26P-053 Long Range Tourism Plan 2027-2031

The Ocala/Marion County Visitors and Convention Bureau (OMCVCB), a Marion County, Florida government department serving as the destination marketing organization for the region, seeks consulting services to develop a comprehensive Long-Range Tourism Plan for fiscal years 2027-2031. This procurement builds upon the successful FY 2024-2026 plan previously facilitated by MMGY NEXTFactor, utilizing the same proven methodology and strategic framework while addressing emerging opportunities and challenges in destination marketing. The consultant must conduct a research and assessment phase including competitive benchmarking against six peer Florida counties (Alachua, Citrus, Lake, Pasco, Polk, and Seminole), gap and competitive analysis, DestinatioNEXT survey administration, and market trend analysis; execute a comprehensive community engagement phase consisting of minimum 30 one-on-one stakeholder interviews, at least two focus group sessions, a joint visioning workshop with the Marion County Board of County Commissioners and Tourist Development Council, and public presentations at key milestones; and deliver a strategic plan document organized around four strategic pillars—Marketing & Sales, Partnerships & Community Engagement, Destination Management, and Organizational Excellence—with identified key initiatives, implementation timeframes, and measurable KPI targets extending through 2031. The project timeline spans approximately eight months from contract execution, with deliverables including a final comprehensive plan document, presentation materials, executive summary, and implementation tools, with payment potentially structured on a milestone basis (25 percent upon contract execution, 25 percent upon completion of research and assessment phase, 25 percent upon completion of community engagement phase, and 25 percent upon delivery and acceptance of final plan). Proposals will be evaluated on a 100-point scale across five criteria: Firm Qualification and Experience (25 points), Project Team (15 points), Technical Approach and Methodology (25 points), Quality of Sample Work Products and References (15 points), and Cost Proposal (20 points), with proposals due March 20, 2026. Required qualifications include extensive experience in destination marketing organization strategic planning, proven expertise with DestinatioNEXT methodology, strong background in tourism market research and competitive analysis, experience with Florida DMO operations and Florida Statute 125.0104 requirements, and ability to facilitate community engagement and produce actionable strategic plans; professional credentials such as CDME or CMP certifications are preferred, and consultants must provide a minimum of three references from similar projects completed within the past five years.

The procurement documentation does not specify set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, or other protected classifications beyond general nondiscrimination compliance requirements mandated by federal, state, and local law. The incumbent consultant for the FY 2024-2026 planning cycle was MMGY NEXTFactor; the new consultant must integrate its work with the existing strategic framework and build upon accomplishments documented in the current plan, which established specific achievement targets including increasing annual room night demand by 13 percent to 1,180,000 by 2026, increasing annual RFPs by 100 percent to 44 by 2026, increasing annual Tourist Development Tax collections by 9 percent by 2026, and increasing website visitation by 15 percent to 1,495,000 by 2026. The consultant will leverage existing research infrastructure including the FY2025 Economic Impact Report and Visitor Journey Report prepared by Downs & St. Germain Research, the Ocala/Marion County Tourism Placemaking Plan and Feasibility Analysis prepared by Hunden Partners, the DestinationNEXT Survey results, and Marion County's broader Empowering Marion for Success strategic plan. The scope of work specifies that no specific funding amount is stated in the procurement documents; pricing terms and contract amounts shall be negotiated with the selected consultant based on the detailed cost proposal submitted, with proposals evaluated for clarity, completeness, reasonableness, transparency, and overall value to the project. All submissions must be completed online through the Marion County Procurement Services Bonfire website (https://marionfl.bonfirehub.com) with responses due by March 20, 2026, and all vendors must comply with Marion County's General Terms and Conditions requirements including mandatory insurance coverage (Workers' Compensation, Commercial General Liability with $1,000,000 minimum per occurrence, and Business Automobile Liability with $500,000 combined single limit), E-Verify employment verification, drug-free workplace certification, public records law compliance under Florida Statute Chapter 119, and conflict of interest disclosure per Florida Statute 112.313.