Friday, March 13, 2026, 4 p.m. CT

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR Certified Sites Program ISSUED BY: WISCONSIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ON: 02/13/2026 All questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing to Sarah Bownds at sarah.bownds@wedc.org by 2/27/2026 at 4:00 pm CT. PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY: 03/13/2026, 4:00 PM CT To: Sarah Bownds WEDC @ The Hub 2352 S. Park Street West Washington Avenue, Suite 303 Madison, WI 53713 CONTINUED PAGE 2 I. Scope The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to provide interested proposers with the information needed to prepare and submit a Proposal for the following: The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) seeks proposals from qualified firms to provide site certification services in support of WEDC’s Certified Sites Program and the statewide industrial site readiness pipeline for the period of April 21, 2026, through June 30, 2029. This RFP is issued to identify the firm best positioned to assist WEDC in the evolution and administration of an industrial site readiness program that strengthens the preparedness, competitiveness, and marketability of industrial sites across Wisconsin. The Certified Sites Program establishes consistent statewide standards for industrial site readiness. A certified designation indicates that key approvals, documentation, and assessments commonly required for industrial uses are already in place. Certification criteria reflect the representative needs of advanced manufacturing projects and provide site selectors and corporate decision-makers with confidence that designated sites are “ready to go.” The selected proposer will support WEDC through program management, technical assistance, and community engagement services. Responsibilities may include coordinating and managing program activities; working directly with communities, local utilities, regional partners, and other stakeholders to assess site readiness needs; guiding due diligence, infrastructure planning, and site certification requirements; and delivering technical assistance and capacity-building support to participating communities. Additional responsibilities may include outreach, data collection, reporting, and contributing to continuous program improvement. The selected proposer will collaborate closely with WEDC staff to ensure alignment with statewide economic development strategies and effective implementation of WEDC’s community-driven industrial site readiness objectives. WEDC anticipates that industrial site readiness pipeline needs may vary throughout the contract term. WEDC reserves the right to modify, prioritize, or adjust specific activities annually based on budget availability, program needs, and strategic priorities. Accordingly, the selected proposer must demonstrate flexibility in scope execution and the ability to adapt services as program needs evolve. II. Project Timeline Proposers responding to this RFP must be prepared to conform to the following timeline. Date Event 2/13/2026 RFP Issued 2/27/2026 Deadline to Submit Questions 3/13/2026 Proposals Due 3/16/2026-3/27/2026 Committee Review of Proposals 3/30/2026- 4/10/2026 Possible Interviews with Proposers 4/21/2026 Approval of Award III. Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is a public body corporate and politic governed by Chapter 238 of the Wisconsin Statutes. WEDC was created under 2011 Wisconsin Act 7 and 2011 Wisconsin Act 32 to replace the economic and community CONTINUED PAGE 3 development operations of the former Wisconsin Department of Commerce and to serve as the State of Wisconsin’s lead economic development organization. WEDC is governed by a sixteen-member Board of Directors. WEDC’s Chief Executive Officer is appointed by the Governor. WEDC provides financial and technical assistance and services to businesses and organizations in Wisconsin for the purpose of strengthening economic development and creating and retaining jobs. As of June 30, 2025 WEDC had approximately 155 employees and an operating budget of approximately $10.5 million. Revenues to finance its operating budget are derived primarily from state appropriation, loan repayments, and other income. WEDC operates five economic and community development divisions, and eight finance and administrative departments primarily in the Madison, Wisconsin location. WEDC provides grants, loans, loan guarantees, tax credits, and other financial and technical assistance to its customers. WEDC utilizes the Intacct accounting system as well as Salesforce and a grant and loan management system. IV. Proposal Requirements Proposers responding to this RFP must provide sufficient responses to all of the below requests for information. Failure to respond to any of the requests may result in disqualification of the proposal. A. Organizational and Staff Capabilities 1. Provide a brief description of the proposer’s history and organizational structure. 2. Describe the proposer’s qualifications to develop and administer a site certification program, including pertinent prior experience, specialized expertise, and available resources. 3. Summarize the proposer’s relevant experience, including work as an industrial site selection and site readiness consultant for private-sector clients, states, non-urban municipalities, utilities, and/or rail providers 4. Provide a list of at least three relevant engagements held by the proposer which indicate relevant experience. 5. Provide a list of all staff persons who will be involved in carrying out the tasks covered by this RFP, describing each in terms of their involvement in specific roles, and qualifications. 6. Provide a list of any subcontractors (individual or organizational) that the proposer intends to use when providing services under this RFP (Note: the proposer is not required to use subcontractor(s). However, no subcontractor may be used without WEDC’s written approval.) B. Technical Requirements/Approach to the Project 1. Describe, in detail, the proposer’s technical approach to the project. 