Introduction and Background

The City of Cape Girardeau, Missouri is soliciting statements of qualifications (SOQ's) from interested consultants for updating the City's comprehensive plan.

Located in southeast Missouri on the Mississippi River, Cape Girardeau has evolved from a nineteenth century river town to a regional center for education, health care, and business. The city has a population of over 39,000 residents and is home to Southeast Missouri State University, Saint Francis Medical Center, SoutheastHEALTH, a United States District Court, and the Isle Casino, as well as many other businesses and community organizations. The City of Cape Girardeau is a council-manager form of government with its own police and fire departments as well as utility services (water and sanitary sewer). The City's park system includes over 26 public parks and over 11 miles of multi-purpose paved trails. The City operates several recreation and event facilities throughout the year and hosts several sports tournaments. Cape Girardeau is served by several transportation routes and modes, including Interstate 55, U.S. Highway 61, Missouri State Highway 74, Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, BNSF Railway, and the Mississippi River, as well as several transit operators. Convenient access to transportation and unique recreation amenities and cultural attractions make Cape Girardeau a popular Midwestern tourism destination.

The current comprehensive plan was adopted in 2007 after a year-long process involving the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, the Planning and Zoning Commission, local stakeholders, and the general public. The plan addresses a wide range of topics such as land use, utilities, transportation, parks and recreation, public safety, and economic development. It also contains goals and objectives to guide the community in shaping its future. Now a decade old, the plan needs to be updated. Several major developments have been completed or initiated, new development patterns have emerged, economic conditions have changed, new organizations and plans have been created, and the community's focus has shifted to a different set of issues.

Scope of Services

The selected consultant will assist the community in building on the current comprehensive plan by producing a "plan update". The plan update is not intended to replace the current plan; rather, it will address changes that have occurred since the adoption of the current plan and include new topics. The following is an overview of the information to be included in the plan update. The list is not comprehensive, and other information may be considered based on discussions with the consultant and/or other parties involved.

• Relationship between the comprehensive plan and the City's Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
• Evaluation of service levels and other measures of sustainability
• Impact of the Southeast Missouri State University on the local economy, transportation systems, cultural diversity, etc., including how to better align uses and redevelopment along the major corridors bordering the campus
• Impact of new development (casino, business park, conference center, indoor sports complex, downtown tech district, etc.)
• Impact of technology infrastructure
• Housing assessment
• Neighborhood planning, including Neighborhood Development Initiative (NDI) implementation
• Transportation planning, including the role of the Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO)
• Policies and programs toward achieving social equity
• Policies and programs to improve community health
• Policies and programs to improve and maintain properties
• Pre-disaster planning policies and programs
• Updates and corrections to existing sections and maps
• Additional comparisons of peer cities and profiles of cities with a high quality of life

In developing the plan update, the consultant will work closely with the City's Comprehensive Plan Oversight Committee, Planning and Zoning Commission, City Council, and staff, as well as other stakeholders. The process will include a broad public engagement component providing multiple opportunities for public input using various methods at key stages in the process. The consultant will also research existing plans produced by the City and other entities for information relevant to the plan update.

Qualification and Submission Requirements

Consultants will be evaluated according to the following minimum qualification requirements:

1. Experience in the preparation of comprehensive/general/master plans for cities comparable to Cape Girardeau;
2. Skill in working with government officials, business and community representatives, and the general public;
3. Skill in written and graphic communication; and
4. Ability to complete projects on time and within budget.

The selected consultant must be able to comply with the City's insurance requirement, as follows:

• Consultant agrees to secure and maintain, at Consultant's sole cost and expense at all times during the term of the Agreement and for a period of one year after date of completion, insurance covering claims arising out of the performance of Consultant's services under this Agreement and for claims arising out of allegations of errors, omissions or negligent acts for which Consultant may be liable, with a minimum policy limit of Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00) each claim/aggregate, or the liability limits for the political subdivisions set out in Section 537.610 RSMo, whichever is greater, and other such insurance requirements as set forth by the City.

To be considered, consultants must submit an SOQ which includes the following information:

1. Cover letter
2. Previous experience
3. Resumes of key personnel who will be directly responsible for the project
4. Planning process and schedule
5. References
6. Confirmation of ability to comply with the City's insurance requirement

SOQ's must be received by the City on or before 4:00 p.m. Central Time on February 17, 2017. A total of six (6) copies of the SOQ must be submitted. SOQ packets must be addressed and delivered to:

City of Cape Girardeau
Planning Services Division
401 Independence St.
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703

Please clearly mark the outside of the packet with "SOQ for Plan Update".Late submissions will not be accepted. The City reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, or any part thereof.

Selection Process and Criteria

A selection team consisting of City staff and Comprehensive Plan Oversight Committee members will evaluate each SOQ according to the selection criteria below. The team will then generate a short list of consultants to be interviewed and evaluated using the same selection criteria. Consultants invited to interview will be expected to provide their current workload and demonstrate they will have enough staff resources to meet the project deadlines. The highest ranked consultant will then be asked to enter into negotiations for an agreement to provide the scope of services previously described. If an agreement cannot be successfully negotiated with the highest ranked consultant, negotiations will be terminated with that consultant, and negotiations will be initiated with the second highest ranked consultant and so on until an agreement can be reached.

Direct communication with City staff, elected or appointed officials, or Comprehensive Plan Oversight Committee members concerning this RFQ at any time is strictly prohibited, except as noted in the Submission of Questions section.

The City reserves the right to only notify consultants who have made the short list as to their status. Consultants who are not notified of making the short list by the date on the schedule below should assume they were not selected.

The selection criteria and weighting are as follows:

Previous experience — 30%
Key personnel — 25%
Planning process and schedule — 25%
Technical and graphic skills — 20%

TOTAL 100%

Schedule

Consultants must be able to accommodate the following schedule:

SOQ's due by 4:00 p.m. — February 17, 2017
Consultants on short list — Notified by February 27, 2017
Interviews — March 6-10, 2017
Final selection — March 13, 2017
Consultant submits agreement — March 27, 2017
City Council authorization of agreement — April 17, 2017
Project start — May 1, 2017

Submission of Questions

Questions concerning this RFQ must be submitted in writing to and received by the Planning Services Division no later than February 13, 2017. Please label or include "Question re: Plan Update RFQ" in the subject line.

Mail:

City of Cape Girardeau
Planning Services Division
401 Independence St.
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
Fax: (573) 339-6303
Email: cityplanning@cityofcape.org