Rural Economic Development Capacity Contractor

The New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) is soliciting proposals for a Rural Economic Development Capacity Contractor through Request for Proposals (RFP) rfp-dbea-2026-04 to provide technical assistance and capacity-building services to municipalities and non-profit organizations within six Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) counties: Coos, Grafton, Carroll, Belknap, Sullivan, and Cheshire. The contractor will deliver predevelopment strategies, program financial planning, grant application development, and guidance on securing NBRC and other state and federal funding opportunities. Key deliverables include bi-weekly meetings with BEA staff, quarterly accounting of staff time and expenses, annual technical assistance reports detailing capacity-building services and grant outcomes, and identification of projects for potential funding outside NBRC initiatives. Evaluation criteria are weighted as follows: experience and qualifications of key staff and subcontractors (30 points), overall strategy and methodology (30 points), creativity and innovation in supporting under-resourced entities (20 points), and budget approach and cost-effectiveness (20 points), with a minimum threshold of 70 points required to advance in the evaluation process. The proposer inquiry period ends May 13, 2026 at 12:00 PM, with final agency responses due May 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM, and proposals must be submitted electronically by May 22, 2026 at 2:30 PM. Oral presentations and interviews are scheduled for June 2, 2026, with selection notification and contract negotiation beginning June 3, 2026.

The contract will be structured as a two-year firm fixed price agreement with a 24-month term from approval, with potential extensions contingent upon additional federal funding availability and satisfactory performance, subject to Governor and Executive Council approval. The RFP document does not specify set-aside designations, restrictions on organization types, incumbent vendors, or current contractors that would inform proposal development. No specific budget range or award value is stated in the available documentation; however, the procurement is funded through an NBRC Capacity Building grant received by BEA. The Agency reserves the right to reject all proposals, extend any existing contract, or conduct negotiations with alternative proposers if agreement cannot be reached with the highest-scoring proposer, providing flexibility in the final award decision.