Before any RFP is issued, it is first discussed at length by the local government. These discussions provide some of the earliest signals for upcoming procurements, often months before a formal posting ever appears on a bidding portal.
Using GatherGov's council meeting dataset, we searched through council meetings from over 6,200 municipalities and 1,600 counties for mentions of "RFPs."
In the first quarter of 2026, RFPs were mentioned more than 38,163 times across over 3,360 local governments.
These mentions range in relevancy from offhand references to sustained, multi-session debates about specific procurements. This article breaks down the trends we're seeing among the places with the highest activity.
# Where the Conversations Are Happening
The intensity of RFP discussion follows population and local spending power. California has the largest number of individual local governments (351) having conversations about RFPs. The other states with the highest activity are similarly large, high-earning states: Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York.
Looking deeper into the top 10 cities and counties with the most mentions, however, we find a much more diverse selection that includes jurisdictions both large and small.
| Rank | Jurisdiction | Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, D.C. | 246 |
| 2 | Milwaukee County, WI | 217 |
| 3 | Falls Church, VA | 189 |
| 4 | Sudbury, MA | 189 |
| 5 | Bisbee, AZ | 180 |
| 6 | Charlotte, NC | 159 |
| 7 | Lake Placid, FL | 157 |
| 8 | Glendale, CA | 148 |
| 9 | Riverside, CA | 146 |
| 10 | Ventura County, CA | 136 |
# Four Categories of RFP Activity
Using GatherGov's pattern extraction tool, we classified the discussions in these high-activity municipalities into one of four categories based on subject matter. Services covers professional contracting and consulting. Construction refers to projects that require real estate developers and buildings. Infrastructure covers procurement and development of city systems like EV networks, roads, and schools. Software refers to the procurement of digital platforms and enterprise systems.
Services dominates across the board. But the construction, infrastructure, and software categories contain some of the highest-value and most complex procurements in the dataset.
# What the Top 10 Are Actually Buying
# Washington, D.C. — 246 Mentions
Infrastructure | Services
D.C. authorities are seeking partnerships to expand wireless service across the National Mall
"To identify and implement opportunities to improve wireless coverage and capacity on the National Mall and surrounding NPS park areas, while protecting views, character, and historic resources." — National Park Service, Council Hearing
D.C. leads the list with the widest range of RFP activity of any jurisdiction. The District's procurement conversations span at least eight agencies running parallel pipelines, covering everything from river cleanups to school modernizations.
One of the most interesting conversations right now is around wireless implementation. The National Park Service is seeking proposals to expand wireless coverage across the National Mall that balance modern telecommunications infrastructure with the protection of historic views and resources.
# Milwaukee County, WI — 217 Mentions
Services | Construction
A contentious finance committee meeting defined the debate over the United Healthcare contract
"Did we follow the stated Milwaukee County process for RFPing based on our ordinances in place? Yes or no? No. Okay. That's disappointing." — Supervisor Rolland, Milwaukee County Finance Committee
Milwaukee County's RFP discussions this quarter are extraordinarily contentious. The county's half-billion-dollar medical benefits administration contract with United Healthcare became a flashpoint when supervisors learned it had lapsed without proper renewal. The Comptroller's Office flagged that the RFP was conducted by an outside broker rather than through the county's own procurement process, triggering an emergency joint meeting and calls for a full audit. Discussions over how to resolve the situation—and whether to rebid—are still underway.
On the construction side, the county released an RFP for two lots in Cudahy's downtown district but received no proposals by the January deadline, shifting to a rolling review.
# Falls Church, VA — 189 Mentions
Construction | Services | Software
The city acquired nine quadplexes at Virginia Village to preserve them as affordable housing—now it needs a development partner
"The city, with the partnership of the Economic Development Authority, has acquired nine of those 20 quad plexes with the goal of preserving them as affordable housing." — Falls Church City Council Meeting, March 2026
The upcoming redevelopment of Virginia Village drives the majority of the city's RFP mentions, touching construction, services, and software.
The city is running a parallel-path process while drafting the RFP. It is updating 13-year-old small area plans through community engagement while simultaneously drafting an RFP for the development community.
# Sudbury, MA — 189 Mentions
Construction | Services | Infrastructure
The proposed Pine Lakes redevelopment is generating public opposition
"To solicit proposals for design and construction services for a turnkey development approach, aiming to potentially save costs by integrating design and construction under a single firm." — Sudbury Council Meeting
Sudbury's mentions are spread across an unusually wide range of departments for a town its size. The school district, select board, housing trust, and planning board are all running independent procurement processes.
