Preparation & Submission Requirements, Page 1 of 5

WAUKESHA COUNTY, WISCONSIN

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 2026008

EXPO CENTER MARKET AND FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY

STUDY

CONTACT INFORMATION

Buyer Devon Wiley E-mail dpwiley@waukeshacounty.gov Fax 262-548-7668 Mailing Address Waukesha County Purchasing Division

515 W. Moreland Blvd, Rm AC310 Waukesha, WI 53188

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

The following dates are provided for your information and planning purposes. Although every effort will be made to follow this schedule, we reserve the right to modify the dates as necessary.

RFP released: Thursday, February 26, 2026 Final Questions Due: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 2:00 pm CST/CDT Amendment Issued: On or around Thursday, March 19,2026 by end of day Proposals Due: Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. CST/CDT Notice of Interviews: Thursday, April 23, 2026 by end of day Interviews, if required: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 Finance Committee Approval: May 20, 2026 Contract executed: Anticipated June 2026

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

PREPARATION, SUBMISSION, PROCESS AND AWARD

1. COMMUNICATION

This RFP is issued on behalf of Waukesha County by the Purchasing Division. The Buyer assigned to this RFP, along with contact information, is noted on Page 1. The Buyer is the sole point of contact during this process and no information provided by any other personnel will be considered binding.

The County prohibits communication initiated by the respondent to any County official, employee or representative evaluating or considering the proposals, prior to the time an award has been made.

All respondents should use this written document, its attachments and any amendments as the sole basis for responding.

2. CLARIFICATIONS/AMENDMENTS

If you discover any significant ambiguity, error, omission, or other deficiency in the RFP, immediately notify the Buyer via the Vendor Discussion Messages in Waukesha County’s Bonfire portal. All other questions, clarifications or exceptions regarding the RFP document must be submitted to the Buyer via the Vendor Discussion Messages in Bonfire prior to the submission of the proposal. We encourage you to submit preliminary questions prior to the pre-proposal conference (if applicable). Please note the due dates and times noted on Page 1 for both preliminary and final questions.

If it becomes necessary to clarify or revise any part of this RFP, amendments will be posted to the Waukesha County Bonfire portal via Public Notices with applicable Public Files, in accordance with the schedule on Page 1.

It is the responsibility of prospective vendors to check the portal for any amendments prior to the opening date. All amendments must be acknowledged on the RFP Signature Page in the area provided. Failure to do so may result in your response being rejected.

3. CONTENTS OF PROPOSAL

All attachments, additional pages, addenda or explanations supplied by the vendor with their proposal will be considered as part of the proposal response. Waukesha County is subject to the Wisconsin Public Records Law found in Chapter 19, et. seq. of the Wisconsin Statutes. Materials contained in proposals are subject to the Wisconsin Public Records Law and, after contract award, may be viewed by any member of the public if requested under the law. If you believe materials contained in your proposal are exempt from disclosure, you must specify which statutory exception applies, however Waukesha County reserves the right to determine whether a record is subject to release under the Wisconsin Public Records Law. Marking a proposal or any portions thereof as confidential does not automatically make the record exempt from disclosure. If Waukesha County determines it is obligated to provide a record in response to a public records request, you may pursue a court order, at your own cost and expense, preventing disclosure of the requested record.

4. NONCONFORMING TERMS AND CONDITIONS

A response that includes contractual terms and conditions that do not conform to the contractual terms and conditions in the RFP document are subject to rejection as nonresponsive. Waukesha County reserves the right to permit the respondent to withdraw nonconforming terms and conditions from its response or negotiate changes to the contractual requirements prior to making a determination of responsiveness.

5. REVISIONS OR WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS BY VENDOR

Vendors can work on their proposal responses in a “Work in Progress” status. While in such status, vendors can continue to revise their proposals as it is considered an incomplete submission. There is no need to withdraw an incomplete submission. However, if you already clicked to “Submit and Finalize” your submission, you need to return it to the “Work in Progress” status by following the instructions in Bonfire to un-submit. Once your revisions are complete, you will need to re-submit and finalize your submission for it to be considered; past submissions that have been un-submitted will not be considered. Vendors can revise or withdraw their submission as long as the opportunity is still open.

6. PROPOSAL FORMAT & SUBMISSION

A. Format Proposal Responses must be submitted electronically via Waukesha County’s Bonfire portal. For the County to adequately compare proposals and evaluate them uniformly and objectively, firms must complete the required https://waukeshacounty.bonfirehub.com/ https://waukeshacounty.bonfirehub.com/

Preparation & Submission Requirements, Page 3 of 5 proposal response and pricing documents provided by the County. Uploading an incorrect template will result in errors and will prevent you from completing your submission.

