Economic Development Strategic Plan

The City of Forest Grove, Oregon (City) is soliciting proposals from qualified consulting firms or consultant teams to prepare a comprehensive Economic Development Strategic Plan (Plan) that will guide the City’s economic development efforts over the next 5–10 years.

Forest Grove is a growing community with a strong sense of identity, a diverse economy, and a commitment to thoughtful, inclusive growth. In 2025, the City completed its Forest Grove 2040 Vision, which articulates long-term community aspirations and includes specific goals and action items related to economic vitality, land use, housing, transportation, sustainability, and quality of life.

The City has an active Urban Renewal Agency, several properties ready for redevelopment, an active Chamber of Commerce, and an emerging Downtown Association. These assets offer significant opportunities for coordinated strategic economic development.

The selected consultant will be expected to incorporate and operationalize the Forest Grove 2040 Vision and its associated action items into a clear, implementable Economic Development Strategic Plan that aligns with City policies, reflects community values, and supports long-term prosperity. The Plan should also align with relevant state and regional economic development frameworks, including Business Oregon priorities.

Robust stakeholder and partner engagement will be essential throughout the planning process to ensure the Plan reflects partner's priorities, capabilities, and delivers actionable, broadly supported strategies.

Background

The purpose of this project is to develop a strategic, actionable, and measurable Economic Development Strategic Plan that:

1. Aligns with and implements the Forest Grove 2040 Vision and relevant economic action items
2. Identifies priority economic sectors and opportunities
3. Supports local businesses, workforce development, and entrepreneurship
4. Encourages equitable, sustainable, and resilient economic growth
5. With community partner input, outlines economic development roles and responsibilities
6. Provides clear implementation strategies, roles, timelines, and performance measures
7. Serves as a practical decision-making and resource-allocation tool for the City, partners, and stakeholders
8. Provides a clear analysis of the creation of an Industrial Redevelopment Agency
9. Assess other economic development incentives such as opportunity zones, economic improvement districts (EID), Enterprise Zones, and strategic investment zones. With community partner input, assess current workforce development programs, and provide clear recommednations for collaboration.

Project Details

• Department: Administrative Services
• Department Head: Kim Ezell (Assistant City Manager)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-08-19T00:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-08-11T18:00:00.000Z — https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82626420819?pwd=YQZJSIOoPp02vJdUAhTSYpiQyZTXPK.1

Evaluation Criteria

• Project Understanding and Approach (5 pts) —

  Evaluates the proposer’s understanding of Forest Grove’s context, the 2040 Vision, and Oregon economic development best practices.

• Experience and Qualification of Assigned Staff (5 pts) —

  The credentials and experience of the assigned staff selected to perform the requested services.

• Cost of Services (5 pts)
• Alignment with Oregon Economic Development Best Practices (5 pts) —

  Evaluates how well the proposal reflects Oregon’s place-based, inclusive, and partnership-driven economic development framework.

• Partner & Stakeholder Engagement Approach (5 pts) —

  Evaluates the proposer’s ability to conduct inclusive, effective engagement consistent with Oregon's best practices.

• Implementation Focus & Deliverables (5 pts) —

  Evaluates the practicality and actionability of the proposed plan and deliverables.

• Project Schedule & Capacity (5 pts) —

  Evaluates the proposer’s ability to complete the project within the City’s desired timeline.

Submission Requirements

• PROPOSAL FORMAT AND REQUIREMENTS – MANDATORY (required) —

  Each Proposer shall provide the following (no more than 15 pages, minimum 12 point font):

  1. Cover Letter: Include the name of the proposing Firm or Individual and its’ principal business address and phone number. The letter should address the Proposer’s willingness and commitment to provide the services as outlined in the Scope of Work and a description of why the Proposer believes it should be selected. The letter should be addressed to Kimberly Ezell, Assistant City Manager, and should be signed by an officer of the firm authorized to bind the firm to all comments made in the proposal. Please provide all contact telephone, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, and addresses of your office(s);
  2. Narrative identifying proposed project understanding, approach, project team members, team members qualifications, and firm qualifications;
  3. Previous projects showing strategic plan development experiences related to project;
  4. Statement indicating the consultant has the time and resources necessary for completing the project within the required schedule;
  5. List of references from previous projects listed above.
• Cost Proposal Requirements (required) —

  Proposer shall submit a cost proposal listing standard professional hourly rates, cost estimate by deliverable task(s) for the Scope of Work outlined above, and a not-to-exceed estimate for reimbursable expenses (including method for charging). Please note the final Scope of Work and compensation will be negotiated with the selected Proposer.

  The undersigned hereby proposes and, if selected, agrees to furnish all services in accordance with the Request for Proposal, and Addenda, for the prices enclosed.

• Sample Professional Services Agreement (required) —

  Review sample agreement and list any concerns with the sample agreement or type "N/A" in this field.

• Declaration of Independent Contractor Status (required) —

  Select and submit one applicable form.

• Non-Collusion (required) —

  The undersigned Proposer hereby certifies that it, its’ officers, partners, owners, providers, representatives, employees and parties in interest, including the affiant, has not in any way colluded, conspired, connived or agreed, directly or indirectly, with any other Proposer, potential Proposer, firm or person, in connection with this solicitation, to submit a collusive or sham bid, to refrain from bidding, to manipulate or ascertain the price(s) of other Proposers or potential Proposers, or to secure through any unlawful act an advantage over other Proposers or the City. The fees and prices submitted herein have been arrived at in an entirely independent and lawful manner by the Proposer without consultation with other Proposers or potential Proposers or foreknowledge of the prices to be submitted in response to this solicitation by other Proposers or potential Proposers on the part of the Proposer, its officers, partners, owners, providers, representatives, employees or parties in interest, including the affiant.

• Conflict Of Interest (required) —

  The undersigned Proposer and each person signing on behalf of the Proposer certifies, and in the case of a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, each party thereto certifies as to its own organization, under penalty of perjury, that to the best of their knowledge and belief, no member of the City Council, officer, employee, or person, whose salary is payable in whole or in part by the City, has a direct or indirect financial interest in the award of this Proposal, or in the services to which this Proposal relates, or in any of the profits, real or potential, thereof, except as noted otherwise herein. The undersigned hereby submits this Proposal to furnish all work, services systems, materials, and labor as indicated herein and agrees to be bound by the following documents: Request for Proposal, Professional Services Agreement, and associated inclusions and references, specifications, Proposal Form, Proposer response, mutually agreed clarifications, appropriately priced change orders, exceptions which are acceptable to the City, and all other Proposer submittals.

   

• Reciprocal Preference Law - Residency (required)
• The Proposer hereby certifies that the information contained in these certifications and representations is accurate, complete, and current. (required)
• Pre-Proposal Meeting (required)
• Pricing (required)
• Are Performance & Payment Bonds Required for this Project? (required)