The most significant construction activity is a design-build procurement for four Chapter 705 single-family homes in the Pine Lakes neighborhood.
The Sudbury Housing Trust is also exploring partnerships with private and nonprofit entities to reduce the cost and speed of public procurement.
# Bisbee, AZ — 180 Mentions
Services
Bisbee is searching for a destination marketing organization to boost tourism
"The RFP includes specific scoring criteria, with an emphasis on familiarity with Bisbee, and establishes a 30-day proposal period. A scoring committee will be formed to evaluate proposals, comprising representatives from staff, potentially department heads, and individuals with tourism and business expertise." — Bisbee Council Meeting
Bisbee's RFP discussions are dominated by a single, contentious procurement: selecting a Destination Marketing Organization to promote tourism. The topic reappears across multiple council sessions because a previous offer to "Bisbee Forward" was rescinded due to potential procurement policy violations, forcing a restart.
Beyond tourism marketing, Bisbee is procuring an operations contractor for its bus system, recruiting a new city manager, and contracting for ambulance billing services. For a city of roughly 5,000 people, this is an aggressive procurement cycle.
# Charlotte, NC — 159 Mentions
Services | Construction | Infrastructure
Charlotte is looking to activate its $100M Housing Bond.
"This is a NOAH funding recommendation that came in under your revolving NOAH RFP. Staff has reviewed it and recommends the three point five million dollars in funding." — Charlotte City Council Meeting
Charlotte's RFP activity is anchored by affordable housing and workforce development, two priorities that increasingly overlap.
The city operates a rolling NOAH (Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing) acquisition RFP that allows development partners to respond to market opportunities as they arise. In Q1 2026, the council reviewed a $3.5 million funding recommendation to preserve a mixed-income property including units for veterans exiting homelessness.
On infrastructure, NC DOT is moving forward with the I-77 South Express toll lanes project through a public-private partnership model.
# Lake Placid, FL — 157 Mentions
Services | Construction
Lake Placid is procuring legal and construction services
"Request for proposals for legal services." — Town of Lake Placid, Council Meeting
Lake Placid's mentions cluster around two recurring needs: legal services and physical construction. The town has issued RFPs for a new town attorney multiple times, and separately discussed procurement for road paving, court construction (including pickleball courts), lighting, and a potential police station.
# Glendale, CA — 148 Mentions
Services | Construction | Infrastructure | Software
Glendale's Central Park block project will bring civic, cultural, and senior facilities to a single mixed-use site
"To select third-party vendors to design, install, operate, and maintain curbside EV chargers in pre-defined locations in the public right-of-way." — Glendale Water and Power, Council Meeting
Glendale has the most diverse RFP activity in the top 10 by category—running procurements across all four categories, sometimes within the same council session.
On infrastructure, Glendale Water and Power issued an RFP for curbside EV charging stations in public rights-of-way. On construction, the city is awarding a contract for the Central Park block project—a mixed-use civic, cultural, and senior facility.
# Riverside, CA — 146 Mentions
Software | Services | Construction
The city is seeking master plan contractors to redesign the Whole Lake area
"The city is looking to procure a comprehensive solution for the 311 and asset management systems, potentially including an ERP system, through a multi-phased RFP process." — Riverside City Council Meeting
Riverside stands out as the software procurement leader in the top 10. The city is undertaking a major ERP system overhaul. Council discussions reveal a planned multi-phased RFP for a comprehensive ERP system alongside a separate CRM and 311 system upgrade. The city has begun a gap analysis to define requirements before going to market.
Beyond software, Riverside is running construction RFPs for mixed-use development around the Armory building, a master plan for the Whole Lake area, and pursuing a local vendor preference program through procurement reform.
# Ventura County, CA — 136 Mentions
Services
The city is discussing a major senior care services transition
Ventura County's RFP activity in Q1 2026 centers on a major services transition. The California Department of Aging issued an RFP to transfer Area Agency on Aging administrative responsibilities from county government to a community-based organization.
# Why This Matters
Most procurement tracking tools monitor formal RFP postings—the documents that appear on bidding portals after a project has been scoped, approved, and funded. That's useful but late. By the time a formal posting goes live, competitors have often been positioning for months.
Council meeting discussions happen upstream. A mention of an RFP in a council work session can precede the formal posting by three to six months.
For contractors, consultants, and software vendors competing for government work, that lead time is the difference between responding cold and walking in with months of context about what the council actually wants.
GatherGov tracks these discussions across more than 7,800 jurisdictions in real time, surfacing upcoming RFP mentions and public procurement signals before they become formal postings.