This is a service / maintenance or supply contract in Cleveland, Ohio. Contact the soliciting agency for additional information.

The cleveland-cuyahoga county port authority ("Port of cleveland" or "Port") invites qualified consulting firms to submit proposals to lead a comprehensive strategic planning process that will chart the port's direction for the next three to five years. With new leadership in place, the port is entering an exciting period of reflection and renewal--seeking to elevate its role as a regional economic catalyst, strengthen its position as a collaborative partner across public and private sectors, and ensure that its operations, investments, and partnerships drive northeast ohio's long-term growth and competitiveness. The port operates at the intersection of commerce, finance, and community, across three primary lines of business: Maritime operations: connecting northeast ohio businesses to global markets via the great lakes-st. Lawrence seaway system; Development finance: providing catalytic financing tools that spur job creation and investment; and Sustainability & public infrastructure: advancing transformational projects such as irishtown bend and cheers that enhance lakefront access, resilience, and livability. Request for proposals (rfp): strategic planning services The cleveland-cuyahoga county port authority ("Port of cleveland" or "Port") invites qualified consulting firms to submit proposals to lead a comprehensive strategic planning process that will chart the port's direction for the next three to five years. With new leadership in place, the port is entering an exciting period of reflection and renewal--seeking to elevate its role as a regional economic catalyst, strengthen its position as a collaborative partner across public and private sectors, and ensure that its operations, investments, and partnerships drive northeast ohio's long-term growth and competitiveness. The port operates at the intersection of commerce, finance, and community, across three primary lines of business: Maritime operations: connecting northeast ohio businesses to global markets via the great lakes-st. Lawrence seaway system; Development finance: providing catalytic financing tools that spur job creation and investment; and Sustainability & public infrastructure: advancing transformational projects such as irishtown bend and cheers that enhance lakefront access, resilience, and livability. Through this strategic planning process, the port aims to update its vision, priorities, and organizational design to ensure it is best positioned to drive inclusive economic growth for the region. The process will engage internal and external stakeholders, benchmark best practices from leading u.S. And international ports and economic development finance entities and translate those lessons into a clear, cleveland-specific, actionable roadmap for implementation. The port expects a multi-phase process consistent with the strategic plan framework below. Proposers should propose a detailed approach, timeline, deliverables and estimated level of effort and cost for each item. Detailed evaluation of current port operations, existing strategic planning documents, kpis, financials, economic impact, and overall performance Market & trend scan including great lakes and national maritime trends (cargo tonnage, supply chain shifts, tariff impacts), decarbonization and fuel transitions, federal funding landscape, dredging and beneficial-use innovations, and public development finance Peer case studies identifying leading ports/organizations and key strengths and innovations in each of the port's key business lines Maritime (focus on great lakes peers) Development finance (ohio ports, national public finance intermediaries), Sustainability/public infrastructure (public actors advancing waterfront and resilience projects) Financial & asset review including assessment of balance sheet capacity, bond fund performance, real estate holdings, operating surplus deployment, and the community impact fund (structure and outcomes). Swot / gap analysis Deadline for questions: January 19, 2026 : Question responses posted January 23, 2026 Project start: Mid-March, 2026 While all proposals will be evaluated on merit, qualifications, and cost, the Port encourages participation from Minority-Owned, Female-Owned, and Small Business Enterprises. Respondents that meet these criteria may provide this information as part of their submission and it may be considered as one factor among others in the evaluation process, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The expression of interest is not mandatory, but firms that are open to collaborations should submit the firm name and contact information to the Port by email before January 12, 2026. Consultants may propose alternative schedule if justified The strategic planning committee will evaluate proposals across the following criteria: Understanding of the Port's role and context Strength of proposed approach to meet the Port's needs Relevant experience in strategic planning and across Port's business lines Team composition Cost will be evaluated for reasonableness and value relative to scope and approach, not as a standalone lowest-bid criterion. The Port is not seeking a generic or purely aspirational strategic plan. Proposals that rely heavily on off-the-shelf frameworks without clear customization to the Port's context, assets, and constraints may be deemed non-responsive. The method of Contractor Selection has not been Determined at this time. Request for Proposal for design services is underway.