RFP: Strategic Planning Consultant

Blue Water Baltimore (BWB) is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to assist with the design, development, and implementation of a multi-faceted process for our next five-year strategic plan (2024-2028).

We want to ensure that our next strategic plan has a solid foundation of a shared vision, leads to measurable goals that can effectively guide our ongoing and future work, fully embodies principles of equity and inclusion, and provides a cohesive roadmap for our next five years.

The planning process is expected to take approximately 6-9 months starting in early 2023. We anticipate that the new plan will be formally approved in the fall of 2023 and take effect no later than January 1, 2024.

Who are we looking for?

We want to place equity, transparency, inclusiveness, vision, and practicality at the forefront of an inclusive and thorough process to develop the strategic plan. The planning process will be overseen by the Strategic Planning Committee but will involve and engage all stakeholder groups including BWB staff members, BWB leadership team, BWB current and former board members, BWB volunteers, community members, partner organizations, and funders.

We seek an experienced and engaging consultant to facilitate the strategic planning process. They should support us in taking a hard look at priorities and strategic direction while helping us ensure the planning process is stimulating and meaningful for stakeholders.

We have dedicated staff, board members, and volunteers who will participate in the planning process and assist with project management and various implementation tasks. We want to partner with a consultant who will help design and guide the process and lead key strategic planning tasks, including but not limited to:

Planning

• Inform overall design of strategic planning process
• Create project plan and assist with planning process communications strategy
• Participate in meetings with the Strategic Planning Committee as needed

Information Gathering and Analysis

• Develop creative methods for gathering and incorporating meaningful stakeholder input that ensures people feel heard and valued and accounts for power dynamics
• Assist with survey design and focus group implementation
• Conduct SWOT analysis and/or environmental scans as needed
• Conduct interviews with key stakeholders as needed
• Assist the Strategic Planning Committee in analysis of the information and identification of key takeaways and themes

Goals and Outcomes Development

• Work with the Strategic Planning Committee, leadership team, staff, and other stakeholders to create and prioritize key goals, objectives, and outcomes through an equity lens

Implementation

• Work with the Strategic Planning Committee, leadership team, staff, and other stakeholders to develop a system of measuring progress towards goals, objectives, and outcomes

Documentation and Communication

• Prepare initial draft plan for review and comment by stakeholders
• Revise draft to address feedback and create final plan
• Assist with strategic plan communications strategy and materials development

Sound like you?

Review the detailed Request for Proposal (RFP). If you are interested, please submit your proposal via email to our Strategic Planning Committee c/o Vanessa Pinkney at [email protected] with the subject line “Strategic Planning Proposal.”

The deadline for submission is December 16, 2022, no later than 5:00pm ET. Hard copy proposals will not be accepted. The committee will select and notify the consultant in January 2023, with work commencing no later than March 1, 2023.