SLED Opportunity · VIRGINIA · TOWN OF HERNDON

    On Call Real Estate Advisory & Transaction Services

    Issued by Town of Herndon
    cityRFPTown of HerndonSol. 243422
    Closed
    STATUS
    Closed
    due Apr 13, 2026
    PUBLISHED
    Mar 11, 2026
    Posting date
    JURISDICTION
    Town of
    city
    NAICS CODE
    531390
    AI-classified industry

    AI Summary

    RFP for professional real estate advisory, brokerage, valuation, and strategic consulting services to support the Town of Herndon's economic development and planning initiatives.

    Opportunity details

    Solicitation No.
    243422
    Type / RFx
    RFP
    Status
    open
    Level
    city
    Published Date
    March 11, 2026
    Due Date
    April 13, 2026
    NAICS Code
    531390AI guide
    Jurisdiction
    Town of Herndon
    Agency
    Town of Herndon

    Description

    The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from qualified firms to provide professional real estate advisory, brokerage, valuation, and strategic consulting services to support the Town’s economic development, planning, and real estate initiatives in needed basis.

    Background

    The Town of Herndon is the third-largest town in the Commonwealth of Virginia and home to more than 24,500 residents. Amidst a 21st century Northern Virginia landscape of high-rise buildings, industrial complexes, and transportation hubs, Herndon maintains a small-town charm that is evident in its downtown, its neighborhoods, and its commercial areas.

    The Town of Herndon is issuing this Request for Proposals to establish on-call services for real estate advisory and transaction support. This will be the first time the Town has formally procured a contract specifically for these services.
     
    As the Town continues to advance long-range planning initiatives, redevelopment opportunities, and economic development priorities, establishing a formal advisory resource will provide the Town with greater flexibility and capacity to evaluate real estate opportunities, support potential transactions, and implement strategic initiatives.
     
    This solicitation is intended to provide the Town with access to experienced real estate professionals who can assist staff and Town leadership in evaluating opportunities, analyzing market conditions, and navigating complex real estate and development decisions as they arise.

    Project Details

    • Reference ID: RFP 26-04
    • Department: Economic Development
    • Department Head: Marc Smith (Director of Economic Development)

    Important Dates

    • Questions Due: 2026-03-25T14:00:55.152Z

    Addenda

    • Addendum #1 (released 2026-03-27T16:54:58.513Z) —

      Addendum #1

    Evaluation Criteria

    • Firm Experience and Qualifications (Proposal TAB 1) (25 pts)

      Demonstrated experience providing real estate advisory, brokerage, land acquisition, disposition, redevelopment advisory, and site assembly services, particularly for municipal or public sector clients. Familiarity with the Northern Virginia commercial real estate market and experience advising local governments or economic development organizations will be considered.

    • Qualifications and Experience of Key Personnel (Proposal TAB 2) (25 pts)

      Experience, expertise, and availability of the proposed project team, including demonstrated experience with real estate transactions, advisory services, negotiation support, and redevelopment strategy.

    • Understanding of the Town’s Needs and Proposed Approach (Proposal TAB 3) (20 pts)

      Demonstrated understanding of the Town’s objectives and a clear, thoughtful approach to providing real estate advisory and acquisition support services. This may include strategies for property evaluation, market analysis, acquisition support, redevelopment opportunities, and coordination with Town staff and stakeholders.

    • Relevant Experience with Comparable Projects (Proposal TAB 4) (15 pts)

      Demonstrated understanding of the Town’s objectives and a clear, thoughtful approach to providing real estate advisory and acquisition support services. This may include strategies for property evaluation, market analysis, acquisition support, redevelopment opportunities, and coordination with Town staff and stakeholders.

    • Cost Proposal and Fee Structure (10 pts)

      Consider Appendix A - Attachment H as a reference.

    • Overall quality and completeness of proposal. (5 pts)
    • Presentation/Preparedness (50 pts)

      Was the firm prepared for their presentation? Was the presentation clear, informative, and thorough?

      Did the presentation indicate a thorough understanding of the project? Is the appropriate emphasis placed on the various work task(s)?

      Was the presentation more specific to the Town's project or a "generic" presentation?

      Did the firm develop a workable approach to the project?

      Is the time frame proposed acceptable?

    • Project Team (25 pts)

      Did the project team participate in the presentation?

      How effectively did they communicate ideas and respond to questions?

