Delaware County is seeking proposals for an economic development strategic plan that will deliver a comprehensive and actionable 5 year strategy that includes the following: o evaluate current and past economic development efforts and assess the structural strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to development in the County;
o conduct focus group interviews of key business leaders and stakeholders
o prepare a Competitive/Comparison Benchmarking Analysis that identifies those Counties, both inside and outside of Ohio, with which Delaware is most likely to compete for business investment, identifies the incentive tools used by the
County and others, and highlights competitive best practices in the analysis, as an opportunity for learning;
o develop an Economic Base Analysis to include a state, regional and county assessment and a Target Industry Study to identify the four -to-five top industries for business attraction and expansion based on an alignment of state and regional
economic growth projections, being mindful of Delaware County's strengths and challenges;
o identify an attraction marketing strategy for each targeted industry (with special focus on supply chain opportunities in semi-conductor and EV industries) which includes identifying marketing tactics, resources and a recommended budget to
support the strategy (to include website, print ads, collateral, social media, email campaigns and attendance at key trade shows and conferences);
o provide a best practices analysis on business retention and expansion and identify needs and initiatives that could be implemented over a three year timespan;
o create a talent/workforce development strategy for Delaware County using national best practices for convening Countywide Workforce Development Partners to implement talent pipeline initiatives based on attracting new business in identified targeted industries and expanding existing business (should include a labor shed analysis);
o provide guidance on Delaware County's Entrepreneurship ecosystem, and identify opportunities and strategies to cultivate continued success with small business start-ups and support public-private partnerships to support small business, including incubation and support of early stage companies;
o perform a site identification study to identify three to five large scale sites that align with identified targeted industries and the Central Ohio regional opportunities for economic growth, as well as developing an actionable strategy for each site which includes timelines and estimated costs to prepare each site for development;
o develop three to five development priority zones for industrial, commercial, mixed use development in order to guide communities on highest and best use of land, based on strengths and opportunities, as well as physical attributes During proposal development, respondent's questions regarding this Request for Proposal or the process should be directed to Monica Conners, Economic Development Director, via email at mconners@co.delaware.oh.us with the Subject heading of "RFP Economic Development Strategic Plan." The method of contractor selection has not been determined at this time.
.webp)
