1-RFP Germantown Grows Together (Community Greening Plan).pdf

Request for Proposals

Consultant Services for the Germantown Community Greening Plan

Issued by: Germantown United Community Development Corporation Project: Germantown Grows Together Anticipated Contract Period: July 2026 – December 2027 Anticipated Consultant Budget: Up to $100,000 RFP Release Date: July 6-10, 2026 Questions Due: August 3, 2026 Proposal Due Date: August 21, 2026 Anticipated Consultant Selection: September 15, 2026 Anticipated Project Start: October 1, 2026 Primary Contact: Desiree Thompson, Operations Manager, dthompson@germantownunitedcdc.org

1. Introduction Germantown United Community Development Corporation (GUCDC) is seeking proposals from qualified planning, design, community engagement, environmental justice, public space, and/or community development consultants to support the development of the Germantown Community Greening Plan.

The Germantown Community Greening Plan will be a resident-informed planning process to identify, prioritize, and advance greening, public space, vacant land, environmental health, stewardship, and quality-of-life improvements across Germantown. The plan will consider new greening opportunities alongside existing neighborhood assets, stewardship networks, housing stability concerns, and long-standing community priorities.

GUCDC seeks a consultant or consultant team that can help translate resident knowledge, neighborhood conditions, and technical analysis into an implementation-ready plan. The selected consultant will support GUCDC with planning process design, technical analysis, mapping, facilitation support, synthesis of community input, project prioritization, cost ranges, stewardship models, and final plan development.

GUCDC will remain the lead convener and primary community engagement steward for this project. The consultant’s role is to provide technical planning expertise, design and support clear engagement structures and data collection systems, and produce a final plan that is actionable, fundable, and grounded in resident-defined priorities.

2. About Germantown United CDC Germantown United CDC is a community development corporation serving the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. GUCDC works to support a thriving, equitable, and connected Germantown through commercial corridor management, resident services, neighborhood improvement initiatives, small business support, community engagement, and partnerships with residents, civic organizations, institutions, and public agencies.

GUCDC’s work includes corridor cleaning and business support along key commercial corridors, resident services and housing-related referrals, neighborhood condition reporting, community outreach, greening and beautification partnerships, and place-based initiatives that strengthen Germantown’s quality of life.

This planning process builds on GUCDC’s existing clean and green work, resident services infrastructure, partnerships with community gardens and friends-of-parks groups, and growing commitment to aligning environmental improvements with housing stability and anti-displacement goals.

3. Project Background and Purpose Germantown is a historically significant, majority-Black Philadelphia neighborhood with deep cultural, civic, and community stewardship traditions. The neighborhood includes long-standing parks, community gardens, commercial corridors, historic sites, schools, recreation centers, churches, civic associations, and informal resident-led networks of care.

At the same time, Germantown residents continue to experience environmental and quality-of-life burdens, including illegal dumping, litter, poorly maintained vacant lots and abandoned properties, uneven access to high-quality public space, limited tree canopy in some areas, heat and stormwater concerns, and development pressures that raise concerns about displacement.

The Germantown Community Greening Plan will help GUCDC and its partners answer core questions, including:

● What kinds of greening and public space improvements do Germantown residents want and need?

● Which blocks, corridors, parks, gardens, vacant lots, and public spaces should be prioritized?

● How can greening investments improve daily quality of life without contributing to displacement?

● What stewardship and maintenance models are realistic for GUCDC, residents, partners, and public agencies?

● What projects are feasible in the near term, and what larger investments should be pursued over time?

● How can Germantown’s existing assets, resident leadership, and community knowledge shape future implementation?

The final plan must be more than a vision document. It should provide a practical roadmap that GUCDC, residents, partners, funders, and public agencies can use to advance implementation.

The planning process should also help community partners, residents, and neighborhood groups find and see themselves within the plan. GUCDC wants the process to build relationships, deepen shared ownership, and strengthen informal community leadership so implementation and sustainability can be stewarded in hyperlocal ways for years to come.

4. Project Goals The Germantown Community Greening Plan will:

1. Document existing greening assets and environmental conditions across Germantown, including parks, gardens, vacant land, commercial corridors, public spaces, stewardship networks, and priority environmental burdens.

