RFP #219018

Intent

The intent of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from reputable consultants who will gather data, facilitate a Village assessment, and draft portions of the Village of Glenview's Economic Development Strategic Plan. The proposed scope of services to craft the Plan is divided into three phases and the envisioned process is demonstrated on the attached flowchart (Attachment A) and includes: I) data collection; II) facilitation of a S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, and III) support Village staff in the creation of the Economic Development Strategic Plan. Following the selection of a qualified Consultant, the Consultant or team of Consultants would assist the Village in crafting the Plan by: Documenting economic development trends and issues; Gathering vital business statistics in the Village and other relevant data; and, Developing and recommending policies/legislation that will stimulate economic growth through diversification and stabilization of the economic base, the recruitment and retention of businesses, and support of the creation of full-time, permanent positions in the Village's employment centers.

Process

Glenview is a regional and national leader in providing municipal services to its residents and businesses, with acumen for creating an environment for award winning developments. Consistent with these achievements, the Village expects to hire a similarly accomplished Consultant(s) who will continue to lead Glenview into the future with inventive thinking, new ideas, economic strategic tools/approaches, and implementable policies and action plans. While the following scope of services outlines a process and several Economic Development Strategic Plan components, the RFP interview process will be driven by the consultant's ability to challenge the Village in the setting of our short and long range goals, and the Consultant's skills in pitching modifications to the proposed process that will maximize the identification of creative solutions to ensure the Village's goals are achieved.

Prospective Consultants will participate in interviews with Village staff to assess the qualifications and relevant experience of the responding firms, and provide an opportunity for firms to demonstrate their combination of skills and previous economic development experience comparable to the proposed scope of services for the Village of Glenview. Firms must include their Project Manager as part of the interview team and the Project Manager will be identified in the RFP response. The lead of the S.W.O.T analysis needs to be a dynamic, qualified facilitator who has previous experience leading similar exercises, however this person does not need to be the Project Manager. It is the expectation of the Village that the Project Manager will lead the actual implementation of the scope of services if a contract is eventually awarded.

Scope

It is anticipated the Economic Development Strategic Plan would follow the process outlined in the attached flowchart and include the following major components, although the extent of the final scope of services and components will be determined through the Village Board of Trustees review and discussion. Candidates responding to the RFP shall offer additional insight into approaches and strategies that have been gained from similar projects and confirm the following approach is appropriate given your understanding of the Village's circumstances.

A. Phase 1 — Data Collection: The Consultant shall collect demographic, business, and workforce data in the Village in order to assess local economic conditions, which will be necessary in developing and evaluating economic strategies and implementation tools in Phase II and III. Data collection is to be used for educating the Board of Trustees and the public on the Village's current economic conditions. The data will yield the existing economic development challenges and opportunities. Phase I of the Economic Development Strategic Plan consists of, but is not limited to, the collection and analysis of the following data:

1. Demographic Data: The Consultant will collect detailed data to glean insights on population shifts/changes in the region and general market data (income levels, housing values, etc.) of the region and Glenview area to ascertain local trends and compare them to national data. The Village has gathered some preliminary data for analysis and included it in a preliminary Trends Analysis Report, which is available upon request.
2. Existing and Available Business Spaces: The Consultant shall collect data on existing businesses such as Village's workforce and employment data (top industries, largest employers, etc.), sales data, consumer and purchasing trends, and demand forecasting of various retail categories. With the assistance of Village staff, the Consultant shall identify and create an existing tenant space vacancy report for properties within the Village.
3. Special Area Analysis: The Consultant shall provide an analysis of the five major special areas throughout the Village: Downtown Glenview, The Glen Town Center, Willow Road Corridor, Milwaukee Avenue Corridor, and Waukegan Road Corridor. The data gathered should identify the challenges and opportunities of each area, general trends, and highlight economic development opportunities.
4. Presentation of Data to Board: The Consultant shall produce a Data Collection Report, to include elements of the Trends Analysis Report, with the information collected in Phase I (items 1-3) and present the findings to the Village Board of Trustees during Board Workshop #1.

B. Phase 2 — S.W.O.T. Facilitation: The Consultant shall lead the Village Board of Trustees through a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (S.W.O.T.) analysis during Board Workshop #2. This analysis will be used in developing economic development strategies and the corresponding tools to implement the chosen strategies, which shall be the focus of the Economic Development Strategic Plan. Phase II will require the services of the Consultant in the following areas:

1. S.W.O.T. Facilitation: Utilizing the Data Collection Report information from Phase I, a dynamic facilitator from the Consultant team shall develop and lead the Village Board of Trustees through a S.W.O.T. analysis. A preliminary draft worksheet has been generated by Village staff to serve as a guide for the types of issues that should be discussed with the Board of Trustees as part of the S.W.O.T. analysis.
2. S.W.O.T. Findings: The Consultant shall relay the findings of the Board of Trustees S.W.O.T. process and use the findings to help guide the Village's economic development strategy recommendations in Phase III.

C. Phase 3 — Economic Development Advisor: The Consultant will advise and provide assistance to Village staff in their preparation of an Economic Development Strategic Plan. The Consultant shall provide support in crafting economic development strategies and the associated implementation tools to realize the strategies. RFP # 219018 Due: October 10, 2019, 2:00 PM Professional Consulting Service for an Economic Development Strategic Plan 6 Also, the Contractor shall provide a template for the Economic Development Plan and provide content editing/recommendations. Phase III will require the services of the Consultant in the following areas:

1. Strategy Recommendations: Upon analyzing the data collected from Phase I and the S.W.O.T analysis findings from Phase II, the Consultant shall recommend implementable strategies (i.e. stimulation of the economy, recruitment and/or retaining of businesses, job creation, site specific redevelopment, special area plans, etc.) for the Village Board's consideration to meet the Village Board's economic development goals.
2. Economic Development Toolbox Recommendations: The Consultant shall recommend specific tools that can be utilized to implement the identified economic development strategies. Such tools could include, but are not limited to the following: incentives targeting preferred industries/business sectors, encouragement of "green" initiatives, tenant improvement grants/loans, Tax Increment Financing district(s), façade improvement programs, gap financing programs, direct incentives, etc. Village staff has included a variety of policies used by neighboring communities which are included in Attachment B.
3. Public Engagement: Village staff anticipates hosting three (3) open houses during this process to gather public input. Village staff will be responsible for public engagement, with the Consultant providing a supporting role as needed. Village staff will create an online portal to gather input from Village residents throughout the process to gauge community interest and feedback on proposed strategies and implementation tools. Staff will be conducting a business survey to better understand the issues and opportunities impacting Glenview's business community.
4. Economic Development Strategic Plan Final Draft Recommendations: Village staff will draft an Economic Development Strategic Plan, with assistance from the Consultant, for presentation to the Village Board of Trustees during Board Workshop #3.

Deadline for RFP Submission

Submit one (1) original, one (1) copy and one (1) electronic copy in Portable Document Format (PDF) of the complete/signed proposal by October 10, 2019 before 2:00 p.m. CST, to: Purchasing Division 2500 East Lake Avenue Glenview, IL 60026

More information can be found by visiting this link — https://www.glenview.il.us/government/Legal%20Ads/RFP%20219018%20Economic%20Development%20Strategic%20Plan%20Legal%20Notice.pdf