Strategic Planning Services

The issuing agency in Illinois is seeking a qualified vendor to provide strategic planning services for the development of a comprehensive five-year strategic plan. The scope includes review, alignment, and prioritization of existing plans, policies, and initiatives; development of a visioning framework; stakeholder engagement; and preparation of implementation, monitoring, and evaluation frameworks. The selected firm will also be expected to provide recommendations for maintaining and updating the plan internally over time.

The work includes analyzing relationships among priorities and actions across existing plans, conducting a stakeholder analysis of internal and external groups, and designing and implementing a comprehensive engagement strategy. Engagement is expected to include the board of commissioners, the conservation and policy council where appropriate, as well as external partners, volunteers, community members, and the public. The project also includes facilitating review and refinement of the agency’s current vision, values, and organizational goals.

Additional responsibilities include developing a draft five-year strategic plan, conducting feasibility or related studies as needed to identify attainable goals, and creating a practical, action-oriented implementation approach. The vendor must also recommend how to align strategic goals with budgeting, resources, and internal processes, and establish a process to monitor, evaluate, and learn from progress using key indicators. A pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for July 20, 2026, questions are due by July 24, 2026, and the contract term will be two years.