B. Response Submission - SIGNATURE PAGE:

You must submit the RFP Signature page with your response. Be sure to acknowledge any amendments issued, if applicable, in the box located above the signature area. The RFP Signature Page must be submitted as indicated in the Requested Information on Waukesha County’s Bonfire portal.

C. Response Receipt:

Proposals are accepted in the Bonfire portal as long as the opportunity is still open. After you “Submit & Finalize” your proposal, you will be directed to your “Submission Receipt”. This provides a comprehensive breakdown of all the information from your submission.

D. Bid/RFP Opening:

Waukesha County conducts Bid/RFP openings telephonically instead of in-person. If you desire to attend the telephonic opening for this RFP, please use the following dial-in access code to join in on the opening. We ask that participants mute their phones except for when they need to speak during the opening. Waukesha County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact us at (262) 548-7888 in advance of the proposal opening and efforts will be made to accommodate your needs.

Dial-In Numbers:

262-896-8001 Participant Access Code: 2176082

Proposal responses will be opened, and the name of the respondents read; however, details of each proposal, including proposed fees, will not be announced at the time of opening. Such information shall be made public after an award has been made and all negotiations are completed.

All proposals received in response to this request will become the property of the County and will not be returned to the respondents.

7. INTERVIEWS

Interviews may be required of selected finalists at their expense. Finalists will be notified of the date and time in accordance with the schedule on Page 1. Respondents selected must be available on the days noted – no exceptions. Respondents not selected will also be notified.

Upon completion of the interview process, Waukesha County reserves the right to request a BAFO (Best and Final Offer) from any or all of the selected finalists. However, an award may be made without the interview or BAFO process; therefore, respondents are cautioned that proposals should be submitted on the most favorable terms, from both a technical and cost standpoint.

Respondents who are not selected will be notified that their proposal will no longer be considered unless the evaluation committee finds, after the completion of interviews, that additional respondents should be interviewed.

8. EVALUATION & AWARD

Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria listed below. Award will be made to the responsive, responsible Contractor who complies with the requirements and scores the highest total on the evaluation criteria as it pertains to the overall needs of Waukesha County.

Firm Qualifications and Experience 25% Staff Qualifications and Experience 25% Project Approach and Timeline 25% Cost 25%

9. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Factors which include, but are not limited to, quantity involved, time of completion, purpose for which required, competency and financial capacity of vendor, ability to render satisfactory service and past performance will be considered in determining status as a responsible vendor. The County reserves the right to request additional information as may reasonably be required to make this determination and to further investigate the qualifications of the respondent as deemed appropriate.

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10. RESERVATIONS

This RFP does not commit the County to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this request or to procure or contract for services or supplies. The Purchasing Division reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this request, request additional information, waive minor irregularities in the procedure, negotiate with any qualified source, or to cancel this RFP in part or in its entirety.

11. NON-INTEREST OF COUNTY EMPLOYEES AND OFFICIALS

No County official, employee or representative on the evaluation committee shall have any financial interest, either direct or indirect, in the proposal or contract or shall exercise any undue influence in the awarding of the contract.

12. CONTRACT DOCUMENTS

The successful vendor will be required to execute the following contract document (s) as applicable:

Yes/No Description of Contract Yes Waukesha County Service Contract

Click on the document name above to review the applicable contract documents.

These documents are not to be executed at this time nor returned with your response; they will only be required of the successful vendor.

13. RFP TABULATIONS

RFP tabulations are available to the public after contract execution, approximately 30 days from the date of award. RFP Tabulations can be found on Waukesha County’s Bonfire portal.

https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/media/taudd2ni/service-contract-52925.pdf

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RFP Document, Page 1 of 5

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 2026008 Expo Center Market Analysis and Feasibility Study

February 26, 2026

I. INTRODUCTION

Waukesha County is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to conduct a market and financial feasibility study to evaluate options for the redevelopment, expansion, and modernization of the Waukesha County Exposition Center by Fall/ Winter 2026. The resulting market and financial feasibility study will help inform a future in-depth plan regarding real estate concept, financial assessment, and implementation strategy for the long term success of the Waukesha County Exposition Center.

II. BACKGROUND

The Waukesha County Exposition Center at 1000 Northview Rd, Waukesha, WI 53188 sits on a 135-acre site and serves as a regional multipurpose venue for a wide range of events. Its primary facilities, built between the 1960’s and 1980’s, include:

• The Arena: a 10,000-square foot, round, concrete-floor building without fixed seating, used for entertainment and flexible events.

