A top-scoring respondent was chosen through the City of Duluth’s Request for Proposals (RFP) process, marking the conclusion of the city’s recent search for a new company to manage its tourism marketing contract. This decision will be presented to the Duluth City Council at their regular meeting on December 9th, per an official notice released on November 21st. The city’s perseverance in this selection process demonstrates both its dedication to identifying a suitable applicant and the appeal of Duluth as a developing travel destination.
This year’s bidding saw an exceptionally high number of attendees: “26 firms respond to this RFP, which is incredibly strong,” said City Administrator Dave Montgomery. The sheer amount of interest has apparently exceeded expectations, especially given the competitive context, where a City RFP typically receives only three to five proposers. Montgomery created a review committee to handle the difficult work of evaluating each proposal using a blind scoring method, which was a mechanism specified in the RFP to promote fairness among the 26 respondents.
Tom Werner, the distinguished Executive Director of the Duluth Airport Authority, oversaw this exacting procedure. A variety of city employees and community members with backgrounds in marketing and tourism joined Werner. “This process was apolitical and driven by both City of Duluth staff and community stakeholders with a broad spectrum of industry expertise,”Werner observed. The transparent scoring matrix is easily accessible to the general public and is included in the online RFP materials.
The selected firm will be presented to the council at the committee-of-the-whole meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for December 5. The venture is slated to debut on January 1, 2025, and the decision is pending formal adoption of a resolution and awarding of the tourism marketing services contract at their next scheduled assembly on December 9. Montgomery expressed his appreciation, saying, “26 proposals was a heavy lift and I appreciate their service to this important sector of our economy.” Montgomery acknowledged the amount of work required to navigate the bids. The city’s careful planning and expectation of a successful tourism boom in the upcoming year are reflected in the preparations for the upcoming referendum.
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