2. Engage residents meaningfully and equitably through surveys, public planning sessions, walk audits, pop-up engagement, co-creation sessions, and validation opportunities.

3. Center resident-defined priorities related to cleaner blocks, safer and more welcoming public spaces, improved vacant lots, shade and greenery, community gardens, environmental health, quality of life, and neighborhood belonging.

4. Integrate housing stability and anti-displacement considerations so that greening improvements support residents’ ability to remain, participate, and benefit from neighborhood investment.

5. Develop a transparent prioritization framework that reflects resident priorities, environmental burden, feasibility, equity, stewardship capacity, and displacement risk.

6. Produce a ranked project pipeline with project typologies, potential locations, cost ranges, phasing, funding opportunities, and implementation partners.

7. Identify realistic stewardship and maintenance models, including City-led, partner-led, and resident-led approaches.

8. Create an implementation-ready final plan that GUCDC can use for fundraising, advocacy, partner coordination, and future demonstration projects.

9. Strengthen relationships, partner alignment, and resident and youth leadership development so the process builds community capacity and long-term stewardship, not only a document or report.

5. Geographic Scope and Equity Focus The planning process will cover the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, including ZIP codes 19138 and 19144. The process should consider Germantown as a whole while recognizing differences in neighborhood conditions, assets, civic infrastructure, development pressures, environmental burden, and access to resources across East and West Germantown.

As part of the project’s equity commitment, East Germantown/19138 should receive intentional and proportionate focus, recognizing that residents in this area experience significant environmental burdens and have historically had fewer green assets, civic infrastructure, and planning resources.

The consultant should be prepared to support neighborhood-wide analysis while helping GUCDC identify priority geographies, corridors, clusters, and sites for deeper review.

6. Role of GUCDC and the Consultant

GUCDC Role GUCDC will serve as the project lead, convener, and primary community engagement steward.

GUCDC will manage the overall grant, maintain funder reporting responsibilities, coordinate with partners, lead resident outreach, and guide the values and priorities of the planning process.

GUCDC will be responsible for:

● Overall project oversight and grant coordination

● Community relationship management

● Partner coordination and subgrant oversight

● Resident outreach and participation tracking

● Public communications and project promotion

● Coordination with existing GUCDC resident services, corridor operations, and greening work

● Review and approval of key consultant deliverables

● Creating, adapting, and presenting community engagement topics and public-facing framing

● Ensuring the planning process remains grounded in equity, feasibility, and community trust

Consultant Role The selected consultant will support GUCDC by providing technical planning, facilitation, analysis, mapping, synthesis, and plan development services. The consultant should strengthen GUCDC’s capacity without overtaking the community-facing role of the organization.

The consultant’s engagement role should focus on helping GUCDC create structure, clarity, accessibility, and reliable data collection. GUCDC will lead the development and adaptation of engagement topics, community-facing framing, and resident relationships. The consultant should help make the process easier to implement, easier to document, and easier to translate into a final plan.

The consultant should support an outreach and engagement approach that recognizes the risk of greening plans becoming tools of gentrification or displacement when they are not grounded in residents, housing stability, community accountability, and long-term stewardship.

The consultant will be responsible for:

● Designing the planning process in partnership with GUCDC that aligns with our grant proposal to the William Penn Foundation

● Developing engagement tools, surveys, facilitation guides, and walk audit materials

● Supporting select public meetings, co-creation sessions, and validation sessions

● Conducting existing conditions and asset analysis

● Producing maps, graphics, and visual tools

● Synthesizing resident input and identifying priority themes

● Developing a transparent prioritization rubric

● Creating a ranked project pipeline with cost ranges and implementation considerations

● Identifying stewardship and maintenance models

● Identifying funding opportunities and implementation pathways

● Drafting, revising, designing, and finalizing the Germantown Community Greening Plan

7. Scope of Work GUCDC anticipates the following scope of work. Proposers may recommend refinements based on their expertise, provided the proposal clearly explains the rationale and remains aligned with the project goals.