• The Forum: a group of three connected halls totaling approximately 20,000 SF.

It sits adjacent to the Waukesha County Airport (Crites Field), which ranks among the top 4% of General Aviation Airports in the United States. It is a full-service airport open 24/7 with 70,000 annual aircraft operations, supports nearly 1,000 jobs, and generates an $81 million economic impact for the surrounding community.

III. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Proposers must demonstrate that they possess the professional experience and technical expertise necessary to successfully complete the scope of work. At a minimum, proposals shall include:

Required Qualifications

• Organizations Transacting Business in Wisconsin: Chapters 178, 179, 180, 181, and 183 of the Wisconsin Statutes contain a general provision that the following shall not transact business in this state until it has obtained a certificate of authority or registration from the Department of Financial Institutions:

o A foreign (out-of-state) corporation, Nonstock Corporation, limited partnership, limited liability Company, cooperative association, or limited liability partnership.

o In order to be eligible for award, firms must be registered to do business in the State of Wisconsin with the Department of Financial Institutions (https://dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/ForeignEntities.aspx) within ten (10) business days after award but no later than prior to contract execution. Note: For assistance, please contact the State of Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions directly. Waukesha County cannot provide any advice, legal or otherwise, related to this matter.

• The company has no conflict of interest with regards to any other work performed by the company for Waukesha County, WI. The County is the sole determiner of any such conflicts of interest. Provider must disclose any possible conflicts or declare that there are no conflicts.

• Proposers must include a list of three (3) organizations, including points of contact (name, address, and telephone number), which can be used as references for work performed in the area of service required within the last five (5) years. Selected organizations may be contacted to determine the quality of work performed and personnel assigned to the project. Please include the following information for each client reference:

o Name of the organization o Responsible official or contact person o Address, telephone, and e-mail address o Dates and Duration of the services provided o Detailed description of the services provided. Be as specific as possible.

• The consulting organization must have minimum of five (5) years' experience in consulting services related to market & financial feasibility and multi-purpose venue usage studies.

https://dfi.wi.gov/Pages/BusinessServices/BusinessEntities/ForeignEntities.aspx)

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• Waukesha County requires a single project manager to be assigned to the project for the duration of the project.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience working with local governments preferred.

Proposal Requirements

Proposals must include the following:

1. Firm Qualifications & Expertise o Experience with the proposed project to provide services to Waukesha County.

o Relevant project examples in performing similar work for multi-purpose indoor/outdoor facilities.

o Indicate if firm has ever failed to complete any work awarded to it. If it has, indicate the date, where, and why the work was unable to be completed.

2. Staff Qualifications & Experience o Key personnel resumes describing the educational and work experiences for each of the key staff who would be assigned to the project, including identification of a single project manager to be assigned to the project for the duration of the project.

3. Project Understanding & Approach o Methodology used to develop a market and demand analysis report for the venue.

o Methodology used to develop a compatibility analysis based on available land.

o Methodology used to develop facility feasibility concepts.

o Methodology used to develop the financial and impact analysis.

4. Detailed Work Plan & Timeline o Estimated timeline to have study completed is late 2026, with a goal of September 2026 but no later than December 2026. A draft report must be provided to the Waukesha Expo Center for comment and revision before a final report is issued. The final report will be presented to several county staff members, oversight committee, and Expo Center staff. The final report must be provided to Waukesha Expo Center in electronic format.

o The preference of Waukesha County is to proceed with this long-term project in two phases:

Phase 1: (Current Request) Market and Demand Analysis, Compatible Market Analysis of available lands, Facility Feasibility and Concepts, and Financial Impact Analysis.

Phase 2: (Future Plan) In-depth real estate concept, financial assessments, and implementation strategies.

Note: This current RFP is intended to only include Phase 1 of this long-term project. The resulting high-level analysis will help Waukesha County develop a Phase 2 plan in the future. The current proposal should NOT include any aspects of Phase 2 in its approach or cost.

o Explain any concerns or limitations, if any, of breaking down this project in two separate phases.

Note: Please ensure that no costs are included in the proposal documents and are only submitted as part of the Pricing Documents/ Bid Table.

IV. SCOPE OF SERVICE

The consultant shall provide a market and feasibility analysis regarding the Expo Center campus and related land space. The market and feasibility analysis will include several components. They are:

1. Market and Demand Analysis

a. Evaluate current and projected demand for expo, conference, entertainment, and public event facilities.

b. Assess current event mix and identify opportunities for growth or diversification.

c. Benchmark against comparable regional venues.

d. Analyze competitive gaps and business trends.

