About this opportunity
AI summaryThe Brookings Regional Growth Alliance seeks proposals from qualified consulting firms to conduct a comprehensive regional housing study and needs analysis for the City of Brookings and Brookings County, South Dakota. The contractor will evaluate demographics, rental markets, unmet housing needs, available developable land, infrastructure capacity, and regulatory barriers, while delivering GIS-based mapping, stakeholder engagement, and an actionable strategy matrix. Eligibility is limited to onshore U.S. organizations. Applicants must submit one electronic PDF copy by email and three hard copies to the Growth Alliance by November 12, 2026, at 4:30 PM Central Time. Inquiries must be submitted in writing at least five business days before the proposal deadline. The buyer anticipates a base project budget between $60,000 and $70,000, requiring separate not-to-exceed pricing for the base scope and optional per-community add-ons. Evaluation criteria include relevant firm experience with comparable communities and the overall value of proposed services relative to cost.
Buyer and opportunity details
- Client
- Brookings Regional Growth Alliance
Scope of work
- Demographic, economic, employment, commuting, existing housing stock, sales, and rental market analyses
- Quantified unmet housing demand and gap analysis across 5-, 10-, and 15-year horizons
- Assessment of development conditions, infrastructure, water table/flood plains, and regulatory barriers
- General strategy matrix prioritizing actions, responsible parties, timeframes, and relative costs
- GIS-based maps illustrating housing stock, vacancy, affordability, tenure, age, and constraint areas
- Design, distribution, and analysis of a community-wide public survey and stakeholder sessions
- Final public-facing report, technical companion appendix, executive summary, and presentation deck
- Optional community deep-dive profiles and listening sessions for up to eight municipalities
How proposals are evaluated
| Criterion | Weight / scoring |
|---|---|
| Understanding of the project and quality of the proposed technical approach | Not specified |
| Relevant experience with comparable communities and quality of past work samples | Not specified |
| Qualifications and availability of the proposed project team | Not specified |
| Demonstrated approach to meaningful community and stakeholder engagement | Not specified |
| Realistic, well-organized project schedule aligned with the Growth Alliance timeline and engagement-window preferences | Not specified |
| Overall value of services proposed relative to the not-to-exceed cost | Not specified |
Minimum qualifications
- Qualified consulting firm
- Relevant expertise and experience with comparable housing studies (college towns, county-wide studies, or commuter-driven markets)
Documents to include with your response
- Cover Letter signed by an authorized officer with primary contact
- Firm Qualifications & Experience description
- Project Team overview with resumes and identified subconsultants
- Proposed Approach & Work Plan
- At least three references from comparable recent projects
- At least two recent, comparable housing study work samples
- Detailed proposed Project Schedule
- Cost Proposal including firm not-to-exceed base cost, optional add-on cost, hourly rates, and reimbursable expenses
Key dates
- Issue Date
- October 15, 2026
- Questions due
- at least five (5) business days before the proposal deadline
- Proposals Due
- November 12, 2026, 4:30 PM Central Time
- Proposal review & (if needed) finalist interviews
- November 13 – December 11, 2026
- Consultant selection / notification (contingent on funding)
- Mid-December 2026
- Contract execution
- December 2026 – January 2027
- Project kickoff meeting
- Late January 2027
- Data collection, market analysis, and GIS mapping
- February – April 2027
- Public survey & primary stakeholder engagement
- February – April 2027
- Preliminary findings presented to Brookings Regional Growth Alliance
- May 2027
How to submit
- Method
- Email and hard copy
- Instructions
- Submit one (1) electronic PDF copy via email to Kirsten Gjesdal at [email protected] and three (3) hard copies to 416 3rd Street, Brookings, SD 57006. Label proposals: RFP Response — Brookings Regional Housing Study & Needs Analysis.
Contract details
- Term
- Approximately one year from the proposal deadline to final report presentation, through December 2027
- Estimated value
- approximately $60,000–$70,000
- Place of performance
- City of Brookings and Brookings County, South Dakota