Riverside and Erma Henderson Marinas Operations and Development

The City of Detroit Office of Contracting and Procurement seeks qualified respondents to operate and develop Riverside Marina and Erma Henderson Marina through Request for Proposal #545584, with proposals due June 15, 2026 at 3:00 PM EST via the EUNA Bonfire Supplier Portal. Riverside Marina, located at 11000 Freud Street, contains 389 slips across 65 acres with full amenities including a clubhouse, pool, fueling dock, and indoor/outdoor boat storage, while Erma Henderson Marina at 8800 East Jefferson Avenue contains 247 slips across 13 acres and has been closed since 2019 due to high-water damage; respondents may bid on one or both facilities. Qualified respondents must demonstrate a minimum of five years of experience as a marina owner/operator or commercial maritime developer and must submit comprehensive proposals addressing both operations and capital development, including a five-year financial proforma, a twenty-year Capital Investment Plan with projected expenditures and return on investment, and a proposed construction timeline, along with three business references and documentation of organizational capacity including staffing plans and key personnel resumes. The evaluation criteria allocate 30 points for the operations proposal, 30 points for the development proposal, 20 points for experience and references, and 20 points for rental rate affordability, with up to 10 additional points available through Detroit Equalization Credits for businesses meeting specified criteria. A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for May 20, 2026 at Riverside Marina, written questions must be submitted by May 22, 2026 at 3:00 PM EST with responses distributed by May 29, 2026, and proposals must not exceed 30 pages for written submissions with 30-minute maximum for in-person presentations if requested. The successful vendor will be responsible for all maintenance, security, staffing, insurance, permits, and licenses, must establish utility accounts in their name, and is required to reinvest net revenues based on the approved Capital Investment Plan with revenue sharing beginning only after substantial development and capital expenditure stabilization as determined by the City.

The City of Detroit offers competitive advantages through equalization credits for certified Detroit-Based Businesses, Detroit Resident Businesses, Detroit Headquartered Businesses, Detroit-Based Small Businesses, Detroit-Based Micro Businesses, and Construction Workforce Investment or Development Businesses, with credit percentages ranging from one to five percent depending on certification type; interested companies may contact the Civil Rights, Inclusion & Opportunity Department at 313.224.4950 or CivilrightsCert@detroitmi.gov to apply for certification. Respondents are required to submit notarized Consolidated Affidavits covering hiring policy compliance, slavery era records and insurance disclosures, prison industry and immigration detention system records disclosures, a Covenant of Equal Opportunity, and statements of political contributions; additionally, successful vendors must provide three years of financial statements, proof of City of Detroit Treasury Clearance submission, and if federally funded, proof of active registration with the System of Awards Management (SAM.gov). The contract term is twenty years with renewal options subject to Detroit City Council approval and signature by the Chief Procurement Officer, and the City anticipates one or multiple awards resulting from this RFP. All contractors must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including workers' compensation, employers' liability ($500,000 minimum per occurrence), commercial general liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), automobile liability ($1,000,000 combined single limit), and cyber liability insurance ($1,000,000 per claim/$5,000,000 aggregate), and must provide ISO 27001 certification or a SOC 2 Type 2 Report annually demonstrating data security measures. While specific contract award values are not disclosed in the RFP materials, the financial structure is contingent upon each respondent's submitted five-year proforma and twenty-year Capital Investment Plan, with the City bearing no initial capital investment costs and vendors responsible for all operational and development expenditures with revenue sharing determined after development stabilization.