Project Information

Bid Title

Request for Proposal: Economic Development Strategic Pla

Issuing Agency

City of Alameda

Location

California

Published Date

Jul 13, 2026

Closing Date

Aug 17, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Request for Proposal for Economic Development Strategic Plan

City of Alameda

950 West Mall Square Suite 205

Alameda, CA 94501

Issue Date: Friday, July 10, 2026

Submittal Deadline: August 17, 2026, 3:59 PM

Statement of Purpose

The City of Alameda invites proposals from qualified consulting firms and consultants to create a Strategic Economic Development Plan that would provide a road map for the City in determining where to allocate resources and identify priorities over a five-year period in business attraction, retention, and expansion.

Background

The City of Alameda is an island community in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area, located adjacent to Oakland and Berkeley and directly across the bay from San Francisco. Known for its walkable neighborhoods, historic commercial districts, and high quality of life, Alameda offers a unique environment for residents, businesses, and visitors.

Alameda has a diverse and growing economy supported by major business parks, vibrant commercial districts, regional transportation access, and reliable public utilities. Key community and economic assets include:

• Three major business parks specializing in life sciences, clean technology, advanced manufacturing, energy innovation, and blue tech/maritime industries.
• Alameda Point, an 852-acre redevelopment area with approximately 500 acres available for future development, home to innovative technology companies, manufacturers, breweries, distilleries, and restaurants.
• Research Park at Marina Village and Harbor Bay Business Park, which collectively provide more than 3.4 million square feet of office, research, and industrial space and are home to nationally recognized employers.
• Two historic business districts—Downtown Alameda and West Alameda—featuring locally owned businesses, restaurants, arts, and retail.
• Two regional shopping centers—South Shore Center and Alameda Landing—serving residents and visitors with a diverse mix of retail and dining options.
• Excellent regional connectivity, including SF Bay Ferry, BART connections, AC Transit, Amtrak, Oakland International Airport, and more than 22 miles of bicycle infrastructure.
• Alameda Municipal Power (AMP), a community-owned electric utility providing 100% renewable energy, competitive rates, and industry-leading reliability for businesses and residents.

Previous Strategic Plan

In 2018, the City Council adopted the Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP), establishing a roadmap to guide business attraction, retention, and economic growth. The plan identified six target industry sectors—Life Sciences, Clean Tech, Blue Tech, Retail and Restaurants, Tourism and Hospitality, and Artists and Small Manufacturers—as well as four critical service areas: Transportation, Housing, Workforce Development, and City Services.

Implementation of the EDSP resulted in several accomplishments, including:

• Development of marketing materials for priority industries.
• Business attraction and retention efforts in key sectors.
• Growth in the life sciences, technology, retail, and restaurant industries.
• Continued investment in permit streamlining and improvements to City services.
• Expanded networking and promotional efforts for local businesses.

While the plan successfully advanced several initiatives, some objectives remain incomplete, particularly workforce development and targeted marketing for certain industries. Limited staffing and resources also constrained progress in several critical service areas.

The City is now seeking to build on the successes of the 2018 EDSP by developing a new Strategic Plan that reflects current economic conditions, emerging industries, community priorities, and future opportunities. The updated plan will establish a data-driven roadmap with clear priorities, implementation strategies, and performance measures to guide economic development efforts over the next five years.

Scope of Work

The Scope of Work outlined in this Request for Proposals (RFP) provides a framework for the services to be performed and is intended to allow the City to compare proposals. The final scope of services will be negotiated with the selected consultant. Consultants are encouraged to recommend enhancements or revisions to the proposed scope based on their expertise and best practices.

The selected consultant will work collaboratively with City staff to develop a comprehensive Economic Development Strategic Plan that reflects current market conditions, stakeholder priorities, and the City's long-term economic development goals. At a minimum, the scope of work should include the following task areas:

Task A: Evaluation of Current Conditions and Trends

Conduct a comprehensive assessment of Alameda's economic environment, including:

• Review existing economic development programs and incentives.
• Perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis.
• Evaluate industry trends, target sectors, commercial real estate conditions, and economic competitiveness.
• Analyze tax revenues, housing costs, infrastructure, and utility rates.
• Compare Alameda's economic position with regional peer communities.