2. Provide a timeline for conducting the work under this RFP. C. Documents 1. Provide a copy of the proposer’s W-9 signed and dated in 2026. 2. Provide a copy of the proposer’s standard contract documents. 3. Provide a completed Supplier Demographic Attestation Form if applicable. V. Cost Proposal CONTINUED PAGE 4 Proposers should provide a fixed cost proposal for the services to be provided under this RFP, including anticipated out of pocket costs. The cost proposal should include the estimated number or hours and the billing rate for each level of team member assigned to the engagement. Please provide estimated cost for the following: • An annual program administration fee, quoted for each year of the contract term. And on a per site/per community basis: • Full Site Certification as outlined in the program materials available for download on wedc.org (Establishing a Certified Site - WEDC). Deliverables must include: o Desktop Site Review o On-site visit o Comprehensive Analysis & Report including  Executive Summary  Strategic Development Plan  Technical Site Readiness Evaluation  Industry Assessment  Labor Assessment  Competitive Assessment benchmarking against sites within Wisconsin as well as sites in competitor states. • Early-Stage certification for sites beginning the path to industrial site readiness but not yet ready to apply for full certification, including an industry fit analysis, site visit, and readiness gap analysis • Re-certification of previously certified site. Desktop Site Review only, no site visit or Comprehensive Analysis & Report • Regional Industrial Site Readiness Seminar half day, in person event convened upon request of a Regional EDO partner organization. VI. Terms and Conditions The following terms and conditions affect responses to this RFP and any resulting contract. These terms shall be adhered to by any interested proposer and are non-negotiable. A. Contract Term The contract will cover April 21, 2026, through June 30, 2029. B. Confidentiality Proposer acknowledges that all information, data, records and documents disclosed by WEDC to proposer, or which come to proposer’s attention during the course of its response to this RFP or performance under any resulting contract constitute valuable and proprietary assets of WEDC (Confidential Information). Proposer agrees not to disclose the Confidential Information, either directly or indirectly, to any person, entity or affiliate unless required to do so by legal process of law without prior authorization by WEDC. If required to disclose Confidential Information by legal process, Proposer shall provide WEDC with prompt notice so WEDC may seek an appropriate protective order. Except as required to respond to this RFP or during the course of its performance under the terms of any resulting Agreement, proposer shall not use any Confidential Information for its own purposes. C. Conflict of Interests Proposers’ response to this RFP must include, in writing, disclosure of any potential conflict of interests that may arise from proposer’s performing services for WEDC. Any resulting contract will require that if a vendor fails to disclose a potential conflict of interest, and if WEDC https://wedc.org/building-communities/establishing-a-certified-site/ CONTINUED PAGE 5 determines such failure to disclose involves a material conflict of interest, the vendor’s contract may be declared to be void by WEDC and any amounts paid under the contract may be recovered by WEDC. Vendors shall advise WEDC of any changes in potential conflicts of interest. This language may change with the new procurement policy. D. Nondiscrimination Pursuant to Wisconsin law, any contract resulting from this RFP will include the following language regarding nondiscrimination: In connection with the performance of work under this contract, Licensor agrees not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of age, race, religion, color, handicap, sex, physical condition, developmental disability as defined in § 51.01(5), sexual orientation or national origin. This provision shall include, but not be limited to, the following: employment, upgrading, demotion or transfer; recruitment or recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training, including apprenticeship. Except with respect to sexual orientation, Licensor further agrees to take affirmative action to ensure equal employment opportunities. Licensor agrees to post in conspicuous places, available for employees and applicants for employment, notices to be provided by the recipient officer setting forth the provisions of the nondiscrimination clause. E. Public Records Responses to this RFP, any communication with WEDC, and any resulting contract and work product are subject to the public records laws of the State of Wisconsin, § 19.31 et seq. Proposers shall mark documents “confidential” where appropriate for financial and other sensitive materials that should be, to the extent possible, be kept in confidence. WEDC will notify the proposer if it receives a public records request for materials marked confidential. F. Insurance If awarded the contract, the proposer shall maintain Worker’s Compensation, Comprehensive General Liability, including Contractual Liability, and Automobile Liability insurance for any claims that may arise from operations under the contract. VII. RFP Process A. Reasonable Accommodations WEDC will provide reasonable accommodations, including the provision of informational material in an alternative format, for individuals with disabilities upon request. B. Communication with WEDC & Submitting Questions All communication regarding this RFP shall be directed to WEDC’s Business Attraction Director, Sarah Bownds at sarah.bownds@wedc.org . Information regarding this RFP obtained from other sources is unofficial and