Press Release - OPD introduces Request for Information for Community Pillars Program

ANNOUNCEMENTS | October 20, 2022

The CNMI Office of Planning and Development (OPD) introduced a Request for Information (RFI) that will assess the construction and capital improvement conditions of the Northern Mariana Islands leading up to its implementation of Community Pillars programming throughout the islands. The RFI includes programming background, material that would be used for a prospective RFP, and a list of questions for potentially interested bidders and other parties. A published copy of the Request for Information can be found at: https://opd.gov.mp/rfp-itb.html.

Written responses to the RFI are encouraged, and additionally OPD will hold an RFI Conference on October 26, 2022, from 9:30am to 11:00am, at the DPL Conference Room in Joeten Dandan Building for verbal presentations and discussion with the Community Pillars team. Conference room space is limited, and in-person attendance will be reserved for parties that pre-register, and then on a first come first served basis. Prospective bidders or other interested parties are advised to contact OPD at (670) 488-1221 or send email to info@opd.gov.mp by October 25, 2022 to pre-register.

According to Peter Dresslar, Senior Advisor, Broadband and Digital Equity, to the Office of Planning and Development, “The Request for Information process will provide our team with constructive feedback from Architecture and Engineering firms, Construction companies, and the public in advance of the development of our formal Request for Proposal (RFP.) This will guide us to a more precise RFP and overall procurement strategy for Community Pillars, which should in turn allow us to execute faster and use the federal funds more efficiently.”

Full details are provided in the RFI form, including descriptions of prospective capital improvements and sites. All Community Pillars development will be planned to meet the programmatic requirements of the United States Treasury Capital Projects Fund. Guidelines from the United States Treasury stipulate that “Projects to construct or improve buildings that are designed to jointly and directly enable work, education, and health monitoring” are a key target of the program. OPD is partnering with more than ten Community Anchor Institutions from around the CNMI in order to plan for and develop such projects.

For more on OPD initiatives, visit https://opd.gov.mp.