Deschutes County: RFP for Redmonds Desert Rise managed camp draws no viable bids; staff directed to pursue alternatives

County staff reported on March 30 that the city of Redmonds timeline to clear the Desert Rise encampment remains set to move forward even as the county-initiated RFP to find a single operator for a managed camp produced no satisfactory bids.

"The proposals did not satisfactorily meet the overall established criteria as outlined in the RFP," Deputy County Administrator Eric Croft said, describing evaluator concerns about liability, insurance and the limited two-year operations funding the county had committed. Croft told the board the Redmond city packet (March 10) lists outreach March 30March 31, a notice on April 1, reminder outreach through April, a final notice and May cleanup, and an anticipated closing of the site on June 1.

Several members of the public and service providers urged caution. Carol Carlson, a Redmond resident who prepares food for local outreach programs, told commissioners: "We sweep dirt. We do not sweep people," urging the county to press Redmond to delay evictions until viable shelter alternatives are operational. Gloria Olsen, another Redmond resident with experience standing up service operations, asked the board to convene city staff and local providers (including Shepherd's House, Bethlehem Inn and Jericho Road) to create a shared plan and clarify who would manage and hire for operations.

Staff told the board that three proposals were received and reviewed by an evaluation committee that included county and city staff and nonprofit representatives; two proposals came from relatively new nonprofits without proven managed-camp experience and committee members cited concerns about insurance and an absence of local prototypes. The countys IGA allocates $500,000 for operations over two years; staff said nonprofits were concerned about sustainability after that period. The proposed camp footprint currently supports 36 sites (two loops of 18), with room to expand but no identified funding or operator for expansion.

Given the lack of a ready prime operator, staff outlined "Plan B" options: (1) issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) to prequalify organizations and then follow with a targeted RFP; (2) break the large RFP into discrete procurements for services (security, case management, site maintenance) so smaller organizations could bid on narrower scopes without assuming full program liability; or (3) stand up an interim city/county staff team to run the site while continuing procurement. Staff emphasized the liability tradeoffs if the county retains operational liability versus an operator assuming it.

Commissioners directed staff to prepare procurement documents and consult with procurement and legal about an alternative approach (RFQ and/or breaking the RFP into parts) and to follow up with Redmond staff regarding relocation timelines and any allowances for service providers to move clients to county property. The board did not record a formal vote on a motion; staff left with direction to return with documents and options.

Next steps: staff will confer with procurement and legal to draft the alternative procurement documents and will report back to the board. The board also confirmed an existing letter asking Redmond to delay closures is in the record and can be supplemented with further requests for coordination if commissioners choose.