Task 1: Project Initiation and Work Plan The consultant will begin with a project kickoff process with GUCDC staff to confirm goals, roles, timeline, deliverables, communications protocols, decision-making processes, and project management expectations.

Deliverables may include:

● Kickoff meeting with GUCDC staff and committee

● Detailed project work plan

● Refined project timeline and milestone schedule

● Meeting cadence and communication plan

● Data and document request list

● Draft engagement and analysis framework

● Confirmation of consultant and GUCDC roles by phase

Task 2: Review of Existing Plans, Data, and Background Materials

The consultant will review existing information relevant to Germantown’s greening, environmental, housing, public space, corridor, and community development context.

This may include, but is not limited to:

● Existing neighborhood plans, studies, and public agency plans

● GUCDC proposal materials and resident services data summaries

● Corridor conditions and cleaning data

● Parks, gardens, vacant land, and public space information

● Demographic and socioeconomic data

● Housing stability and displacement indicators

● Environmental burden indicators, including heat, tree canopy, stormwater, litter, vacancy, and dumping where available

● Community survey findings, prior engagement results, and partner input

Deliverables may include:

● Existing conditions memo

● Summary of relevant prior plans and findings

● Data gaps and limitations memo

● Preliminary issue and opportunity map

● Recommended approach for integrating technical data with resident input

Task 3: Asset and Conditions Assessment The consultant will conduct an asset and conditions assessment that identifies existing green assets, environmental burdens, opportunity sites, and stewardship capacity across Germantown.

The assessment should include both technical analysis and community-grounded information.

The consultant should work with GUCDC to design a process that can incorporate resident observations, walk audit findings, partner knowledge, and available public data.

Areas of analysis may include:

● Parks and recreation assets

● Community gardens and food-growing spaces

● Vacant lots and underutilized land

● Commercial corridors and public realm conditions

● Tree canopy and shade conditions

● Heat and stormwater vulnerability

● Litter, dumping, and sanitation concerns

● Public space access and comfort

● Stewardship networks and maintenance capacity

● Housing stability and displacement risk considerations

● Priority locations for near-term and long-term investment, with intentional attention to East Germantown/19138

Deliverables may include:

● Germantown greening asset map

● Existing conditions map series

● Opportunity and burden analysis

● Walk audit route recommendations

● Site typologies and preliminary opportunity categories

● Summary presentation for GUCDC and partners

Task 4: Community Engagement Design and Support GUCDC will lead resident engagement with consultant support. The consultant will help design an accessible, inclusive, and structured engagement process that allows residents to define priorities without being led to predetermined outcomes.

The engagement process should make room for residents to discuss everyday quality-of-life concerns, including cleaner blocks, safer and more welcoming parks and public spaces, improved vacant lots, more shade and greenery, stronger community gardens, environmental health, housing stability, and anti-displacement.

The consultant should help GUCDC design tools and systems that make engagement easier to implement, document, compare, and analyze across formats. This support may include:

● Resident survey instruments

● Paper and digital survey formats

● Map-based engagement activities

● Ranked-choice or priority-setting exercises

● Public planning session agendas

● Co-creation session formats

● Walk audit guides

● Site observation templates

● Partner discussion guides

● Youth, elder, family, and low-income resident engagement approaches

● Validation meeting formats

● Data collection templates

● Participation tracking tools

● Coding structures for qualitative feedback

GUCDC will lead the public-facing engagement strategy, topic framing, outreach relationships, and adaptation of engagement activities. The consultant should support GUCDC by making engagement materials clear, usable, and aligned with the final plan’s data needs.

Engagement should be designed to reach residents across geography, age, income, race, housing tenure, and neighborhood role. The consultant should help GUCDC monitor participation patterns and adjust outreach strategies if participation skews toward already well-represented groups or geographies.

Deliverables may include:

● Community engagement plan

● Survey instrument and outreach materials

● Facilitation guides

● Walk audit toolkit

● Public meeting materials

● Map-based engagement tools

● Engagement tracking framework

● Interim engagement summaries

● Recommendations for outreach adjustments based on participation data

Task 5: Public Meetings, Co-Creation Sessions, Walk Audits, and Validation

The consultant will support GUCDC in implementing the public engagement process. GUCDC anticipates approximately 10 public planning sessions, along with surveys, walk audits, pop-up activities, partner meetings, and co-creation or validation sessions.

