State of Materials Circularity in Nevada's Hospitality and Tourism Sector Study

The Nevada State Purchasing Division, on behalf of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, is seeking proposals for a comprehensive six-month study on the State of Materials Circularity in Nevada's Hospitality and Tourism Sector (Project 70CNR-S3585). The study aims to improve understanding of circular economy practices within the hospitality and tourism industry, identify implementation roadblocks and opportunities, develop recommendations for practice adoption, and create a replicable framework for studying other Nevada sectors. Deliverables will include communication with the Bureau of Sustainable Materials Management (BSMM), research on current circular economy practices, identification of roadblocks and opportunities, development of a framework for future studies, and publication of a feasibility report. The evaluation criteria will assess vendor knowledge and research expertise (20 points), experience with similar projects (25 points), adherence to RFP requirements (10 points), key personnel expertise and capacity (25 points), business references (20 points), and cost (20 points). Key deadlines include: questions due by December 5, 2025 at 5:00 PM, client references due by December 19, 2025, vendor presentations estimated for January 5-9, 2026, with a Notice of Intent on January 12, 2026, and a Notice of Award on January 26, 2026. The contract is expected to begin March 10, 2026, following Board of Examiners approval, and will run through September 2026.

The procurement offers a five percent preference to Nevada-based businesses and applies inverse preferences to out-of-state vendors from states with reciprocal in-state preferences. Vendors must be registered on nevadaepro.com, hold a current Nevada business license, maintain active registration on sam.gov, and carry required insurance. The study is funded by the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling federal grant, and while no specific set-aside designations are mentioned, vendors must comply with various legal requirements including Nevada law governance, non-boycott of Israel certification, and data encryption and stateside data maintenance requirements. Vendors must provide financial statements for the previous two years and demonstrate compliance with civil rights and disabilities laws. While no specific budget range is explicitly stated in the documents, the cost schedule template suggests a structured approach to pricing the five primary study tasks across the six-month project period. Notably, the RFP indicates that one contract will be awarded based on the solicitation, with the successful vendor expected to have extensive expertise in circular economy research and the hospitality and tourism sector.