RFP ED Consulting Services

COUNTY OF ALAMEDA
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
for
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING SERVICES
For complete information regarding this project, see Request for Proposal (RFP) posted at County
of Alameda Procurement Portal [https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/acgov] or contact the County
representative listed below.
Thank you for your interest!
Contact Person: Marie Suvansin
Phone Number: (510) 670-6103
Email Address: marie.suvansin@acgov.org
RESPONSE DUE by 5:00 p.m. on May 15, 2026
through
Alameda County Community Development Agency
Economic & Civic Development Department

Specifications, Terms & Conditions
for Economic Development Consulting Services
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING SERVICES
EVENT DATE/LOCATION
Request Issued April 13, 2026
April 20, 2026 @ 1 PM
Proposers Conference
ATTEND ONLINE:
https://bit.ly/4uYGIOa
Written Questions Due via the "Question &
Answer" tab of this project in the April 24, 2026 by 5:00 p.m.
County of Alameda Procurement Portal
List of Attendees April 27, 2026
Questions & Answers Issued May 4, 2026
Addendum Issued [only if necessary to amend RFP] May 4, 2026
Response Due and Submitted via Email May 15, 2026 by 5:00 p.m
Evaluation Period May 15, 2026 - June 1, 2026
Proposer Interviews Week of May 25, 2026
Notice of Intent to Award Issued June 2, 2026
Board Consideration Award Date July 14, 2026
Contract Start Date July 1, 2026
NOTE: All dates are tentative and subject to change.
RFP
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Specifications, Terms & Conditions
for Economic Development Consulting Services
COUNTY OF ALAMEDA
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
SPECIFICATIONS, TERMS & CONDITIONS
for
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING SERVICES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
CALENDAR OF EVENTS ...................................................................................................................... 2
I. STATEMENT OF WORK ........................................................................................................... 4
A. INTENT ................................................................................................................................ 4
B. SCOPE .................................................................................................................................. 4
C. PROPOSER QUALIFICATIONS .............................................................................................. 5
D. DELIVERABLES / REPORTS ................................................................................................... 5
E. PROPOSERS CONFERENCE .................................................................................................. 5
II. COUNTY PROCEDURES, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS ................................................................. 6
F. EVALUATION CRITERIA / SELECTION COMMITTEE ............................................................. 6
G. CONTRACT EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT .................................................................... 10
H. NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD ......................................................................................... 10
I. PROTEST / APPEALS PROCESS ........................................................................................... 11
J. TERM / TERMINATION / RENEWAL................................................................................... 13
K. AWARD .............................................................................................................................. 14
L. INVOICING ......................................................................................................................... 16
M. ACCOUNT MANAGER / SUPPORT STAFF ........................................................................... 16
III. INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS ............................................................................................ 17
N. COUNTY CONTACTS .......................................................................................................... 17
O. SUBMITTAL OF PROPOSALS .............................................................................................. 17
ATTACHMENTS
EXHIBIT A
RESPONSE PACKET
RFP
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Specifications, Terms & Conditions
for Economic Development Consulting Services
I. STATEMENT OF WORK
A. INTENT
The intent of the Specifications, Terms, and Conditions section is to describe the
economic development consulting services that this RFP seeks to procure.
The RFP contains two scopes of work, one for the Economic and Civic Development
Department (ECD) and one for the Surplus Property Authority (SPA). The RFP may result
in the selection of one or multiple Proposers, with separate agreements for ECD and
SPA.
The County intends to award a 3-year contract (with the option to renew for 2 years) to
the Proposer(s) that most conform to the RFP and meet the County's requirements.
The estimated budget for both the ECD and SPA agreements is $300,000 (2-$150,000
agreements).
B. SCOPE
ECD is seeking a Proposer to provide economic development services for the
unincorporated communities in Alameda County, specifically: Castro Valley, San
Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Sunol, and the rural winegrowing region in
unincorporated East County. Services needed will range from analyses of retail market
demand and key development projects and suggestions of innovative approaches to
post-redevelopment financing, to strengthening of efforts to support food-related
businesses and implementation of an upcoming new economic development strategic
plan. The Proposer will also assist ECD with the reuse of former Redevelopment Agency
properties, including the historic Lorenzo Theater and 20095 Mission Boulevard.
Services needed may include the review of proformas for affordable housing and other
developments.
SPA is seeking a Proposer to assist with the disposition of properties. Services needed
include market analysis, Surplus Land Act compliance, assisting in the preparation and
review of requests for proposals, and supporting the preparation of exclusive
negotiation agreements and other disposition-related documents associated with SPA-
owned properties.
Proposers may respond to the scope of work for only ECD, only SPA, or for both ECD and
SPA.
RFP
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Specifications, Terms & Conditions
for Economic Development Consulting Services
C. PROPOSER QUALIFICATIONS
1. PROPOSER Minimum Qualifications
a. Proposer must be regularly and continuously engaged in the business of
providing economic development consulting services for at least 5 years,
which must be clearly stated or demonstrated in the response.
b. Proposer must possess all permits, licenses, and professional credentials
necessary to perform services specified under this RFP. Unless noted
otherwise in the RFP, including any Addendum, Proposer is not required
to submit copies or verification of the permits, licenses and credentials;
however, Proposer must provide such proof if requested by County.
