Request for Qualifications for Adult Use Marijuana Retail Establishment

The Town of Dartmouth, Massachusetts has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for those interested in obtaining a Host Community Agreement (HCA) to operate an Adult Use Marijuana Retail Establishment within the Town. The Town will be entering into as many as three HCAs and will award one HCA for each RFQ published. Proposals must be submitted by May 31, 2019 by 2pm and include two certified or bank checks for $500 as an application fee and $15,000 for expert review costs. The term of each HCA is expected to be five years. The RFQ outlines the minimum criteria applicants must meet, including compliance with local zoning requirements, provision of company and personnel information, business and development plans, and proposed community benefits. The RFQ also details the comparative evaluation criteria the Town will use to rank the applications, which include factors such as applicant experience, business plan, proposed timeline, local hiring, and willingness to comply with HCA terms. Key HCA terms include a 3% community impact fee on gross sales, $25,000 minimum in annual charitable donations, and $340,000 in four annual $85,000 contributions for community benefits.

The RFQ does not specify any set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are listed, and no existing infrastructure or technology that requires integration is mentioned. The RFQ does not provide any information on possible award values or budget ranges.