STEPS Program
Program Background
The Strategic Technical Expertise for the Public Sector (STEPS) program is the primary mechanism for communities in Colorado to access C3-funded technical assistance for circularity planning. STEPS assists local governments, tribes, and public K-12 school districts with efforts to enhance circularity, including averting and diverting waste, by implementing sustainable, long-term solutions that meet the unique needs of each community.
The STEPS program offers a range of support from resources and workshops to multi-month direct consulting support. Technical assistance provided to communities across Colorado is aligned with the C3 Enterprise's mission of supporting Colorado’s path to circularity.
Technical support is provided by the C3 Outreach and Technical Assistance staff and a contractor team led by Resource Recycling Systems (RRS).
The STEPS program has replaced the Front Range Waste Diversion (FRWD) Technical Assistance Service Provider (TASP) program.
No Direct Cost to Communities
There is no direct cost to communities that receive STEPS consulting support. The C3 Enterprise covers the cost of STEPS assistance, but communities must commit staff time to support the proposed project. In some instances, communities may be asked to cover printing costs, the cost of translation and/or interpretation services, or other in-kind contributions that support the work conducted by the STEPS team.
Who Should Apply
Communities that have received RREO, FRWD, or C3 funding in the past are eligible for STEPS support.
Towns, cities, counties, unincorporated areas, tribes, and public K-12 school districts are eligible to apply.
Communities may apply independently, or multiple towns, cities, and/or counties can work together on a joint project.
Communities must be located in Colorado. There is no minimum or maximum community size (population).
Private entities and nonprofits are not eligible for STEPS but may be eligible for C3 funding, or receive private sector assistance through C3-supported programs such as NextCycle Colorado and the Circular Economy Development Center.
Types of Support
STEPS provides communities with a range of technical assistance options. The program meets communities where they are today.
No applications are required to receive STEPS assistance. OTA team members will help the community identify whether they are in need of light-touch or in-depth technical assistance during office hours.
Light-touch Technical Assistance
Short-term technical assistance for smaller projects taking only 1 – 6 months to complete and requiring 50 or fewer hours of consulting support.
Light-touch technical assistance may be offered after an office hour appointment with the C3 Outreach and Technical Assistance (OTA) team. No proposal or approval by the C3 Board of Directors is required.
In-depth Technical Assistance
Comprehensive technical support for complex, large-scale projects taking up to 18 months to complete and requiring more than 50 hours of consulting.
In-depth projects are considered following an invitation to submit a proposal to the C3 Board of Directors. The STEPS team will help communities develop project proposals. Proposals require a “Letter of Engagement” signed by a designated signatory from the community.
Project Eligibility
Examples of the types of projects that STEPS can support include, but are not limited to:
Waste diversion action plans
Recycling drop-off center analysis, design, and planning
Organics diversion program design and implementation
Policy design and implementation, including hauler licensing
Zero-waste programming support
Regional planning
Contracting and RFP support
Education, outreach, and engagement, including stakeholder engagement
And many others!
STEPS may help communities identify capital funding opportunities, but does not directly fund capital projects, diversion equipment, rolling stock, or other purchases. Communities interested in capital funding should submit a C3 funding opportunity application.
Next Steps
Request an office hour appointment with a C3 Outreach and Technical Assistance staff member to learn more about STEPS, discuss project ideas, and determine whether your project requires light-touch or in-depth technical assistance.