The consultant should be available to facilitate or co-facilitate select meetings, prepare materials, document findings, synthesize resident input, and translate engagement results into planning recommendations. GUCDC will retain responsibility for community-facing framing and final decisions about engagement topics and tone.

Deliverables may include:

● Meeting agendas and slide decks

● Meeting boards, handouts, and activity materials

● Facilitation support for select sessions

● Documentation of resident input

● Walk audit summaries

● Co-creation session summaries

● Validation session materials and findings

● Public-facing engagement summary

Task 6: Priority Framework and Evaluation Criteria The consultant will develop a transparent prioritization rubric to help GUCDC, residents, and partners evaluate potential greening and public space projects.

The rubric should reflect resident-defined priorities and technical considerations, including:

● Resident priority and community support

● Environmental burden and quality-of-life impact

● Equity and benefit to low-income or overburdened residents

● Geographic distribution across Germantown, with intentional attention to East Germantown/19138

● Feasibility and implementation readiness

● Site ownership, permitting, and responsibility

● Maintenance and stewardship capacity

● Housing stability and anti-displacement considerations

● Cost and funding potential

● Potential for near-term demonstration or early action

Deliverables may include:

● Draft prioritization rubric

● Testing process with GUCDC and community input

● Revised prioritization rubric

● Documentation of scoring approach

● Summary of how resident priorities shaped the framework

Task 7: Project Pipeline and Implementation Roadmap The consultant will translate the assessment, engagement findings, and prioritization framework into a ranked project pipeline and implementation roadmap.

The project pipeline should include a mix of near-term, medium-term, and long-term opportunities. It should include both smaller-scale, achievable projects and larger projects requiring additional partners, funding, approvals, or capital investment.

The implementation roadmap should include:

● Ranked project list or project categories

● Priority geographies or sites

● Project descriptions and typologies

● Planning-level cost ranges

● Potential implementation partners

● Stewardship and maintenance considerations

● Ownership, permitting, and responsibility checks

● Potential funding sources

● Phasing recommendations

● Near-term demonstration project recommendations

● Data or documentation needed for future funding applications

Deliverables may include:

● Draft project pipeline

● Implementation matrix

● Funding strategy summary

● Stewardship and maintenance model options

● Near-term demonstration project recommendations

● Presentation to GUCDC and partners

Task 8: Anti-Displacement and Housing Stability Integration

The consultant will help GUCDC ensure that the final plan includes explicit anti-displacement commitments and practical guidance for aligning greening investments with housing stability.

This work should not assume that greening automatically benefits all residents equally. The consultant should help identify how investments can be planned, sequenced, communicated, and implemented in ways that support long-term residents and reduce harm.

Areas of consideration may include:

● Displacement risk indicators

● Relationship between greening, public space improvement, and real estate pressure

● Resident concerns about neighborhood change

● Connections to GUCDC resident services and housing stability resources

● Strategies for prioritizing projects that improve quality of life without accelerating exclusion

● Recommendations for ongoing monitoring and community accountability

Deliverables may include:

● Anti-displacement principles for the plan

● Housing stability integration memo or plan section

● Recommendations for project sequencing and accountability

● Metrics or indicators for monitoring displacement-related concerns

Task 9: Draft Plan Development The consultant will prepare a full draft of the Germantown Community Greening Plan for review by GUCDC, partners, and community stakeholders.

The draft plan should be accessible, visually clear, and useful for both community members and implementation partners. It should avoid overly technical language while maintaining enough detail to support funding, advocacy, and implementation.

The draft plan should include, at minimum:

● Executive summary

● Project background and purpose

● Description of engagement process

● Existing conditions and asset assessment

● Summary of resident priorities

● Maps and visual analysis

● Prioritization framework

● Project pipeline

● Implementation roadmap

● Stewardship and maintenance models

● Anti-displacement and housing stability considerations

● Funding opportunities

● Near-term demonstration project recommendations

● Metrics and accountability recommendations

● Appendices with supporting data, engagement summaries, and technical materials

Deliverables may include:

● Administrative draft plan for GUCDC review

● Public review draft plan

● Public-facing summary document or slide deck

● Presentation materials for review sessions

Task 10: Final Plan Production The consultant will revise and finalize the plan based on feedback from GUCDC, partners, residents, and other relevant stakeholders.

