At its Feb. 2 meeting the Economic Development Partnership Board reviewed a draft request for proposals (RFP) to procure a data-intensive competitiveness study that would update parts of the 2020 strategic plan and benchmark Denton against regional peers.

Britney Sotella, department director, told the board the study’s objective is “to evaluate Denton’s competitiveness based on top site-selection considerations and provide recommendations to staff and EDPB members on areas of improvement and opportunities.” The RFP as presented lists three primary deliverables: city comparisons against peer DFW jurisdictions; an evaluation of existing incentives and short- and long-term return on investment for the city’s general fund; and recommendations for policy, program and infrastructure improvements.

Deliverables spelled out in the draft include analyses of workforce labor availability and average wages; site readiness including land and building availability and airport sites; cost-of-doing-business measures such as sales-tax and impact-fee comparisons and timelines from pre-application meetings to completion; utility-rate comparisons and water and sewer access/limitations; and assessment of incentive agreements and revenue recovery timelines. Staff expected to solicit proposals from firms with regional site-selection and incentive-analysis experience and to ask consultants to recommend which DFW peer cities Denton should compare itself to.

The draft RFP included a budget figure of $50,000 and a proposal deadline of March 28, 2025. Board discussion raised two implementation questions: one board member suggested adding a statement of bond ratings for the city, county and school district because local bond ratings affect borrowing costs and thus development feasibility; another board member cautioned that publishing a fixed budget can discourage bidders or anchor proposals at that level. Staff said they would consider removing the stated budget from the public posting and would return shortlisted proposals and optional a la carte items for board review.

There was no board vote on the RFP at the meeting; staff said they would post the RFP and accept proposals per the posted schedule.