D. DELIVERABLES / REPORTS
1. If and once selected, Proposer must create a scope and budget for specific
projects as requested. The selected Proposer must attend regularly scheduled
meetings as dictated by CDA staff, during which time specific projects will be
determined and discussed. Deliverables that may arise include presentations,
meetings with commissions and stakeholders, and feasibility analyses of various
projects.
E. PROPOSERS CONFERENCE
1. The Proposers Conference on April 20, 2026 at 1 PM will be held remotely:
Teams Meeting:
https://bit.ly/4uYGIOa
Meeting ID: 276 719 763 059 47
Passcode: pK7E7ur7
Dial in by phone
+1 415-915-3950,,540084249# United
States, San Francisco
(888) 715-8170,,540084249# United
States (Toll-free)
2. Information regarding the RFP will be presented during the conference.
3. The Proposers Conference will be held to:
a. Provide an opportunity for Proposers to request clarification on this RFP
and ask specific questions about the project.
RFP
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Specifications, Terms & Conditions
for Economic Development Consulting Services
b. Provide an opportunity for Small Local Emerging Businesses (SLEBs) and
large firms to network and develop subcontracting relationships to
participate in the contract(s) that may result from this RFP.
4. The Proposers Conference Attendees List will be released in a separate
document on the Procurement Portal.
5. Written questions submitted by the stated deadline will be addressed in a
posted RFP Questions and Answers (Q&A) following the Proposers Conference.
Should there be a need to amend or revise the RFP, an Addendum will be issued.
Any verbal statements, including at any Proposers Conference, are not binding.
Only the written documents will be binding.
6. Questions regarding these specifications, terms, and conditions are to be
submitted in writing through the "Question & Answer" tab of this project in the
County of Alameda Procurement Portal by 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2026.
7. Attendance at the Proposer Conference is highly recommended but not
mandatory.
II. COUNTY PROCEDURES, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS
F. EVALUATION CRITERIA / SELECTION COMMITTEE
1. Initial Evaluation (Completeness of Response and Debarment and Suspension).
All proposals will first be reviewed to determine if they pass the initial Evaluation
Criteria (Section A), which are determined on a pass/fail basis.
2. Evaluation by County Selection Committee. All proposals that have passed the
initial Evaluation Criteria will be evaluated by a County Selection Committee
(CSC). The CSC may be composed of County staff and other parties that may
have expertise or experience related to the goods or services that are being
procured. The CSC will score the proposals according to the Evaluation Criteria
set forth in this RFP. Other than the initial pass/fail Evaluation Criteria, the
evaluation of the proposals will be within the sole judgment and discretion of
the CSC.
3. Unrealistic Proposals. Proposers should bear in mind that any proposal that is
unrealistic in terms of the technical or schedule commitments or unrealistically
high or low in cost may be deemed reflective of an inherent lack of technical
knowledge or indicative of a failure to comprehend the complexity and risk of
the County's requirements as set forth in this RFP.
4. Price Discrepancy. In the case of a discrepancy between the unit price and an
extension, the unit price will be used for evaluation purposes.
RFP
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Specifications, Terms & Conditions
for Economic Development Consulting Services
5. Evaluation Criteria Descriptions. The items listed in the Evaluation Criteria
should be considered as minimum requirements. All information contained in a
proposal and presented in proposer interviews will be considered during the
evaluation process and included in scoring within the appropriate Evaluation
Criteria.
6. Evaluation Scores. Proposals will be evaluated and scored on the zero to five-
point scale within each Evaluation Criteria below. Scores for all Evaluation
Criteria (see the section below) will then be added, according to their assigned
weight (below), to arrive at a weighted score for each proposal. A proposal with
a higher-weighted total will be deemed of higher quality than a proposal with a
lesser-weighted total.
7. Shortlist Process. The evaluation process may include a two-stage approach
including a preliminary evaluation of the written proposal and preliminary
scoring to develop a shortlist of Proposers that will continue to the final stage of
interview. All Proposers will be notified of the shortlist participants; however,
the preliminary scores at that time will not be communicated.
8. Reference Checks. The County reserves the right to conduct reference checks
on Proposers who submitted a proposal. The CSC will then score the reference
checks to be included in the final score.
9. Proposer Interviews. The County may in its sole discretion, conduct proposer
interviews. Should the County opt to conduct a proposer interview, the
interview may include responding to standard and specific questions from the
CSC regarding the submitted proposal. The score of any evaluation criterion
below may be revised or informed based on the proposer interview.
10. Final Score. The final maximum score for any procurement is 550 points,
including the possible 50 points for local and small, local and emerging, or local
preference points (maximum 10% of the final score; derived from 5% for local
preference and 5% for either Small and Local or Emerging and Local preference).
Proposals will be ranked by their final scores.
a. With Vendor Interview. In procurements where there are proposer
interviews, the CSC will consider the interview and may adjust the scores
received by the evaluation of the written proposal which, with the
reference scores added, will be the final score.
