On-Call Economic Development Services

The Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (RiverCOG) issued a Request for Proposals on November 4, 2025, for On-Call Economic Development Services to support 17 member municipalities in the Lower Connecticut River Valley region of Connecticut. RiverCOG seeks qualified consultants, firms, or teams to provide services across four primary areas: organizational development and capacity building; economic development policy and program planning; property development and redevelopment services including brownfields assistance; and neighborhood and Main Street business retention and attraction initiatives. Services will be provided on an as-needed basis under task-order contracts with no guaranteed volume of work. Respondents must submit proposals via email by November 20, 2025, at 4:00 PM EST that include firm profile, relevant experience, project team qualifications, service delivery approach, references, and hourly fee schedules with reimbursable costs. A vendor question and answer period is available from November 5, 2025, at 7:00 AM EST through November 10, 2025, at 4:00 PM EST, with interviews potentially occurring between December 1-5, 2025, if needed, and contract selection scheduled for December 15, 2025. The RFP evaluation criteria emphasize demonstrated expertise in municipal economic development, project team qualifications, understanding of the regional context, in-person service availability, and fee competitiveness. The contract term is one year from execution with an option to extend for an additional year subject to performance and funding availability.

RiverCOG intends to award one or more contracts based on qualifications, experience, and proposed fees, and explicitly encourages Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), Women Business Enterprises (WBE), and Small Business Enterprises (SBE) to submit proposals, which will receive favorable consideration in meeting diversity goals. Respondents must meet minimum insurance requirements including professional liability coverage of $3,000,000 and automobile liability of $1,000,000. The RFP is designated as an open competition available to all vendors with no restrictions on organization type beyond these insurance requirements. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the solicitation documents, and no existing infrastructure or technology integration requirements are specified. The estimated total contract value has not been disclosed in the solicitation documents; pricing terms, payment terms, and delivery terms are to be vendor-specified, with the specific fee structure negotiated as part of the proposal submission process. Proposals must remain valid for a minimum of 120 days from receipt, and RiverCOG reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive informalities, accept proposals in part, and award contracts in the best interest of the region.