Request for Proposal: Economic Development Strategic Pla

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE
CITY OF ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA
ELECTRONIC PROPOSALS MAY BE SUBMITTED TO
DDalman@AlamedaCA.GOV
UNTIL THE HOUR OF
4:00 P.M., Monday August 17, 2026

Request for Proposals
Economic Development Strategic Plan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................... i
NOTICE INVITING PROPOSALS .................................................................................... ii
1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... 3
A. Purpose.................................................................................................................... 3
B. Background .............................................................................................................. 4
2. SCOPE OF WORK ................................................................................................... 6
Task Area A: Evaluation of Current Conditions and Trends ........................................ 6
Task Area B: Stakeholder Engagement .......................................................... 7
Task Area C: Develop an Economic Development Strategic Plan .............................. 7
3. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS & EVALULATION ............................. 9
A. Required Content ................................................................................................... 9
B. Submission Instructions ....................................................................................... 11
C. Anticipated Selection Process ............................................................................. 11
APPENDIX A: SAMPLE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT ....................... 14
APPENDIX B: INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS ............................................................ 15
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Request for Proposals
Economic Development Strategic Plan
NOTICE INVITING PROPOSALS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Requests for Proposals (RFP) are invited by the City of Alameda, California
for preparation of the Economic Development Strategic Plan in strict accordance with the requirements
listed in the Request for Proposal.
The City of Alameda is seeking a firm with significant experience in developing an Economic
Development Strategic Plan. The strategy will provide a road map for the City in determining where to
allocate resources and identify priorities over a five-year period in business attraction, retention, and
expansion.
Proposal forms and requirements are available on the City's main BID page
https://www.alamedaca.gov/BUSINESS/Bid-on-City-Contracts and must be submitted via email to
ddalman@alamedaca.gov up to but not later than, Monday, August 17, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.
The City reserves the right to reject any and/or all proposals received.
Contact Information
Dwayne Dalman
Economic Development Division Manager
(510) 747-6894
E-mail: ddalman@alamedaca.gov
DISCLAIMER: The City does not assume any liability of responsibility for errors/omissions in any document
transmitted electronically.
Dated: July 9, 2026
CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA
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Request for Proposals
Economic Development Strategic Plan
1. INTRODUCTION
A. Purpose
The City of Alameda (The City) is seeking a firm with significant experience in developing
an Economic Development Strategic Plan (Plan). The strategy will provide a road map for
the City in determining where to allocate resources and identify priorities over a five-year
period in business attraction, retention, and expansion. The strategy is to be fact based
and market-disciplined, draw from international best practices, and is to include specific
action items geared towards creating new job opportunities, encouraging
entrepreneurship and innovation, enhancing fiscal sustainability, investing in catalyst
commercial and development areas, and increasing private investment throughout the
City.
The Plan is to replace the previous 2018 Economic Development Strategic Plan in a way
that moves Economic Development forward to meet current as well as future needs and
priorities. The selected firm will provide a work plan and roadmap for implementing
recommended strategies and establishing metrics in which to measure the outcomes. The
selected firm will be one that has demonstrated experience in preparation and
implementation of successful local economic development strategic plans in the San
Francisco Bay Area.
B. Background
The City of Alameda is an island community centrally located in the San Francisco Bay Area,
directly across the bay from San Francisco and adjacent to the communities of Oakland and
Berkeley. Alameda contains walkable and bike-friendly neighborhoods, locally owned shops and
restaurants in thriving historic retail districts. The city is home to three top-tier business parks with
concentrations in the life sciences, clean and green tech including advanced manufacturing and
energy innovation, and blue tech/maritime sectors.
The Research Park at Marina Village contains 1.4 million sq. ft. of multi-tenant life science, office,
and R&D facilities and is home to over forty life science and research companies. Harbor Bay
Business Park contains 2.0 million sq. ft. of space with more than 24 acres of fully entitled land
available for immediate development on the waterfront and only minutes from Oakland
International Airport. It is home to companies such as Abbot Diabetes Care, Exelixis, Penumbra,
Peet's Coffee and Semifreddi's. Lastly, Alameda Point (former Alameda Naval Air Station)
contains 852 acres of a former Naval Air Station, with approximately 500 acres for lease or
development opportunities in partnership with the City, including 2 million square foot of existing,
Navy-era heavy industrial and warehouse facilities with stunning views of the Bay and the San
Francisco skyline. Alameda Point is home to Blue Tech and Clean Tech companies such as Pyka,
Saildrone, Navier, Astra Space and Kairos Power as well as various breweries, distilleries, and
eateries.
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Request for Proposals
Economic Development Strategic Plan
In addition to business parks, Alameda is also home to two successful small business districts and
corridors and two major retail centers. Downtown Alameda Business District, along and adjacent
to the Park Street corridor, contains over 1,000,000 square feet of commercial and retail space
and is anchored by a 356,000 sq. ft., restored art deco movie theater. West Alameda Business
District, along and adjacent to the Webster Street corridor, contains 205,000 sq. ft. of locally owned
shops, cafes, and a vibrant arts scene. South Shore Shopping Center is a 594,000 sq. ft., open air
shopping center with Safeway, Trader Joes, and Kohls as anchors. Lastly, Alameda Landing is a
285,000 sq. ft. shopping center containing Target, Safeway, In-N-Out Burger, and a variety of
restaurants and other retailers.
