.gov/admin/government/construction-projects/contracts/building-commissioning/

Prospective responders who have any questions regarding this request for proposal should email the questions to: recs.contract.drafting@state.mn.us, Real Estate and Construction Services, Subject line of email should be labeled: “Questions to Building Commissioning RFP.”

The State is not obligated to complete this RFP and the State reserves the right to cancel this solicitation if it is considered to be in its best interest. This Request for Proposals and Fee Schedules is not a guarantee of work and it does not obligate the State to award any contracts or work orders. The State reserves the right to not use Master Contracts if it is considered to be in its best interest.