2025-2026 Commercial Space Consultant Request for Qualifications

The City of Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) is seeking Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) for Commercial Space Consultants within our Technical Assistance Program. OED is committed to building an inclusive economy within the city that supports small businesses with targeted support. This will enable businesses to start, grow, and have access to affordable commercial space for long-term success. The selected consultants will assist OED in providing one-on-one commercial space consulting to new or established businesses, supporting them during the commercial space development process through our Tenant Improvement Program and Just in Time Services. Priority will be given to Applicants who submit their qualifications on or before Monday, April 14th, 2025, at 5p.m. Submissions received after that date will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Final decisions are expected to be made on or before Friday, May 30th, 2025.

All questions are to be submitted through the e-procurement portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/seattle no later than April 11th, 2025 by 5p.m

The City of Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) is seeking Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) for Commercial Space Consultants within our Technical Assistance Program. OED is committed to building an inclusive economy within the city that supports small businesses with targeted support. This will enable businesses to start, grow, and have access to affordable commercial space for long-term success. The selected consultants will assist OED in providing one-on-one commercial space consulting to new or established businesses, supporting them during the commercial space development process through our Tenant Improvement Program and Just in Time Services.

1. Program Overview

The Commercial Space Consultant Program is instrumental in providing support for both our Tenant Improvement Program and Just in Time Services that we provide. This year we are seeking to refresh and broaden our current service providers and create a roster for future consultant needs. This process will allow our services to be more effective and give our participants a broader range of access to complete requirements needed to push their projects forward.

When supporting the “Just in Time” services for the public, addressing issues that arise that need immediate assistance, OED will provide up to 10 hours of compensation total, across all consultants, to each business/owner for their commercial space project. All additional hours incurred by the business will be paid directly to the consultant. When a consultant is working with businesses that have been awarded one of our packages through our Tenant Improvement Program all cost will be covered through our funding award.

Businesses need to meet the following criteria for Just in Time Services:

1. Must have a valid City of Seattle Business License (i.e., make sure it is up to date),
2. Have no more than two locations,
3. Have less than 50 Full-time Employees (FTE), and
4. Make less than $5M of annual gross revenue

1. Role of Commercial Space Consultant

OED is seeking to create a list of qualified consultants to use now or in the future depending on the need, to support the Commercial Space Consultant Team with additional expertise. We are seeking proposals from the following industries:

• General Contractor/Project Bids
  • General contractor to provide ROM/Normal bids
  • Site Walk Feasibility Consultation
  • Construction Management Consultation
  • Detailed Budget Services with Subcontractor Input

• Small Business Advocate
  • Business Concept creation and support
  • Menu/Goods/Service & Operations Advising
  • Financial Projections- Cost & Sourcing
  • Business Investment for Growth
• Commercial Space Planning and Design (Architect)
  • Pre –Design
  • Schematic Design
  • Design Development
  • Construction Documents
  • Permitting Process
• Commercial Lease Negotiator
  • Educate on lease process
  • Assist business owners in evaluation of spaces
  • Identify trade-offs with multiple options and prioritize
  • Perform quick local market scans of listings
  • Support owner in negotiation process for lease and lease renewal
  • Assist businesses with landlord disputes
• Commercial Real-Estate Broker

• Broker will meet with client to determine space needs
• Broker will locate potential spaces
• Coach client through the LOI process assuring they understand the different deal points and how they each affect their business
• Provide a landlord and tenant executed Letter of Intent to Lease for the first phase
• Lease review– Review the lease for terms negotiatied in the LOI
• Negotiate final lease terms with client/Tenant and Landlord
• The broker will provide a fully executed lease agreement indicating completion.