      Did the project manager participate in the presentation?

      How effectively did he/she communicate ideas and respond to questions?

      Was there participation from any subcontracted firms?

      What was the impact of their participation?

    • Questions (25 pts)

      Did they answer questions satisfactory?

      Were questions answered directly or evasively?

      Were answers to questions clear and concise or scrambled and verbose?

    Submission Requirements

    • Have all Specifications included in this Request for Proposal been met? (required)
    • If no, please list all exceptions in detail. (required)
    • Contact Information (required)

      Please provide the following information:

      Person to contact regarding this bid

      Title

      Phone number

      Email address

      Name of the person authorized to bind the Firm

      Name of the Company

      Address

    • Certification Regarding Debarment (required)

      This is to certify that this person/firm/corporation is not now debarred by the Federal Government or by the Commonwealth of Virginia or by any other state, town, city, or county from submitting proposals for such work nor are they an agent of any person or entity that is now debarred.

    • SWaM Status (required)

      A certified SWaM Business is one that holds a current certification from the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD), the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA), the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) or from other U.S. State and some local government supplier diversity program.

      Is your company a certified Small, Woman or Minority Owned (SWaM) Business or Disadvantaged Business Enterprise?

    • What is your company's certification type?

      Select all that apply

    • Certification Information (required)

      If applicable, please provide the Certification Entity/Agency and the Certification Number(s)

    • Indicate the length of time you have been in business providing this type of service and/or product. years, months (required)

       ______________Years, __________ Months

    • Do you have a Town of Herndon business license? (required)
    • Please submit a copy of your business license. (required)
    • Do you have an office in the Town of Herndon or Virginia? (required)
    • Date business began/will begin work in the Town of Herndon: (required)
    • Provide a description of the business activity that will take place in the Town of Herndon: (required)
    • Proposal Forms - Appendix A (required)

      Have your included Appendix A - Proposal Forms in your proposal as TAB 6?  

      Proposal without these forms will be rejected.

    • Proposal (required)

      Please upload your proposal here.

    • Does your proposal have proprietary information? (required)
    • Please upload the redacted copy of your Proposal. (required)
    • Proposal (required)

      DO NOT INCLUDE PRICING IN THIS SECTION

      Offerors must submit a complete response to this RFP.  Offerors shall submit written proposals that present the Offeror’s qualifications and understanding of the work to be performed. The Offeror’s proposal should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward and concise description of the capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. The Offeror should provide all the information that it considers pertinent to its qualifications for the project and which responds to the scope of services and criteria listed herein. Emphasis should be placed on completeness and clarity of content. To assist in the evaluation process, Offerors shall consider, font size to be no smaller than 10, and each section shall be properly identified by the titles provided below.

      The written narrative statement shall include the following:

      Executive Summary:

      1. Summarize overall capabilities and approaches for accomplishing the services specific herein. The Offeror shall provide a narrative demonstrating their full understanding of the project, scope, and tasks required to successfully complete the services.

      Skills and Experience of Project Team:

      1. Describe the experience and demonstrate the qualifications of the entire project team, including any subcontractors that the Offeror proposes to use.
      2. The written narrative statement shall clearly identify the Project Manager as well as other members of the project team.
      3. The Offeror shall provide the names, qualifications, degrees, certifications, experience, and licenses of the employees, consultants, and sub-consultants to be assigned to the project.

      Similar Services and Related Experience:

      1. The Offeror shall provide a listing of at least three (3) references for whom similar services have been performed.
      2. The Offeror shall include a narrative of the services provided as well as the name of the client for whom the work was performed.
      3. The Offeror shall describe the firm's experience with providing similar services along with timelines and the firm's experience in providing similar services to the public sector, as applicable.
      4. The Offeror shall provide work samples (e.g., graphic designs, logos, etc.) for the references.
      5. While experience with other localities is not required, if the Offeror has previous experience with other local governments, please submit at least one such example.

      Project Approach/Methodology and Ability to Meet/Exceed Requirements:

      1. The Offeror shall provide a narrative describing the approach/methodology proposed in providing the services.

      Project Schedule: 

      1. The Offeror shall provide the approximate date the Offeror is available to begin work and the proposed timeline to complete the project, noting any specific milestones; this may be shown by graphic timeframe in weeks.
    • In the space below, enter the name and contact email of the person who has signature authority for the Offeror's company, and is hereby agreeing to the statement above.  (required)
    • Authorization (required)

      In accordance with the terms, conditions and specifications of this Request for Proposal, the authorized person(s) agrees to furnish the items and/or services requested. The authorized person(s) acknowledges that their proposal is valid for a period of 120 days from the due date and certifies they have read, understand, and agrees to all terms and conditions and requirements of this Request for Proposal, and is authorized to contract on behalf of the firm submitting the response.

