City of Boston Releases RFP For New Street Furniture Program

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~ Boston, MA - The City of Boston has announced a new Request for Proposals (RFP) procurement process to find a business partner for the upgrade and expansion of its network of bus shelters, wayfinding kiosks, and other street furniture elements. These amenities serve transit riders, active transportation users, and pedestrians in the City's rights-of-way.

The City's vision for its new Street Furniture Program is to improve public spaces and influence how people travel through functional and well-designed amenities that also attract advertisers' interest. The program will be self-sustaining through advertising revenue.

Since the pandemic, street furniture has seen a resurgence in popularity worldwide. Programs have been implemented to increase transit accessibility, offer relief from climate impacts such as extreme heat, and promote economic activity through advertising on program elements.

Mayor Michelle Wu stated, "Every street block in our City has the potential to be more accessible and welcoming for everyone." With input from urban design partners, the RFP was developed to connect essential street amenities with public art to create comfortable, inviting, and accessible street infrastructure. "We look forward to selecting a partner who can help bring this vision to life," added Mayor Wu.

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Boston's original Street Furniture Program was launched in 2001 and was one of the first of its kind in North America. Through a public-private partnership, hundreds of amenities were deployed throughout the city. This resulted in over 360 bus shelters, six self-cleaning public toilets, and dozens of City information panels - all maintained through revenue generated by advertising sales.

Over the past 25 years since its inception, street furniture has evolved significantly with the incorporation of digital and other technologies that provide real-time information to transit riders and the public. Digital displays are now used by cities worldwide to deliver emergency messaging and public information.

According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), which is the trade organization for out-of-home (OOH) advertising, advertising space on street furniture has significantly increased in value. In the first quarter of 2026, OOH advertising generated $2.12 billion, with street furniture advertising revenues increasing by 11.5% year over year - the second-highest revenue growth among major OOH formats. In the Boston market alone, over $137 million was spent on OOH advertising in 2025.

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The City released the new RFP on September 7, 2026, through its Procurement Department webpage. Interested and qualified parties must register through the Supplier Portal to access the RFP. A virtual question-and-answer session regarding the RFP will be held on September 16, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with meeting information posted on the City's Procurement Department webpage.

Responses to the RFP are due on November 4, 2026. More information about the Street Furniture Program can be found at https://www.boston.gov/departments/property-man.... For inquiries about this RFP, please contact pmdbidinfo@boston.gov.

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