A group representing the Triangle’s private and public sectors has sent its bid for Amazon’s new $5 billion, 50,000 job headquarters project and is upbeat about the region’s chances of landing the deal.

“Amazon Bid was sent by FedEx this afternoon,” Ryan Combs, executive director of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership,” said Tuesday afternoon. “It will be there by 10:30 [Wednesday] morning.”

Combs describes the proposal as “one comprehensive bid with multiple site options.”

In all, “seven sites in the region were submitted,” he added.

Combs declined to provide any more details, having said recently that even the members of the task force would not be disclosed given the competitiveness of the project.

Metropolitan areas across the country are competing for the jobs and economic development bonanza, which N.C. State economist Dr. Michael Walden would be worth billions of economic activity beyond what Amazon would spend on construction and employment.

A variety of studies have forecast which metro areas appear to be the most likely contenders based on Amazon’s criteria. Not all by any stretch have included the Triangle.

A new report this week by research firm Moody’s, for example, didn’t even list the Triangle in the top 10.

Regional confidence

Combs, however, says local officials believe they have a real chance to prevail in the bidding.

“We are confident with what our region has to offer, we will be on the short list for Amazon,” he explained.

“In answering the RFP, we highlighted our regional strengths which highlighted our incredible colleges and universities, our 42,000 graduates each year, access to world renowned talent, cost of living and cost of doing business, our airport that has seen 44 months of continuous growth, our strategic transit and transportation plans, and our incredible quality of life.”

Combs said the group “also highlighted our regions culture of innovation and collaboration that will appeal to a company like Amazon. The highly skilled and educated workforce that is agile and diverse will be most attractive to a company like Amazon.”

Amazon announced the project in September and set a deadline of Oct. 19 for responses to its proposal, which outline what the ecommerce giant is looking for in terms of land, transportation, workforce, and much more.

Chaired by business executives Farada Ali of Durham and Nate Spilker of Raleigh, a group that includes the Research Triangle Foundation, North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Economic Partnership for North Carolina, area Chambers of Commerce and other businesses and entities came together to create a task force to pursue Amazon.

The Triad and Charlotte regions also are expected to submit bids.

Ignore the press

If successful in landing the project, the jobs would double the number of workers already in place across Research Triangle Park.

Combs acknowledged that he had read media reports about the bidding process, but they have not affected his attitude.

“Like everyone else, I read the different articles that predict where Amazon will choose. As I stated before, our region is strong and we grow by 61 people a day.” he explained.

“North Carolina’s growth and transformation from tobacco and furniture to being leaders in IT, Life Sciences, CleanTech, transportation, and logistics in hard to ignore. Also, with our proximity to Atlanta, Washington, New York, and Boston, we are an ideal location on the east coast.”

Amazon has said it will likely announce the project winner next year.