Redevelopment Commission opens single RFP response from Hancock County Innovation and Education Center, names evaluation committee

The Hancock County Redevelopment Commission opened a single sealed response to its request for proposals at its July 9 meeting and authorized an evaluation committee to review the submission.

Lisa Lee Icemiller, special counsel to the redevelopment commission, told members the commission had followed Indiana Code 5-23 for the RFP process, published notices on June 17 and June 24, accepted questions by email (none were received) and set yesterday at noon as the sealed-response deadline. "We did not receive any questions," Icemiller said, and "we have received 1" proposal she read into the record as coming from the Hancock County Innovation and Education Center Incorporated.

The commission authorized an evaluation committee made up of Robin Louder, Gary McDaniel, Gary Poole and Anne Shidler, with Icemiller overseeing the review. A committee member moved to authorize the panel, a second was given and the motion passed by voice vote. Icemiller said the committee will check responses for reasonable conformity to the RFP, flag any contract terms (for example management fees) for discussion, and return a written recommendation explaining its conclusions; that explanation will be available for public inspection in the ten days before any public hearing.

Icemiller told the commission the evaluation committee is scheduled to present its recommendation at a special meeting on July 16 at 8 a.m. If the commission decides to proceed with the responder, the RDC would publish notice of a public hearing, currently targeted for Aug. 6, where the commission would make a final determination on awarding an operating agreement.

The commission did not discuss the substantive terms of the proposal at the July 9 meeting; Icemiller noted the commission is required to disclose who responded but not the proposal terms at this stage. The evaluation committee will consider whether negotiations with the responder are warranted and, if so, return a recommendation to the full commission.