Request for Proposal (RFP):
Main Street Mall Street Tree Inventory & Assessment
The Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) is soliciting interest from qualified firms, companies, and/or contractors to perform an inventory and assessment of street trees and their associated support infrastructure along the Main Street Pedestrian Mall and within Civic Center Plaza. The project area includes all existing street trees and the empty tree wells on the east and west sides of the Main Street Pedestrian Mall, from Exchange Ave. on the north to Peabody Pl. on the south. The project area also includes the adjacent Civic Center Plaza, generally located in the block of Main Street between Poplar Avenue and Adams Avenue
Application Deadline: October 15, 2025 by 9:00 AM
Questions? Email any questions to roler@downtownmemphis.com by 12:00 PM on September 17, 2025.
RFP Questions & Answers
1. Do you have any information about the existing irrigation system—such as the location of valves, backflow preventers, as-built surveys, etc.?
There is infrastructure for the irrigation system across all 177 tree wells along Main Street Mall and Civic Center Plaza, however it has not been utilized in over a decade. At the time that it was decommissioned, 30 out of the 177 wells were not being fed by the system. The exact condition of the irrigation system is unknown.
2. Are there any current maintenance contracts in place? If so, who is responsible for managing them?
The City of Memphis is responsible for maintaining the trees along the Main Street Mall, Court Square Park, and Civic Center Plaza. Although there is not an active contract in place, the City and the DMC are working on an MOU which covers tree care. There are no active 3rd party contracts to maintain foliage along the mall.
3. Some tree wells have brick pavers inside them. Are we to include these in the analysis and budget?
No information is currently available on why the city elected to close some of the tree wells. Include their existence in the inventory, but do not assign a budget to restoring them with trees.
4. Are we only focusing on trees along Main Street, or should we also include ancillary vegetation such as the planters or the large crepe myrtles and other landscaping around Court Square and the Civic Center Plaza?
This does not include ancillary vegetation in front of City Hall, in front of the Federal Building, in front of the Police Building, in the recessed water feature, and behind the Federal Reserve. The only location where trees outside of the tree-wells are included are for the foliage in Court Square Park.
5. Is there a preferred phasing order for the work to be completed?
There is no preferred phasing order, however any recommended phasing is welcomed in the application.