Request for Proposals - Professional Services for an Active Transportation and Accessibility Plan

Bid Postings • Request for Proposals - Professional Services Skip to Main Content Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more. Website Sign In City Government Our Community Doing Business Just Visiting How Do I Search Home Bid Postings Print Sign up to receive a text message or email when new bids are added! Print Bid Title: Request for Proposals - Professional Services for an Active Transportation and Accessibility Plan Category: Economic Development Status: Closed Description: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR PLANNING FEASIBILITY STUDIES The City of Belfast and the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) are soliciting proposals for professional services for a City of Belfast Active Transportation and Accessibility Plan . The consultant selected for this plan may be retained to provide design services and construction engineering in future project phases. The consultant selected for this plan may likewise be retained to assist MaineDOT with applications for applicable federal discretionary funding applications. The consultant selected for this plan may be asked to become prequalified for MaineDOT Service Number 103.60 (Planning-Feasibility Studies). This project is subject to applicable federal and state laws, regulations, policies, and procedures. Proposers must provide: a.) a technical proposal; and b.) a price proposal in a separate, sealed package (separate from the technical proposal). Price shall not be part of the technical proposal; otherwise, that proposal shall be rejected. 1. PROPOSALS ARE TO BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN: Date Due: Thursday, December 21st, 2023 ( T his was changed from Monday, December 18th, 2023.) Local Time: 6:00pm Any proposal, portion of a proposal, or unrequested proposal revision received at the City of Belfast after the time and date specified above will not be accepted. 2. COMMUNICATIONS: Communications regarding the Request for Proposals (RFP) must be submitted by email and directed to the RFP Coordinator listed below. The email's subject line must reference the project name, RFP title, and Project WIN. RFP Coordinator: Thomas Kittredge, Economic Development Director, City of Belfast Office Phone: (207) 338-3370, extension 116 Email: Project Name: City of Belfast Active Transportation and Accessibility Plan RFP Title: Professional Services for Planning Feasibility Studies Project WIN: 27788.00 3. REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION/RFP AMENDMENTS: All requests for clarification and additional information must be submitted by email to the RFP Coordinator listed above by 3:00pm on Tuesday, November 28th, 2023. Late requests will not be accepted. When appropriate, responses will be placed on the City of Belfast's website: cityofbelfast.org/activetransportationplan no later than close of business on Thursday, November 30th, 2023. ( The full set of questions and answers can be found below under 'Miscellaneous' or they can be downloaded below under 'Related Documents.') 4. PROPOSAL SCOPE OF WORK AND LOCATION: The scope of work of the project is as follows: City of Belfast Active Transportation and Accessibility Plan Scope of Services Introduction The City of Belfast and MaineDOT are undertaking a Planning Partnership Initiative-funded project to better understand the community’s goals and needs for bicycle and pedestrian transportation (active transportation) facilities within the study area. The City of Belfast and its Pedestrian, Transportation, and Accessibility Committee have worked over the past few years to identify some active transportation issues in the community and have undertaken some improvements, including bike lanes on Northport Avenue and Main Street, a multi-use path at Wales Park, an upgraded surface at the Harbor Walk, “Share the Trail” signage on the Harbor Walk and Rail Trail, and a redesign of the intersection and crosswalk at Northport Avenue and Church Street. Study Area The study area includes the entire City of Belfast (see included map below under 'RELATED DOCUMENTS'), with special emphasis on Route 1 crossings, creating safe and accessible active transportation links between urban and rural areas of the City, and expanding the active transportation network outward from the City of Belfast's center. Scope of Work The primary scope of work is to develop a long-term (10+ years) plan for the development and management of facilities in the City of Belfast that will provide for safe and comfortable transportation of bicyclists and pedestrians in the study area. The plan will outlay the community’s goals and vision for active transportation and accessibility, evaluate existing conditions, and put forth recommendations for policy and infrastructure improvements in the City of Belfast. The effort will include consultation with a planning team that will include representatives from the City of Belfast and MaineDOT, as well as other