Introduction and Background

SBN is a partner on a two-year Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) initiative led by the African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA) and supported by the William Penn Foundation. Within this initiative, SBN leads landowner engagement and market analysis, helping translate community-driven GSI goals into practical pathways that commercial landowners, developers, and aligned stakeholders can act on. This work sits within SBN’s Environmental Stewardship pillar.

SBN is seeking a qualified consultant to serve as the Market Research Analyst for this project. The selected consultant will produce a Market Research and Feasibility Report and will support a series of stakeholder roundtables. The consultant will work directly with Alex Cupo, Senior Manager of Environmental Programs and Industry Partnerships, and the SBN Environmental Stewardship team, who lead and manage SBN’s role in the project. SBN coordinates access to the partners and stakeholders the analysis depends on, including ACANA, the design and mapping partners, community-based organizations, landowners, and local elected officials.

Purpose and Objectives

Through this engagement, SBN aims to:

• Assess market readiness, barriers, and opportunities for GSI adoption on private and institutional land.
• Evaluate incentive structures, permitting considerations, and legal constraints relevant to the project.
• Produce findings, investment case studies, and feasibility narratives that inform landowner engagement, funding pathways, and implementation next steps.
• Ground the analysis in the realities surfaced through the project’s stakeholder roundtables, so that findings are practical and actionable.

Scope of Work

The selected consultant will deliver two connected streams of work over the engagement period.

• Deliverable 1: Market Research and Feasibility Report

• • Conduct a market readiness analysis for GSI adoption on private and institutional land.
  • Evaluate financial incentives, regulatory considerations, permitting, and legal constraints.
  • Prepare investment case studies and feasibility narratives in coordination with the SBN team.
  • Deliver a written Market Research and Feasibility Report, with a final presentation of findings to SBN and project partners.

• Deliverable 2: Roundtable Support

SBN staff plan, facilitate, and document the project’s five (5) stakeholder roundtables. The consultant supports these convenings by:

• • Providing market and feasibility insights to inform roundtable agendas and discussion.
  • Attending and contributing to roundtables as needed, with findings referenced across multiple convenings.
  • Helping integrate roundtable input back into the Market Research and Feasibility Report.

Collaboration expectations

The consultant will report to and coordinate with Alex Cupo and the SBN Environmental Stewardship team, with regular check-ins and timely turnaround of materials. The consultant will coordinate as needed with ACANA, granted partners, community-based organizations, landowners, and elected officials, with SBN facilitating those connections. Expected responsiveness is communication and revisions within five business days, and all deliverables submitted within agreed timelines.

Experience and Expertise Sought

SBN is seeking a consultant whose background fits the place-based, community-grounded nature of this project. The strongest proposals will demonstrate:

• Market research and feasibility analysis experience, ideally related to land use, real estate, environmental, or green stormwater infrastructure topics.
• Understanding of the Southwest Philadelphia community, its neighborhoods, history, and current landscape, and sensitivity to community priorities and lived experience.
• Demonstrated experience working with local stakeholders, including commercial and institutional landowners, developers, community-based organizations, residents, and local elected officials.
• Ability to engage diverse stakeholders with cultural humility and to translate community input into practical, actionable analysis.
• Familiarity with Philadelphia’s regulatory, permitting, and incentive environment relevant to GSI and land use.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present findings clearly to a range of audiences.

For the full RFP, please click the button below. The deadline has been extended! Proposals are due by 11:59 PM on Friday, July 24. Please submit any questions to sbnadmin@sbnphiladelphia.org by Monday, July 6.