Economic Development Services CONSULTANT POOL, RFQ

Empire State Development (ESD) is requesting qualifications to establish a prequalified consultant pool across eight service lots supporting the Governor's Office of Semiconductor Expansion, Management, and Integration (GO-SEMI) and ESD's Strategic Business Division and Regional Offices, with qualifications due August 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST and questions due August 7, 2026.

The eight lots address semiconductor ecosystem development: Economic Analysis, Research & Strategic Planning (Lot 1); Site Selection & Competitive Benchmarking (Lot 2); Industrial Site Development & Design requiring mandatory Japanese/Korean language proficiency (Lot 3); Learning Platform Strategy & Technical Assistance (Lot 4); Events, Marketing & Stakeholder Engagement (Lot 5); Corporate Sustainability & Advanced Manufacturing Solutions (Lot 6); Industrial Site Readiness & Permitting (Lot 7); and Independent Third-Party Assurance, Compliance Auditing & Performance Verification (Lot 8). Respondents must demonstrate a minimum of five years' lot-specific experience, provide three case studies from the past seven years, and identify a dedicated project lead with at least ten years of relevant experience. Lot 8 awardees are strictly prohibited from performing consulting, design, or site-readiness services under Lots 1–7 for the same project or recipient entity.

No specific contract value is budgeted at prequalification; funding and project budgets are established when task orders are issued. The prequalified pool term is two to three years. Hourly rates submitted serve as maximum allowable rates for the first 24 months, with potential increases at ESD's discretion for year three. Task orders will be structured as Time and Materials or Fixed-Price/Milestone-based engagements under ESD's standard contractual terms. No predetermined limit exists on the number of vendors prequalified per lot; all vendors meeting minimum criteria and demonstrating technical competence will be recommended.

Evaluation criteria are weighted as Experience & Technical Competence (35 points), Staffing & Key Personnel (30 points), Cost/Rates (25 points), and Quantitative Factor for MWBE/SDVOB certification (10 points). The MWBE and SDVOB contracting goals are set at 0.00% for the prequalification pool; however, individual task orders will have participation goals established based on state availability of qualified MWBEs and SDVOBs. Technical submissions are limited to 20 pages for single-lot applications, plus 5 pages per additional lot. Respondents must comply with ISO 27001, 27005, and 27035 security standards and GDPR data protection requirements. Restricted procurement rules prohibit lobbying contact with ESD employees other than designated contacts Ralph Volcy (primary) and Shanah Jack (secondary).