Request for Proposals - Professional Services for a City of Belfast Active Transportation and Accessibility Plan

Start Date: November 14, 2023
End Date: December 18, 2023
Type: Requests for Proposals (RFP)
Phone: (207) 338-3370, extension 116
Email: economicdevelopment@cityofbelfast.org
More Information: Click Here

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is available for download at the City of Belfast's website: www.cityofbelfast.org/activetransportationplan (under 'RELATED DOCUMENTS').

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: 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 this 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: economicdevelopment@cityofbelfast.org

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 the close of business on Thursday, November 30th, 2023.

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 map, which is available for download on the City of Belfast’s website: www.cityofbelfast.org/activetransportationplan (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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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:

1. Technical proposals will be reviewed and scored using the responses to the criteria listed in the “Proposer Information” section below.
2. 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:

1. 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?
2. Project Understanding (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?
3. Prior Experience (25 points) – Has the consultant presented a proven history of study similar to that set forth in the scope of work?
4. 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.
5. 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 the responsibilities of all parties as they relate to schedule deadlines.
6. Contact Information: Provide the name, address, phone number, and email address of the Proposer.
7. 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.

a. 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.

b. 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 format.

c. Price Proposal: One (1) copy of the price proposal must be provided in a separate, sealed envelope (and therefore not be included in the technical proposal) that will be opened only if the initial scoring of technical proposals results in a Proposer being ranked as best qualified. NO MENTION OF PRICE WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL; OTHERWISE, THAT PROPOSAL WILL BE REJECTED.

d. Proposal Package Submittal: Proposal packages must be mailed/delivered as follows:

Regular Mail Delivery:

Address to:

City of Belfast

Attn: Thomas Kittredge

131 Church Street

Belfast, Maine 04915\

Hand Carried Delivery:

Address to:

City of Belfast

Attn: Thomas Kittredge

131 Church Street

Belfast, Maine 04915

Federal Express/UPS Delivery:

Address to:

City of Belfast

Attn: Thomas Kittredge

131 Church Street

Belfast, Maine 04915

8. TERMS & CONDITIONS / GENERAL INFORMATION:

1. The contract type used for this project will be a stand-alone project contract, and the method of payment will be adjustable burdened hourly rate.
2. The initial contract term will be for ten (10) months, commencing upon execution of the contract documentation. The City of Belfast reserves the right to modify the initial contract term at its discretion, as well as to award additional phases of the project.
3. This RFP does not commit the City of Belfast to pay any costs incurred in preparing and submitting your proposal.

9. PROPOSAL PRICING:

Price proposal and supporting data must be submitted using each of the three following forms: 1) RFP Appendix A, Proposer’s General Information Form; 2) RFP Appendix A-1, Employee Classifications, Names, and Rates; and 3) Consultant Price Proposal Form; all three of these forms  are available for download on MaineDOT’s Local Project Administration website, under the heading labeled Consultant Procurement: http://www.maine.gov/mdot/lpa/lpadocuments/; and on the City of Belfast’s website: www.cityofbelfast.org/activetransportationplan (under ‘RELATED DOCUMENTS’).

Section A: Required Components for Price Proposal

The price proposal must include the following:

• Project WIN, location, firm name and address, contact name, and email address.
• Employee Classifications and Direct Labor Rates:

The proposal must include each employee’s classification and rate of pay. Note: A cap on direct labor of $62.00 per hour for the project manager, and $50.00 per hour for all other personnel, applies to this project.

• Overhead Rate:

The price proposal will reflect the Consultant’s latest Audited Overhead Rate approved by MaineDOT’s Office of Audit. (Note: Use of a fixed commercial rate will be accepted for small firms without an Audited Overhead Report.)

• Fixed Fee/Profit:

The proposed fixed fee/profit is based on factors such as degree of risk, relative difficulty of work, and the size of the job. It must fall within the range of 6 percent to 15 percent.

• Direct Expenses:

This will consist of project expenses such as mileage (45 cents per mile), tolls, printing, postage, and subconsultant costs that are not included in direct labor, overhead, or profit. Note: Markup on direct costs is prohibited.

• Total Proposed Cost:

This is the maximum amount proposed.

Section B: Proposal Pricing Attachments

• Insurance Certificates:

Insurance certificates for the coverages listed below must be included with the Consultant’s Price Proposal Form:

• • Professional Liability;
  • Commercial General Liability, listing the City of Belfast as additional insured;
  • Automobile Liability;
  • Worker’s Compensation; and
  • Excess/Umbrella Liability (if applicable).

Consultants must provide current insurance certificates by email to economicdevelopment@cityofbelfast.org.

Section C: Subconsultant Proposal

If a subconsultant will work on the project, the prime consultant must submit the subconsultant’s proposal as supporting documentation.

10. DEBARMENT CERTIFICATION:

The signature pages required in Section 6, “Proposer Information,” must also include the following statement:

“By submitting to this RFP, I certify to the best of my knowledge and belief that the organization, its principals, and any subconsultants named in this proposal:

1. Are not debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from bidding or working on contracts issued by any governmental agency.
2. Have not within three (3) years of submitting the proposal for this contract been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for:
   1. fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a federal, state or local government transaction or contract;
   2. violating federal or state antitrust statutes or committing embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property;
   3. are not currently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (federal, state or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (b) of this certification; and
   4. have not within a three (3) year period preceding this proposal had one or more federal, state, or local government transactions terminated for cause or default.”

Failure to provide this certification may result in the disqualification of the proposal.

11. FREEDOM OF ACCESS ACT: CONFIDENTIALITY:

Under Maine’s Freedom of Access Act, 1 M.R.S.A. §401, et seq., “public records” are available for public inspection and copying once an award notification has been made.

Information submitted in response to this RFP will be considered “public records” available for inspection and copying once an award notification is made. If a Proposer contends that parts of its Proposal fall under an exception set forth in 1 M.R.S.A. §402(3), the Proposer may submit those parts of its Proposal in a separate envelope marked “Confidential,” with each page marked “Confidential.” Included in the envelope should be a non-confidential statement of the basis for the Proposer’s claim that those parts of its Proposal fall within one or more exceptions to the definition of “public records.” Designating parts of a Proposal “Confidential” does not by itself ensure that they will stay confidential.

If the City of Belfast receives a request to inspect or copy parts of a Proposal marked “Confidential,” the City of Belfast will notify the Proposer. Within 14 days of receiving the City of Belfast’s notice, any Proposer claiming documents are confidential must send the City of Belfast a list identifying each document that it claims is confidential. The City of Belfast will notify the party requesting disclosure that the documents will be withheld. If the party seeking disclosure files a legal action to gain access to the confidential information, the Proposer must retain counsel and join the legal action to defend its position that the release of information should be denied. Proposer’s failure to join the action and defend its position will constitute a waiver of its claim that the information is confidential. The City of Belfast will comply with the order issued by the court reviewing the case.