Alameda is a commuter friendly city, with accessibility by bike, AC Transit, SF Bay Ferry, BART,
Amtrak, bicycle, highway and airplane. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has two BART stations
within one mile of the island, with direct, frequent AC Transit bus connections throughout the
Island. Three Ferry stops connect Alameda with 15-minute direct service to downtown San
Francisco, Oracle Park, the Chase Center, Pier 41, South San Francisco, and Oakland. AC
Transit has express Transbay bus service to and from San Francisco and high frequency bus
service within Alameda to and from Oakland. Oakland International Airport is just 6.7 miles away
from downtown Alameda and less than 15 minutes by car from major business parks. Amtrak
Station and the Capitol Corridor Line are less than 5 miles away, and residents of Alameda enjoy
over 22 miles of bike lanes throughout the city.
In addition to transportation and location benefits, Alameda businesses benefit greatly from a
business-friendly power structure that no other City in the Bay Area has - Alameda Municipal
Power (AMP). AMP is a community-owned electric utility that has been serving the needs of
Alameda residents and businesses for more than 130 years. AMP offers 100% clean, renewable
energy, with rates that are 35% below neighboring communities, and with 50% fewer power
outages compared to other Bay Area utilities. In addition to savings on electrical rates, AMP
offers businesses the ability to add the power needed for new construction and expansion.
Previous Strategic Plan
In 2018, the City Council adopted the existing Economic Development Strategic Plan
(EDSP), which was designed to guide the City's economic development activities over the
following five to ten years. The EDSP served as Alameda's roadmap to achieve economic
growth, and to improve the quality of life for residents and employees. The overall goal of the
EDSP at that time was to focus limited City resources for economic development on the business
sectors in which Alameda was an attractive option, there was room for growth, and they
complemented Alameda's long-term goals.
When the EDSP was developed, there were ten priority areas that were identified to
support Alameda's economic resiliency. The priority areas were divided into two major
categories:
Business sectors identified as opportunities for growth
1. Life Sciences
2. Clean Tech, Green Tech, High Tech
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Request for Proposals
Economic Development Strategic Plan
3. Blue Tech and Maritime
4. Retail and Restaurants
5. Tourism/Hospitality
6. Artists and Small Manufacturers
Critical services to support the retention, expansion and growth of businesses in Alameda
1. Transportation Choices
2. Housing
3. Workforce Development
4. City Services and Policy Documents
EDSP Assessment
The Strategic Plan called for common activities across all six of the sectors. These
activities included the following activities:
* Develop marketing materials to promote the sector
* Identify sites available for future location of businesses in these sectors
* Identify resources available to assist these sectors
* Implement a workforce plan to assist with recruiting and retaining employees for these
sectors
* Host annual networking events to promote existing companies in these sectors
The majority of the activities listed above were completed, except for the development of a
workforce plan. It should also be noted that the attraction effort for the Tech sector did not
include industry specific marketing material and outreach. In addition to the common
activities listed above, the Strategic Plan called for specific actions to expand opportunities
in the retail/restaurants sector, the hospitality sector and for artists/small manufacturers.
Existing Economic Development staff were not with the department when the existing
Economic Development Strategic Plan was initially implemented. However, based on the
status of the six business sectors as well as the critical service areas, the following
assessment will serve to gain a better understanding of the success of the previous plan.
Business Sectors
Since the EDSP was created, there has been growth in the life science and tech sectors,
which in part point to the successful implementation of the plan. In addition, there has
also been growth in the retail and restaurant sectors. However, there has not been
significant growth in the tourism/hospitality and artists and small manufacturers sectors.
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Request for Proposals
Economic Development Strategic Plan
Critical Services
At the time that the EDSP was implemented, there was insufficient staff and resource
partners to produce a significant impact on the critical services listed in the plan. These
conditions still exist currently. The one critical service area that is being improved is
permit streamlining, which falls under the city services and policy documents category.
The City is now at the stage where it needs to move to a new Strategic Plan to meet the
needs of Alameda and the Economic Development program over the next five years. The
new Strategic Plan will include assembling and analyzing data to develop policies, actions,
and a roadmap to guide future economic development activities over the next five years. It
is anticipated that the new Strategic Plan will cover the following content:
2. SCOPE OF WORK
The scope of work set forth in this Request for Proposals (RFP) represents an outline of the
services to be performed and is presented for the primary purpose of allowing the City to
compare proposals. The final scope of services to be incorporated into the Professional
Services Agreement shall be negotiated between the City and the selected firm. The scope
of services is provided as a framework to begin with, NOT limit your proposal, and it is
encouraged to evaluate the proposed scope of services and recommend/provide revisions
to achieve a better final product.
