RFI – The Nature Conservancy

The South Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (“Conservancy” or “TNC”) is seeking information from qualified vendors with experience in scenario planning to provide alternative business and operating models for the Conservancy’s Driftwood Preserve in the Town of Awendaw, South Carolina. The project’s ultimate goal is to identify a financially sustainable, income generating model that aligns with The Nature Conservancy’s mission, leverages our programs, and contributes positively to the surrounding community. Financially sustainable is defined as securing or generating income and/or revenue to cover start-up costs, maintain day- to-day operations, and ensure long-term maintenance of the preserve. Those receiving this Request for Information (RFI) are referred to as “Consultant.” The consultant(s) would be responsible for facilitating and leading a 6-month scenario planning process to include community engagement.

Please download the full RFI at https://tnc.app.box.com/s/udu8ao7h46n5qehd50oyhgfiqi3q7f3c

Vendor Qualifications:

To be considered for the Project, consultants or consultant teams must have experience designing and facilitating multi-stakeholder planning processes, familiarity with conservation easements, agricultural and conservation properties, researching and analyzing operating scenarios or economic strategies, working knowledge of local, state and federal conservation partners and partnerships, market research, and inclusive community engagement. Familiarity with agriculture, forestry, coastal resilience, climate change, and prior experience in South Carolina is helpful but not essential.

Submission Requirements:

The RFI process will be conducted in a nondiscriminatory manner with fair treatment given to all prospective respondents. Vendor shall be responsible for any and all costs incurred by the Consultant in responding to this request. Vendor’s Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) should be no longer than 20 pages. The Consultant’s SOQ must contain sufficient information to allow the Project Team to evaluate the Consultant’s ability to perform the required tasks, including:

1. Cover letter summarizing the key elements of the respondent’s SOQ and an overview of
   the consultant team and project manager;
2. The proposed team for the Project (including each person’s full name, title,
   location, telephone number, email, and qualifications);
3. A description of vendor’s qualifications, including examples of relevant
   project experience.

All submittals must be submitted via email to Sarah Hartman at shartman@tnc.org or by mail to Sarah Hartman, The Nature Conservancy, 1417 Stuart Engals Drive, Suite 100, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464.