Building and Zoning - Fee Study and Cost Recovery Consultation Services

The City of Columbus, Department of Building and Zoning Services (BZS) is seeking a qualified consultant through a Request for Proposals (RFP) to conduct a comprehensive fee study and cost recovery analysis of its departmental fee structure and business environment. The department operates seven interconnected sections—Building, Code Enforcement, Zoning, Site Engineering, Customer Service, License, and Weights and Measures—with 278 budgeted full-time equivalents funded through both the General Fund ($4.5 million) and the Development Services Special Revenue Fund (approximately $40 million). The selected consultant must deliver an accepted fee plan, recommendations for best practices based on peer municipality comparisons, and a user-friendly fee model compatible with the City's Accela Civic Platform that enables ongoing fee schedule updates without requiring Microsoft Access. Key project objectives include developing fees that support private development while promoting equity and inclusion, achieving appropriate cost recovery, maintaining competitiveness with national peers and neighboring Ohio municipalities, and accumulating a fund balance sufficient to cover three to six months of operational expenses. Required deliverables encompass a comprehensive review of current fee structure and business practices, analysis of departmental expenses, interviews with senior staff, identification of best practices, and development of a forward-looking fee adjustment model. Minimum contractor requirements include Workers' Compensation compliance, Commercial Liability Insurance with coverage of $500,000 per person and $1,000,000 per accident, a valid City of Columbus contract compliance number, and at least three references demonstrating experience with similar services. Proposals will be evaluated on a 100-point scale across seven categories: Offeror Ability and Business Specifications (10 points), Competency (20 points), Past Performance (10 points), Service Approach (20 points), Quality and Feasibility (20 points), Cost (10 points), and Response Clarity and Efficiency (10 points). Written questions must be submitted by April 3, 2026, with answers provided by 3:00 PM on Friday, April 10, 2026; proposals are due April 24, 2026, at 10:00 AM, with contract award estimated for May 29, 2026, work beginning July 6, 2026, and final acceptance required by December 18, 2026.

The City of Columbus offers bid incentive opportunities for Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) certified contractors registered with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, who may receive a five percentage point proposal incentive credit applied to their final evaluation score on professional service contracts. All contractors must obtain a valid Contract Compliance Certification Number from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion prior to contract award and must comply with the City's equal opportunity employment requirements and wage theft prevention ordinance. Eligible MBE/WBE bidders must submit current certification approval letters with their proposals and complete the required affidavit. The selected consultant will be engaged for a one-year period with options for two additional one-year renewals, subject to City legislative approval and funding. The project scope explicitly excludes housing code fees, business licensing fees, weights and measures fees, state tax obligations, general fund expenses, and technology system work beyond model development. While no specific contract value is published in the solicitation documents, the City's anticipated budget environment includes approximately $40 million in Development Services Fund revenue plus $4.5 million in General Fund support for departmental operations, providing context for the scope and scale of the consulting engagement. Interested vendors should note that the City is tax-exempt and will not include federal or state taxes in quoted prices, and all pricing must be quoted on a firm or fixed basis for the contract duration.