11. Contact During Evaluation Process. All contact during the evaluation phase
must be through the Community Development Agency only. Proposers must
neither contact nor lobby CSC during the evaluation process. Attempts by
Proposers to contact and/or influence members of the CSC may result in
disqualification of Proposers.
RFP
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Specifications, Terms & Conditions
for Economic Development Consulting Services
12. Determining Award. As a result of this RFP, the County intends to award a
contract to the highest-ranked responsible Proposer(s), as determined by the
combined weight of the Evaluation Criteria, whose response conforms to the RFP
and whose proposal presents the greatest value to the County considering all
Evaluation Criteria. The combined weight of the Evaluation Criteria is greater in
importance than the cost in determining the best value to the County. The
County may award a contract of higher qualitative competence over the lowest
priced response.
13. The zero to five-point scale range is defined as follows:
Non-responsive, fails to meet RFP specifications. The
approach has no probability of success. If the unmet
0 Not Acceptable
specification is a mandatory requirement, this score may
result in the disqualification of the proposal.
Below average, falls short of expectations, is substandard to
1 Poor that which is the average or expected norm, has a low
probability of success in achieving objectives per RFP.
Has a reasonable probability of success; however, some
2 Fair
objectives may not be met.
Acceptable and likely to achieve all objectives in a
reasonable fashion per RFP specification. This will be the
3 Average
baseline score for each item with adjustments based on the
interpretation of the proposal by CSC members.
Better than that which is average or expected as the norm.
Above Average /
4 Excellent probability of success in achieving all objectives of
Good
the RFP requirements and expectations.
Exceeds expectations, is very innovative, clearly superior to
Excellent / that which is average or expected as the norm. Excellent
5
Exceptional probability of success in achieving all objectives and meeting
RFP specifications.
14. The Evaluation Criteria and their respective weights are as follows:
Evaluation Criteria Weight
A. C ompleteness of Response:
Responses to this RFP must be complete. Responses must
address all the requirements identified within this RFP and all
related documents, including any Addenda. Failure to meet the
Proposer Minimum Qualifications may also be considered an Pass/Fail
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Specifications, Terms & Conditions
for Economic Development Consulting Services
incomplete response and may result in the disqualification of the
Proposer.
Debarment and Suspension:
Proposers, its principal, and named subcontractors are not
identified on the list of Federally debarred, suspended, or other
excluded parties located at www.sam.gov/SAM.
Pass/Fail
B. D escription and Understanding of Proposed Services:
How well has the Proposer demonstrated a thorough
understanding of the purpose and scope of the project?
125 Points
C. R elevant Experience:
How much experience does the Proposer have with similar
projects and is the experience relevant?
125 Points
D. M ethodology:
How well does the methodology depict an effective approach to
fulfilling the requirements of the RFP?
125 Points
E. P roposer Interview and Reference Checks
Proposers may be selected for an interview based on a shortlist 125 Points
process. Proposers may also be subject to reference checks.
SMALL LOCAL EMERGING BUSINESS PREFERENCE
Local Preference: Points equaling 5% of Proposer's total score
for the above Evaluation Criteria will be added. This will be the
Proposer's final score for purposes of award evaluation. 5%
Small and Local or Emerging and Local Preference: Points
equaling 5% of Proposer's total score for the above Evaluation
Criteria will be added. This will be the Proposer's final score for
purposes of award evaluation. 5%
RFP
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Specifications, Terms & Conditions
for Economic Development Consulting Services
G. CONTRACT EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT
1. During the initial 120-day period of any contract awarded, the County may
review the proposal, the contract, any goods or services provided, and/or meet
with the Contractor to identify any issues or potential problems.
2. The County reserves the right to determine, at its sole discretion, whether:
a. The Contractor has complied with all terms of this RFP and the contract;
and
b. Any problems or potential problems with the proposed services were
evidenced, which makes it unlikely (even with possible modifications)
that such services have met or will meet the County requirements.
3. If, as a result of such determination, the County concludes that it is not satisfied
with the Contractor's performance under any awarded contract and/or
Contractor's services as contracted for therein, the Contractor may be notified
that the contract is being terminated. The Contractor must be responsible for
returning County facilities to their original state at no charge to the County. The
County will have the right to invite the next qualified Proposer(s) to enter into a
contract. The County also reserves the right to re-bid this project if it is
determined to be in its best interest to do so. The County's right to go to the
next qualified Proposer(s) and/or rebid is not limited by the award of a contract
or the 120-day period.
H. NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD
1. At the conclusion of the RFP response evaluation period, all Proposers will be
notified in writing by email of the contract award recommendation, if any, by
Community Development Agency. The document providing this notification is
the Notice of Intent to Award/Non-Award.
The Notice of Intent to Award/Non-Award will provide the following
information:
a. The name(s) of the Proposer(s) being recommended for contract award;
and
b. The names of all other parties that submitted proposals.
2. The submitted proposals will be made available upon request no later than five
calendar days before approval of the award and contract is scheduled to be
considered by the Board of Supervisors.
RFP
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