GEAUGA COUNTY, OHIO

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

GENERAL PLAN UPDATE

DATE ISSUED: NOVEMBER 30, 2018

PROPOSAL DEADLINE DATE: JANUARY 4, 2019

NOTE: PROPOSALS SHALL BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 4:30 P.M. LOCAL TIME ON THE ABOVE DATE. LATE PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION TO:

GEAUGA COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
470 CENTER STREET, BUILDING 1-C
CHARDON, OHIO 44024

GENERAL CONTACT INFORMATION:

MARIA PALMISANO
PLANNER I
440.279.1740
mpalmisano@co.geauga.oh.us

I. PURPOSE

Geauga County, Ohio ("County") is soliciting a Request For Proposal (RFP) from qualified planning consultants ("consultant") to lead the County in the preparation and adoption of an update to its General Plan ("Plan"). The County seeks a consultant that will guide it in the formulation of a community vision that includes economic development policies and implementation strategies.

III. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The following reflects the minimum elements to be included in the scope of services. The County may refine and finalize the work with the selected consultant prior to the authorization of a contract. The County is willing to consider suggestions other than those items listed which, in the professional opinion of the consultant, will be essential to the production of a Plan that is comprehensive and defensible.

1. Review the existing Plan and identify chapters/sections that should remain, updated or deleted.
2. Examine existing plans or studies and any goals and objectives that may be included and implemented in the Plan.
3. Particular focus shall be on the economic development component of the Plan.
4. The existing 2003 Geauga County General Plan shall be used as a guide for the update. See it for more detailed content. A general outline of topics to be addressed includes, but may not belimited to, the following:

1.Executive Summary

• Brief summary of Plan content, vision, and outcomes.

2.Introduction

• Why prepare a Plan
• Planning process

3.Economic Development

• Priority development areas: shovel ready
• Analysis of current economic data available from U.S. Economic Census, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, County Business Patterns, ect.
• Location quotient analysis
• SWOT analysis
• Examination of agricultural residential, commercial, health care, and light industrial sectors
• Development impacts, cost of community services, and taxes
• Infrastructure/ utilities
• Workforce development: training and education
• Business incubator/ accelerator
• Programs/ policies/ strategies
• Incentives/tools
• Marketing/ branding strategies
• Website/ mobile app
• Business partner marketing toolkit
• Development review/permitting process
• Survey/outreach to business community/ realtors
• Rapid response team
• Partnering with JobsOhio, Team NEO, and others
• Venture capital/investment
• Amish business opportunities
• Public/private sector economic development committee/ focus group
• Implementation: Goals/objectives/recommendations/strategies short- and long-range
• Determine most advantageous types of economic development that meet the county's economic development targets

4.Community Services

• Existing public facilities: governmental offices, law enforcement, fire and ambulance protection, libraries, social services, etc.
• Parks and recreation
• Hospital and other health care services
• Recycling and solid waste management

5.Cultural Resources

• Historical overview of county
• Significant historic and cultural sites

6. Housing

• Planning and zoning issues
• Existing conditions
• Residential building trends including emphasis on senior housing

7.Demographics

• Demographic profile based on U.S. Census data
• Projections

8.Natural Resources

• Existing conditions based on soils and related variables
• Ground water quantity and quality
• Priority conservation areas
• Land capability/suitability

9. Land Use

• County Model Zoning Review
• Planning and zoning regulations
• Residential, commercial, light industrial, institutional, recreational, open space, and agricultural existing conditions and trends
• Open space and recreation
• Development projections
• Incorporate means to stem land to potentially be purchased by land conservancies.

