Tri-County Regional Planning Commission requests statements of qualifications from qualified firms to provide professional planning services for the development of a Downtown Wayfinding and Signage Plan for the City of Peoria, Illinois.

Statements of Qualifications will be accepted until 4:00 pm, January 26, 2018. Statements of Qualifications received after that date and time will not be considered.

Background

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC) of Peoria, Illinois provides staffing for the Peoria-Pekin Urbanized Area Transportation Study (PPUATS), which is recognized as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Peoria-Pekin urbanized area.

The MPO receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation. A portion of the FY 2018 allocation has been set aside for this project. The proposed compensation for the project is $75,000. Due to the federal funding source, all work related to the project must be completed by June 30, 2018. Upon proposal review, TCRPC reserves the right to undertake a portion of the project as outlined above for a lesser amount and over a shorter time period.

Project

The term "Complete Streets" describes a comprehensive and integrated transportation network that allows for safe travel for all users of all ages and abilities. For several years, the City of Peoria has been designing new roadway projects with these ideals in mind. Peoria's City Council has adopted both a Complete Streets Policy and a Bicycle Master Plan, which further shows our commitment to Complete Streets concepts.

The City of Peoria strives to encourage healthy behavior throughout the community, which includes non-motorized transportation. The City anticipates that non-motorized trips will continue to grow as we improve bicycle and pedestrian access. These additional trips will not only be recreational, but also for commuting to and from work and school, as well as shopping and dining. This will be especially true in the densely developed downtown, which includes the Central Business District, River Front, Warehouse District, and hospitals. In anticipation of an increase in bicycle trips, the City has developed a Bicycle Wayfinding Plan which, when implemented, will help guide bicyclists to major areas of Peoria.

To further encourage pedestrian trips in the downtown and to enhance and promote pedestrian access and convenience, a Downtown Wayfinding and Signage Plan must be developed. Elements from the Bicycle Wayfinding Plan may be incorporated to help tie the overall city wayfinding together. This plan would include sign design for routing, wayfinding and distance to direct individuals around downtown Peoria, as well as give suggested sign locations. The overall plan should incorporate signage to route motorists to large venues and off-street parking, which will make the driving trips more efficient, reducing the vehicle impact to the urban core. The plan development must include public involvement for greater community buy in. The plan must be flexible to accommodate future expansion into other parts of Peoria. Finally, the plan must include a suggested implementation strategy component.

Scope of Services

Scope of Services will be negotiated upon consultant selection.

Deliverables

This contract will result in the following deliverable:

A completed Downtown Wayfinding and Signage Plan for Peoria, Illinois.

Submittal Contents

Only submissions limited to 15 pages (not including resumes) and containing the following will be considered:

• Name, address, telephone number, email, and website of firm;
• A Statement of Qualifications of:
  • The firm and any subcontractors (if any);
  • The lead team member; and
  • The individuals to be assigned to the project;
• At least three (3) examples of similar plans the firm has completed in the last 5 years;
• Business references from these projects, including client's name and telephone number shall be included; and
• Identification of any potential subcontracted services as necessary.

Please submit two (2) physical copies and one (1) digital PDF with all submittals.

All submittals shall be sealed and identified as PEORIA DOWNTOWN WAYFINDING AND SIGNAGE PLAN RFQ RESPONSE and addressed to:

Ryan Harms, Planner
Tri-County Regional Planning Commission
456 Fulton Street, Suite 401
Peoria, IL 61602

Contract Development

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission will enter into a contract for professional consulting services based on a fixed-price to the selected consultant for a Scope of Services to be negotiated and finalized once the consultant is chosen. Incremental payments to the consultant will be made at the completion of major tasks with a “not to exceed” contract amount. Ten (10) percent of the contract price will be held as final payment upon delivery of the final products. The exact payment schedule will be negotiated and determined as part of the contract.

TCRPC is not liable for any costs incurred by a consultant in responding to this Request for Qualifications or for any costs associated with discussions required for clarification of items related to this RFQ.

The contract shall not be considered executed unless signed by the authorizing representative of TCRPC.

Selection Process

TCRPC reserves the right to accept or reject any or all statements of qualifications. All submittals become the property of TCRPC upon receipt. TCRPC will evaluate each statement of qualifications according to the following factors and 100-point scale:

1. (25 points) Experience and Technical Competency
   The consultant's response should reflect qualifications and experience necessary to successfully develop and execute a Scope of Services. Reviewers will also assess the applicability and relevance of the consultant's experience and previous projects.
2. (25 points) Familiarity with Wayfinding and Non-motorized Planning
   The consultant's response must demonstrate a level of familiarity with the proposed project and an understanding of the planning challenges posed by the project.
3. (20 points) Record of Success
   The consultant's response should demonstrate success on similar projects and provide examples of similar work.
4. (20 points) Knowledge of the locality of the project
   The consultant's response should demonstrate familiarity with Peoria and/or the Greater Peoria area.
5. (10 points) References

The consultant's response should include at least 3 references, with contact information.

All submittals will be reviewed by a committee made up of representatives from TCRPC and the City of Peoria. All statements of qualifications will be scored and ranked, however the committee IS NOT bound to select the highest-scoring submittal. TCRPC reserves the sole right to invite one firm to the contract development stage or to reject all candidates that submit.

Project Schedule

• January 15, 2018 – Request for Qualifications is announced
• January 26, 2018 – Deadline for submittal of Statement of Qualifications
• January 26-30, 2018 – TCRPC and Peoria evaluate responses and select consultant
• January 31, 2018 – TCRPC approves contract with consultant; work begins
• June 30, 2018 – All project work is completed

Compliance with Laws

The selected firm agrees to be bound by all applicable Federal, State and Local laws, regulations and directives as they pertain to the performance of the contract.

Questions

TCRPC staff will answer all questions related to this RFQ until 4:00 pm, January 24, 2018. All questions and answers will be posted publicly on TCRPC's website. Questions should be addressed to:

Ryan Harms, Planner
rharms@tricountyrpc.org