Background

The Benton County Community Development Department, in concert with the Board of Commissioners, seeks qualified, professional planning consultants to provide expertise in updating Benton County's 2007 Comprehensive Plan. The project will follow Oregon's voluntary Periodic Review (VPR) process, ensuring alignment with Oregon's statewide planning goals while addressing local priorities identified by county officials, staff, and through recent community outreach.

This project work builds on a year-long effort in the 2023-2025 biennium which sought to identify community priorities. During that foundational phase, which enabled a successful request to the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) to engage in Voluntary Periodic Review (VPR), Benton County staff worked with a Portland-based consultant team to complete three major tasks, including 1.) Designing an Inclusive Outreach Plan, 2.) Creating a Regional Vision for Collaborative Resilience (a DLCD-approved work program), and 3.) Evaluating Equity and Inclusion via Self-Assessment.

In the 2025-2027 biennium, Benton County applied and was approved for additional state grant funding to advance this multi-year program into the next phase, continuing the momentum gained and insight developed during phase 1.

The county seeks project proposals to begin work on the next phase(s) of the work program, which includes tasks and deliverables with the following themes: 1.) Community Engagement and Governance, 2.) Economic Development and Fiscal Sustainability, 3.) Managed Growth, Land Use and Scenario Planning, 4.) Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Resilience, and 5.) Development Code Updates and Intergovernmental Coordination.

Proposals should address the specific tasks and products included in this RFP, and furthermore, should outline specific action strategies and methodology, including robust public engagement opportunities, to create a scenario planning model with three to four alternative future scenarios. The 'preferred scenario model' should result in recommendations for updates and changes to policy areas relating to land use, economic development, housing, climate resilience, natural resources, natural hazard preparedness and mitigation, and infrastructure planning.

The selected consultant will be expected to propose a refined scope and timeline for completing the project within the available budget, including assistance in prioritizing tasks and setting a schedule to best achieve overall county and project goals. While this RFP provides an overview of project goals and objectives, the county seeks the guidance, expertise, and recommendations of qualified consultants to further develop and hone the strategies, methods, and overall process to address community-identified priorities.

Project Overview

In June 2025, LCDC approved Benton County's request to undertake Voluntary Periodic Review in support of the 2007 Comprehensive Plan update process, following a one-year preparation phase in 2024-2025.

The following Phase 1 section outlines the work that was previously accomplished in 2024-2025. This foundational work should be built upon throughout the future phases of this project. The Phase 2 section outlines work that Benton County staff will undertake throughout 2026. The Phase 3 and 4 sections outline the primary work the consultant will undertake in partnership with Benton County staff, from preliminary data analysis to outreach and recommendations, through eventual Comprehensive Plan and Development Code amendments at project completion.

The full RFP with details on each phase, including anticipated deliverables, outcomes, and tasks is available at Benton County's Contracts and Procurement site.