10.Agriculture

• Analysis of current U.S. Agricultural Census data
• Protected land
• Programs available: federal, state, and local
• Local food
• Strategies to advance agricultural activities
• Small farm trends

11.Utilities

• 208 Service Plan
• Existing services and review of available: water, sewer, electricity, natural gas, telephone, and broadband
• Alternative energy
• Service needs/projections

12.Transportation

• Existing infrastructure
• Traffic volume and accident data
• Proposed road and bridge projects short- and long-range
• Transportation modes: private vehicular, public transit, county airport
• Amish transportation: lanes, paths, and other safety matters

13.Public Engagement/Survey Results

• Input from survey/meetings: see Section IV below

14.Implementation

• Goals/objectives/recommendations: short-, mid-, and long-range
• Plan presentation/adoption

IV. Community Engagement

The consultant will develop a public engagement strategy with recommendations for meeting concepts, outreach opportunities, and information gathering techniques. Various methods may be employed to obtain input from the general public, stakeholders, and elected and appointed officials including presentations/workshops, social media, the County's website, and surveys.

V. QUALIFICATIONS

At a minimum, a statement of qualifications shall include the following.

1. Firm Background: include a brief description of the firm, and any sub-consultant(s), including the range of professional services offered, staff size, and office location(s).
2. Composition of Project Team: Provide the resumes of all team members and identify capacity in which each member may be used, the project manager, and the primary point of contact. Any tasks to be conducted by a subcontractor shall be identified. The County's expectation is that the primary staff person(s) will not change throughout the course of the Plan preparation.
3. Firm Experience: Include the firm's experience and credentials to undertake the project,including any subcontractor. Provide a minimum of three (3) examples of other comprehensive or general county plans that the firm has completed within the prior five (5) years. List recent projects that the principal staff have worked on and describe their responsibilities.
4. References: Include the contact person, title, location address, phone number and email for at least three (3) references for comparable professional services. Note the description and time frame as to when the services were rendered

VI. CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSION

At a minimum, the following items in the order provided below shall be submitted to evaluate the proposal.

1. Letter of Interest: This letter will briefly summarize the consultant's understanding of the scope of the work.
2. Qualifications: See Section V above.
3. Approach and Timeline: Submit a narrative as to the firm's approach to accomplishing the project and its timeline, including major milestones in relationship to the scope of work. The anticipated timeline for completion of the Plan is twelve (12) months from the date of a signed agreement by all of the parties.
4. Cost and Compensation: Provide a detailed outline of the cost for full completion of the scope of services. This is to include material costs, ancillary costs that may be incurred for the delivery of services requested, and a not to exceed figure.
5. Submittal: Twelve (12) hard copies and one (1) electronic copy of the proposal.

VII. SELECTION PROCESS

Geauga County will select a consultant based upon a careful examination of the merits of the proposal received. A consultant will be chosen based upon their proven professional capabilities and the overall expectations of the County.

Upon evaluating the proposals, the County will select several consultants for interviews. Principal members of the consulting team who will be directly responsible for the Plan are to participate. Based upon the results of the interview and other applicable factors, a consultant shall be selected.

After selection, the consultant will be contacted to finalize an acceptable agreement for professional services, subject to review by the County Prosecutor's office. The agreement shall include the fee structure, project time frame, and the final scope of services.

Geauga County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals for any of the following reasons:

1. Failure to meet the terms and conditions of the RFP.
2. Submitting a proposal with a price that is excessive or that exceeds available funds.
3. The proposal is not in the best interest of the County.

The County reserves the right to conduct discussions with consultants for the purposes of clarification or correction regarding a proposal.

VIII. OTHER ITEMS

1. The consultant shall provide any documents that are incorporated by reference in the proposal.
2. To the extent possible, the consultant shall utilize County staff in the preparation process, including mapping through GIS.
3. Any questions regarding this RFP shall be submitted in writing by email to Maria Palmisano, Planner I, at mpalmisano@co.geauga.oh.us. Please request the full RFP as a PDF document.
4. Consultants will not be reimbursed for any cost associated with the preparation of the proposal, interview time, or any other expense.
5. Deliverables: The consultant shall provide twenty (20) hardcopies of the completed Plan and it shall be provided electronically as well. Text shall be in a current version of MS Word and mapping in ArcGIS Desktop Version 10. The Plan and all related components shall become the permanent property of Geauga County.
6. All information submitted to Geauga County in regards to this RFP is public information and is subject to the laws concerning public records. All material submitted will become the property of the County.