local stakeholders as determined by the City of Belfast. The consultant is anticipated to complete five tasks as follows: Project Coordination: Meet up to five times with the planning team. Two of these meetings are anticipated to be virtual and at least one is anticipated to be in-person and to include a field walk/site review. Existing Conditions Inventory: Working with the planning team, the consultant shall map all existing on and off-road bicycle/pedestrian facilities including their condition, with emphasis on apparent barriers to accessibility and use of the sidewalk network, existing sidewalk gaps, and provide that data on maps that the planning team can use for further planning and analysis. Public Engagement: The consultant should expect to attend and lead an in-person public meeting, and potentially an open house or mapping charrette, where the public can weigh in on other bicycle/pedestrian facilities that may be desired within the project scope, as well as points of connectivity between community traffic generators and destinations. Consultant proposals should include a proposed plan for public engagement to garner the best input on the plan from local citizens and stakeholders. Recommendations: The consultant, based on planning team input and public engagement, shall propose prioritized recommendations for specific infrastructure improvements, which may include future projects such as sidewalks, bicycle lanes, multi-use trails, intersections, safety improvements, and other recommendations that are aligned with the vision and goals of the City of Belfast within the plan. Prepare a draft and final concise report. The City of Belfast and MaineDOT anticipate this plan will be completed within ten months from a formal notice to proceed. Project deliverables are anticipated to include: minutes from all meetings (planning team and public); presentation materials; maps; analyses of current assets, growth trends, and future challenges and opportunities; recommendations; and a phased/prioritized implementation plan with preliminary cost estimates and identified potential funding sources. 5. PROPOSAL RATING AND SELECTION PROCESS: Technical proposals will be reviewed and scored using the responses to the criteria listed in the “Proposer Information” section below. This is a qualifications-based selection process, meaning that technical proposals alone will be used to select the successful Proposer. Upon selecting the successful Proposer, the City of Belfast will open that Proposer’s price proposal and begin negotiations. Price proposals from all other Proposers will remain sealed during negotiations and will be returned unopened upon contract award. 6. PROPOSER INFORMATION: Quality of Consultant Team (30 points) – How strong is the project team; are key personnel on staff or if subcontracted, are relationships well established? How will information be presented or published during the process? Has the consultant adequately defined the human resources necessary to complete the project? Who will be performing the key elements of the project? Project Understandin g (30 points) – How well does the consultant understand all aspects of this project? What elements of the process require extraordinary focus to achieve meaningful recommendations and meet the schedule? Prior Experience (25 points) – Has the consultant presented a proven history of study similar to that set forth in the scope of work? References (10 points) – Proposers should include contact information for similar projects completed within the last five years. Similar projects performed by personnel proposed for this study will be evaluated more favorably. Respondents should focus on projects that have progressed beyond planning to implementation. Schedule Quality (5 points) – The Proposal should demonstrate that the team has the availability and necessary human resources to respond to and deliver this project. The proposal should lay out timelines for the various elements and identify responsibilities of all parties as they relate to schedule deadlines. Contact Information: Provide the name, address, phone number, and email address of the Proposer. Signature Pages: Signature pages must be included with both the technical proposal and the price proposal stating that “I certify that all of the information in this technical/price proposal is true and accurate.” 7. PACKAGING AND SUBMITTING YOUR TECHNICAL PROPOSAL AND YOUR PRICE PROPOSAL: Organization and Format: Your technical proposal, which should be organized in the format and sequence indicated in these proposal instructions, must be submitted as outlined below. RFP Title: The Proposer’s full business name and address as well as the RFP title ("Professional Services for Planning Feasibility Studies") must be written on your proposal package, with reference to Project WIN 27788.00. Hard Copy: Technical proposals must be submitted as follows: six (6) copies of the technical proposal must be submitted in hard copy format accompanied by one (1) electronic copy in .pdf form