RFP - Sustainable Destination Management Plan - Newport OR.pdf

CITY OF NEWPORT, OREGON

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

for

SUSTAINABLE DESTINATION

MANAGEMENT PLAN

Proposal Due Date: August 22, 2025

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. BACKGROUND ……………………………………………………………….1

a. Proposer Entity

b. Overview

c. Anticipated Budget

II. RFP SPECIFICATIONS………………………………………………………2

a. Project Objective

b. Scope

III. CONDITIONS GOVERNING PROPOSAL………………………………

a. Eligible Proposers

b. Anticipated Timeline to Completion

c. Preliminary Schedule

d. Deadline for Submission

e. Proposal Requirements

f. Proposal Evaluation and Selection Process

g. Contract Reward Process

IV. GENERAL RFP AND CONTRACT REWARD INFORMATION…………6

a. Term

b. Budget

c. Laws and Policies

d. Costs Incurred by Proposers

e. General City Reservations

f. Termination

g. Contact Information

Request for Proposal

Destination Strategic Plan

I. BACKGROUND

A. Proposer Entity

The City of Newport (“City”) is seeking a well-qualified profit or non-profit organization to submit a proposal to develop a Sustainable Destination

Management Plan (“Plan”) for the City.

B. Overview

The City of Newport, home to 11,000 residents, is the population center of the central Oregon coast and, as such, a prime tourist destination. Newport hosts

2.5 million visitors annually who come to experience endless outdoor recreational activities, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and numerous fine shops, restaurants, galleries, and lodging establishments. Nearby Yaquina Head

Lighthouse is one of only 11 active lighthouses in the state, and at 93 feet, is the tallest tower on Oregon’s coast.

Newport boasts the largest commercial fishing fleet in Oregon and harvests record numbers of Dungeness crab annually. The harvest season begins

December 1 and runs through mid-August, contributing to Newport’s tourism appeal during this time. Several marine research vessels call Newport home along with a large number of private boats docked in marinas around the

Bayfront.

Newport is the county seat of Lincoln County, and houses the offices of several federal and state agencies, including a major Coast Guard station, Oregon

State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, NOAA’s Pacific Marine

Operations Center, the Oregon State Police, Oregon DMV, and Oregon

Employment Division offices.

C. Anticipated Budget

While the anticipated budget is $50,000-$75,000, however the final budget will be dependent on a number of factors.

II. RFP SPECIFICATIONS

A. Project Objective

A successful Sustainable Destination Management Plan will holistically address and strike a balance between the ongoing management and marketing of Newport. The City of Newport aims to increase visitation and visitor spending, overnight stays, address strains placed on infrastructure related to tourism, and engage our local community to encourage tourism that contributes positively to Newport’s economy without compromising its environmental or cultural integrity. This Sustainable Destination Management Plan will work to more concretely define a mission, vision, and purpose; gauge tourism sentiment; inform and educate the public; develop strategies and tactics; and deliver outcomes in a timely manner.

B. Scope

All services shall be provided under the direction of the City Manager and assigned staff, in collaboration with the City’s Destination Marketing

Organization.

The anticipated project scope shall include, but not be limited to, the following steps:

• Provide a snapshot of the current tourism landscape in Newport by combining resident and visitor feedback both qualitative (interviews, focus groups) and quantitative (survey data, OCVA statistics, Discover

Newport 2024 analytics). Include insights into how tourism is currently impacting the community socially, economically, and environmentally, as well as expectations or concerns looking ahead,

• Define the strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results of the destination,

• Describe tourism-related management strategies and tactics to protect and maintain the quality of life for residents and guests and prevent, mitigate, and/or adapt to visitor and resident impacts,

• Document, review, and analyze current community initiatives that relate to sustainable tourism and destination management, identify gaps in current policies and practices, and set goals for the community to achieve successful implementation that is based upon and in consideration of destination and City plans and policies already adopted,

• Develop goals and actions for a Plan that integrates various stakeholder efforts and empowers community innovation and involvement,

• Create a Plan development and implementation timeline and key performance indicators to measure outcomes,

• Outline outreach and media strategies to engage stakeholders, communicate to and educate the public on the Plan, offer opportunities to contribute and support the Plan, and leverage existing partnerships,

• Propose a 10-year vision and management plan for tourism and sustainability in Newport that includes assumptions, goals, and actions to mitigate those assumptions, and define a purpose and scope of work for future phases of the Plan development.

