Request for Proposals: Strategic planning consultant

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Introduction

Smart Growth America (SGA) is seeking an experienced strategic planning consultant to facilitate a strategic planning process and help develop a new Three-Year Strategic Plan for SGA.

Through this RFP, SGA seeks a qualified consultant who is experienced with working with national nonprofits similar to SGA in size and scope in the facilitation of a strategic planning process and development of a three-year strategic plan. The consultant will work in partnership with senior SGA staff, the SGA Strategic Planning Committee, and the SGA Board Strategic Planning Subcommittee to complete the scope of work.

The deadline to submit is Friday, November 15th, 2024 by close of business Eastern Standard Time.

Background

Smart Growth America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., that envisions a country where no matter where you live or who you are, you can enjoy living in a place that is healthy, prosperous, and resilient. Our team of 30+ staffers works around the country to empower communities through technical assistance, advocacy, and thought leadership to realize our vision of livable places, healthy people, and shared prosperity. Advancing racial equity, helping communities mitigate and adapt to climate change, and creating healthier communities are core outcomes we seek in all our work.

General History

Smart Growth America was founded with three staff members in 2000 and officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2003. In 2008, the organization grew rapidly when it received a large multi-year grant to establish Transportation for America, a national campaign for transportation reform. In 2012, our portfolio of issues and allies grew significantly as we became the new home of the National Complete Streets Coalition and the National Brownfields Coalition. In 2017, the State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI), joined our family of programs, and then in early 2018 we grew again, integrating in another formerly independent non-profit, the Form Based Codes Institute (FBCI). Later that year, in April of 2018, our current President and CEO, Calvin Gladney, was appointed. Today, SGA is known for its advocacy work, technical assistance partnerships with governments and community-based organizations, events such as our annual Equity Summit, and national thought leadership through data-driven signature reports such as Dangerous by Design and Foot Traffic Ahead.

Strategic Planning History. In 2014 SGA completed a Five-Year Strategic Plan designed to guide SGA’s work from 2015-2020. We commenced initial strategic planning work to create a new plan at the end of 2019 but halted our work on a formal strategic plan at the onset of the pandemic. Although we did not create a new strategic plan, over the course of 2019-2024, we did create and/or put into place several new strategic pillars that serve as the foundation and jumping-off point for our upcoming strategic plan:

  • New SGA North Star and Mission Statement (Our Why?);
  • Restructured around 3 disciplines: Land Use, Transportation & Economic Development (Our What?);
  • New 3-part Impact Model: Technical Assistance, Advocacy, and Thought Leadership (Our How?);
  • Designated 3 Organization-Wide Programmatic Priorities: Climate change and resilience, advancing racial equity, and creating healthy communities;
  • New DEIA Vision and Action Plan.

With those building blocks in place, we seek a consultant with significant experience working with similar non-profits who can help us create an agile, inspiring, and implementable Three-Year Strategic Plan.

RFP Purpose

Through this RFP, SGA seeks a qualified consultant who is experienced with working with national nonprofits similar to SGA in size and scope in the facilitation of a strategic planning process and development of a strategic plan. The consultant will work in partnership with senior staff, the SGA Strategic Planning Committee, and the SGA Board Strategic Planning Subcommittee to complete the scope of work.

Project Goals

We seek to create a strategic plan that leverages the building blocks we’ve already put in place to guide, clarify, and harmonize the work and focus of SGA over the next 3 years. The plan’s goals should inspire SGA’s staff and stakeholders, as well as provide a road map of activities that can be implemented to achieve those goals. We want the plan to be short enough to make it usable by staff yet long enough to include narratives that inspire passion around our organizational direction. We think that a final plan that is 5-10 pages maximum will achieve those two goals. We’d also like a one-page version of the Plan for external posting, distribution, and easy consumption. Ultimately, think of the Plan as more of a compass than a turn-by-turn by GPS. The Plan must be flexible enough to help SGA navigate any political and/or market changes that might occur during the term of the Plan while still providing an inspiring and strategic throughline that will be true irrespective of the winds of change.

Scope of Work

With those Project Goals in mind, we desire a consultant to execute the following scope:

  • Project Prep-Work and Kickoff
    • Review documents and resources identified by SGA staff, including our prior Strategic Plan, programmatic priorities, current DEIA Action Plan, and other key organizational documents
    • Create and manage an overall project work plan in collaboration with SGA staff
    • Lead kickoff meetings with SGA leadership and the staff Strategic Planning Committee
    • Lead kickoff Zoom calls with the SGA Board Chair/Vice Chair and with the Board Strategic Planning Subcommittee
    • Introduction to Planning Process presentation at existing SGA all-staff Zoom meeting
  • Facilitate Targeted Staff, Board, and Stakeholder Input
    • Interview a small subset of SGA Board Members, including Board Chair and Vice Chair
    • Interview a key Steering Committee member from each of our national LOCUS, T4America, Complete Streets and Center for Zoning Solutions coalitions
    • Potentially interview 5-10 other key partners, which may include community-based organizations (CBOs), funders or other key partners
    • Lead a ½ day convening with the Board Subcommittee for input on initial Plan outline
    • Lead a ½ day convening with all SGA staff for input on the initial Plan outline
    • Summarize the findings from the input above in a PowerPoint flipbook-style presentation
  • Lead drafting and development of 3-Year Plan aligned with SGA’s North Star that includes:
    • 3-5 Measurable and achievable strategic goals and objectives
    • Specific initiatives and activities designed to achieve the established goals and objectives
    • Key performance indicators used to assess whether success was achieved
    • Action steps to operationalize the plan, measure results and ensure accountability
    • Creating an overall initial high-level outline/framework of the Plan, preparing a draft full plan and then draft final plan, and facilitate the editing and feedback process
    • Create a one-page infographic-centric version of the final plan suitable for placement on SGA’s website and distribution to its stakeholders
    • Participate in internal presentation of final Plan to SGA staff

