Committee debates scope and selection for City Center facilitator; RFP set to close June 8

At the May 27 Phoenix Aviation Advisory Committee meeting, members spent substantial time on a draft scope of work for hiring a consultant to facilitate work on the City Center element of the comprehensive plan.

Several members flagged what they said was contradictory language in the draft: one passage says the engagement will "produce actionable guidance," while another says it is "not intended to initiate a full comprehensive plan update." Committee member Paul asked that the language make clear that consultant selection would be evaluated but not strictly bound to objective criteria, arguing for flexibility during interviews and selection.

Staff member Zach, who circulated the draft scope to consultants that morning, told the group the procurement schedule was tight: "Closes on the 8th of June and contract by the 12th," he said. Members discussed whether that timeline would yield two or three proposals and stressed the need for unambiguous evaluation language that both guides proposers and preserves member discretion during final selection.

Speakers noted the City Center element is decades old and that a focused, facilitated effort could extract actionable priorities from many existing studies rather than begin a full rewrite of the comprehensive plan. Zach said the consultant would be asked to organize workshops and synthesize existing downtown studies to guide future decisions about streetscaping, property development and marketing.

Next steps: staff will finalize the scope language to reflect that proposals will be "evaluated but not bound" by the objective criteria, circulate the revised scope, and proceed with the advertised procurement closing June 8 with an aim to execute a contract by June 12.