Request for Proposal Consultant Services for the Germantown Community Greening Plan

Consultant Services for the Germantown Community Greening Plan Issued by: Germantown United Community Development Corporation Project: Germantown Grows Together Anticipated Contract Period: July 2026 – December 2027 Anticipated Consultant Budget: Up to $100,000 RFP Release Date: July 8, 2026 Questions Due: August 3, 2026 Proposal Due Date: August 21, 2026 Anticipated Consultant Selection: September 15, 2026 Anticipated Project Start: October 1, 2026 Primary Contact: Desiree Thompson, Operations Manager
1. Introduction Germantown United Community Development Corporation (GUCDC) is seeking proposals from qualified planning, design, community engagement, environmental justice, public space, and/or community development consultants to support the development of the our community greening plan: Germantown Grows Together The Germantown Community Greening Plan will be a resident-informed planning process to identify, prioritize, and advance greening, public space, vacant land, environmental health, stewardship, and quality-of-life improvements across Germantown. The plan will consider new greening opportunities alongside existing neighborhood assets, stewardship networks, housing stability concerns, and long-standing community priorities. GUCDC seeks a consultant or consultant team that can help translate resident knowledge, neighborhood conditions, and technical analysis into an implementation-ready plan. The selected consultant will support GUCDC with planning process design, technical analysis, mapping, facilitation support, synthesis of community input, project prioritization, cost ranges, stewardship models, and final plan development. GUCDC will remain the lead convener and primary community engagement steward for this project. The consultant’s role is to provide technical planning expertise, design and support clear engagement structures and data collection systems, and produce a final plan that is actionable, fundable, and grounded in resident-defined priorities. ________________________________________ 2. About Germantown United CDC Germantown United CDC is a community development corporation serving the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. GUCDC works to support a thriving, equitable, and connected Germantown through commercial corridor management, resident services, neighborhood improvement initiatives, small business support, community engagement, and partnerships with residents, civic organizations, institutions, and public agencies. GUCDC’s work includes corridor cleaning and business support along key commercial corridors, resident services and housing-related referrals, neighborhood condition reporting, community outreach, greening and beautification partnerships, and place-based initiatives that strengthen Germantown’s quality of life. This planning process builds on GUCDC’s existing clean and green work, resident services infrastructure, partnerships with community gardens and friends-of-parks groups, and growing commitment to aligning environmental improvements with housing stability and anti-displacement goals. ________________________________________ 3. Project Background and Purpose Germantown is a historically significant, majority-Black Philadelphia neighborhood with deep cultural, civic, and community stewardship traditions. The neighborhood includes long-standing parks, community gardens, commercial corridors, historic sites, schools, recreation centers, churches, civic associations, and informal resident-led networks of care. At the same time, Germantown residents continue to experience environmental and quality-of-life burdens, including illegal dumping, litter, poorly maintained vacant lots and abandoned properties, uneven access to high-quality public space, limited tree canopy in some areas, heat and stormwater concerns, and development pressures that raise concerns about displacement. The Germantown Community Greening Plan will help GUCDC and its partners answer core questions, including: ● What kinds of greening and public space improvements do Germantown residents want and need? ● Which blocks, corridors, parks, gardens, vacant lots, and public spaces should be prioritized? ● How can greening investments improve daily quality of life without contributing to displacement? ● What stewardship and maintenance models are realistic for GUCDC, residents, partners, and public agencies? ● What projects are feasible in the near term, and what larger investments should be pursued over time? ● How can Germantown’s existing assets, resident leadership, and community knowledge shape future implementation? The final plan must be more than a vision document. It should provide a practical roadmap that GUCDC, residents, partners, funders, and public agencies can use to advance implementation. The planning process should also help community partners, residents, and neighborhood groups find and see themselves within the plan. GUCDC wants the process to build relationships, deepen shared ownership, and strengthen informal community leadership so implementation and sustainability can be stewarded in hyperlocal ways for years to come. ________________________________________ 4. Project Goals The Germantown Community Greening Plan will: 1. Document existing greening assets and environmental conditions across Germantown, including parks, gardens, vacant land, commercial corridors, public spaces, stewardship networks, and priority environmental burdens. 2. Engage residents meaningfully and equitably through surveys, public planning sessions, walk audits, pop-up engagement, co-creation sessions, and validation opportunities. 3. Center resident-defined priorities related to cleaner blocks, safer and more welcoming public spaces, improved vacant lots, shade and greenery, community gardens, environmental health, quality of life, and neighborhood belonging. 4. Integrate housing stability and anti-displacement considerations so that greening improvements support residents’ ability to remain, participate, and benefit from neighborhood investment. 5. Develop a transparent prioritization framework that reflects resident priorities, environmental burden, feasibility, equity, stewardship capacity, and displacement risk. 6. Produce a ranked project pipeline with project typologies, potential locations, cost ranges, phasing, funding opportunities, and implementation partners. 7. Identify realistic stewardship and maintenance models, including City-led, partner-led, and resident-led approaches. 8. Create an implementation-ready final plan that GUCDC can use for fundraising, advocacy, partner coordination, and future demonstration projects. 9. Strengthen relationships, partner alignment, and resident and youth leadership development so the process builds community capacity and long-term stewardship, not only a document or report. Bidding Documents can be obtained at no cost on PennBid at https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com. Proposals must be submitted electronically via PennBid at https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com by August 21, 2026 at 5:00pm EST
Questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing via the “Ask a Question” feature in PennBid at https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com by August 3, 2026 Responses to questions and addenda will be posted on PennBid and notification via Public Notice sent to Bidders who have registered with and downloaded documents from PennBid by August 12, 2026.