Timeline: We desire to have the final plan ready to present to SGA’s Board by the end of May 2025.

Submission Requirements

Section 1. Company Experience/Qualifications:
(Please limit this section to no more than two pages. Bios attached to the submission will not count against this page limit.)

  1.  Describe your firm’s experience and capabilities vis-a-vis the Project Goals & Scope of Work above. A key consideration will be experience working with national nonprofits similar to SGA in size and scope in the development of a plan. Expertise in working with similar nonprofits who work on built environment issues (including, but not limited to, land use, housing, transportation, sustainability, and/or infrastructure) is a significant plus.
  2. Identify the name and title of the primary consultant who will lead the work and any other key team members who will be assigned to the project. For each, provide a summary of relevant experience/bio.
  3. Describe what differentiates your firm from other firms which do similar strategic planning work.

Section 2. Approach:

Respondents should provide a detailed project plan and timeline that outlines key activities and deliverables with consultant and/or SGA responsibilities clearly defined. The plan should identify the lead consultant for the work, their title and role, and the name, title and role of each additional team member who will work on the project. The plan should also include initial planning meetings with SGA leadership and a detailed plan for collaboration that points out any equity-centered approaches to executing the work, approximate deliverables, and a completion schedule that aligns with SGA’s timeline for final Board approval of the Plan outlined above.

Section 3. Price Proposal:

Provide a proposed fixed-fee budget and accompanying narrative or notes aligning with the Scope of Work and your proposed approach. In addition to the proposed fixed-fee budget, please provide name, title, and hourly rates (good for one year) for 1) the lead consultant and 2) each additional team member who would help execute the Scope of Work under the budget.

Section 4. References:

Respondents should provide contact information for references as follows: 

  1. For the lead consultant, at least two (2) references, and for each additional team member, at least (1) one reference that can attest to the quality and effectiveness of their relevant work;
  2. The contact information should include the contact name, phone number, email address, and website address.

Evaluation Criteria

SGA is seeking a diverse pool of consultant candidates. Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led and women-owned companies are encouraged to apply. All proposals will be evaluated based upon:

  • Experience/Qualifications (25%)
  • Proposed Approach (40%)
  • Price Proposal (25%)
  • References (10%)

Submission Instructions

Consultants interested in providing the services described above should submit a cover letter and proposal by Friday, November 15th, 2024, by close of business Eastern Standard Time in accordance with these instructions. The cover letter transmitting the proposal must be signed by an officer of the firm authorized to bind the proposer as required by this solicitation. The proposal must include the prescribed format and content in the Submission Requirements section. Adherence to the proposal format by all proposers will ensure a fair evaluation of SGA’s needs. Proposals that do not follow the prescribed format may be deemed non-responsive.

Proposals should include a cover letter addressed to our CEO, and the proposal must be submitted electronically to Nobue King ([email protected]) with “SGA Strategic Planning Consultant Proposal” in the subject line. No phone calls, please. Applications received after the submission deadline will be rejected. SGA reserves the right to award under this RFP without interviews or further negotiations. Proposers are encouraged to offer their best terms and prices with their original submission. SGA reserves the right in its sole discretion to reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, without incurring cost or liability.

Selection Process and Timing

Proposals will be promptly reviewed after the proposal submission deadline. SGA may select proposers to do an interview/presentation of their proposal to SGA. If interview presentations are desired, the presentations will be via video conference at SGA’s discretion. SGA will not compensate and/or reimburse any selected consultants for their labor and/or expenses related to the presentations. Although SGA reserves the right to forego interview presentations, if we decide to interview any proposers, those interview presentations are targeted to occur by video conference by December 6, 2024. We’d anticipate a final decision shortly after those interviews and a project kickoff before the end of the year.

General Conditions

Limitation

This solicitation does not commit SGA to award a contract, pay any costs incurred in preparing a proposal, or to procure or contract for services or supplies. SGA reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received, negotiate with all qualified sources, or cancel in part or in its entirety the solicitation when it is in SGA’s best interest.

Equal Opportunity

In connection with the procurement of the specified services, the firm warrants that it shall not discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, non-disabling physical and mental disability, political status, matriculation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, status as a veteran, physical handicap, age, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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