2. Compatible Market Analysis of available lands

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a. Entertainment market analysis, including indoor and outdoor spaces.

b. Sports market analysis, including demand for indoor and outdoor space and opportunities.

c. Meeting and event analysis, including Waukesha / Milwaukee County market and demand.

d. Convention analysis, including demand.

e. Leveraging the existing Waukesha County Airport as a resource or attraction for potential opportunities.

3. Facility Feasibility and Concepts

a. High-level overview of optimal facility types, sizes, and layout.

4. Financial and Impact Analysis

a. Analysis of development / redevelopment scenarios.

b. Financial models including ROI, funding strategies, and economic impacts.

c. Recommendations for maximizing revenues and operational efficiencies.

d. Key benchmarks and performance indicators.

e. Recommendations for phased approach.

V. CONSULTANT AND/OR FIRM RELATIONSHIP WITH WAUKESHA COUNTY

1. Waukesha County supports the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which includes provisions addressing employment eligibility, employment verification, and non-discrimination. The filing of a proposal in response to this RFP is considered certification that the proposer is in compliance with the INA and has established appropriate procedures and controls so that no services under this contract will be performed by a worker who is not legally eligible to perform such services.

2. Contractor shall complete background checks at Contractor’s expense on all personnel prior to starting any activity for the County. Contractor shall confirm in writing to Waukesha County that they have successfully conducted the background checks prior to the commencement of work and that Contractor will not use any personnel for whom background checks have revealed factors that make them unsuitable for the activity to be undertaken for the County. This includes replacement personnel.

At a minimum, resources to be checked should include, but are not limited to, civil (https://wcca.wicourts.gov/l) and criminal records (https://recordcheck.doj.wi.gov/), Department of Transportation motor vehicle/licensing records (https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/dmv/license-drvs/rcd-crsh-rpt/pars.aspx). In order to do so, Contractor must obtain certain information for each of the Contractor’s employees expected to be performing work for Waukesha County. At a minimum, the information shall include full name (including middle initial), date of birth and social security information. Additional information that is helpful in completing background checks includes maiden name, sex, race, driver’s license number and issuing state and places of residence for the last three years.

NOTE: If the individual has resided outside of the State of Wisconsin within the last three (3) years, you will have to do similar research within the state they resided in.

All costs associated with the background checks are to be borne by the Contractor. All records received as a result of background checks are to be retained by the Contractor for a period of three (3) years after contract expiration.

Waukesha County reserves the right to request the results of the background checks and/or to do additional background checks on their own.

3. All sub-consultants must be identified in your proposal response. If sub-consultants are used, Waukesha County will consider the proposing vendor to be the Prime Consultant and to be solely responsible in all contractual matters, including payment of all charges resulting from such sub-consultant arrangements. The Prime Consultant will be fully responsible for the acts, errors, and omissions of the sub-consultant

4. If for any reason the individuals identified are no longer employed by the firm, or available from the subcontracted firm, the contractor must notify the POC within a reasonable time frame. Contractor is responsible for ensuring that any substitute personnel have comparable skills and experience. The County reserves the right to interview substitute personnel prior to commencement of activity on the project to confirm County’s satisfaction equivalency of skills and experience.

https://wcca.wicourts.gov/l https://recordcheck.doj.wi.gov/ https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/dmv/license-drvs/rcd-crsh-rpt/pars.aspx https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/dmv/license-drvs/rcd-crsh-rpt/pars.aspx

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5. Contractor shall be solely responsible for the safety of Contractor's employees and others relative to

Contractor's work, work procedures, material, equipment, transportation, signage, and related activities and equipment.

6. Contractor shall assume full responsibility for damage to County property caused by Contractor's employees or equipment as determined by designated County personnel.

7. The County will not be held responsible for payment of travel to and from the Waukesha County project site, nor will reimburse the Consultant and/or firm for any expenses related to providing staff that reside outside of the Waukesha County area.

8. All deliverables, work papers and other ancillary and/or other products of the Contract, including but not limited to all procedures, reports, records, summaries, and other matter and materials prepared or developed by the Consultant in performance of the Contract, shall be the sole, absolute and exclusive property of Waukesha County, free from any claim or retention of rights, thereto on the part of the Consultant, its agents, Sub-Consultants, officers, or employees.

9. County shall be entitled to request the removal of individuals working on any project for any of the following grounds, provided that such request be in writing and shall specify the reasons for the County’s dissatisfaction:

(i) unsatisfactory performance that causes negative operational impact at the County or causes the County to commit additional resources to avoid operational impact; (ii) dishonesty or belligerent conduct; (iii) lack of compatibility with County staff; or (iv) violation of County rules or policies.