The final plan should be professionally designed and suitable for public release, funder conversations, board review, partner coordination, and future implementation planning.

Final deliverables should include:

● Final Germantown Community Greening Plan in digital PDF format

● Editable source files

● Executive summary or shorter public-facing summary

● Final map files and data files, where applicable

● Final implementation matrix

● Final project pipeline

● Final slide deck for public and partner presentations

● All engagement summaries, survey results, and supporting appendices

8. Anticipated Timeline The project is expected to begin in July 2026 and conclude by December 2027. GUCDC anticipates an 18-month planning process.

A preliminary timeline is below. Proposers may recommend refinements.

Phase Anticipated Timing

Key Activities

Pre-Planning and Consultant Onboarding

July – September

Kickoff, work plan, engagement/data tools, early activation support

Phase 1: Asset and Existing Conditions Assessment

Fall 2026 Existing conditions analysis, asset mapping, data review, initial opportunity identification

Phase 2: Resident Engagement and Priority-Setting

Late Fall 2026 – Summer 2027

Surveys, public sessions, walk audits, co-creation, partner engagement, priority identification

Phase 3: Co-Design, Validation, and Plan Development

Summer – Fall

Prioritization rubric, project pipeline, implementation framework, validation meetings

Final Plan and Public Release

Fall – December

Draft revisions, final plan production, final presentation materials

9. Consultant Qualifications GUCDC is seeking a consultant or consultant team with experience and qualifications that may include:

● Community-driven neighborhood planning

● Environmental justice planning

● Public space, parks, open space, and greening planning

● Climate resilience and environmental burden analysis

● Vacant land reuse and stewardship planning

● Community engagement and facilitation

● Urban design, landscape architecture, or public realm planning

● GIS, mapping, and visual communication

● Implementation planning, cost estimating, and funding strategy

● Anti-displacement, housing stability, or equitable development frameworks

● Experience working with community-based organizations and small nonprofits

● Experience working in Philadelphia or comparable urban neighborhoods

GUCDC prioritizes proposals from Black-owned, women-owned, minority-owned, and locally rooted firms, as well as consultant teams that reflect the diversity of communities most impacted by environmental burdens, disinvestment, and inequitable development. We strongly encourage applications from teams who are deeply familiar with, respectful of, and admiring of Germantown - its people, places, cultural history, and neighborhood stewardship traditions.

Preference will be given to teams that demonstrate both relevant technical expertise and a strong commitment to equitable, community-centered planning practice.

10. Desired Consultant Characteristics Competitive proposals should demonstrate:

1. Community-rooted planning experience Experience with neighborhood planning, community development, environmental justice, greening, public space, climate resilience, or related work.

2. Resident-driven engagement expertise Ability to design engagement processes that are inclusive, accessible, non-extractive, and useful for decision-making.

3. Equity and anti-displacement lens Understanding of how greening, public space investment, housing stability, and displacement pressures can intersect.

4. Technical planning and analysis capacity Ability to conduct existing conditions analysis, mapping, site typologies, feasibility assessment, cost ranges, stewardship models, and implementation planning.

5. Implementation orientation Ability to produce a plan that supports funding, partner coordination, public agency conversations, and near-term demonstration projects.

6. Facilitation and translation skills Ability to make technical concepts accessible to residents and translate community input into clear planning recommendations.

7. Cultural competency and humility Ability to work respectfully in Germantown’s context, with attention to Black cultural history, community knowledge, neighborhood change, and resident leadership.

8. Capacity to support without overtaking Ability to strengthen GUCDC’s work while respecting GUCDC’s role as lead convener and primary relationship holder.

9. Project management discipline Ability to maintain clear timelines, deliverables, meeting materials, documentation, and revision processes.

