The Department of Commerce is seeking proposals from firms interested in providing mediation services related to the Growth Management Act and disputes involving comprehensive planning coordination with tribes, local governments, and special districts. Services will be provided on an as-needed, on-call basis.
Donor Name: Washington State Department of Commerce (WSMA)
State: Washington
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/20/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Objectives
- COMMERCE intends to develop a roster of on-call mediators and facilitators. Rosters may be topic specific, including but not limited to tribal relations, housing, climate, or land use topics. To be positioned to effectively and efficiently mediate formal disputes, a contractor is sought through this solicitation to be “on-call” in advance of need, available on a pre-determined basis to assist by participating in meetings for specific topics that will be identified and described in a work order, facilitate those meetings, develop agenda topics, and mediate when the topic results in a need for dispute resolution. The objective is to foster clear, effective communication among parties involved, while acknowledging the nuanced history and rights of the parties engaged in the dispute and the any legal frameworks on the topics at hand.
- The outcome of formal mediation may be 100% consensus by each party representative on a specific outcome/solution, or the development of position papers describing proposed outcomes/solutions. The facilitator must prepare a report of the agreements or disagreements that occurred during the process that are allowed to be disclosed by the parties, and any elements of the plan that the local government agreed to amend.
- The eligible purchaser under contracts executed in response to this RFQQ will be Commerce’s Local Government Division and the units within: Boards, Community Capital Facilities, Community Development and Assistance, Growth Management Services, Research & Development Services, Digital Equity, and State Broadband.
Funding Information
- Total funding available for the mediation pool is $100,000 per state fiscal year.
- The period of performance of any contract(s) resulting from this RFQQ is tentatively scheduled to begin on or about May 2026 and to end on June 2027.
Eligibility Criteria
Minimum qualifications include:
- Licensed to do business in the State of Washington or submit a statement of commitment that it will become licensed in Washington within thirty (30) calendar days of being selected as the Apparently Successful Contractor.
- Respondent must provide three (3) references of other mediations of this nature the
- Respondent has successfully completed in the past five (5) years.
- Respondent must provide resumes for qualified and/or certified mediators who will be working on this project.
For more information, visit WSMA.
