Cleveland Department of Health - 2027-2029 Strategic Plan

The City of Cleveland (“City”), Department of Public Health (CDPH), through its Director (“Director”), is soliciting proposals from qualified firms interested in providing strategic planning services to CDPH. These services are needed to assist in updating the current CDPH Strategic Plan for 2027-2029.

Background

CDPH is the City of Cleveland’s public health agency, with the mission to promote and protect the health and well-being of residents, communities, and partners across the City of Cleveland. Its vision is to be the most responsive, trusted, and impactful health department in the country.

CDPH works to address both immediate public health threats and long-term health inequities across the city. The department plays a central role in disease surveillance and response, environmental health enforcement, emergency preparedness, and promoting healthier neighborhoods through policy and outreach initiatives. CDPH also collaborates with hospitals, schools, nonprofits, and community organizations to advance public health goals and improve quality of life for all Clevelanders.

CDPH employs approximately 180 full- and part-time staff members and serves Cleveland’s population of roughly 360,000 residents. Its core programs include immunization and communicable disease prevention, lead poisoning prevention and healthy homes initiatives, food safety inspections, air quality monitoring, maternal and infant health services through MomsFirst, sexual health and HIV/STI prevention, tobacco cessation, behavioral health and overdose prevention, and health equity initiatives focused on reducing disparities in underserved communities. Through clinics, inspections, health education, and emergency response operations, the department provides essential services that impact residents in every Cleveland neighborhood.

In 2023, CDPH conducted a comprehensive review of its Strategic Plan, resulting in a new mission and vision for the organization, along with strategic priorities for 2023–2025 designed to drive organizational improvements and strengthen programming. In 2026, CDPH updated these strategic priorities to reflect current programs and evolving community needs. CDPH is now seeking to conduct a full review of the department’s strategies, priorities, and impact to guide the 2027–2029 strategic planning process.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-RFP-137
• Department: Public Health
• Department Head: Dr. David Margolius (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-08-10T21:00:00.000Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-08-03T14:00:00.000Z — Microsoft Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/289409534121896?p=3vMWgqUzNjsbJiBVjS

Evaluation Criteria

• Strength of Qualifications (15 pts)
• Strength of Proposed Services/Solution (40 pts)
• Ability to Meet Proposed Timeline (15 pts)
• Experience in Public Health (10 pts)
• Strength of Client References (10 pts)
• Strength of Internal and External Stakeholder Engagement (10 pts)
• Clarity and organization of proposal (10 pts)

Submission Requirements

• Technical Proposal (required)
• Price Proposal (required)
• Vendor Background Information
• Provide information about any local branch offices or support centers that might serve an account in Cleveland, OH, including number of employee and type of services provided (required)
• Provide name of each principal. (required)
• Provide the year the company was established and any former firm names (required)
• Type of Company (required)
• Provide the state and type of incorporation (required)
• Provide information on related services offered by the company (required)
• Provide the total number of FTEs in the company. (required)
• Provide average years of experience of professional staff. (required)
• Vendor Client References
• VENDOR CLIENT REFERENCE #1 (required) —

  Please include the following information: 

  • Proposing Vendor Name
  • Reference Company/Organization Name
  • Reference Address
  • Reference Contact Name
  • Contact’s Position
  • Contact’s Telephone Number
  • Type of Company/Organization (Industry)
  • Number of Employees
  • Services Performed
  • Sub-contractors used
  • Identify any vendor staff that worked on this reference company's project, that are proposed for City
  • Original Cost Estimates
  • Actual Final Costs
  • Comments
• VENDOR CLIENT REFERENCE #2 (required) —

  Please include the following information: 

  • Proposing Vendor Name
  • Reference Company/Organization Name
  • Reference Address
  • Reference Contact Name
  • Contact’s Position
  • Contact’s Telephone Number
  • Type of Company/Organization (Industry)
  • Number of Employees
  • Services Performed
  • Sub-contractors used
  • Identify any vendor staff that worked on this reference company's project, that are proposed for City
  • Original Cost Estimates
  • Actual Final Costs
  • Comments
• VENDOR CLIENT REFERENCE #3 (required) —

  Please include the following information: 

  • Proposing Vendor Name
  • Reference Company/Organization Name
  • Reference Address
  • Reference Contact Name
  • Contact’s Position
  • Contact’s Telephone Number
  • Type of Company/Organization (Industry)
  • Number of Employees
  • Services Performed
  • Sub-contractors used
  • Identify any vendor staff that worked on this reference company's project, that are proposed for City
  • Original Cost Estimates
  • Actual Final Costs
  • Comments
• City Required Forms
• NOTICE TO BIDDERS AND OEO SCHEDULES (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• NON-COMPETITIVE BID CONTRACT STATEMENT FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2026 (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Northern Ireland Fair Employment Practices Disclosure —

  INSTRUCTIONS: Pursuant to Codified Ordinance Sec. 181.36, the information requested on this page must be supplied by all contractors and any subcontractors having more than a fifty percent (50%) interest in the proposed contract prior to any contract being awarded by the City of Cleveland.  Any contractor or subcontractor who is deemed to have made a false statement shall be declared to have acted in default of its contract and shall be subject to the remedies for default contained in its contract.  For failure to cure such a default, the contractor or subcontractor shall be automatically excluded from bidding for the supply of any goods or services for use by the City for a period of two (2) years.

• CHECK WHICHEVER IS APPLICABLE: (required)
• By confirming, the proposer affirms that they are in compliant Northern Ireland Fair Employment Practices. (required)
• Pricing (required)
• Applicable Language for Goals for Subcontractors (required)
• Is this RFP for Airport? (required)
• Insurance Requirements (for Airport RFP only) (required)
• Do you require insurance from the awarded vendor for this RFP? (required)