Innovation Plan Update Consultant RFP

The State of Oregon, acting through the Oregon Business Development Department (OBDD), is issuing an Intermediate Request for Proposal to procure consulting services from an Innovation Plan Update Consultant to evaluate the strategies outlined in Oregon's 10-Year Innovation Plan released in February 2021 for relevance and effectiveness. The consultant will assess whether current strategies represent the best approach for strengthening Oregon's innovation-based businesses, compare strategies against peer states, and identify necessary conditions for success. Key deliverables include a project work plan and timeline, interim progress summary, stakeholder engagement plan with results summary, draft recommendations for innovation plan updates, and a final innovation plan update with executive presentation. Qualified proposers must be registered vendors in OregonBuys and demonstrate work experience from a minimum of three projects within the last five years similar in scope. The RFP evaluation criteria allocate 55 points to Project Implementation Plan, 35 points to Qualifications, and 10 points to Pricing Narrative, for a total of 100 points possible. The proposal submission deadline is April 10, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time, with questions and clarification requests due by March 30, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The anticipated Notice of Intent to Award is April 24, 2026, with a six-month initial contract term and agency option for an additional six months if needed. Only one contract award is anticipated from this solicitation.

This procurement encourages participation of small businesses certified by the Oregon Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID), including disadvantaged business enterprises, minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, veteran business enterprises, and emerging small businesses. Oregon supplies and services receive a 10 percent price preference per ORS 279A.128. Proposers must comply with comprehensive certification requirements including Oregon tax law compliance, non-discrimination in employment and subcontracting practices, wage and hour laws, and exclusion from federal sanctions lists. The contractor must maintain insurance coverage including workers' compensation, commercial general liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 annual aggregate, and professional liability insurance of not less than $2,000,000 per claim and $4,000,000 annual aggregate. The contract will be structured on either a time and materials/labor-hour basis with actual hourly billing rates plus negotiated indirect costs and profit, or a fixed-price arrangement, with payment contingent upon OBDD's acceptance of completed deliverables at specified milestones; the agency will withhold ten percent of each invoice as retainage prior to final payment. The OBDD's proposed budget for this RFP is $100,000 to $125,000, and the contract will terminate either when OBDD accepts the contractor's performance or on a specified expiration date, whichever occurs first.