Request for Proposals: Engagement Consultant

Notices /

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Community Engagement Consultant

2025 Engagement RFP Question and Answer Document

Introduction and Background

The Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District (RWMWD) is a special-purpose unit of local government dedicated to managing public surface water resources in portions of eastern Ramsey County and western Washington County Minnesota. Our primary focus areas include flood risk management, water quality improvements and monitoring, and erosion control. Partnering with the 12 cities in our district, we work across municipal boundaries to manage about 65 square miles of watershed that eventually drain into the Mississippi River, including 20 lakes, five streams and over 1,000 wetlands.

RWMWD seeks a qualified community engagement professional or firm to assist with developing and implementing an engagement plan for a portion of the watershed as part of our Watershed Management Plan update. An example of the current plan is located on our website: https://rwmwd.org/about/our-strategy/. The Management Plan serves as a strategic guideline for managing water resources within our district over a ten-year period. Our district-wide engagement process for the management plan will gather community input on what they value about public waters and their surrounding habitats, their experience with flooding or water quality concerns, and future engagement and education opportunities.

Objectives

The consultant will work with RWMWD to:

  • Develop a community engagement plan focusing on equity priority areas within the District and geographic areas where RWMWD has lower visibility. These two areas frequently overlap within our district.
  • Plan and facilitate five community engagement events or meetings to solicit input for the Management Plan update May – October 2025.

The Watershed Management Plan serves two primary functions:

  1. Assessing watershed-wide and water resource-specific issues.
  2. Outlining goals and actions to address issues and preserve areas performing well.

Scope of Work

  1. Engagement Plan Development
    • Create an engagement plan outlining outreach events, community meetings, community leader outreach, and meeting facilitation.
    • Collaborate with RWMWD’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) consultant and District staff to finalize the plan.
  2. Community Engagement Delivery
    • Facilitate community meetings and workshops.
    • Provide logistical and staff support for community events.

Proposal Requirements

Interested parties must submit a proposal that includes:

  1. Engagement Strategy
    • A general strategy outlining specific activities, timelines, and budget.
  2. Sample Deliverables
    • Examples of reports, plans, or other deliverables demonstrating the consultant’s capability to meet project needs in the Twin Cities metro area.
  3. References
    • Contact information for at least two past clients who can speak to the consultant’s experience with similar projects.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

  • Demonstrated experience in community engagement, particularly in diverse and underserved areas.
  • Alignment of proposed activities with RWMWD’s goals and objectives.
  • Quality and relevance of sample deliverables.
  • Client references and feedback.
  • Feasibility of timeline and budget.

Selection Process

Timeline

  • RFP Released: 2/7/2025
  • Questions Accepted Until: 2/25/2025, 12pm
  • Proposal Submission Deadline: 2/27/2025
  • Board Approval of Recommended Candidate: 3/5/2025
  • Consultant Selected: 3/6/2025

Submission Instructions

  • Submit proposals electronically to lauren.hazenson@rwmwd.org.
  • Proposals must be received by 5:00 pm on 2/27/2025 .

For questions or clarifications, contact Communications and Engagement Program Manager Lauren Hazenson at lauren.hazenson@rwmwd.org.

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