Task force told RFP for data support will be reissued after one response; city, universities available to provide research

The Portsmouth Gun Violence Prevention Task Force heard updates on data and metrics work and was told the city will reissue an RFP after only one organization responded to the initial solicitation.

A representative for the data and metrics committee said the group has not completed procurement because the city received a single respondent and wants more competition. The City Manager said staff reached out to other agencies for feedback and will reissue the RFP to encourage additional proposals. "When we actually get, the respondents back, I'd like to put a group of you guys together as part of the team that's going to evaluate, who we, actually engage with," the City Manager said.

In the meantime, task-force volunteers will continue to work with the police department to gather data the committee needs. The police chief listed several existing resources for review: the Portsmouth crime-reduction plan, a 2019 property study, a Bloomberg report, and a December 2024 health-department study — and noted ongoing university partnerships with Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Safer Together for metrics and research support.

Councilman Hugo and other liaisons also reported outreach to community partners interested in supporting data and engagement work. Committee chairs said they will continue collecting available data until a contracted vendor is selected.

The city manager asked for a small group of task-force members to participate on the RFP evaluation team once responses are received; the task force accepted that approach and expects reissued procurement information to be shared with members.