NIGP 91892: Urban Planning Consulting

NIGP 91892 Urban Planning Consulting, an Item code, encompasses strategy development, regulatory modernization, and implementation planning for municipalities and counties—work that state and local governments solicit frequently to align land use policy with comprehensive plans, address housing and economic development, and manage infrastructure and community resilience. Recent opportunities show cities and counties across the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southwest soliciting zoning code rewrites, comprehensive plan updates, small-area plans, sustainability frameworks, and technical feasibility studies through RFQs and RFPs with response dates spanning late 2026 into early 2027. The issuing bodies span cities (Casselberry, DeBary, New Smyrna Beach, Wheat Ridge, Atlanta, New Haven, Mableton, Taylor, Richardson, Edgewater, Alpharetta, Hapeville, Woodstock, McDonough, Peachtree City, Douglasville), counties (Walton, DeKalb, Henry, Gwinnett, Harris, Effingham, San Mateo, Griffin-Spalding, Orange), special districts (Atlanta BeltLine Inc., Bend Urban Renewal Agency, Boulder County Parks and Open Space), and regional planning organizations (CORE MPO serving Savannah, H-GAC in Houston). The code also captures university and regional transportation authority work, with a recent Texas A&M Athletics Facilities Master Plan (TAMU-RFP-26-5079) and university-affiliated planning studies such as the New Haven I-91 Reconnection Plan funded by a $2 million USDOT Reconnecting Communities Pilot grant.

Recent solicitations reveal the dominant work categories: comprehensive plan updates (City of Hapeville, City of Peachtree City, Town of Farragut, City of Woodstock, City of Taylor); zoning and development code modernization (City of DeBary Land Development Code, City of Richardson Unified Development Code, City of McDonough Chapters 15/16, City of New Haven Zoning Ordinance Reform, Effingham County Zoning Ordinance); small-area and corridor planning (City of Mableton small area plans and sustainability master plan, DeKalb County Candler Road/Flat Shoals LCI Master Plan, City of New Haven I-91 Reconnection Plan with NEPA integration); parks and recreation planning (City of Casselberry Park Planning RFP, Walton County Parks and Recreation Master Plan and Impact Fee Methodology, Atlanta Urban Forest Master Plan); and specialized studies including resilience hub planning, stormwater and transportation infrastructure needs assessment, and district-level landscape planning. Geographic activity clusters in Georgia (Atlanta, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry, Effingham, Mableton, Douglasville, Hapeville, Woodstock, McDonough), Florida (Casselberry, DeBary, New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, Ocala, Walton), Colorado (Wheat Ridge), Connecticut (New Haven), Texas (Richardson, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston), California (San Mateo, Orange County), and other states including Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Oregon. Representative recent opportunities include the City of Casselberry Park Planning and Design continuing contract (SOQ due June 12, 2018, with Addendum No. 1), the City of DeBary Land Development Code Rewrite (RFQ 11-19, proposals due August 30, 2019, budget up to $110,000), the City of Wheat Ridge Zoning Code Consultant (RFP 2540, proposals due September 3, 2026, phased funding of $160,000 Phase 1 and $2.48 million Phase 2 via EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant), the City of Atlanta Urban Forest Master Plan (IFB 2609-1270095, proposals due October 21, 2026, completion by April 30, 2029, funded by USFS Inflation Reduction Act grant), and the City of Mableton Sustainability and Greenspace Master Plan (RFP 27-03, proposals due September 24, 2026, six to ten month duration). Most opportunities follow the Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act (Brooks Act, 40 U.S.C. 1101-1104) or state-level equivalents; many require professional licensure, comprehensive insurance (general liability typically $1–$2 million, professional liability $1–$2 million), E-Verify compliance, and federal grant compliance where applicable. Federal funding through USDOT, EPA, USFS, and related vehicles adds compliance layers including Davis-Bacon wage standards, Build America Buy America Act preferences, and NEPA alignment in corridor and infrastructure-related studies.