Open Requests for Proposal

The Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation (CAEDC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, is seeking proposals from qualified environmental professionals (QEPs) or consulting firms to provide professional environmental services in support of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment Grant in the amount of $500,000, of which $467,000 is allocated to perform the described scope of work.  The environmental consultant will be retained using a qualification-based selection process in accordance with Pennsylvania law and that complies with applicable federal funding procurement regulations (40 CFR §31.36, 2 CFR Part 200, 2 CFR Part 1500, and 40 CFR Part 33).

All proposals must be received by 5:00 pm on October 3, 2025, and should be emailed to Greg Welker at greg@cumberlandbusiness.com, with the subject line:
“Submission of RFP Response – QEP for EPA Brownfields Grant.”

Click here to view the RFP.

Following the recent Pre-Proposal Meeting for the QEP RFP, we received a number of clarifying questions. To ensure consistency and equal access to information, we have compiled and published the responses below for the benefit of all interested parties.

1. Q: In Task 5 of the RFP summary, who is the planning consultant that will coordinate with the QEP?
   A: This is currently the Cumberland County Planning Office, though a planning consultant could be hired should the need arise.
2. Q: In Task 2 of the Detailed Workplan, it states that CAEDC will host meetings to drive community engagement. What is the QEP’s role in those meetings?
   A: CAEDC will serve as a facilitator of the meetings.  The QEP will prepare agendas, documents, presentations, and other materials as necessary to conduct these meetings.
3. Q: Has CAEDC worked with a QEP in recent years?
   A: This is CAEDC’s first EPA grant. As such, CAEDC has not previously worked with a QEP on any projects. However, the Real Estate Collaborative, a subsidiary of CAEDC, has utilized environmental firms on their site specific projects in the past.
4. Q: Will CAEDC select a single firm or multiple firms?
   A: CAEDC will select one firm’s proposal from this RFP process.
5. Q: Is a costing template available?
   A: No, we do not have a costing template available.

CAEDC is seeking the professional services of a single marketing agency of record (AOR) to develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive advertising program to promote Cumberland Valley as a destination to our leisure audiences (see section 3.0). It is preferred to have an agency with previous destination marketing experience. This RFP is to identify the most qualified agency to carry out all aspects of Cumberland Valley’s destination marketing advertising, including creative campaign development, media buying, planning, and management. The agency will be asked to support CAEDC-initiated earned media and influencer marketing efforts.

Cumberland Valley competes in a crowded and competitive regional destination landscape. CAEDC is looking for an agency that can develop a creative approach that is distinctly ours, one that a viewer could identify without seeing our name, and that resists the temptation to look and sound like every other destination marketing organization in the mid-Atlantic region.

While building brand awareness is foundational to our strategy, CAEDC’s goal is to move prospective visitors through the full funnel from awareness to active consideration and ultimately to conversion; and our agency partner should bring demonstrated experience doing the same.

This RFP is open to agencies of all sizes and locations, with preference given to PA-based agencies. Please note that the scope is limited to destination marketing services for the CVVB and does not extend to CAEDC’s other service areas.

Deadline to Submit Questions and Intent to Respond: July 1, 2026
Deadline to Submit Proposals: July 24, 2026
Selected Agency Presentations: August/September 2026

Click to download the full RFP.

Click for answers to RFP questions.