NC27-105 Natural Resources and Public Lands Communications

The State of Utah Division of Purchasing, conducting on behalf of the Natural Resources Public Lands Policy Coordination Office (PLPCO), is requesting statements of qualifications for strategic communications, facilitation, and community engagement services related to natural resources and public lands policy under RFSQ NC27-105, with qualifications due October 9, 2026. This is a design professional services procurement under Utah Procurement Code 63G-6a Part 15; the highest-ranked vendor will be selected to negotiate a contract at fair and reasonable compensation, with fallback negotiation rights reserved for the second- and third-highest ranked vendors if agreement cannot be reached within 90 days.

Qualifications are evaluated on four technical criteria: Experience (300 points / 60%), Community Engagement Strategies (200 points / 40%), Communication Approach (100 points / 20%), and Reports (100 points / 20%), for a total of 700 scoreable points. Vendors must demonstrate team experience with Utah-specific public lands challenges, ability to ensure knowledgeable staff availability for short-notice meetings, and past project examples showing conflict de-escalation in public forums. Proposals must not exceed five pages and must omit pricing; vendors must address how they align engagement strategies with state-level policy goals and consolidate discussions into actionable reports for PLPCO's next steps.

The contract term is five years beginning December 9, 2026. Work occurs primarily in Utah with possible extension to neighboring states for multi-state coordination efforts. The budget cap is $100,000 over the five-year term. PLPCO will endeavor to schedule meetings 30 days in advance but reserves the right to request services on short notice. Key deliverables include advance planning, meeting facilitation, and post-meeting reports with action plans submitted within two weeks of completion.

Contractors must maintain commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$3,000,000 aggregate, register with E-Verify, certify non-debarment status, and comply with Utah anti-boycott provisions and restrictions on forced labor and restricted foreign technology. Vendors claiming business confidential information must submit both redacted and non-redacted versions of their qualifications.