10.Diverse ownership, representation, and accountability Preference for Black-owned, women-owned, minority-owned, locally rooted, small, and community-accountable firms or teams.

11. Proposal Requirements Proposals should be concise, clear, and organized. GUCDC requests that proposals include the following sections.

1. Cover Letter Provide a brief cover letter introducing the consultant team, primary contact, and interest in the project.

2. Firm or Team Profile Describe the firm or consultant team, including:

● Firm history and location

● Ownership structure, including whether the firm is Black-owned, women-owned, minority-owned, locally owned, or certified as a disadvantaged, minority, women, or small business enterprise

● Relevant areas of expertise

● Experience working with community-based organizations, nonprofits, or public agencies

● Experience in Philadelphia or comparable neighborhoods

● Availability to complete the project within the proposed timeline

3. Project Understanding Describe your understanding of the Germantown Community Greening Plan, including the project’s equity, environmental justice, East Germantown/19138 focus, housing stability, community engagement, and implementation goals.

4. Proposed Approach and Methodology Describe your proposed approach to the scope of work, including:

● Project management approach

● Existing conditions and asset analysis methodology

● Community engagement design and data collection support

● Approach to working with GUCDC as lead convener

● Approach to equity, East Germantown/19138 focus, anti-displacement, and housing stability integration

● Approach to prioritization and project pipeline development

● Approach to final plan production and implementation roadmap

5. Work Plan and Timeline Provide a detailed work plan that includes:

● Major tasks

● Key activities

● Milestones

● Deliverables

● Proposed meeting schedule

● Timeline by month or phase

● Any assumptions about GUCDC staff roles or responsibilities

6. Project Team Provide an organizational chart and identify key personnel, including:

● Project manager

● Engagement lead

● Planning/technical analysis lead

● Mapping/GIS lead

● Design/visual communications lead

● Any subcontractors or partner firms

● Role and estimated level of effort for each team member

*Please identify which team members will hold project leadership roles.

Include resumes or short bios for key personnel.

7. Relevant Experience Provide at least three examples of relevant projects. For each example, include:

● Project name and location

● Client name

● Project dates

● Project budget

● Scope of work

● Key deliverables

● Relevance to this project

● Reference contact information

Examples may include neighborhood plans, greening plans, public space plans, environmental justice plans, community-driven planning efforts, anti-displacement planning, implementation roadmaps, or comparable work.

8. Engagement Experience Describe your experience designing and supporting inclusive engagement processes, especially with residents, low-income communities, Black communities, elders, youth, renters, homeowners, small businesses, community groups, and historically excluded stakeholders.

Include examples of engagement tools, data collection approaches, or synthesis methods that may be relevant to this project.

9. Budget Proposal Provide a not-to-exceed budget, including:

● Total proposed cost

● Cost by task

● Estimated hours by staff role

● Hourly rates

● Subconsultant costs, if applicable

● Direct expenses, including travel, printing, materials, software, or other costs

● Assumptions or exclusions

The anticipated consultant budget is up to $100,000. GUCDC reserves the right to negotiate scope and budget with the selected consultant.

10. References Provide at least three references from clients for similar work.

11. Optional Addenda Optional addenda may include:

● Portfolio samples

● Links to relevant plans or reports

● Sample maps, engagement tools, or implementation matrices

● Proof of certifications, if applicable

12. Evaluation Criteria GUCDC will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria.

Criteria Weight

Technical approach and methodology 25%

Relevant experience and qualifications 20%

Engagement structure, data collection, and synthesis support 15%

Equity, anti-displacement, and cultural competency approach 15%

Implementation expertise and deliverable quality 10%

Diverse ownership, local rootedness, and community accountability

10%

Cost proposal and overall value 5%

Total 100%

GUCDC may invite shortlisted teams to participate in interviews before making a final selection.

13. Selection Process GUCDC anticipates the following selection process:

1. RFP released

2. Written questions submitted by deadline

3. Responses to questions shared with all interested proposers

4. Proposals submitted by deadline

5. GUCDC review and scoring

6. Interviews with shortlisted teams, if needed

7. Consultant selection

8. Contract negotiation

9. Project kickoff

GUCDC reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive informalities, request additional information, negotiate scope and budget, or cancel this RFP if doing so is in the best interest of the organization and project.