The following section identifies tasks that will be the focus of the scope of services agreement
and the anticipated work tasks in preparation of an Economic Development Strategic Plan for
the City of Alameda. The tasks identified do not represent a complete and exhaustive list of
the tasks that may be necessary in the preparation of a comprehensive plan, nor are all tasks
required if recommended otherwise. Bidders are encouraged to expand on the Scope of
Work to demonstrate expertise. The anticipated work tasks will be done in coordination with
City staff.
The successful proposal will include the following tasks within the City's time and budget
constraints to inform the Economic Development Strategic Plan.
A. Evaluation of current conditions and trends
* Review existing economic development programs and incentives.
* Conduct a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis
of the City's competitive position.
* Identify the fastest growing and most competitive industries in Alameda compared to
Alameda and Contra Costa counties using quantitative analysis and broker interviews.
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Request for Proposals
Economic Development Strategic Plan
* Complete an inventory of existing space available for retail, office, industrial, lab space
and R & D to include asking rents, total square footage, and vacancy rates. Include
sub-areas of Downtown Alameda Business Association, West Alameda Business
Association, Harbor Bay, Marina Village and Alameda Point subdistricts.
* Analyze sales and TOT tax trends per district as compared with the County and East
Bay.
* Analyze housing costs and multi-family rents compared to Contra Costa and Alameda
counties.
* Conduct a general assessment of water, sewer and electrical rates to determine
competitive advantages/disadvantages.
* Compare above information with Alameda and Contra Costa counties to determine
competitive advantages/disadvantages.
B. Stakeholder engagement
Consultant will develop and execute a stakeholder engagement plan to solicit thoughtful
participation and input from stakeholder groups and key individual stakeholders. Stakeholders
include the following:
1. Members of the Alameda Mayor's Economic Development Advisory Panel
2. Advisory group made up of members from the Alameda Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown
Alameda Business Association and the West Alameda Business Association
3. Advisory group made up of tenants and business owners of Alameda Point
4. Advisory group made up of developers and brokers active in the Alameda community
5. Advisory group made up of members of the arts community.
6. One-on-one major commercial owners and developers in Harbor Bay, Research Park at Marina
Village, Alameda Point and the Northern Waterfront
C. Develop an Economic Development Strategic Plan
Background
* Given current economic conditions, determine whether the six business
sectors previously identified are still opportunities for growth to be focused on
and whether there are more nuanced NAICS codes / industries that require
more targeted focus. Identify which industries to continue to target and
develop attraction strategies and a roadmap to follow tied to the individual
sectors. Identify within this the extent to which the focus should be on retention
and growth versus attraction.
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Request for Proposals
Economic Development Strategic Plan
* Given existing staff resources and budgets, determine the role economic
development staff can play in the four previously listed critical services
categories and determine which service categories to continue to focus on.
Identification
Based on the information and understanding gained from the evaluation of Alameda's
current conditions and trends, the stakeholder groups and the background evaluation
described above, develop an Economic Development Strategic Plan that:
* Identifies industry best practices for utilizing data in developing programs,
allocating resources and in making decisions.
* Compares the City's current development project processes, including setting
fees, taxes, rates, and incentives to regional best practices, and provide
recommendations to City staff for improvement.
* Identifies best practices for developing and enhancing strategic partnerships
with entities such as county government, trade associations, business groups,
schools, labor unions, etc.
* Defines the City's role in workforce development, including the development
of strategies to enhance educational opportunities and job training, and the
required relationships with trade and professional schools and higher
education.
Specific plans
The Strategic Plan should also include specific plans to:
* Support small businesses and foster entrepreneur development.
* Support business attraction for targeted sectors.
* Support business retention and expansion.
* Include an Economic Development Marketing Plan that is multi-pronged and includes,
but is not limited to, the creation of branding, campaigns, collateral, and website and
social media content.
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Request for Proposals
Economic Development Strategic Plan
Final components
Finally, the Plan should include the following components:
* A road map for any necessary modifications to the Economic Development
Work Plan within the resources provided, and alternatives requiring more
resources, with costs and benefits.
* A plan for telling the story of the Economic Development program, activities
and successes internally and externally.
* An explanation of the important economic development roles tangentially
assumed by other City departments (eg AMP, planning, building, public works,
police)
* Identify appropriate economic development performance tracking metrics and
methods and the cadence for performance monitoring by metric (quarterly,
annually, biannually, every 5 years).
* Identify priorities and resources necessary for implementing recommendations.
* Provide recommendations for the frequency of future Economic Development
Strategic Plan updates.
3. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS & EVALUATION
A. Required Contents
To be deemed responsive and passed to the evaluation phase, all bidders must
submit proposals containing the following elements to ddalman@alamedaca.gov.
A. Cover Letter
* The bidder must submit a cover letter of no more than two (2) pages signed by
an official authorized to solicit business and enter into contracts for the
proposing firm.
B. Firm Qualifications
* Provide a general description of the prime firm proposed to lead the effort.
* Describe the firm's history and qualifications to conduct the services described
in the scope of work.
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