Committee recommends JLL for McMinnville tourism strategic plan

The McMinnville Tourism and Marketing Board committee voted to recommend JLL Global Tourism and Destination Advisory to develop a tourism strategic plan for McMinnville and Warren County.

Staff member, the department presenter, said the city received 17 proposals and that 15 were eligible. “We received 17 proposals in response, 15 of which were eligible on the first round of evaluation scoring,” the staff member said. The presenter recommended JLL as the top-scoring firm and described the financial terms: “Their services will be a hundred thousand dollars plus a reimbursable $10,000 in travel expenses. We will need to pay them a $25,000 down payment, prior to the launch of the services, which will be scheduled to start on June 6.”

The committee's recommendation follows a competitive procurement process. The presenter said she created evaluation criteria tied to the RFP scope of work and used those criteria to score proposals. She told the committee that JLL’s submission stood out for proprietary tools the firm offered, including a “tourism readiness index,” a “demand scorecard” and an “event matrix,” and for experience working with both larger cities and rural communities. She said JLL and the next-highest firm, CSL, had close scores but recommended JLL based on depth of experience and those tools.

Committee members asked about contract protections and oversight. The presenter said municipal code provisions addressing proposals and contracts were included in the RFP and that a contract would be drafted and reviewed by the city attorney. The presenter also said the project timeline and deliverables would be enforceable through contract milestones and references included with the proposal.

A motion to approve the committee recommendation was made and seconded, and the committee approved the recommendation by voice vote. The presenter said the firm will submit a contract to be reviewed before final signature.

Why it matters: committee members described the strategic plan and the proposed firm’s tools as foundational for decisions about marketing, events and tourism-related investments over the next three to five years. The presenter said the plan would inform investments that could affect accessibility, small-business support, workforce development and other community priorities.

Looking ahead: the committee forwarded its recommendation so the full board can review and consider entering a contract with the firm. The presenter said the first payment would come from the current fiscal-year budget and that the contract would specify deliverables and timelines.