LAREDO, Texas - There are just five days left for consultancy firms to submit a bid to develop a “2040 Strategic Economic Development Plan” for the Laredo-Webb County region.
The cutoff point for proposals is June 12, 2026.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued by Laredo Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), in coordination with the City of Laredo and Webb County, Texas.
These entities have invited proposals from “qualified and experienced third party consultant firms to develop an actionable, comprehensive, and integrated, Strategic Economic Development Plan for the Laredo–Webb County region.”
LEDC points out that Laredo is the nation’s largest inland port and one of the most strategically significant trade gateways in the Western Hemisphere.
“The regional economy is anchored by international trade, logistics, transportation, and warehousing, supported by extensive highway, rail, bridge, customs, and foreign trade zone infrastructure,” the group states. “At the same time, the region faces critical transition pressures and strategic choices.”
LEDC lists the challenges as:
• Over concentration/dependence on logistics-related activity;
• Limited diversification relative to our significant assets;
• Workforce attraction and retention challenges;
• Infrastructure capacity and quality-of-place constraints;
• Shifting federal and state trade, immigration, energy, and security policies;
• Perception and competitiveness challenges in national and international markets.
“The Strategic Economic Development Plan must confront these realities directly, assess capacity for growth and tradeoffs, and position Laredo and Webb County to capitalize on emerging opportunities in advanced manufacturing, energy, technology, data-enabled logistics, binational investment, and next-generation infrastructure,” LEDC states.
LEDC says the purpose of the RFP is to retain an outside economic development consultant firm capable of:
• Conducting rigorous economic, market, and policy analysis;
• Designing and facilitating meaningful community engagement, visioning, and consensus-building;
• Identifying strategies to diversify, strengthen, and future-proof the regional economy;
• Translating strategy into implementable programs, projects, and investments;
• Establishing performance metrics, accountability mechanisms, and implementation tools.
In its overview of the project, LEDC says consultancy firms bidding for the work must establish “a shared long-range economic vision for 2040, supported by clearly defined short-, mid-, and long-term implementation strategies, measurable key performance Indicators, and governance and accountability frameworks.”
The resulting plan would be time-framed and goal oriented, LEDC states.
“The intent is to produce a living, execution-ready plan that builds consensus, informs investment decisions, policy direction, infrastructure priorities, workforce development, and organizational alignment.”
All communications regarding the RFP must be directed solely to: David A. Stedman, president & CEO of Laredo Economic Development Corporation. His email address is dstedman@laredoedc.org.
