OPERATIONS, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR MUNCIE LAND BANK, INC.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Muncie Land Bank, Inc. (MLB) is seeking qualified consulting firms to develop a plan for operating the land bank program including the establishment of policies and procedures. The mission of the MLB is to acquire abandoned and blighted property, preserve it, and provide it to the public for strategic redevelopment. The Muncie Land Bank was created by local ordinance in 2017 based on the state enabling legislation found in IC 36-7-38. All but one of the Board of Directors have been appointed and approval of 501(c)(3) status is pending. The Board desires to begin operations and administration of the land bank using best management practices that will solidify its effectiveness for years to come. To that end, the following scope of work has been developed and the responses will be used to solicit funding from local foundations.

SCOPE OF WORK (SOW)

The Muncie Land Bank (MLB) is seeking Proposals from qualified consultants to provide the following primary services:

• Draft policies for the acquisition of properties, including which properties should be acquired by the MLB.
• Draft policies for the management of properties owned by the MLB.
• Draft policies for the disposition of property and the general guidelines for the transfer of properties.
• Draft policies regarding financing.
• Draft procedures for disposition of properties.
• Identify funding options and sources.
• Depending of financial resources available to the MLB, the following are secondary services that are desired:
• Strategies for community engagement and outreach.
• Strategies for coordination with local stakeholders both public and private.
• Development of a strategic action plan for immediate, short-term and long term needs.

REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR THE PROPOSAL

1. Submit one (1) hard copy of the proposal OR submit one (1) electronic copy, either is acceptable.
2. The proposal should be clear and concise, not exceeding a maximum of ten (10) double-sided pages, all inclusive.
3. A list of at least three clients for whom you have provided similar services. Please include a contact name, phone number, and email address (if applicable) for each reference provided.
4. The proposal should cover the details of the firm, address the evaluation criteria set forth herein, include a detailed description of the firm's understanding of the scope of work (SOW) and detail of the firm's capabilities to perform such work.
5. The proposal shall also identify any sub-consultant firms expected to be used under the contract. Consultants shall include substantial details regarding the qualifications of personnel for any sub-consultants that are expected to be employed under the contract.
6. The consultant shall outline a general approach to the required tasks. The consultant shall also outline its general approach to working with the MLB who will be providing input to the consultant during the course of the project.
7. Include an organizational chart which clearly identifies the project manager and other key individuals assigned to this project, their function and/or responsibility, along with their level of involvement in this project.
8. Include a chart indicating project timetable and major milestones (meetings and deliverables such as draft reports). This section shall also include a staff availability chart, detailing the availability of each staff member based on the percentage of time he/she will have to devote to this project, taking into consideration their other project commitments.
9. The proposals will be evaluated considering the following criteria:

CRITERIA POINTS

1. Overall qualifications and experience of the firm 20
   and the personnel to be assigned to this project.
2. Clarity and creativity/thoroughness of the proposal 20
   in addressing the SOW.
3. Adequacy and availability of resources: Evaluation of 20
   the firm's ability to complete work as proposed in the SOW.
4. Demonstration of an understanding of land bank initiatives 30
   In general and Indiana enabling statutes.
5. Demonstration of local knowledge (projects, heritage, etc.) and 10
   work with local projects and public participation. Total 100

J. Cost estimates for the proposed SOW which will not be used as a part of the evaluation but will be used to being grant writing to secure funding.

SUBMITTAL INFORMATION

A. Submit the proposals to:

Muncie Land Bank, Inc.
c/o Zane Bishop
City Hall
300 N. High Street
Muncie, In 47305
zbishop@cityofmuncie.com

B. Proposals must be received no later than 3:00pm EDT on Thursday, May 31, 2018.

C. Proposals or unsolicited revisions submitted after the specified due date and time will not be accepted and will be returned to the consultant.

CLARIFICATIONS & QUESTIONS PROCEDURE

All requests for clarification and/or questions should be submitted by email to Zane Bishop at zbishop@cityofmuncie.com. The responses will be provided to any prospective consultant upon request.

REJECTION CONDITIONS

The MLB reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received as a result of this RFP. A proposal may be rejected for one or more of the following reasons, or for any other reason deemed to be in the best interest of the MLB:

1. Failure of the consultant to adhere to one or more provisions of this RFP.
2. Failure of the consultant to submit information required by this RFP.
3. Failure of the consultant to follow generally accepted ethical and professional standards during the RFP process.

The MLB reserves the right to request and consider the opinions of any previous clients relative to the qualifications, capability and performance of any consulting firms and/or sub-consultants identified in response to this request for proposals. Once the proposals are discussed and ranked, the MLB will negotiate the contract starting with the highest ranked firm. Should negotiations be unsuccessful, the task force will proceed to the second highest ranked and so on. The MLB reserves the right to seek clarification of any proposal submitted and to select the proposal considered to best promote the public interest.

All proposals become the property of the MLB upon submission. The cost of preparing, submitting and presenting a proposal is the sole responsibility of the proposing consultant. The MLB reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of this solicitation, to negotiate with any qualified source, to waive any formality and any technicalities or to cancel this RFP in part or in its entirety if it is in the best interest of the MLB. This solicitation of proposals in no way obligates the MLB to award a contract.