NIGP 96194: Zoning, Land Use Studies

NIGP 96194 Zoning, Land Use Studies is an Item code describing the consulting and technical services state and local governments procure to evaluate, plan, and update regulatory frameworks governing land use, development feasibility, and zoning compliance. Recent solicitations show municipalities and counties engaging consultants to rewrite obsolete zoning ordinances, conduct nexus studies supporting affordable housing policy, update comprehensive plans aligned with current market and demographic conditions, and assess corridor mobility and land suitability for economic development. Issuing bodies span mid-sized cities (Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Griffin, Georgia; Zebulon, Georgia), county governments (Clackamas County, Oregon; Santa Clara County, California; Pasco County, Florida; Orange County, California), and regional planning commissions (Chatham County–Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission, Georgia), with Georgia municipalities appearing frequently in recent activity. Work typically includes code diagnostic review, stakeholder and public engagement, GIS mapping and analysis, draft ordinance development, and implementation support, often structured as fixed-price professional services engagements or time-and-materials not-to-exceed arrangements spanning 12 to 24 months.

Recent representative opportunities include the City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin's zoning ordinance rewrite (RFP due March 23, 2026, budget capped at $125,000), seeking a modernized code to replace 1970s-era regulations; Pasco County, Florida's general planning consultant services RSQ (due April 28, 2026, open qualifications-based procurement establishing multi-year on-call contracts across eight service categories including land development regulation creation); Clackamas County, Oregon's land suitability assessment RFP (due June 18, 2026, $560,000 estimated budget, evaluating industrial development opportunities within urban reserves); and the City of Wheat Ridge, Colorado's housing impact linkage fee nexus study (RFP due July 16, 2026, approximately $55,000, assessing affordable housing demand and fee-structure feasibility). Geographic activity concentrates in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest, with secondary activity in the Midwest and Southwest. Evaluation commonly weights consultant qualifications and past performance, project approach and methodology, and cost, with many procurements applying local business enterprise preferences where state or federal funding is not involved.