How to Write a Strategic Planning Consultant RFP

Start with the decisions, not the document

Most strategic planning RFPs ask for "a strategic plan." That invites proposals that compete on page count. A stronger RFP names the decisions the plan has to settle: the three to five priorities for the next few years, who owns each one, how progress will be measured, and how the plan connects to the budget. Consultants can then propose a process built around those decisions.

A section-by-section RFP outline

1. Background. Who you are, who you serve, and why you are planning now (a new leader, a new council, a funding change, a plan that stalled).
2. Scope of work. The phases you expect: preparation and interviews, facilitated sessions, drafting, adoption, and support after adoption. Say whether you want help with execution or only the plan.
3. Participants. Who must be in the sessions: elected officials or board members, the executive team, department heads, staff, residents or members. The participant list drives the session design more than anything else.
4. Timeline. When sessions can happen and when the plan must be adopted. Building a plan usually takes 2 to 3 months, in two to four facilitated sessions. Be wary of asking for a full plan from a single retreat.
5. Deliverables. The plan document, and also what makes it usable: named owners for each goal, measures, an implementation calendar, and a reporting format.
6. Proposal requirements. Approach, sample agendas, the named facilitator who will be in the room, references for similar organizations, and pricing by phase.
7. Evaluation criteria and weights. Publish them, so proposers address what you actually care about.

Evaluation criteria that separate facilitators

• Relevant experience. Similar organizations and similar group dynamics (a council is not a corporate leadership team).
• The named facilitator. Who will actually run your sessions, and how much of the work they do personally.
• Process design. How the consultant gets a group from discussion to decisions, and how disagreement is handled.
• Execution support. What happens in the first 90 days after adoption. Plans that stall usually stall here.
• References. Ask for organizations where the plan is still being used a year later.

Questions to ask finalists

• "Walk us through how the last session ends. What is decided by then?"
• "How do you make sure every goal has one named owner?"
• "What do you need from our staff between sessions?"
• "What does support look like after the plan is adopted?"
• "Who writes the plan document, and who approves it?"

Florida public agencies: a note on public records

If you are a Florida city, county, or special district, proposals submitted to you generally become public records under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. Proposers should mark anything they believe is exempt, and your procurement office can explain the timing for your agency.

Where Gamechangers fits

Gamechangers Consulting facilitates strategic planning for cities and public agencies, boards, and companies, from our base in Coral Gables. We build the plan in 2 to 3 months and stay through execution. If you are drafting an RFP, our guide on how to choose a strategic planning facilitator pairs well with this outline.