What Site Consultants Need to Put Your Community on the Short List

Economic developers routinely ask us what site consultants want to see on an economic development website and what steps they can take to get their community on the short list. In today’s fiercely competitive environment, communities are no longer simply competing on “nice place to live” or “low taxes.” They’re being measured on how rapidly and confidently they can deliver a location that meets a company’s strategic needs. GSA recently hosted Charles Sexton (CEO & Principal of Strategic Location Advisors), on a webinar where he shared what site consultants are looking for. Communities that make it to the short-list do so because their sites, buildings and assets are in place and they tell a clear story of readiness, coordination and differentiation.

Below are the key areas site selection consultants evaluate — and what you need to show to win their confidence. For more tips, watch the webinar: From RFI to Site Visit: What Site Selectors Really Want in 2025

RFI/RFP Essentials: The Basics Site Consultants Want to See That Economic Developers Get Wrong

During the webinar, Sexton stressed that many communities are eliminated early simply because they didn’t fill in the RFI properly:

“If you just fill out RFIs 100%, answer every question, and make sure it’s accurate, you’ll be better than 90% of responses,” he said.

“If you leave sections blank, such as not providing the BTUs available from your natural gas provider, you’re signalling you don’t even have the utility,” he added.

The key is not waiting until an RFI crosses your desk. Establish partnerships with land owners and local utility providers so you can gather information quickly and respond right away. Golden Shovel has also developed pitch decks and response materials for economic developers, making it easier to respond to RFIs. 

What to emphasise in your marketing and website

• Make it easy to access your site-selection portal (via website) where RFIs / forms are downloadable.
• Ensure complete data: property/site info, utilities, zoning, ownership and cost structure.
• Show you understand the process: mention typical timelines, permitting snapshots, community lead-times.
• Include a short cover letter or value proposition as part of your toolkit for submissions — one community suggested doing this as part of their SOP.
• From external research: consultants expect economic development websites to reassure them that they are “in the right place” (Site Selectors Guild).

“You’re competing against 50 to 150 locations at the RFI stage… the goal is reduce the number of zeros you get in your scoring,” - Charles Sexton

Site Visits & Follow-Up: The Short-List Phase

Once you make it through RFI, the next phase is site visits—and your follow-through matters.

Best practices highlighted in the webinar

• Create a structured site visit agenda: Begin with location orientation (maps zooming out to your site), the key meetings (utilities, workforce, land owner) and wrap-up.
• Hospitality and logistics matter: The visiting team has travelled. Ensure clean hotel rooms, comfortable transportation, gifts or welcome boxes. These details reflect your level of care and coordination.
• Keep elected officials’ involvement brief and strategic: A strong intro is fine, but don’t let politics distract the meeting.
• Pre-visit readiness: Ensure the site/building is clean, clear titles, no unexpected issues (e.g., hunters on the property) — one cited example cost a community the deal.
• Post-visit follow-up: This is a differentiator. You must demonstrate responsiveness, clarity, and that you can track the deal process.

Getting your community on the short list of site consultants is not about being everything to everybody — it’s about being excellent at what matters to your target clients. Your website and marketing materials must reflect your readiness (real estate, utilities, workforce), your story (why this place, why this moment) and your ability to deliver confidently and quickly. When you align your digital presence, RFI responses, site visit execution and follow-up into one coherent funnel, you dramatically increase your chances of being invited to the site-visit stage — and from there, earning the win.

Golden Shovel can turn your economic development website into a strategic communication and attraction tool. Request a quote today.