• Commercial Construction Manager
  • Managing all aspects of a construction project which include the following phases:
  • Pre-Design
  • Design Development
  • Pre-Construction
  • Construction
  • Operational
  • Acting as an “owner’s rep” for the small business awardee and OED
• Prevailing Wage Support

• Setting up Owners/General Contractor in the LNI Portal
• Reviewing Bids to ensure prevailing wage requirements are met both state and federal
• Ensuring that on parties connected to project are in alignment with all requirements for this process
• Ensuring that projects are successfully completed in the LNI Portal

III. Consultant Qualifications

Respondents if applicable should have the following:

• Valid Washington State Business License. You may apply/renew here
• Valid City of Seattle Business License. You may apply/renew here
• Willingness to obtain Liability Insurance. The City’s Liability Insurance requirements must be met before signing the Contract Agreement
• Registered with the City of Seattle Online Business Directory. You may apply here
• If applicable, register with the Secretary of State. You may register/renew here
• Additional Insurance, licenses and bonded needed for your business to be in compliance with industry standards
• Must be in good standing with the City of Seattle, IRS, and all state and county government entities
• Have served in your current job capacity for a minimum of 3-5 years

Note: All consultants who were previously qualified to perform services under the Commercial Space Consultant Program and are seeking to continue performing such services, or any additional services, must reapply and submit supporting documentation to be eligible for consideration.

1. Scope of Work

Consultant’s work may cover the following range of support:

Finding of a commercial space location, space planning and design; advocacy with landlords; lease negotiation, budget development and preparation; budget review; bid analysis; general contractor bidding support; prevailing wage support and management of the buildout process.

Consultants interested in being considered should complete the Application using the link provided Here . submit a Scope of Work to OED along with the following supporting documents:

• Consultant’s resume and relevant Team Member’s resume(s): Please also define the Consultant’s role and other team members providing services under this program.
• Copies of any certifications and valid licenses held, if applicable, in areas of expertise listed on the Consultant’s and Team Member’s resume(s) or proof of compliance with industry standards.
• Two letters of reference for the Consultant’s Business (written within the last six months). OED will contact references supplied by each Applicant.
• The Scope of Work should include:

• Services that you can bring to the consultant team that will support OED with assisting small businesses in their journey to having a stable and successful commercial space experience.

• Your experience working with BIPOC communities, small businesses in neighborhoods at high risk of displacement, and women-owned businesses.
• Descriptions, links and/or samples of previous work provided to clients, etc.
• Level of immediate availability for requested projects (i.e., When are you able to start).
• Hourly consulting rate.
• Languages spoken other than English (Highly Desired).
• Any other pertinent information the Consultant feels should be presented to OED that could impact the quality and capacity of services provided.

V. Compensation

Compensation to the Consultant for services rendered under the Commercial Space Consultant Program shall be reimbursed based on billable hours and/or task completed with an agreed-upon rate(s) for the actual work performed. Please note that the City of Seattle operates on a Net 30 payment schedule. Payment for invoices will be issued and mailed/deposited to the Consultant within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of the invoice.

1. Evaluation Criteria & Scoring Rubric

After the closing date of the RFQ, submissions will go through a review process. Once proposals have been reviewed, OED will determine what proposals are best matched with the required qualifications, years of experience, ability to work with varied communities, price competitiveness and goals set for the program. Completed applications and document submissions will be evaluated and scored according to the following scoring rubric:

.

*The minimum score to be selected to move to the next phase in the process is 70 points.

If an Applicant scores higher than 70 points, they will proceed with a virtual interview and a completed reference check, after which an offer will be made. If the offer is accepted, the Applicant will start the City’s Contracting Process.

Note: If you score 70 points and above and we do not currently need your expertise at this time, we will retain your information, notify you that you have met the minimum qualifications to be in our applicant pool for a potential interview in the future as program needs arise. When an opening becomes available, we will contact you to see if you are still interested and if so, start the interview process as stated above.

VII. Submission Deadline & Additional Information

Priority will be given to Applicants who submit their qualifications on or before Monday, April 14th, 2025, at 5p.m. Submissions received after that date will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Final decisions are expected to be made on or before Friday, May 30th, 2025.

Inquiries and questions should be should be directed to Celwyn Green at Celwyn.green@seattle.gov .