      In the space below, enter the name and contact email of the person who has signature authority for the Offeror's company, and is hereby agreeing to the statement above.

    • Will you be using the Electronic Pricing Table? (required)
    • Is Business License required? (required)

    Questions & Answers

    Q (Pricing): Is the Town open to receiving proposals that contemplate commission compensation for certain services?

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (CCIM/SIOR): Can you please confirm that these designations are not mandatory? Thanks!

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (General): In general, we are confused by the list of 16 service categories (5.2 through 5.17) – all of which must be provided or else the proposal will be rejected – but submittal requirements and evaluation criteria that seemingly reflect only a small subset of those services. Can you please help us understand if we should focus our narrative on the ability to support all 16 service categories, or focus more narrowly particular aspects?

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Section 5.1): Providing the 16 categories of services required under Section 5.1 will potentially require some level of teaming or subcontracting. Will team members who analyze or advise on potential projects under task orders issued pursuant to this RFP be precluded from participating on future aspects of resulting projects? A hypothetical example could involve a real estate advisory or brokerage firm that helps the Town initially devise a project, and once the task is completed, subsequently represents a developer, buyer, or seller (rather than the Town) interested in implementing the project.

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Section 4.6 (Fee) / Price Proposal (Tab 5) / Form H (Consultants Cost Proposal Form)): 1. Section 4.6 says “for each project, the basis for the fixed price shall be the applicable fixed rates set out in the negotiated compensation schedule.” 1. At what point does the compensation schedule get negotiated? 2. Does this mean hourly rates should be fixed for the first two years? 3. We do not see where the RFP requires offerors to provide labor rates by labor category – is the intent offerors would be selected based on a blended hourly rate? If so, would the Town consider providing baseline hours to allow for a more apples-to-apples comparison? 2. Required Form H: the solicitation is for on-call services which means the scope of work and associated number of hours is currently unknown. How should we go about calculating “Total Anticipated Compensation?” 3. Required Form H: the cost of most of these services will vary considerably based upon the type of services being provided, the complexity of the endeavor, and the labor mix required. Is the intent that we indicate how the fee would be structured (e.g., flat fee vs hourly) rather than provide the fee itself? 4. Required Form H: the RFP calls for services in 16 categories, only a few of which are specified in this form. How would the Town prefer that the fees for the remaining services (e.g., fiscal impact analysis, developer procurement support, etc.) be specified in Form H? 5. TAB 5 allows for up to three pages and also indicates Attachment H – Price Proposal Attachment H is a one-page form as presented; what types of information would the Town expect to see in Tab 5? 6. Other than brokerage, real estate advisory services are often provided on an hourly basis, or as a firm fixed price contract where hourly rates underly the contractor’s price. Is the Town looking to be able to understand Respondents’ labor categories and hourly rates at this time?

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Sections 5.1 – 5.17 (Scope of Work)): Section 6.1.C. specifies Offeror shall provide all services described in Section 5 - Scope of Services and proposals with a partial scope will be rejected. We have been providing real estate advisory and specialized transaction services for 25 years but we are not a commercial real estate brokerage firm. Several Tabs require demonstrating experience that includes providing brokerage services. Please clarify whether the Town expects that real estate brokerage firms will be completing the majority of the work. • If our firm cannot specifically demonstrate experience providing “Commercial real estate brokerage services” per Tab 1.B.2, would we be considered unqualified? • If our corporate experience does specifically demonstrate experience providing “Commercial real estate brokerage services” per Tab 4.A.2, would we be considered unqualified? • Would adding team members to accomplish the brokerage services portions be acceptable to the Town? If so, would they need to provide the same extent of information as the prime contractor? Also, could we have more pages to add subcontractor information?

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Tab 3.A): Tab 3.A requires a narrative describing the offeror’s understanding of the Town’s needs and objectives and the proposed approach to performing the work. Include the following: The offeror’s understanding of the Town’s goals related to real estate advisory services, property acquisition, redevelopment strategy, and economic development initiatives. • Given the magnitude of the ongoing economic development study, will Offerors who are not part of that endeavor will be at a disadvantage in understanding the Town’s evolving goals in these areas?