Upon such written request, the County and Contractor shall decide on a course of action to cure any such problems, provided that there shall be no cure opportunity required for problems involving categories (ii) or

(iv) in the preceding sentence. In the event Contractor does not cure the problem within (7) days from the date of notice, Contractor shall remove such person and shall promptly provide a qualified replacement. The County will be liable for payment of services only up to the time of dismissal and provided then only if services rendered meet the minimum requirements of the County.

10. The Consultant shall abide by all existing Federal, State, and Local equal opportunity laws. This project will not have a minority or disadvantaged business requirement.

11. The Consultant shall establish and maintain procedures and controls for assuring that no information in its records, obtained from Waukesha County, or from others in carrying out its functions under the Contract shall be used or disclosed by it. Waukesha County reserves the right to review such procedures to ensure acceptability to Waukesha County. If information and/or records are requested of the successful Consultant(s) by anyone other than Waukesha County personnel, Waukesha County shall be notified immediately.

Waukesha County will address all requests.

VI. CONTRACT TERM, PRICING AND PAYMENT

Term The contract shall commence upon contract signature with the final report due no later than December 2026, although preference is by September 2026.

Pricing

The Pricing Document should include lump sum “not- to-exceed” costs for Phase 1 only. Fees shall include costs for all personnel whether on the job site, in the home office, or as a sub-consultant hired by the consultant. Items which are normally referred to as reimbursable expenses, including but not limited to transportation, long distance communications and other documents, overtime work requiring higher than regular rates, additional insurance requested in excess of that normally carried by the Consultants, computer-aided design and drafting equipment, are to be included in the fee for which no additional compensation will be due.

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Any additional work beyond the scope of services must be authorized in writing by Waukesha County before additional costs may be incurred. These fees will be determined prior to commencement of work and will be based on the hourly rates as submitted in the Pricing Document.

Payment Payment terms will be in accordance with the Waukesha County Service Contract. The owner will retain a minimum of ten percent (10%) of fees until final acceptance of project.

Waukesha County’s preference is to pay for goods/services on a P-Card. Indicate in the pricing document whether you will accept MasterCard for payment purchases. Vendor should note how many days after receipt and acceptance of good or receipt of invoice (whichever is later), payment must be processed to accept the credit. Please keep in mind that we will not process payment until/unless compliance with the requirements is confirmed and that Waukesha County requires a minimum of two days to process p-card payments.

If you are unable to accept credit card, payment will be made within thirty days after acceptance of equipment and receipt of a properly documented invoice. Note: Invoice must be sent to the location specified for the purchase order to avoid delays in payment. Vendors who wish to quote a discount for early payment against a purchase order may do so (reference the payment terms of the Pricing Document). For example, 1%/10 days. Discounts will be taken into consideration when evaluating costs.

VII. INSURANCE

The successful Consultant shall agree that it will, at all times during the term of the Contract, keep in force and affect insurance policies in accordance with Waukesha County standards. Insurance certificates must be issued by a company or companies authorized to do business in the State of Wisconsin and that are satisfactory to the County. Such insurance shall be primary. Prior to execution of the written contract, the successful Consultant shall furnish the County with a Certificate of Insurance issued and upon request, certified copies of the required insurance policies. The Certificate shall reference the contract and provide for thirty (30) days advance notice of cancellation or non-renewal during the term of the agreement.

Failure to submit or maintain the insurance requirements can make the contract void at the County’s discretion. Minimum requirements per Waukesha County standards are as follows:

Worker’s Compensation and Employer’ Liability Insurance – Statutory worker’s compensation benefits and employers’ liability insurance with a limit of liability not less than $100,000 each accident. Consultant shall require subconsultants not protected under its insurance to take out and maintain such insurance.

Commercial General Liability Insurance (including errors and omissions) – Policy shall provide coverage for premises and operations, products and completed operations, personal injury and blanket contractual coverage. Errors and omissions shall not be excluded or a separate policy covering such exposure shall be maintained. Limits of liability are not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and aggregate.

Waukesha County, its boards, commissions, agencies, officers, employees and representatives must be named as additional insured with respects to the General Liability and so stated on the certificate of insurance.

Automobile Liability Insurance – Business automobile policy covering all owned, hired and non-owned private passenger autos and commercial vehicles. Limit of liability not less than $500,000 combined single limit.

END OF DOCUMENT

The successful Consultant shall agree that it will, at all times during the term of the Contract, keep in force and affect insurance policies in accordance with Waukesha County standards. Insurance certificates must be issued by a company or companies...