Georgetown BID Technical Assistance Program: COVID-19
Overview
The Georgetown Business Improvement District has contracted with CPA firms and lawyers to advise BID member businesses that are suffering as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and need technical assistance to understand and apply for government assistance, or other legal or financial advice to get through the crisis.
This program is intended primarily to help those BID member businesses that do not know where to turn for assistance and may not have the resources to get the help they need. If you are a Georgetown BID member and would like to engage a technical assistance consultant, please fill out this request form.
The BID will connect your business with an adviser and you will enter into an agreement with the BID and with the adviser describing the terms and conditions of this service. The BID will pay for initial consultation and advice, not to exceed $1,200 per member – equivalent to three to six hours of consultation, depending on the consultant and level of expertise your business requires. The BID has a limited budget for this program and will try to accommodate as many businesses as possible.
*The Digital Marketing Assistance Program is an extension of the Technical Assistance Program. If you are interested in that program, please click here.
Why is the BID Offering This Program?
The BID recognizes that many small businesses may not have access to professional accounting and legal advice, and there are a myriad of federal relief programs available. The BID is offering this program to help businesses understand the federal assistance programs, determine which one might be best for their business, and submit their applications. This program is intended primarily to help those BID member businesses that do not know where to turn for assistance and may not have the resources to get the help they need.
Eligibility
If you run a business and are a Georgetown BID member, you are eligible to request services.
How to Apply
Submit a request here. The BID will evaluate your request, and if you are approved, you will be sent two documents to sign. One is an agreement between your business and the BID, and the second is an agreement between your business and the advisor that we have assigned to you. You will be given a contact number or email to reach out to and should hear back from an advisor within 24 hours.
If you have questions, email us at TAProgram@georgetowndc.com. Please include a phone number where we can reach you. We will try to get back to you within 24 hours.
Assistance Determination & Notification
The BID would like to be able to assist every business that applies for advisory services. However it has approved a limited budget of $150,000 for this program. Applications will be evaluated based on need and availability of funding. There is no guarantee that an application will be approved.
Our goal is to evaluate applications and match those who are approved with an advisor within four days of receiving an application.
Program Cost
The BID will pay for up to the first $1,200 of services for each member that is approved. This covers approximately three to six hours of consultation, depending on the consultant and the level of expertise that your business requires. Additional services may be procured from the advisor but will be billed to the business.
Advisor Selection & BID Role
The BID released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to several CPA firms and attorneys, and selected advisors based on their responses, qualifications, and references.
You will fill out a form that asks you to specify what type of help you need. Our staff will do its best to match you to an advisor that possesses the skills and knowledge you need.
The BID will not have any role or responsibility after connecting you with an advisor other than paying for the agreed amount of services. The BID will not have access to your business’s financial information or the advice that an advisor provides you, unless you explicitly share that information with the BID. The BID does not guarantee the quality of the service you may receive and is not responsible for any errors or losses that may occur as a result of the advice.
Contract Requirements
Businesses will sign an agreement with the advisor outlining the terms and conditions under which the services are provided. You are not obligated to pay for services beyond what the BID will pay, though you are free to do so at your discretion, if you wish to use more than $1,200 of services. You are also not obligated to accept or act on any advice that may be provided to you.
In order to receive services through this program you will sign an agreement with the BID in addition to the agreement you sign with the advisor. This agreement will simply lay out the term under which the BID will pay the costs of your advisor and make clear that the BID is not responsible for any advice given.
Questions
You can email us at TAProgram@georgetowndc.com. Please include a phone number where we can reach you. We will try to get back to you within 24 hours.