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Section 5.4 (Real Estate Appraisal and Valuation Services)): Lead-in and A-F indicate requirement for valuation services consistent with generally accepted appraisal standards but bullets are specific to real estate brokers (who are not generally not preparing appraisals as per generally accepted appraisal standards). Please clarify what types of valuation the Town requires.

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Section 8 (Proposal Evaluation)): 1. The wording under Phase 1 seems contrary to other portions of the RFP which indicates an intent to award to more than one respondent. Please clarify the intention. (The confusing wording reads as follows: “The Town will select the proposal that is responsive and the most advantageous to the Town as determined by the Town. The Town intends to award a contract, subject to the terms of this RFP, to the Offeror that offers the best overall value.” 2. If an oral presentation is required, would it be held in-person or remotely?

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Section 8.1 (Phase 1 Evaluation Criteria #2)): Qualifications and Experience of Key Personnel (i.e., proposal Tab 2) will be evaluated on “Experience, expertise, and availability of the proposed project team, including demonstrated experience with real estate transactions, advisory services, negotiation support, and redevelopment strategy [emphasis added].” • These qualification and experience areas for key personnel do not seem to capture many of the 16 categories described in Sections 5.2 through 5.17 (e.g., areas such as Fiscal Impact Analysis (5.9), RFP and Developer Procurement Support (5.10), Policy Analysis (5.11), 5.13 (Parking Evaluation), 5.16 (Public Outreach and Presentations), and others). Please clarify whether Respondents will be evaluated on their ability to provide key personnel with qualifications and experience for the full range of services required under the SOW, or just the narrower band specified in the table in Section 8.1.

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Section 8.1 (Phase 1 Evaluation Criteria #4)): Relevant Experience with Comparable Projects (i.e., proposal Tab 4) seems to read the same as the evaluation Criteria #3. Please clarify whether that is the intent.

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Section 8.1 (Phase 1 Evaluation Criteria #5)): The cost proposal and fee structure is worth 10% of total evaluation points. We understand Attachment H is required, but do not see detail regarding how the Town intends to evaluate the information. Please clarify.

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Section 8.1 (Phase 1 Evaluation Criteria #3)): Understanding of the Town’s Needs and Proposed Approach (i.e., proposal Tab 3) will be evaluated on “Demonstrated understanding of the Town’s objectives and a clear, thoughtful approach to providing real estate advisory and acquisition support services. This may include strategies for property evaluation, market analysis, acquisition support, redevelopment opportunities [emphasis added], and coordination with Town staff and stakeholders..” • The description of how Respondents will be evaluated regarding their understanding of the Town’s needs and proposed approach does not seem to capture many of the 16 categories of services described in Sections 5.2 through 5.17 (e.g., areas such as Fiscal Impact Analysis (5.9), RFP and Developer Procurement Support (5.10), Policy Analysis (5.11), 5.13 (Parking Evaluation), 5.16 (Public Outreach and Presentations), and others). Please clarify whether Respondents will be evaluated on their approach to providing the full range of services required under the SOW, or just the narrower band specified in the table in Section 8.1. • Please clarify whether the Town’s objectives for these items are publicly known or whether the firms currently working on the market study for the Comprehensive Plan will have an advantage over other firms.

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Q (Section 8.1 (Phase 1 Evaluation Criteria #1)): Firm experience and qualifications (i.e., proposal Tab 1) will be evaluated on “Demonstrated experience providing real estate advisory, brokerage, land acquisition, disposition, redevelopment advisory, and site assembly services [emphases added]…” • These qualifications and experience areas for the firm do not seem to capture many of the 16 categories described in Sections 5.2 through 5.17 (e.g., areas such as Fiscal Impact Analysis (5.9), RFP and Developer Procurement Support (5.10), Policy Analysis (5.11), 5.13 (Parking Evaluation), 5.16 (Public Outreach and Presentations), and others). Please clarify whether Respondents will be evaluated on the firm’s experience and qualifications or the full range of services required under the SOW, or just the narrower band specified in the table in Section 8.1.

    A: See Addendum #1.


    Key dates

    1. March 11, 2026Published
    2. April 13, 2026Responses Due

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    SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.

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