C. Project Deliverables

a. Stakeholder Engagement:

Conduct structured stakeholder engagement to inform plan development.

b. Data Analysis Requirements:

Include comprehensive data collection on tourism impacts.

c. Identification of Barriers/Opportunities for Improvements:

Evaluate current infrastructure, programming and services to identify barriers and opportunities related to tourism and recommend areas of improvement.

d. Sustainability Metrics:

Develop a sustainability and tourism dashboard with KPIs to track plan progress annually.

III. CONDITIONS GOVERNING PROPOSAL

A. Eligible Proposers

Proposals will be accepted only from organizations (profit or non-profit), or other collaborative arrangements that:

1. Are qualified to conduct business in the State of Oregon and the City of

Newport.

2. If a corporation or limited liability company, is in good standing with the

Secretary of State.

B. Anticipated Timeline to Completion

The City anticipates the project to take approximately 6-8 months.

C. Preliminary Schedule

Event Date

Release of Request for Proposals August 1, 2025

Written Questions DUE August 11, 2025

Proposals Due August 22, 2025

Proposal Award Date September 5, 2025

Contractor Begins Work September 15, 2025

The City reserves the right to amend the preliminary schedule.

D. Deadline for Submission

The original proposal must be received electronically by 4:00 P.M. (PDT), on

August 22, 2025. Proposals shall be emailed to Nina Vetter at n.vetter@newportoregon.gov.

The submission of proposals is the sole responsibility of the proposer. The City reserves the right to determine the timeliness of all submissions. Late proposals will not be accepted. All proposals received after the deadline will be returned unopened.

E. Proposal Requirements

The following outlines the proposal requirements. Submission of a proposal pursuant to this RFP constitutes acknowledgement and acceptance of the terms and conditions set forth herein, and those required under City’s Public

Contracting Rules (located on City’s webpage, under Administration, City

Recorder). The Public Contracting Rules may also be viewed by clicking here.

The RFP will be incorporated into any resulting contract with the successful proposer, along with any terms of the accepted proposal which are not in conflict therewith, as well as provisions which are permissible matters for negotiation, as set forth herein. The contents of the proposal submitted by the successful proposer may become contractual obligations if a contract is awarded.

Failure of the successful proposer to accept these obligations may result in cancellation of the award. The City reserves the right to withdraw this RFP at any time without prior notice. All proposals submitted in response to the RFP become the property of the City and will be a public record after the selection process is completed. Each proposal must contain the following:

1. Cover Letter for the Proposal mailto:n.vetter@newportoregon.gov https://www.newportoregon.gov/dept/adm/documents/Public%20Contracting%20Rules.pdf

A cover letter must be submitted with the proposal. The cover letter should be limited to one page and must include the company name, company address, and the name, telephone number, and e-mail address of the person(s) authorized to represent the firm on all matters relating to the RFP and any contract awarded pursuant to this RFP. A person authorized to bind the proposer to all commitments made in the proposal must sign the letter.

2. Providing Services to Meet the Scope of Services

Each proposer shall furnish a narrative of how the organization will provide services to fulfill the City’s scope of services. Proposers must address how the Plan will promote equitable access and benefits across all demographics in the community. Describe your approach to engaging the Newport community and diverse stakeholders throughout the planning process.

3. Proposer Experience

Each proposer shall furnish a narrative supported by relevant data regarding past experience with similar projects. Proposer shall include one or two examples of prior plans the proposer has completed.

Proposer shall also identify the individuals who will be assigned to work on this project and their roles.

4. Projected Costs and Proposed Services

Each proposer shall provide an itemized list of the annual projected costs of each component in the “Scope of Services” described above, including personnel time and costs. If applicable, identify other sources of revenue that can be matched or leveraged to provide a greater promotion of Newport.

Proposals should reference alignment with the City’s Vision 2040 Plan, City Council’s Goals and Objectives, Oregon Coast Visitor Association

Strategies and Plans, and any existing tourism or economic development policies.