Task B: Stakeholder Engagement

Develop and implement a stakeholder engagement strategy that gathers input from key community partners, including:

• Business organizations and advisory groups.
• Property owners, developers, and brokers.
• Alameda Point businesses and tenants.
• Arts and cultural organizations.
• Other community and economic development stakeholders.

Task C: Economic Development Strategic Plan

Prepare a comprehensive Strategic Plan that:

• Evaluates and refines target industry sectors and economic priorities.
• Identifies best practices, policies, and implementation strategies.
• Recommends approaches for business attraction, retention, expansion, entrepreneurship, and workforce development.
• Develops an Economic Development Marketing Plan, including branding, campaigns, collateral materials, website enhancements, and social media strategies.
• Establishes performance metrics, implementation priorities, staffing and resource recommendations, and a roadmap for monitoring progress and future plan updates.

The final Strategic Plan should provide the City with a clear, actionable roadmap for advancing economic development over the next five years, including measurable goals, implementation strategies, and recommendations that support long-term economic resilience and sustainable growth.

Submittal Requirements

To be deemed responsive and passed to the evaluation phase, all bidders must submit proposals containing the following elements to ddalman@alamedaca.gov.

1. Cover Letter – A signed letter expressing the firm's interest.
2. Firm Qualifications – Overview of the firm, project team, and relevant experience.
3. Key Personnel – Roles, qualifications, and resumes of key staff and subconsultants.
4. Relevant Experience – At least three comparable projects with references.
5. Technical Approach – Proposed methodology, work plan, and project schedule.
6. Cost Proposal – Total project budget and cost breakdown by major task area (budget not to exceed $250,000 ).
7. Professional Services Agreement – Any requested exceptions to the City's standard agreement.

Submittal Instructions

All proposals must be submitted electronically to ddalman@alamedaca.gov on or before 4:00 P.M. PST on August 17, 2026: All submissions become the property of the City of Alameda.

Submittals shall be clearly marked on the outside cover or envelope "Response to Request for Proposals: Economic Development Strategic Plan."

Selection Process

The City will evaluate proposals based on qualifications, technical approach, project experience, staffing, schedule, and overall value. The anticipated schedule is:

• RFP Issued: July 9, 2026
• Questions Due: July 27, 2026
• Responses to Questions: July 30, 2026
• Proposals Due: August 17, 2026
• Proposal Review: August 17– September 2, 2026
• Interviews (if needed): September 3 – September 8, 2026
• Notice of Intent to Award: September 9, 2026
• City Council Approval: October 20, 2026
• Contract Commencement: October 21, 2027 (dates subject to change).

Proposals will be evaluated by a City selection committee based on the consultant's understanding of the project, qualifications and experience, technical approach, project schedule, cost, and overall quality of the proposal. It is the City's preference to expedite and aggressively complete the scope of work. A City Council Strategic Planning workshop is scheduled for January, 2027. It is staffs desire to share the Evaluation of Current Conditions & Trends as well as the Background data sections with the City Council at the time.

The City reserves the right to negotiate with the selected consultant, reject any or all proposals, or modify the solicitation schedule as necessary. Questions regarding the RFP must be submitted in writing by the specified deadline.

The City will not discriminate against any interested firm or individual on the grounds of race, creed, color, sex, age, disability or national origin in the contract award. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals at its discretion, including not awarding the contract to any firm.

Questions

Dwayne Dalman, Economic Development Division Manager, ddalman@alamedaca.gov, is available to answer questions and respond to requests for additional information. All questions must be submitted in writing.

Download the full RFP PDF (PDF, 2MB) . For an accessible version please contact econdev@alamedaca.gov

RFP Questions

Question Deadline: Monday, July 27 by 5:00PM

Written questions and requests for clarifications on this solicitation must

be submitted via email to

Dwayne Dalman at ddalman@alamedaca.gov

Proposals Due

August 17, 2026 before 4PM

Contact

econdev@alamedaca.gov

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 541618Other Management Consulting Services

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