14. Tentative Procurement Schedule[1] Milestone Date

RFP released July 6-10, 2026

Optional information session July 22, 2026

Questions due August 3, 2026

Responses to questions posted/sent

August 12, 2026

Proposals due August 21, 2026

Proposal review August 21- September 11, Interviews, if needed August 31-September 11, Consultant selected September 15, Contract finalized September 22, Project kickoff October 1, 2026

15. Submission Instructions[2] Proposals must be submitted electronically by August 21, 2026 at 5:00pm EST to:

Desiree Thompson Operations Manager Germantown United CDC dthompson@germantownunitedcdc.org

Please use the subject line:

Proposal: Germantown Community Greening Plan Consultant RFP – [Firm Name]

Late submissions may not be considered.

16. Questions Questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing by August 3, 2026 to:

Desiree at dthompson@germantownunitedcdc.org

Responses to questions will be shared with all interested proposers by August 12, 2026.

17. Contracting and Compliance The selected consultant will enter into a professional services agreement with GUCDC. The agreement will define final scope, deliverables, payment schedule, insurance requirements, ownership of work products, confidentiality expectations, reporting requirements, and other terms.

All final work products, data, maps, engagement summaries, and editable files developed through this project shall be provided to GUCDC unless otherwise negotiated in writing.

The selected consultant must be able to comply with applicable grant requirements, reporting needs, and documentation requests related to the project.

18. Reservation of Rights GUCDC reserves the right to:

● Reject any or all proposals

● Waive minor irregularities in proposals

● Request clarification or additional information

● Conduct interviews with selected proposers

● Negotiate scope, budget, timeline, and deliverables

● Select the proposal that best meets the needs of the project, even if it is not the lowest-cost proposal

● Cancel or reissue the RFP if necessary

19. Desired Final Product The final Germantown Community Greening Plan should be:

● Resident-informed and community-accountable

● Visually clear and accessible

● Grounded in equity and environmental justice

● Attentive to housing stability and anti-displacement

● Useful for implementation and fundraising

● Honest about stewardship and maintenance capacity

● Specific enough to guide action

● Flexible enough to support future opportunities

The plan should help GUCDC, residents, partners, funders, and public agencies move from broad aspirations to practical next steps for a greener, healthier, more connected, and more rooted Germantown.

Appendix A: Anticipated Deliverables Summary

The selected consultant will be expected to produce some or all of the following deliverables:

● Project work plan

● Engagement plan

● Survey instrument

● Facilitation guides

● Walk audit toolkit

● Existing conditions memo

● Asset and conditions maps

● Engagement summaries

● Public meeting materials

● Prioritization rubric

● Project typologies

● Ranked project pipeline

● Implementation matrix

● Cost ranges

● Stewardship and maintenance models

● Anti-displacement and housing stability recommendations

● Funding strategy

● Draft plan

● Public-facing summary

● Final plan

● Final slide deck

● Editable source files and supporting data

Appendix B: Potential Interview Questions

If GUCDC conducts interviews, questions may include:

1. How would you support a resident-informed planning process while respecting GUCDC’s role as the primary community relationship holder?

2. How would you help residents discuss greening priorities without leading them toward predetermined outcomes?

3. How would you integrate anti-displacement and housing stability considerations into a greening plan?

4. How would you ensure East Germantown/19138 receives intentional and proportionate focus within a neighborhood-wide plan?

5. What methods would you use to identify priority sites and project typologies?

6. How would you balance technical analysis with lived experience and resident knowledge?

7. What would make the final plan useful for fundraising and implementation?

8. How would you approach stewardship and maintenance recommendations realistically?

9. What experience do you have working with Black communities, historically disinvested neighborhoods, or community-based organizations?

10.How would you manage timeline, deliverables, and revisions for an 18-month planning process?

11.What do you think GUCDC should be careful not to do in this planning process?

8. Anticipated Timeline

Appendix A: Anticipated Deliverables Summary

Appendix B: Potential Interview Questions