F. Proposal Evaluation and Selection Process

The City will conduct a preliminary evaluation of all proposals to determine compliance with proposal requirements and mandatory document submissions. The City reserves the right to request additional information to clarify the content of a proposal.

All proposals shall be reviewed to determine that the minimum eligibility requirements have been met. Ineligible proposers will be informed in writing.

All submittals in response to this RFP are public records and available for inspection and copying upon request.

Proposals will be evaluated based upon the following categories, including references and information from entities or persons with whom Proposer has entered into contract(s) within the last five years. Proposals will be scored and ranked. No single category is determinative, or entitled to greater weight in the evaluation process than any other. The successful proposal will be determined by the highest point total, based on the categories below. The successful proposal may be subject to negotiation.

Proposer qualifications, experience, and demonstrated ability, including references and contacts with previous contracting parties.

40 points

Quality and responsiveness of proposal to the Goals and Objectives and Scope of Service detailed in this RFP.

35 points

Cost reasonableness, appropriateness, and necessity as compared to all other proposals to provide the services proposed within the City’s annual budget and other leveraged monies.

20 points

Geographic preference, in this order: Lincoln County in Oregon, State of Oregon, the NW Coastal area (including Oregon, Washington and Northern California). The vendor resides or has businesses in these areas.

5 points

G. Contract Reward Process

The City Council may accept or reject the recommendation of the staff as to the successful proposer, cancellation of the procurement, or related matters.

The successful proposer that is selected to perform the services outlined in this

RFP shall enter into a contract, approved by the City Attorney, directly with the

City of Newport, within thirty (30) days of the Notice of Intent to Award Contract, or such later date as determined by the City.

The City reserves the right to verify the information received in the proposal. If the proposer knowingly and willfully submits false information or data, the City reserves the right to reject that proposal. If it is determined that a contract was awarded or entered into because of false statements, or other incorrect data submitted in response to this RFP, the City reserves the right to terminate the contract, without penalty therefor, and with all rights reserved.

IV. GENERAL RFP AND CITY CONTRACT INFORMATION

The following terms and conditions apply to the agreement entered into between the successful proposer and the City of Newport:

A. Term

The anticipated term of the contract is approximately nine months, however, the scheduled will be finalized in the contract. Any contract awarded pursuant to this RFP may be terminated by the City, with or without cause upon thirty days written notification to the successful proposer.

B. Budget

The City and awarded proposer shall agree on a fixed budget with milestone deliverables outlined in the contract.

C. Laws and Policies

In the performance of the advertising services agreement, the selected successful proposer shall abide by and conform to all applicable laws and rules of the United States, State of Oregon, and the City of Newport.

D. Costs Incurred by Proposers

All costs of proposal preparation shall be the responsibility of the proposer.

The City shall not, in any event, be liable for any pre-contractual expenses incurred by proposers in the preparation and/or submission of the proposals.

Proposals shall not include any such expenses as part of the proposed budget.

E. General City Reservations

City reserves the right to extend the submission deadline should this be in the best interest of the City. Proposers have the right to revise their proposals in the event that the deadline is extended.

The City reserves the right to withdraw this RFP at any time, and will notify proposers that the solicitation has been canceled. The City makes no representation that any contract will be awarded to any proposer responding to the RFP. The City reserves the right to reject any or all submissions.

If in City’s judgment, an inadequate number of proposals are received or the proposals received are deemed non-responsive, not qualified, or not cost effective, the City may, at its sole discretion, reissue the RFP, or execute a contract with the next highest ranked proposer, or to cancel this solicitation, all subject to compliance with City’s public contracting rules.

City reserves the right, subject to the City’s public contracting rules and applicable statutes, to reject any and all proposals and to waive any minor informality when to do so would be advantageous to the City.

F. Contact Information

Proposers may contact Nina Vetter with any questions regarding the scope of services of this RFP at:

Nina Vetter, City Manager

City of Newport

169 SW Coast Highway

Newport, OR 97365

N.Vetter@NewportOregon.gov

541-574-0601 mailto:N.Vetter@NewportOregon.gov